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Another big effin?update?conspiracy theories included.
I think the government is afraid of my research and tries to make my life miserable by having me robbed and conned ? I am unoficially an enemy of the state but since they want to avoid a political row they are now ?discouraging?me to continue my research and hope I catch the first flight home.
Okay, joking?.
Last week was a little hell for me though: tuesday evening I went for drinks, had some shots of gin and got pretty drunk for the first time since my arrival here. Well, I won?t get drunk again since, as you know, I immediately got robbed.
After recovering for a day I had planned to file a report about that on thursday, however it never came to that. That morning I got sent for by a pair of guys whom I assumed were with the police, since they told me my presence was requested at the police station. They could not produce any identification, but given the fact that the police out here feel somewhat untouchable it is not uncommon for them to either not produce one or give a fake name. Anyway, in this case I was not be taken to a real police station, but to the security office at the Campus Gate. So I went with them, and took a female friend, Joan, with me.
To my suprise when I come downstairs I see Richard, the only other friend of mine in the campus, standing there. Since I had not seen him the day before (despite visiting his home 3 times), I greeted him warmly and asked where he had been. He didn?t look at me, ignored me, and I was pretty surpised about that. I thought I was sent for to make a statement about the robbery, that Richard had heard about what happened, got pissed off, notified security and that that was the reason why they picked me up. Could I be more wrong? Nope?
Joan asked him what was wrong, and it turned out Richard had sent for me because he claimed I owed him 150 dollars approx. and that I was refusing to pay up! Fuck me?in fact, I had borrowed Richard close to 100 dollars to pay his mother?s hospital fees that weekend ? money he was supposed to collect from his account and pay me back that monday (and we were on a thursday by then!). Have I ever met a piece of lying shit in my life, it must be him?I had been very careful in selecting my friends, and it turned out that he was nothing but a lying bastard trying to extort more money out of me. We were taken to the office, outside was a BIG guard who had apparently heard Richard tell his version of the story inside and made up his mind about the ?criminal white man?. So he manhandles me and throws me into the toilets, serving as a temporary cellar ? if it wasn?t for his colleagues he would?ve stayed inside with me to have a go at me. In fact, all the while that I was in there I still expected him to do so, so I just sat cross-legged meditating on the ground, trying to calm myself down and gettting ready to put up a fight, but receive a nice beating nonetheless.
It didn?t happen though, and I was taken outside to write down a statement, which I did as well as I could. You can imagine that being woken up, taken there and treated like that had me really shaking by then?at least the commanding police officer was very correct in his attitude towards me, and having told my story about 3 times after a while, their stance towards me began to change a little bit. Still, that big guard (Kakra was his name) insisted that I was a criminal and that I should be locked up. ?How dare I come and con a black man?.
After some time we were all taken up to the Security Chief?s office, who wanted to hear both versions of the story. He was also very correct in his approach, and let Richard tell his version first. The first half of the story was pretty much correct, about how we met and had drinks and played basketball, but to my undescribably big suprise the guy started lying outright, saying I had come to his place and telling him I was in trouble since my creditcard was rejected and that I had asked him to borrow me 150 dollars!!! @#$%#$^?.seriously, I was ready to put my hands around his neck and squeeze the life out of his miserable body, especially with him calling upon God to let the ?thruth? prevail and bullshit like that. He really acted it out, me coming to him in tears and with a bent head and shit like that?I?ll tell you, the only tears I had shed in his presence were when I got a message from my GF back home. Fuck that.
Even when I was asked to tell my version, he continued his theatre by looking at me begging and saying ?please Pimpin, tell them the truth!? (he can?t pronounce my name properly, in fact, the fucktard can?t even write his own name?). I gave my version, after which we were given 2 option, based on the fact that there were no witnesses: either drop both claims (resulting in a 100 dollar loss for me) or taking the matter to the police, making it a very long case and most probably extending my stay with a few months. I don?t have the time for the latter option, so I had to agree with the first, which IMO is exactly what Richard was aiming for?
Now, later on, after a meal and with a more clear head, I started realizing some things that were absolutely wrong with his story. I?m not going into full detail, but it includes the claim that my banking card had been rejected. It was, AT FIRST. I called my bank, got the desired account info and went back to collect 210 euros ? of which I still posess the recuit. I had also already asked my mother to wire me money through Western Union, which has in fact also been collected (recuit also in my posession). I even at this moment have a 50-euro note in my posession, which I had saved for emergencies, which have clearly not occured since it?s still there. I also have the proof that I have already paid for this room for the whole month. Richard claimed he had been asking for me with the porters of my building, but they know him and I have regularly asked them to notify me if he came for me: he was never there. His mother literally stated during that session that ?the boy has no money?, referring to Richard, when she pleaded with me to drop my claim! So?how will that piece of junk scrape up about a month?s worth of salary for me, huh? His father who was supposedly living in America has been dead since he was 3. He also claimed I had sold my phone, but I have enough witnesses that saw me come in right after the robbery, even giving a detailed report about what happened. If not via his mother, how did he know I lost my phone? He may have been told, and he claimed he had spoken to a kid on the basketball court, sporting my phone: I?m higly doubtful that you will find someone with my phone there, but if they do, they should be able to trace back to the one who sold it to him.
Some things that I cannot prove directly: after getting my money, there suddenly is a TV in the house. He also got gimself a new watch (ghetto style with diamonds). If his mother did not question where the money for the TV came from, (his ?aunt? turned out to be his mother), she must be involved. She even had the nerve to call us both ?her sons?, and apologized for Richard, while most probably being fully aware of the whole scheme.
Now, there is so far no direct evidence, although I will keep looking for better claims, but even now his motive can be totally discarded ? I have money enough, and should I need it, I have enough well-endowed contacts here who would be happy to help me out, and of course my parents who got me the money about 1 day after receiving the transfer info. That alone should discredit his version enough to have it discarded, and what?s more?George, my contact here, appears to have a friend in the Criminal Investigations Department. He said he?s going to talk to his friend and have the boy picked up for some interrogation. If that happens, I expect to be called upon to give my version again, but I?m now also preparing my evidence. I?m literally sick of what happened, but his ass is mine now?There will not be an official investigation though, since George wants to keep me out of the interrogation routine as much as possible since it will only harm my research here of course ? I?ve lost almost a week out of 5 weeks because of this?and 100 bucks. I don?t think I?ll get the money back, but at least they can make sure that Richie Rich doesn?t get the chance to nail another visitor like this.
In the end it was partially my fault too though: I should never trust anyone with money here, not even my ?best friend?! The fact that someone looks nicely dressed, and gives out enough moeny to convince you he doesn?t need anything of you is never a guarantee that he is legit. Another lessen learned, hopefully the last one this trip, because I?ve had enough excitement for the next year or so
Yao
I think the government is afraid of my research and tries to make my life miserable by having me robbed and conned ? I am unoficially an enemy of the state but since they want to avoid a political row they are now ?discouraging?me to continue my research and hope I catch the first flight home.
Okay, joking?.
Last week was a little hell for me though: tuesday evening I went for drinks, had some shots of gin and got pretty drunk for the first time since my arrival here. Well, I won?t get drunk again since, as you know, I immediately got robbed.
After recovering for a day I had planned to file a report about that on thursday, however it never came to that. That morning I got sent for by a pair of guys whom I assumed were with the police, since they told me my presence was requested at the police station. They could not produce any identification, but given the fact that the police out here feel somewhat untouchable it is not uncommon for them to either not produce one or give a fake name. Anyway, in this case I was not be taken to a real police station, but to the security office at the Campus Gate. So I went with them, and took a female friend, Joan, with me.
To my suprise when I come downstairs I see Richard, the only other friend of mine in the campus, standing there. Since I had not seen him the day before (despite visiting his home 3 times), I greeted him warmly and asked where he had been. He didn?t look at me, ignored me, and I was pretty surpised about that. I thought I was sent for to make a statement about the robbery, that Richard had heard about what happened, got pissed off, notified security and that that was the reason why they picked me up. Could I be more wrong? Nope?
Joan asked him what was wrong, and it turned out Richard had sent for me because he claimed I owed him 150 dollars approx. and that I was refusing to pay up! Fuck me?in fact, I had borrowed Richard close to 100 dollars to pay his mother?s hospital fees that weekend ? money he was supposed to collect from his account and pay me back that monday (and we were on a thursday by then!). Have I ever met a piece of lying shit in my life, it must be him?I had been very careful in selecting my friends, and it turned out that he was nothing but a lying bastard trying to extort more money out of me. We were taken to the office, outside was a BIG guard who had apparently heard Richard tell his version of the story inside and made up his mind about the ?criminal white man?. So he manhandles me and throws me into the toilets, serving as a temporary cellar ? if it wasn?t for his colleagues he would?ve stayed inside with me to have a go at me. In fact, all the while that I was in there I still expected him to do so, so I just sat cross-legged meditating on the ground, trying to calm myself down and gettting ready to put up a fight, but receive a nice beating nonetheless.
It didn?t happen though, and I was taken outside to write down a statement, which I did as well as I could. You can imagine that being woken up, taken there and treated like that had me really shaking by then?at least the commanding police officer was very correct in his attitude towards me, and having told my story about 3 times after a while, their stance towards me began to change a little bit. Still, that big guard (Kakra was his name) insisted that I was a criminal and that I should be locked up. ?How dare I come and con a black man?.
After some time we were all taken up to the Security Chief?s office, who wanted to hear both versions of the story. He was also very correct in his approach, and let Richard tell his version first. The first half of the story was pretty much correct, about how we met and had drinks and played basketball, but to my undescribably big suprise the guy started lying outright, saying I had come to his place and telling him I was in trouble since my creditcard was rejected and that I had asked him to borrow me 150 dollars!!! @#$%#$^?.seriously, I was ready to put my hands around his neck and squeeze the life out of his miserable body, especially with him calling upon God to let the ?thruth? prevail and bullshit like that. He really acted it out, me coming to him in tears and with a bent head and shit like that?I?ll tell you, the only tears I had shed in his presence were when I got a message from my GF back home. Fuck that.
Even when I was asked to tell my version, he continued his theatre by looking at me begging and saying ?please Pimpin, tell them the truth!? (he can?t pronounce my name properly, in fact, the fucktard can?t even write his own name?). I gave my version, after which we were given 2 option, based on the fact that there were no witnesses: either drop both claims (resulting in a 100 dollar loss for me) or taking the matter to the police, making it a very long case and most probably extending my stay with a few months. I don?t have the time for the latter option, so I had to agree with the first, which IMO is exactly what Richard was aiming for?
Now, later on, after a meal and with a more clear head, I started realizing some things that were absolutely wrong with his story. I?m not going into full detail, but it includes the claim that my banking card had been rejected. It was, AT FIRST. I called my bank, got the desired account info and went back to collect 210 euros ? of which I still posess the recuit. I had also already asked my mother to wire me money through Western Union, which has in fact also been collected (recuit also in my posession). I even at this moment have a 50-euro note in my posession, which I had saved for emergencies, which have clearly not occured since it?s still there. I also have the proof that I have already paid for this room for the whole month. Richard claimed he had been asking for me with the porters of my building, but they know him and I have regularly asked them to notify me if he came for me: he was never there. His mother literally stated during that session that ?the boy has no money?, referring to Richard, when she pleaded with me to drop my claim! So?how will that piece of junk scrape up about a month?s worth of salary for me, huh? His father who was supposedly living in America has been dead since he was 3. He also claimed I had sold my phone, but I have enough witnesses that saw me come in right after the robbery, even giving a detailed report about what happened. If not via his mother, how did he know I lost my phone? He may have been told, and he claimed he had spoken to a kid on the basketball court, sporting my phone: I?m higly doubtful that you will find someone with my phone there, but if they do, they should be able to trace back to the one who sold it to him.
Some things that I cannot prove directly: after getting my money, there suddenly is a TV in the house. He also got gimself a new watch (ghetto style with diamonds). If his mother did not question where the money for the TV came from, (his ?aunt? turned out to be his mother), she must be involved. She even had the nerve to call us both ?her sons?, and apologized for Richard, while most probably being fully aware of the whole scheme.
Now, there is so far no direct evidence, although I will keep looking for better claims, but even now his motive can be totally discarded ? I have money enough, and should I need it, I have enough well-endowed contacts here who would be happy to help me out, and of course my parents who got me the money about 1 day after receiving the transfer info. That alone should discredit his version enough to have it discarded, and what?s more?George, my contact here, appears to have a friend in the Criminal Investigations Department. He said he?s going to talk to his friend and have the boy picked up for some interrogation. If that happens, I expect to be called upon to give my version again, but I?m now also preparing my evidence. I?m literally sick of what happened, but his ass is mine now?There will not be an official investigation though, since George wants to keep me out of the interrogation routine as much as possible since it will only harm my research here of course ? I?ve lost almost a week out of 5 weeks because of this?and 100 bucks. I don?t think I?ll get the money back, but at least they can make sure that Richie Rich doesn?t get the chance to nail another visitor like this.
In the end it was partially my fault too though: I should never trust anyone with money here, not even my ?best friend?! The fact that someone looks nicely dressed, and gives out enough moeny to convince you he doesn?t need anything of you is never a guarantee that he is legit. Another lessen learned, hopefully the last one this trip, because I?ve had enough excitement for the next year or so
Yao
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