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Published: August 6th 2007
Today I got caught in a rainstorm. I had walked to meet Micheal at the office for our Chinese lesson and by the time I had to leave for work it was pouring down rain. Being the gentleman that he is Micheal offered to bike me home. With not enough time to walk home and then change clothes I took him up on his offer. So in the pouring rain I sat on the back of his bike Chinese style and we peddled through the back alleyways to my home. To the average Chinese this is a common occurrence but to me it was an adventure and really great fun. Just another day in China
Later in the week:
Fair warning this next part is rough:
Not moving stuck in traffic not far from the crossroads where we always met (Francesca) I decided to get out and walk home. At the crossroads a huge crowd was gathered and in the center was a very young boy sprawled out on across the pavement his bike beside him. Blood was everywhere. My first instinct was someone help this guy. Someone do CPR do something! But they all just
stood there in a circle staring while he bled out. We watched him die. I watched him die.
The ambulance finally arrived and I started crying. He was obviously dead. This guy did not stand a chance the ambulance that arrived was an empty van no medicine, no cardio stuff, nothing. They did not even have a stretcher. I was so angry. This guy might have stood a chance in America where the people would have cared, where they would have a proper transport system. Here they had nothing.
I have never felt so alone and helpless and angry as when I watched them put him in the ambulance and watched the crowed disperse. The show was over. Beijing is supposed to be a modern city but its ambulances are in the dark ages. I was so angry with the Chinese and their attitude towards people often I feel like they have no regard for human life this was one of those times.
On the way home I was so angry I puked in bushes. I was upset that the boy died but I was more upset because I felt it could have been prevented.
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Tara
non-member comment
That is so sad
Trisha, what a terrible thing to see - I can see why you'd be angry. It reminded me that even though our health care system has a lot of problems, we are really lucky to have it. love you, tara ps I have been trying to find you on skype but can't - i looked under you name and under photobug2002. We are "tcneiger", maybe you can add us =)