Tuesday Thirteen - Stop Thief!

I'm usually full of respect for this country. There is plenty here that annoys the heck out of me but I ignore it all. 99% of the time, I like it here and I accept their way of life. I accept their religion, their straightforwardness (bordering on rudeness sometimes) and even their chauvinism. I try to keep an open mind and not judge. But something happened today that just ticked me off tremendously.

Someone stole my papaya! Again! I have very little space within the gates so I have a tree that I plant outside. Its actually no more than 4 meters from the house itself as we have a very short front garden. Four months ago, I watched and waited anxiously for the first fruit to ripen. It of course did and I decided to wait until afternoon to pick it. By then, somebody else already took it.

So when a second fruit looked like it would ripen soon, I covered it up with an old shirt. I was told that this is what you do so that people won't know when it is ripe. After I did that, the fruit seemed to stop maturing. It stayed green for 3 months. It started to look a little yellower last week. This morning, I woke up and it was GONE!

What gives other people the right to go check on my fruit and take it? I don't buy that they were poor and hungry. If it was the kids that play in the neighborhood, then their parents haven't taught them anything about respect. And if this was done by an adult, well, you can imagine the type of children they will bring up.

You may think I'm over reacting. Afterall, its just a simple papaya. Maybe the thieves just caught me on a bad day. That papaya was something that I was waiting to eat. I waited three long months for it!

So even though its Tuesday, I'm doing a Thirteen list. Things I don't like about Palembang!

1) Elevators. People crowd the doors from both sides. The people trying to get in can't wait to be the first in. So much so that the people can't get out to let them in. And the people getting out, well, they all want to be the first out.

2) People talking about other people, in front of them.

3) People pushing past when I open a door to guide Aaron through.

4) People pushing through from the opposite direction when I still have that door open, hoping to get Aaron and me through.

5) Spitting. Through the mouth and also through the nose. Out their car windows. From their motorbikes. As they walk. While they sit. In the middle of their workouts.

6) Smoking anywhere and everywhere. And sometimes blowing the smoke right in your face.

7) Using the car horn when they anticipate the red light turning green.

8) Throwing rubbish everywhere. Once again, out their car windows. From their motorbikes. As they walk. While they sit. Used tissues, plastic wrappers, papers, whatever!

9) Picking their noses in public. Sometimes with one particular finger where they have grown the nail extra long. Its gross!

10) Thinking that its the woman's fault if men have affairs. Wives who are not at the beck and call of their husbands, who do not maintain their beauty or who do not immediately get pregnant are inviting them to seek out other women.

11) People who pick off my four angle beans when they walk past. Its growing on my fence. Can't they see its MINE!

12) People who think I won't mind them taking my guava because I have a number of ripe ones. Just ask!

13) Finally, people who probably feel the ultimate satisfaction when they steal my papaya from under its covering! Maybe that person is now thinking "WOW! The papaya's rightful owner went through some lengths to protect it but I got it anyway!"