February 12, 2021

Friday

A day fated for disaster. We got up early and cleaned the apartment. The Airbnb host arrived and offered to drive us to the train station. He told us that if we ever came back to the city, he hoped that we would rent from him again. We arrived at SNCF super early, so we grabbed vending machine snacks and settled in.

Our first train arrived at last! I watched some movies on the train and chilled out. We piled onto the platform in Toulouse and made our way over to the next train. The waiting area was crowded and I felt uneasy. Still, everyone seemed far enough away so I didn’t think I was in any danger. I checked my phone and then hopped on the train. I sat down to send a text to the group that a family with screaming kids was right behind me, only to discover that my pocket was empty. My heart sank. I hoped desperately that the worst had not happened. I searched the surrounding area like my life depended on it. Sadly, it was to no avail. My phone was gone. I was pickpocketed at the station.

Thankfully, Jenni was on the train with me. I was able to use her phone to sign into my iCloud account. I located the phone in Toulouse and started setting off alarms on it. I locked the device. My concern at the moment was my train ticket. We had one more connection and I had no proof that I had a ticket for either this ride or the one that followed. I sat and cried in front of a train full of strangers. I felt completely adrift.

We met up with the others at the next station and told them what happened. I struggled to keep back tears. We formulated a plan for the coming ride. Thankfully, the comptroller was able to find my ticket using my birthday, so I didn’t get fined. I planned to stay with Alli the rest of the weekend. I used her phone to contact my dad back in the states. I told him that I would give him more details when we got back to the apartment and I could use Alli’s computer.

When we at finally arrived in Valence, it was absolutely freezing. It had to be around 20 degrees- the coldest it’s been in France. There were thick snowflakes falling from the sky.

I spent the rest of the night freaking out and reaching out to everyone I could to let them know what had happened. My biggest concern was accessing my email. The University of Michigan has a required 2-factor software that makes your account impossible to access without a verified device to approve your login- now my verified device was gone.