Yangzhong Police Station

Yesterday was a fabulous day. I got a new bike. I have been borrowing a bike from Orange, but it is very small and has a tiny seat. Quite uncomfortable. And I am always worried about it because it isn't mine. When I arranged my contract, I had them put in that they would get me a bike to ride around town. I got it yesterday afternoon. It WAS a lovely purple Phoenix bike, complete with a basket, buddy seat on the back and a bell. The bell is the best part, because Chinese people make loads of noise while riding bikes or driving and so I can fit right it. I took my bike on its maiden voyage to Dyan and Poli's apartment. Lola sat in the basket and I rode over to play with Kynesha (their 5 year old) and watch satellite TV (STAR WORLD!!!). We played with Lola, watched LOST (Season 2, episode 3), ate pretzels and drank beer. It was fabulous. At 11:00 pm, I went downstairs to leave, and found that my bike was not there... Apparently someone had stolen it! Seriously, I had the bike for about 4 hours and it was stolen. Dyan and I just laughed hysterically and walked around the block looking for the bike... No such luck.

Today I told my school what happened and they told me to go to the police station. So Orange and I went to the police station, where the police asked me really funny questions via Orange and filled out a piece of blank paper with my report. They asked me why I was going out at night and told me that I should have taken a taxi because I shouldn't ride at night. They are planning on going to Dyan's tomorrow to ask the guards if they saw anything, but it was just the most ridiculous thing ever. The po were all sitting around smoking and chatting and saying "laowai, laowai" which apparently literally translates into "foreign devil" but somehow has become the appropriate thing to say when a foreigner walks into the room. I told the police that nothing ever gets stolen in America and that I was really upset about it because now I couldn't get my exercise and it is all because of the bad Chinese people. They felt pretty bad about that, so hopefully they will look a little harder for my bike and that I will get it back! Or at least another one!

I talked to my principal and told her the same thing. I know it is evil, but otherwise, I would have had to buy my own crap bike, and that is crazy, because all of the schools here provide bikes for the teachers. I told them that I wanted an old bike this time because I don't want to have it stolen, so hopefully they can hook it up.

One of the English teachers told me that it is students that steal to mess with the foreign teachers, but since my kids aren't even big enough to hold the bike up, I doubt it is them. Another teacher told me that it is migrant workers that come into town from other parts of China, and they steal bikes while they are working here and then drop them when they leave. The scariest of all is when someone told me that I was followed because I am a rich white girl and people want to steal from me. I haven't felt unsafe or threatened at all here so I highly doubt that one.

It was just funny- And all you out there that write up reports would have died at the questioning and documentation style. We're not at UAS anymore Lola...

Have a good one.