Monday morning our fridge was empty. I needed to go shopping. I usually put Akiva on my back of electric bike and go shopping. That morning I didn’t take Akiva with me (fortunately) because my neighbor friend Wang Ming brought her son Tian Tian to play with him.
I went down to a parking lot and started my bike. It didn’t start. I giggled the connections. Still it didn’t start. I cursed Jesse who didn’t park my bike under the roof at rainy days. It was already hot out. I thought I would go shopping this afternoon by taxi. I walked back to home and waited an elevator. Jesse came out of the elevator (unfortunately). I told Jesse “You are very sexy and attractive but you didn’t take care of my bike well” (I didn’t want to sound too much complaining in the morning). We went to the parking lot together. This time my bike did started (unfortunately).
I came out a gate of my complex which is a wrong side of street. However everyone rides their bikes on any directions so I didn’t bother to cross the street. One block south to our complex, there is a central park. All the traffic going in and out of SIP district has to go through a T-section right front of the park. Cars never stop to make a turn there. I always felt I am never able to cross that section. That was another excuse to not to cross the street in the next light.
When I reached the T-section, I was still on the wrong direction. I saw a woman coming toward to me. I wanted to avoid her. I made a turn. She made the same move. My bike hit the side of her bike. We crashed each other. I got between my bike and hers. I couldn’t stand up. I screamed. Someone from the pedestrian came and pulled up my arms. When I stood up, the woman I crashed was already standing and yelling at me in Suzhounese. I asked her if she is OK. She kept yelling at me in Suzhounese. I asked her if she wants to sit down (because I wanted to sit down), she was still yelling at me. I asked her I don’t understand Suzhounese. You need to speak in Mandarin. She yelled and hit on my arm. I told her do not hit on me and stop speaking in Suzhounese. She hit me again. I warned her if you hit me again I need to call a police.
I looked down on my legs. I was covered by a lot of blood. I didn’t know where the blood came from. The woman I crashed was a squid merchant. She had a full basket of squids. There was a lot of blood and guts around our bikes as if homicide scene from CIS. The woman couldn’t calm down and kept speaking in Suzhounese. I went to a guard on the park. He helped me call a police.
Three police officers showed up and told me I have no excuse because I was on the wrong side of street. They towed my and her bikes away and told us to come to a traffic court tomorrow. All the conversation was done by Suzhounese. I didn’t know what was going on. I didn’t even know my bike would tow. I left all keys on my bike.
When I went back to home, I showed my nanny my bruise on my back. She saw my underwear was bloody and she was freaked out. I was freaked out too because I was sitting on squid bloody underwear. I took shower immediately. My nanny said I should have ignored the woman and kept going. She also told me the woman must be an outsider. Suzhounese are usually very courtesy. Never hit people.
Next day I showed up at the traffic court with my nanny and Kenaz at 9 which police officer told me to come. However my appointment was at 10:30. At 10, the woman and her husband and grandson showed up. She was 53 years old Suzhounese. The woman showed me her bruises on her arm and legs. Doctor said there was no broken born and nothing serious. She was still yelling at me (she sounded like yelling anyway). Her husband and grandson were very nice. They just want to get a hell out and go home like I do.
There were at least 15 other people and we all squeezed into a small room. We had to get some kind of attention from a judge so he can take care of our case next. There was no line. We all jammed into the front of his desk. I just couldn’t do it. I was getting squeezed out of the crowds. Our nanny told me to go to the front of crowds because I am a foreigner. I don’t look like a foreigner so I had to speak loudly so a judge would notice my accent. “Excuse me, police officer. Is there any line?” He told me just stay behind of the entire crowd. He said my case would be next. While I was waiting, her husband told me his wife makes 100 RMB per day to sell squids. She has to rest for a half month. Therefore they want 1000 RMB or whenever she needs to go to hospital I pay her medical fees. When my turn came, I told the judge the woman hit me twice and she had an extension bar on her back of bike to carry two baskets which is illegal. The woman claimed in Suzhounese so I didn’t understand. The judge told me to pay 600 RMB, and then I don’t need to see her again. I agreed. The woman didn’t agree she said it is too little, but her husband and grandson signed a paper anyway.
I have been afraid of riding an electric bike since then. I really feel bad about what I did to the woman.
[Jesse’s Comments] 1) Notice how Haga said I’m sexy…; 2) That dumbass Suzhou peasant women was lucky I didn’t come around… I’d show her what “crazy” and “out-of-control” really means; 3) My wife is very nice and believes in fairness, but; 4) this dumbass gets a bruise and goes to the hospital and pays 400 RMB for an X-Ray. That is after she yells at my wife for a half hour in the 100 F. heat and hits her twice. And we are supposed to believe that she has to not work for two weeks because of this accident? All Chinese people ride bikes on the wrong side of the street. Everyone. I don’t think this was more Haga’s responsibility than the other woman’s. And I think 600 RMB is more than fair price to pay.[/]
I went to a Pearl Market in Suzhou with my friends. I have lived in Suzhou for two years but I never visited there. A lot of foreigners go there to buy souvenirs. 
There were 50 small booths and 20 stores. They all sell the same stuffs, peals. My local friend said these small booths sell fake pearls which is pearl powder glued around a plastic ball. 
The results of custom-made were excellent. The Tiffany necklace looks the exactly like the picture. All my friends were satisfied. I feel like I have to go back there again to make some custom-made ones. 
