Lessons Learned While in the Last Day

So, in the last 24 hours I have learned a few lessons that I thought I would share, due to my wallet being stolen in a foreign country:

1.)There is no reason to bring your U.S. Social Security card to Europe. I will now have to watch my credit for the rest of my life. (70+ years)

2.)Even though cash is used pre-dominately in Europe, never carry a lot with you. Thank goodness I didn't have a lot in my wallet.

3.)Put your pin number for your Austrian bank account in your phone. Do not keep it in your wallet, thinking that your wallet will never be stolen.

4.)Bring 2 credit cards and a check card to Europe. Keep the check card and 1 credit card in your wallet, but keep 1 at home just in case the other two are stolen, you are not without some form of money. I didn't have a 2nd credit card.

5.)Only take out necessary identification. There is no reason to carry around 2 school ID's and your driver's license in a foreign country.

6.) The only insurance card you need to carry around in Austria is your Austrian Health Insurance. There is no logical reason why a person should be carrying around her U.S. health insurance card.

7.) Make copies of all the above documents. I did not.

8.)I am lucky that my passport was not stolen and I am physically fine.

And the most important lesson I learned in the last day,

9.)You are always going to need your mother. I am so thankful for mine. I have the most wonderful mama in the world, who will wake up at midnight to answer the phone when her only daughter calls her crying about her wallet being stolen in a foreign country. Even more credit to her that she doesn't panic and just tries to calm her daughter down.

I will keep everyone being posted on how I get this situation figured out.