traveler / entrepreneur / multilingual

When in Rome, trust no one.
Never have I thought that knowing how to speak Mandarin in China would be a disadvantage. I also didn’t think that starting a friendly chat with a petite local would turn out for the worst. It’s 8pm and here I was making a scene at Nanjing Road, Shanghai’s busy shopping district. This was a few hours after my first encounter with the woman who swindled USD 100 from me by making me pay for her drinks. Naturally, they always return to the scene of the crime.
I gripped the fraud by her wrist.
“Stop pretending. You know very well you deceived me. Just return my money and go.”
“What are you talking about? You paid your money to the restaurant. I didn’t take it from you.”
She insisted on her innocence until her friend, who was also wearing a blue blouse and short shorts initiated Plan B: she yelled to make an even bigger spectacle of ourselves, reversed the situation in their favor by making it seem as though I was the one harassing them and walked away while cursing out loud. The taller girl shoved the little one who nearly tripped on her high heels. I felt sorry for her, because I realized she was only being coerced by the other.
Back at my hotel, I was shocked to find out online that this has been going on since the 90’s. A netizen’s comment made a lot of sense: it was my fault for being gullible and willing to pay. This could serve as a lesson, or I could man up and report this to the police. And that’s exactly what I did the next day. I've always been a go-getter; why should I stop now?
After seeing that I couldn’t rely on the local law enforcers, I took matters into my own hands and confronted the restaurant owner. He could have been a mafia lord with his plain white tank top, gold chain and cigar, but I was too indignant to have realized it. I managed to reclaim 500 RMB after much negotiation and left. The rush was exhilarating.
Looking back, there were so many telltale signs that should have made me figure out I was being scammed: with the girl telling me I looked like a local when I was taking photos when she first approached me, refusing to be photographed, and making self-deprecating comments to let my guard down. Nonetheless, my Shanghai trip indubitably defined what an adventure was. Letting myself be unfazed was enriching, liberating and empowering. I didn’t see Shanghai society in a different light; rather, I now saw it in its entirety–flaws and all. Upon departing, I left with one thought:
I’m not done exploring.