Walking home from the night market at 1:am I came across a cell phone lying in the street. I assumed it was probably crushed by a passing car, but being a techie I picked it up for further inspection anyway. To my surprize it was a working smart phone. No one had seen it because it was in the shadow of a utility pole. I took it home figuring the owner would call for it as soon as they noticed it missing. I didn’t have to wait long, before I came in the door the phone was ringing. As soon as I answered it they hung up (Probably the English). They called back and began to speak in Chinese. I repeated several times “sorry I only speak English” " no Chinese". I was hoping they would get someone on the phone who spoke English. This wasn’t as far featched, as it might seem. I found the phone in the proximity of several dorm buildings of Chang Yang University in Jhongli, Taiwan. The entire area is inundated with their students. All students of Chang Yuan University must speak English as a requirement of admission. For whatever reason this person wasen’t having it. They just kept calling back, eventually screaming at me in Chinese. Eventually I turned the phone off, not wanting to risk them running down the battery betore my Chinese wife got home to return the phone. The next morning, (my wife works nights), I told my wife the story. She went Appleplextic . Nothing I did was right!
First mistake- I should have left the phone in the street! (Where it would have certainly would have been distorted?) My wife-their fault for dropping it!
Mistake number 2, you never should have answered the phone. Admittedly she has told me many times, " never answer the phone unless you know who is calling. There are lots of scammers out there. "
Mistake number three. You should never have brought the phone home. These phones have gps (I knew that) , the police will be comming through the door any minute now to take you to jail. The owner will tell the police you stool it.
See these scratches in the case, the owner will claim you did it and you must pay for all repairs or a new phone. If you don’t agree to pay, you will not get out of jail.
She refused to call back the caller or meet them, even at a public place to return the phone.
Finely I said, " don’t help" I’ll walk to the police station myself and drop it off. She only then agreed to drive me, bitching all the way. The phone was dropped off without incident . The police did look a bit perplexed (didn’t have any English speaking officers on duty that morning) but they were gratuitous as always.
My wife was nervous for days afterwards, claiming the police would come and take me away. They never did.
This happened early in my visit. Since then I have notice Taiwanese tend to leave things where they fine them, even if it’s obvious the owner didn’t intend to leave them, or it faces certain distruction if it remain where it is, as was the case with the cell phone.
As an American I find this alien. I think we think more in terms of resourses going unutilized (wasted). We might prop up a lost item so it might more easily be seen, or post a sign if its found and valuable, but eventually someone, if not the owner, will put the resource to use.
