Dilemma

[Mullams]

All,

I have a dilemma. I have been entering notes for more than three years now. Not too many, still have to reach 3000, but with proper postcodes, names, descriptions etc. Sometimes I really had to do my best and try hard to register every single banknote I got. I also regularly spend some time on the website to look at statistics, compare things, analyse a little. I just find it very pleasant.

About two weeks ago I went on a cruise and just got back recently. The whole time I have been writing down serial numbers and short codes for later because I did not have access to the internet. I loved knowing how cool my map would be after I came back. Unfortunately, in Spain someone stole my wallet with all the notes I made. It was probably only about 30 or maybe 40 banknotes but it is about the time I spent writing everything down and the locations I will maybe never see again. It meant the world to me. I was so angry at myself for leaving the lists of those notes in my wallet, for taking it with me that day when I knew the crowd would be enormous. Nothing like that has ever happened to me before, I never lost my wallet.

Now I am so disappointed and angry that I consider stopping with entering new notes. It feels as if everything is in vain and that it does not make any sense from now on. Three past years I have maybe missed one or two notes and now this. Those wonderful serial numbers, those locations. Silly, huh? Damn!

What do you think I should do? Let me know, please. I will appreciate your comments very much.

Thanks and regards,

Mullams

[Fons]

Oh, this is something which really really sucks! It might take some time to get over it. I never really had such EBT-related bad luck. But other's have. I remember someone lost the data of over 300 notes written down on paper. Stolen with a bag with some other stuff in it.

I think, and hope so too, that after a few days you can think something like: "It's not the most worse thing that can happen"

And why would you stop having fun with your hobby due to some fool who doesn't understand anything of life...

[Jes]

Courage!!
Well, I am the user #121292. So... as you could see in my profile, I have only one tenth of the notes that you have entered (ie: 300 notes more or less) nevertheless, I would like to give my opinion: (and, if you don't like it, just don't take it into account )

Things happend: Courage! I lived in Spain and I started EBTing quite recently. Few time later, I was offered a great chance to move overseas (outside of the €-zone) during 1 year, (12 months!) therefore, I have not entered a lot of banknotes since then, as I am not in the EU. And I know that I have "lost" a lot of oportunities and I will keep "loosing" oportunities as long as I keep outside the €zone.

I couldn't introduce banknotes "during the way" to this country, and here I haven't found €-notes. therefore: No extra dots, no extra banknotes, nothing during 1 year (that includes no hits of course.) and I am here! I know that in the future that will change and I will continue introducing notes. Perhaps in the same city as I did before coming here, hence no extra dots; but I don't mind. I had a good experience in this country and that will remain in my "database" called brain (ie: my memory.)

I think you should do the same, just comply to the police about your lost wallet and your credit or identity card card (if applicable) and then, relax and remember the great things that you visited, your experiences and so on without thinking about your "lost" banknotes. It is better to remember the good things.

It is a FACT that there is disturbing people around the globe, it is a FACT that these ones always try to create annoyance in our hobbies, but we shouldn't give up just because one of those shit persons kicked up us! shall we? I don't think so.

As an example: look at all the people whose main hobby is football. They enjoy the matches, they enjoy playing or whatching. Whatever they like, there is allways someone who wants to fight or someone who bring into fire the stadium (for instance.) Did the football "fans" stopped their hobby? they couldn't do anything against "those shit persons!" who were disturbing. But they didn't stop playing football, or they didn't stop going to the stadium to watch football as it is their hobby.

Ermm... does it make sense? Do you know what I mean?

In EBT, there are several ways of disturbance. One of the most annoying ways is when people introduce false notes or create fake hits. and of course another one is what you have suffered

Unfortunatelly, that does exist and the only thing we can do is prevent it. I think you can help other travellers by giving advice so that they don't leave their belongings unatended (this is just easy to say, but in actual life...)

Well, I don't want to be too mucho philosophic, I don't want to be boring, I just want to give my opinion and encourage you in your hobby. You shouldn't be influenced by that. Just think what it is: a number of banknotes and some dots. Just that. Then, are you trying to proof that you went there by showing the Dot-map? better show the pictures! better share your experiences! you may have meet a different culture perhaps? Did you enjoy seafood or the like?

Perhaps, now, you should "pause" during a couple of days, then think, reconsider, and... decide. During those days, visit the forum as it will be a good exercice for you (I think.) Well it is just my advice. Take it into consideration ONLY if you want.

By the way... I am curious: which part(s) of Spain did you visited? did you enjoy your stay (besides... ) ? Did you try Spanish food? I hope you had good wether

Courage! I am sure that from now on, you will be able to introduce banknotes, wont' you?

[Jes]

And why would you stop having fun with your hobby due to some fool who doesn't understand anything of life...

Completelly agree.

A part from EBT, my hobby is music. I mean: classical music. I play piano and guitar. Why I am going to stop doing what I love (playing music)? Shall I stop my hobby just because someone who didn't understand my hobby and stole my instrument? (it is just an hipotetic case) at least I can sing

Well, the fact is that I came here again to add this link:

http://www.eurobilltrackerforum.com/vie ... =15&t=7732

You will not understand it, unless you know portugese. It is a topic in the portugese EBT-forum which deals with this sort of "annoyances." What people do there is write their "bad experiences" their write their "Lamentações" (meaning aproximatelly "regrets" more or less... I don't know how to translate that exactly though )

Anyway, if you go there, you will see that there are no less than 30 pages for that topic. From the one who lost his/her list when in holydays with lots of banknotes and new dots, to the one who just lost the data of a docen of or so. There are many situations in which they lost oportunities; the only thing we can do at this moment is encourage.

I hope you will be lucky, I feel that hit-carrying banknotes are heading towards you

[Ewri]

It is not the best experience one could have. It's hard to lose so many dots & notes, (not to mention the other things in your wallet)

If you stop, you will still use EURO, EBT will still be here, so think about it, what if you have a note in your hand which is actually a hit? You would lose the joy of having a hit. It is defenitely not worth stopping.

On the other hand, try your best to recover the same number of notes that you lost by working harder for it (asking colleagues for their codes, pay with bigger bills, etc). Ok it's difficult to get the same dots for some time, but the notes, it's not that difficult.

Good luck

[Mullams]

Fons, Jes and Ewri, thank you so much for your thoughts and sharing them with me, for taking the time to write so much to someone you don't even know. I really appreciate it a lot. I hoped that writing here about my problem would help me and I think it did, you did. Whatever bad happens, it always feels better as the time goes by anyway, you recover automatically, sometimes slowly but steadily. However, reading messages like these from you does make you regret things less. I now really know and feel I'm not alone, that's what matters to me most. You're all right and you all touched on different aspects of my situation. I think I don't want to stop but it was my first reaction, it was when I thought it didn't make sense anymore.

I promised myself to go to bed on time tonight so that I'm not tired at work tomorrow (since I was today and yesterday) and that's why I'll go now but I'll definitely come back to you soon with a longer reply.

Thanks again...

[Jes]

Thanks to you, and all the best!

[Ewri]

well you could have expected only encouragement from members here.

Which tracker would advise another fellow tracker to stop??