Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Strangest conversation I have ever had..

Earlier this week, I met up with a classmate, Justin at Xiamen University to get our final marks from last semester. We have to register this week for next semester. As I was waiting for Justin, minding my own business, this young woman approaches me and asks if I speak English, to which I replied, yes I do. For the next 20 minutes I had the oddest conversation.
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Here's how it went down:
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Chinese gal: I need your help, angry people are trying to kill me. I live on Gu Lang yu #6 something street. It use to be my grandfather’s and I live there and people want my place and told me that they would kill me.
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Tina: Have you gone to the police?
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Chinese gal: Yes, and they said, you die, who cares? You die. I was a doctor and no one will hire me and they want my grandfather’s house. I cannot work because bad people are trying to kill me.
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Tina: Do you have parents?
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Chinese gal: My father is dead and ( I don’t remember what she said about her mom) You must help me, they will kill me. You must save me.
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Tina; I would love to but I don’t’ know what to do for you. Do you have siblings that might help be able to help you?
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Chinese gal: Yes , they don't live here in China. They live in England.
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Tina: Perhaps they can help you?
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Chinese gal: They move around a lot
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Tina: Can’t you get a hold of them and tell them what’s going on? They must have cell phones, everyone has a phone or email.
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Chinese gal: No they move all the time, and they don’t have phones because they move. I don't know where they live. They don't want me to know.
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Chinese gal: The Police Chief’s wife stole my phone from my house. The police wont’ help me, they want to see me die too.
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Tina: Perhaps if you went to another police station, maybe they can help you? Do you want me to go with you?
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Okay, at this point I'm thinking scam?
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Chinese gal: No, I cannot go to the police, they don't care if I die.
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Tina: Are you a student here in Xiamen?
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Chinese gal: Yes, I am
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Tina: Have you spoken to one of your teachers?
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Chinese gal: They are Chinese they won’t help me,.
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Tina: Do you have any Western teachers?
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Chinese gal: Yes, but they do not want to take the time to listen to me.
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Justin arrives and as I tell him about her plight, she quickly informs me I should not say anything to him.
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She then continues...
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Chinese gal: My father and grandfather gave me medicine for 10 years so I will forget things. I can’t go to the hospital because the police have told me that they will kill me if I should go to the hospital. Do you have medicine you can give me?
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Tina: No. Perhaps you should go to the hospital and get some medication.
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Chinese gal: I cannot go, the police said if I go t the hospital, I will die. The doctors will kill me. You have to save my life.
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Tina: I'm not sure what you want me to do.
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Chinese gal: I have to leave but the gov’t wont give me a passport. They won’t let me leave China.
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Tina: Exactly what do you want me to do?
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Chinese gal: Go back to your country and tell them that the gov’t of China wants to kill me. (She pulls out an id that looks like a version of their passport) Not sure what she wanted me to do with it.
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Tina: I’m not going back to the U.S for a long time, so I can’t tell people on the radio about your problem.
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Chinese gal: They will kill me, these angry men who want my grandfather’s house on Gu Lang Yu.
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Tina: Then perhaps you should leave Gu Lang Yu, and move somewhere else.
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Chinese gal: No I cannot. It's my grandfather's home and the bad people want it. Thank you for listening to me. I know you can help me.
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Justin rolling his eyes at this point.
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We start heading to the department to get our marks, and this gal is following us.
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Chinese gal: You have to help me, they will rape me if I stay at my grandfather's house.
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Tina: I don’t think I can help you, unless you want to go to the police, or go to one of the professors here at the University.
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Chinese gal: Perhaps you know of a western man, who will want to marry me. If such a man asks to marry me, I would say yes and then we can leave China.
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Tina: I don't know of any men that want to get married at the moment, though you are in the right place. The university has all sorts of single men from various countries around the world. Perhaps you might find someone here.
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Chinese gal: Yes, but these students don't want to marry a Chinese woman. The culture is too different.
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Chinese gal: Thank you for listening to me, even if you can’t save me and I will be killed. Please tell people back home on the radio that people are trying to kill me.
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She stops following us. I just looked at Justin, " you had to be late didn't you?"

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