So, I'm standing on the corner with Bridget yesterday, off to get cake before class, when a bus comes around the corner, jumps the curb, hits a chunk of concrete JUST right, which flies up into the air and takes a 3cm chunk out of Bridget's foot.
Blood everywhere.
I run back to school, and ask the secretaries and the School Manager to call an ambulance and give me a first aid kit.
Blank stares.
Okay - maybe I'm speaking too fast? Or using big words? I try the following: "help", "call an ambulance", "blood", "119", "Teacher Bridget is hurt", "first aid". Then I do an admirable show of blood pouring from an open wound that would have made Shakespeare weep.
Nothing.
I yell upstairs for a teacher that I know speaks Chinese, and ask him to help me. He stares vaguely at me, disappears, and never resurfaces.
You know, I've had several bad dreams like this. What in the name of god is WRONG with these people?
The ONLY word I could get them to understand was "tissue". They promptly handed over 1 tissue, so I grabbed the packet and ran off, which made at least 1 brain hit a spinal cord and they followed me. When they finally saw what was happening, they managed to call an ambulance, and then of course MOST of Kojen's staff emptied out of the building to come and gawk.
Unbelievable.
After she got hauled off (Oh, she's fine by the way. She got 5 stitches.) I was questioned closely by a policeman about exactly which rock it was that hit her...
What do you think they were planning to do if the rock was found? Biff it in the rubbish as punishment?
I almost don't know what to say. The bloody MANAGER of the school, and as far as I can tell the woman doesn't speak a word of English. There was no first aid kit at the front desk (there's one on the 6th floor though. Handy.) but there was a drawer full of bandaids. This is in a school with 100s of children!
After the excitement was over, the real important business started - trying to track down security camera footage, to identify the bus, and taking pictures of the broken curb so that the city council can be coerced into paying the medical bill.
Nice one, Taiwan.
2 comments:
Hi Honey,
glad the little kitties were okay. Too bad about your friend's foot. And as for no first aid for all those children, well, they must be a very careful bunch.
We're at Ken's in Arcata tonight. Our last night. Had a tour around the forest and the marshes and the shops today. Absolutely wonderful! Blogging is sometimes a challenge but we're trying to keep up.
Lots of love,
Mum
JESUS!
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