I walk around in the underground. In Brussels. On my way for a customer. And while I walk down the metro, a guy steals my purse. Or better, tries. I see it. I scream. And 15 running men later, my purse is back in my bag. The bad guy escaped. But I have my purse back. I call my own German. And tell him proud my story. About how I caught the bad guy. And got, with the help of 15 others, my purse back.
There's silence on the phone. And then a German upset. Stay away from the underground. And from Brussels. Time to come home to Germany. Where it's safe.
I tell him I am safe. Nothing happened to me. Only my purse was scared for a moment. But he claims my "values" have changed. My values of what danger and criminality really is.
Can that be? Can you have been so often in contact with small crime that you have another perception of what danger is? Or is it a different cultural perception to danger?
In Brussels, the police does not react to my story. The thief has probably left the underground, and I have my purse back. Do I really want to put down a complaint? Then I can come back tomorrow at 9 when the secretary is there. But they don't see why I would complain if I have not been hit.
I hope - really, really hope - it is a cultural difference. I hope Germans have a different perception to danger because they don't allow it. Because their police does react to crime. No matter how small it is.
And I hope others will learn from them. So that no woman has to complain. Because she was hit.
1 comment:
You just gave yourself away, you're Belgian.
"And tell him proud my story" is wrong in English, but would be a correct sentence order in Dutch.
Furthermore, people thinking you're French and telling a lot of stories about Brussels. You're Belgian, probably from around Brussels.
And well, naming 5 celebs from Belgium would be a pretty tough task. (I can't get further than Samson)
(Sorry, I just stumbled upon your blog, but I simply had to solve the puzzle of where you're from)
Post a Comment