Thursday Jan 21st 2010
My mum has given in to paranoia. Two years ago when I was preparing to go to Beijing (first time travelling alone) all she did was warn me with stories about people getting mugged or their bags slash and pockets picked. Okay, so those things are pretty common in China and I know several people personally who have gone through it, but she'd go insane from there. She told me this one story about a woman getting her watch stolen by a thief who ran passed and chopped her whole fucking wrist off!
I had many questions. Mostly why did she believe such absolute nonsense, but she just reminded me to keep my hands in my pockets.
Recently she told me a story about a mother who was packing her groceries into the boot of her car. She left her kids in the car with the air con on and since the keys were in the ignition some dirtbag runs in and drives the car away, flooring it and leaving the mother chasing after the car screaming. Obviously, she was very distraught but it turned out alright. The eldest kid, who was about 10, kept his calm and negotiated with the crook to let them all go and he could have the car.
My mum told me this expecting me to be pretty amazed, but all I could say was, "That kid is a little bullshitter." A petty car thief doesn't want to add kidnapping to the offences. He probably dropped the kids off once he was safe and the kid thought, "How can I make the most of this?" The little shit.
Anyway we're leaving tomorrow early in the morning.
My mum has given in to paranoia. Two years ago when I was preparing to go to Beijing (first time travelling alone) all she did was warn me with stories about people getting mugged or their bags slash and pockets picked. Okay, so those things are pretty common in China and I know several people personally who have gone through it, but she'd go insane from there. She told me this one story about a woman getting her watch stolen by a thief who ran passed and chopped her whole fucking wrist off!
I had many questions. Mostly why did she believe such absolute nonsense, but she just reminded me to keep my hands in my pockets.
Recently she told me a story about a mother who was packing her groceries into the boot of her car. She left her kids in the car with the air con on and since the keys were in the ignition some dirtbag runs in and drives the car away, flooring it and leaving the mother chasing after the car screaming. Obviously, she was very distraught but it turned out alright. The eldest kid, who was about 10, kept his calm and negotiated with the crook to let them all go and he could have the car.
My mum told me this expecting me to be pretty amazed, but all I could say was, "That kid is a little bullshitter." A petty car thief doesn't want to add kidnapping to the offences. He probably dropped the kids off once he was safe and the kid thought, "How can I make the most of this?" The little shit.
Anyway we're leaving tomorrow early in the morning.
