Nightly visitors

Last Saturday night we were watching Jay Leno in bed, it was just past midnight. As my daily rhytm is to wake up at around 5:45, I easily fall asleep by midnight if there is nothing special to keep me awake. So, before I knew it I had crossed the border to slumberland. It wasn't for long, though, before I woke up. J. told me to wake up, someone's behind our door.

I am not exactly awake when I first open my eyes, ever, and since I am frequently subjected to all kinds of nightly jokes, (in the likes of "We don't have any potatoes, what should we do?" and "Do you want some herring casserole, I just made it for you?") I wasn't sure whether I should just through him with a pillow or actually do something. I soon realised I actually need to get up, find my rope and check what's going on. In deed, 00:29 on Sunday morning someone was banging our door, trying the door handle and constantly pushing the door bell. Waking up the whole darn floor, no doubt.

As this is China, the thought of actually opening the door never crossed our minds. We peeked from the peephole, an saw a Chinese woman. What do you want, I sad in Chinese, but she didn't respond. "GO AWAY!", shouted my always so polite cohabitater. No answer. "Do you speak English", I tried, but she took her mobile and called someone and moved away from hour door.

Perplexed I tried to call the reception, but of course there was no one there. Cost saving, for pete's sake. A few months ago they decided to have only one reception in the three buildings of our compound during night time. Gee, the only time I would actually need them.

We went back to bed, wondering what it was all about. You know, the doors here are not like they are in Finland. It is just like a normal door between the rooms, rather than a one that is suppose to protect our apartment from nightly intruders. No dog. No stun-gun. Not even a baseball bat. Not a nice feeling.

But then, 2:04 a.m., merely 90 minutes after the first wake-up the same thing happened again. This time I was up like an arrow (after J. had shook me about two minutes to wake up). This cannot be happening again. There was ANOTHER Chinese lady behind our door, ringing the doorbell, but with somewhat more composed demeanour. Thank goodness.

This time I had had it, and was about to push the red button (that's suppose to alarm the guards to arrive like a cavalry, though I've never tested), but then calmed down and decided to try the nigth-reception first. At this point, I was mostly mad about waking up twice and being scared twice because of some 45 kilos "heavy" Chinese chicks...

It can be sometimes irritating to explain a matter (any matter) to a Chinese. And this was definitely one of those times. "There is someone behind our apartment door, trying to get in. We don't know the person." "Aah... Where are you?" "In our apartment. There is someone in the hallway that probably should not be. Banging our door." "Ok. Are they behind downstairs door?" "No. Behind our apartment door. I don't know how they got into the building. Can you call the security to check?" "Do you know them?" "No. Can you call the security. Now." "Ok, I call." "Thanks." Thanks a lot, you master of customer service.

So, we were not disturbed again during the night. But I am certainly going to follow-up what that was all about. Why the heck do we pay for the security if they don't secure.

When you think about what that was likely about... One scenario is that some lonely "gentleman" had wanted some company, you know, not to feel so alone. After the first girl never arrived, after we yelled at her to go away, he ordered another one. Who we also, hopefully, sent away :o) Or then he just thought that the more the merrier, and kept ordering more company...

Why in the world they ended up behind our door, I haven't figured out. I let you know if I get to the bottom of this.