I'm so tired.

[Winged Dancer]

Bear with me. I have not posted lately, but I can't help it. Bear with this little bit of drama, I just need to let it all out. You might say this is all to get some attention, you might say I'm a desperate internet-dweller... I don't care. Just bear with me.

I haven't posted a lot lately. Not that I usually do.

Last month, and so far this month as well, have been the worst possible ever.

A good friend of the family was kidnapped. Saved, after a week, by paying about 150,000 dollars to the captors.

Before that, both my dad and I got our iPods stolen - mine by some guy and the traditional "Don't you dare scream, bitch!" routine.

Then, a drunkard almost hit my brother's car - which ended in my brother colliding against a house, destroying his car and half the wall. He wasn't injured, but the drunk driver got away and we had to pay this all.

Today, my own father got kidnapped. Mom and I went to the store and when we got back, the phone was ringing.

I pick up. A strange voice says "Hello. You (mom's name)?"
I answer, no, I'm her daughter (stupid of me to answer). Who is it?

"From your dad."

My mom went pale a soon as she picked the receiver, and I already knew what was going on.

Fortunately, it's not so serious. He isn't asking for money. He just wants the papers for dad's car, and some of mom's jewels.

She is on her way to pay the "ransom" right now. I gave her my pearls and the one-diamond ring my grandpa gave me for my eighteenth birthday. With a little bit of luck, nothing will have happened.

But I'm tired of this. Sick and tired. I'm becoming more and more paranoic. I have a voice in-mail in my cellphone and I'm too afraid to hear it. I'm tired of living in this situation, being afraid of half the people in the street, being afraid of any strange voice that answers the phone.

I want out. I just want out of this goddamned country, or at least this stupid city. God, I'm so, so, so tired, so sad, so worried, and so powerless against it all. I hate this. God, I'm just so tired.

Thanks for reading.

[UChessmaster]

man... that hard, i hope your father is ok and everything ends well... what country do you live?

[RedX1z]

I'm sorry to hear what your family has to go though. It must really be tough for you and your family to bare all that out of the blue, and all of the sudden. I hope everything turns out for the best for you and your family.

[Lucifus]

Oh Goddamn it. Saw alot of crap in Jamaica before I moved here, but I was really young and didn't have to experience most of it.

I know us internet dwellers condolences and encourage really isn't much, but I'm afraid thats really all we can do, least what I can do. I wish you and your family the best, and I'm glad I got out of such living conditions early on.

It really is a downer to know there are alot of people going through such things when my biggest worry at the moment is final exams. From the sound of things, you really need a break.

Wish you and your family the best.....though wishing won't do much.

It pisses me off how utterly and completely worthless the police force can be at times. Its the same everywhere save for countries such as America.

[Carnage]

Wow, thats fucking horrible. I feel extremely sympathetic and I truly do hope that you can get out of your situation, or atleast that it becomes better. :(

[dragonrage]

All i can say is that, I hope that everything turns out alright. My, thought are with you, remember when you're at the very bottom there is only one way to go, right.

It makes me sad to see you in this much pain, and I know that you don't post alot but when you do it is something worth reading and most of the time it puts a smile on my face.

I truly hope that your father is ok and the better day will come very soon for you.

[Winged Dancer]

Dad is coming! He's alright! He's coming, oh God, he's safe....

[RyougaZell]

Con una ching... err... I mean... God Damn it...

WD... do you live in DF? Have you and your family ever thought about going to another state? Even Nuevo Leon, where I live, isn't THAT hard with kidnapings (sp?) although there are a lot of police murders... (60+ in the course of 5 months... 2006 only had 55 murders)

And thank Deus (God) your father is going home...

[Terracosmo]

Goddamnit this pisses me off so much. If I could I'd just brandish a shotgun and come down there and execute all of those fucking lowlifes. It isn't fair how people mix in others just because their situations are less fortunate. Always the innocent ones who get all the shit.

I don't give a shit if kidnappers do things like this to feed their own families, resorting to such measures is only deserving of a bullet. Fucking cowards.

What sucks most is that all this happens to YOU. You are so amazing, wonderful and one of the coolest people I've ever talked to whether off or online.

Just goes to show how much the world blows.

But I'm glad your dad is okay. <3

[RyougaZell]

Actually Terra...
here in our country (WD and mine) kidnappers don't do it to feed someone else... they do it because of greediness... for money...
At least my state is full of narcos (mafia? drug dealers?) and they are the reason of the so many murders.
And some 'famous' kidnappers of Mexico (famous? bah!) like the MochaOrejas (CutEars... a guy who sent the ears of his kidnaps to the families) exist -_-

[itadakimasu]

Dad is coming! He's alright! He's coming, oh God, he's safe....

glad that your dad is ok...

i have a few complex issues and am still feeling many after effects of my car being stolen a month and a half ago... but reading your post made me think about how petty and insignificant some of my problems are compared to things that you are living with, i cannot begin to imagine having a family member kidnapped or how badly that would destroy my life.

[Assertn]

o___O

Wow....
Did something change to your town within the past few months? Cause everything sounded fine over there before that.....

[SK]

Sounds like your family is pretty rich.

[Terracosmo]

Actually Terra...
here in our country (WD and mine) kidnappers don't do it to feed someone else... they do it because of greediness... for money...

In that case it's even worse. >_<

[Lefty]

All of this truly confirms the fact MOST of humanity should up and die. Even if they're doing it feed to their family does not give anyone the excuse to kidnap someone. Doing it for money, there's a special place in the after life for you, and it's not a fun place.

WD I hope you and your family have some form of major good carma soon. Because your all well over due. The fact you have to worry about this kind of crap every day and still manage to go out side of your house. Honey your an insperation to everyone who knows you.

Hope you can some day live somewhere where you can walk the street with out looking behind your back.

[mage]

I've never actually heard of anyone paying a ransom before except in movies.. I don't know too much about Mexico, but is there a reason you can't just get the police involved with these kidnappings?

[Kraco]

Damn. I've never had more than a plastic ruler stolen from me so it's pretty impossible for me to imagine what actually having a family member kidnapped means. You surely have had tough times. Let's hope you will get a long, preferably permanent, break from such troubles from now on.



I've never actually heard of anyone paying a ransom before except in movies.. I don't know too much about Mexico, but is there a reason you can't just get the police involved with these kidnappings?
About every Mexican people seems to complain the police is highly inefficient. And with what RyougaZell said, with so many officers killed, it's also no wonder. Sounds like a bloody war to me.

[XanBcoo]

About every Mexican people seems to complain the police is highly inefficient. And with what RyougaZell said, with so many officers killed, it's also no wonder. Sounds like a bloody war to me.
Not just corruption, apparently corruption is pretty rampant as well. Cops get paid off all the time to turn a blind eye. Lots of my friends who've lived in or have been to Mexico have personally confirmed this. So yeah, it's pretty bad.

WD, I'm glad your dad is safe. It's terrible that you've had to go through this. Here's hoping that stuff will start looking up for you, and that you'll be able to possibly move out of this situation. It's completely unfair how kidnappers target people like this, no matter the reason.

[RyougaZell]

About every Mexican people seems to complain the police is highly inefficient. And with what RyougaZell said, with so many officers killed, it's also no wonder. Sounds like a bloody war to me.

And I just mentioned the ones killed in my state... dunno the number around all the country.
Sad thing is... we are starting to see cop murders as a daily thing.

About 63 murders (about 80% are cops or family of the cops / ex-cops) in 135 days.

Link is in spanish... but a recount of the murdered...
-> http://www.milenio.com/index.php/2007/05/05/65882/

[Winged Dancer]

Thanks for the messages, everyone. Sorry for not posting yesterday - as you can imagine, I was pretty damn tired.

To answer a few questions...

Mexico City has always been dangerous, but lately it's become worse. What with new governments, new political partys acquiring power and all, it's become worse than I remember... according to my mother, it was just as bad when I was a kid (and that's why I wasn't allowed to play outside).

And no, we're not rich. We're well-off, to some degree - but definitely not rich. I mean, my mom teaches philosophy, for God's sake. In a public (meaning "fee-less") university. How much do you think she makes? What happened was not caused by money, it was random - as I'll explain...

And, well, when something like this happens, everything else seems petty in comparison. Just in the morning I was whining about how some game I ordered was taking so much to arrive... and suddenly something like this?

But... well, forgive the second post I'm about to make, but I want to explain just what happened... you'll see that, in a way, we were lucky. Very lucky. In another, it sucks all the most.

[SK]

This shows why you should pick up and move to Puerto Rico like De la Hoya :D

[Winged Dancer]

Listen up, kiddos. You may live in safer places, but it's never bad to know that this kind of thing happens.

It was never a kidnapping at all.

It was all "virtual." In other words, they never had my father... and they never had me.

It all starts with me.

At about five PM, when I with my mom at the store complaining about China-made goods, , my father received a call to his private line in his office at the university. Same place as my mom, only he works at the administrative branch.

"We have your daughetr," they say, and he immediately hears a woman - me, in fact - saying "Dad, dad, help me! They got into my car!!"

Of course, that's not me. It's probably a woman they have who imitated my voice. How? Was I under surveillance, or just luck?
I want to believe it is just luck.

Well, needless to say, dad jumps out of his office, gets into one of the university cars and does everything they say.

They tell him that he's about to speak with "me," but that if he says anything but thigs aling the lines of "I'm safe, you have to stay calm," they'll kill me. So he obeys.

About six o'clock mom and I get back. The phone is ringing.

"Why isn't anybody answering?" mom complains, "Is nobody home? See if you can answer."

I do. A strange voice asks who I am, I foolishly tell them. They ask for my mom, and this is how she told me the conversation went:

"We have yous husband. Where are you?"

"I'm - I'm at home."

"Who are you with?"

"The... maid." (the "maid," of course, was me)

"And who else?!"

"My daughetr."

"What is her name."

Confused, my mother told them my name, my (fake) age and refused to give more information. But that was enough: now they called my dad's cellphone and were able to tell him my name.

They asked my mom for her cellphone and called her there, telling her not to end the call - never.She obeys and goes on to fetch everything they want - the papers for her care, her jewels (she didn't gave them mine, nor her most expensive ones. Go mom!) and her credit card.

And then off she went - to save dad.

Meanwhile, dad thought I was the kidnapped one. Somehow, both he and mom had convinced the kidnappers that we are extremely poor, so they only made him buy a lot of jewlery and leave it at a certain place.

He never spoke with "me" again.

They wanted the car he was riding, too, but that belongs to the university, so he couldn't give them the papers. And he also gave them what money he could find.

After making them run around the city, promising each other that they would find the victim and untie him/her by themselves, at around eleven o'clock they "end" the whole thing and tell my mom to call my dad's mobile.

"Are you okay?" she asks, in what I can only imagine is last-moment hysterics.

"I'm fine," he says, and then, "Where is WD? Is she home?" well, dad asked for my name, of course, but I'm paranoid enough not to put it in the internet... sorry!

"Of course she's home!" exclaims mom, "She's been there the whole afternoon!"

Now you can imagine. How many times was I dead in dad's thoughts? How many times did he think he wouldn't be able to save me?

How many times did I think I wouldn't see him again? How many times did I worry they'd kill him?

It was all fake. They never had him, they never had me. They just scared us.

Now you see, why we were so lucky. None of us were really in danger, in real danger. But it's all the more infuriating, in some sense. And all I can think is, poor daddy, running around the city, thinking I was locked in some dark room.

I was at home. I had my brother to help me. We watched The Simpsons, we studided, we played with the dog, we tried to distract each other.

It helps. You are never really distracted - you run to the window every time you hear a car, you run to the phone as soon as it rings. But it helps not to be alone. Poor daddy.

At home now, there's talk of leaving the city, but I don't think it'll continue. We have nowhere else to go.
There's talk of sending me to study abroad - my brother, too, but he refuses, since he is already starting to work at a customs company. Me, if I have the chance, of course I'll take it.

For the moment, we're all getting extra mobiles. The cheap kind. We'll never use them except in emergencies - if it rings, you have to answer it, doesn't matter where are you. Because half of this virtual kidnapping is that mom and dad were forced to keep the call going, no matter what. If dad had had an extra mobile, he could've called me and checked whether I was safe or not. Same for mom.

"A lighting-bolt doesn't hit the same place twice," we say in Mexico. Might be stupid to believe that, but I guess that's how we keep on going. Who knows what will happen.

I thank you all again for the messages. They many not help in the practical sense, but it did a whole good reading them. Thanks, really, thanks!

[itadakimasu]

note to self... do not move to mexico with girlfriend.

still good to know everything is ok... i can see that in some ways it really would make you mad instead of scared\worried.... hope things get better.

[Lucifus]

I turned red in the face after reading your first post yesterday. I'm really glad things turned out well. I can only imagine how worried you must of been yesterday, no, how worried your dad must of been.
Glad things turned out relatively Ok. =)

[python862]

I maybe a psychotic in my own right, but these 'kidnappers' go far beyond me. I'm sorry for all the trouble that you guys have been going through, and hope that you can somehow recuperate from this harrowing experience.

[RyougaZell]

hijos de p.... errr... never mind that one...

so now they are using this kind of virtual kidnaping... *sigh*

Im glad your family is ok... and good idea with extra phones... buy those small cheap ones that can be hidden easily or something...

[Assassin]

There's talk of sending me to study abroad - my brother, too, but he refuses, since he is already starting to work at a customs company. Me, if I have the chance, of course I'll take it.


Come to ontario, canada...you can study at mcmaster university with me (ranked one of the top 100 universities in the world). Plus theres arcness, joker, deadfire and kitkat here too ;).

[KitKat]

WD, you have no idea how relieved I am that you and your family are safe. As has been said before, you are truly one of the most fantastic people here, and you shouldn't have to go through this kind of crap.


Come to ontario, canada...you can study at mcmaster university with me (ranked one of the top 100 universities in the world). Plus theres arcness, joker, deadfire and kitkat here too .

Except that Assassin is anti-social and never comes to my pie and anime parties!

On a serious note though, has your family talked about emigration? It's fairly easy to immigrate to Canada, and I'm pretty sure your parents would qualify as skilled workers under the immigration laws. We have the highest per capita immigration rate in the world, and a lot of really good programs designed to help new immigrants get settled in. Not to mention fairly low crime, a police force that does their jobs, and free health care. There are likely lots of good countries that you could emigrate to, but I'm biased towards Canada :P

No matter what, if there's anything I can do to help out, let me know. I want you guys to be safe.

[DB_Hunter]

Good to hear your dad is safe.

[gr3atfull]

I am happy that it was not a real kidnapping and that you and your family are safe.

If I was you and your family, I would emigrate to a safer country. If you can afford to emigrate, you should. Who knows if next time it will be a real kidnapping.

I found the site for immigration that KitKat was talking about. http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/faq/immigrating-5.html

[Winged Dancer]

Canada? But nothing ever happens in Canada! </usual Mexican>

Well, everything is over now and we've started taking measures... we talked to a few specialists and all, so now life goes on. With one less car. We try to see the bright side of it.

And Canada is definitely an option, either Canada or the United Kingdom, actually. I lived one month and a half in California and that was all I could take, though I'm not sure why. We're not looking for emmigration, or at least not now... my bro and I will leave the country, as soon as we finish college, and not simply because of this whole business.

My bro has to mind customs with a cousin in China. Me, I don't want to teach English for the rest of my life, so I need to go to a country where writing pays off at least enough to eat... so right now I need to find colleges that take under-graduate international students, which is not as easy as it might sound.

I'll definitely checkout the links you guys provided ^^ Thanks!

[DB_Hunter]

UK would be a good bet for that. I'm pretty sure the University of London (Umbrella organisation for most Uni's in London) accept international credits etc on to their own degree programs.

[SK]

I'm glad I'm poor.

[RyougaZell]

I'm glad I'm poor.

Kidnappers, thieves and extorsionists don't care if you are poor.

[Assassin]

so right now I need to find colleges that take under-graduate international students, which is not as easy as it might sound.


Well, i dunno how it works in the US, but in canada (or atleast ontario) the uni's are full of international students. Nearly all my TA's are international students from the mideast and whatnot. And there're lots (and i mean lots) of asian students who've come here to do thier undergrad.

between teh UK and canada, i'd go with canada...not just cuz im biased towards canada. We have healthcare, and its alot cheaper to live here, compared to london or something.

If you ever need info about unis or whatever, lemme know, i'll be happy to do what i can.

[Raven]

Ditto to everything Assassin said, but in regards to Australia.

[complich8]

The US has a fairly wide-open student visa, I seem to remember it being "F1" or something like that. Apparently they can only be issued/renewed by US embassies and consulates in foreign countries, which is slightly odd.

Several of my coworkers came into the US and studied on F1 visas, got degrees, then started through the H1B process to stay in the US while in the greencard process. US immigration right now is a nightmare, especially if you're coming from a country that a lot of people come from (like China, India, or Mexico), but getting a student visa is still fairly easy.

[hiddenpookie]

Dont know if you understand spanish but here goes Que bueno que to papa esta bien! Te mando buena suerte...