This would never happen in a third world country

[indigo_rose99]

But it does in Scotland.

I chose my current hotel because it is reasonable walking distance to work.  No rental car to drive on the left or worry about parking on both ends.  There is even a bus to and from the airport.  The hotel is in city centre, close walking distance to book stores, groceries, and a movie theatre.  Even the 30 minute walk to and from work means I can sleep late (6am DECADENCE!!) and count walking as my daily exercise.  This week the weather is almost pleasant (only cold) and the sun has been out as I walk. 

Overall, I would count this as a really great experience.

Until my walk from work this evening.  It was daylight. I was on public residential streets.  I was not on the bad side of town.  The housing seemed middle-income.  Clean.  I felt safe.  Then I felt something slam into my back and shoulder.  Not hard enough to bruise, but certainly hard enough to startle me badly.  I turned around and saw garbage fall off of me and my briefcase.  I looked up and saw a band of pre-teens duck around a corner.   I had noticed these children earlier skipping down the street, holding (I thought it odd) the garbage that had just bounced off of me.  There is no chance it was a mistake, no chance that it fell from a building, no chance than an adult threw it.

Yes, I had garbage thrown at me by small children in a first world country.   I have no idea if this was the first shot or simply the lucky hit of many attempts.

Tomorrow I will not be wearing my headphones to and from work.  I had no idea that I needed to look out for anything more serious than vehicular traffic.  I've managed to talk myself out of the expense of a taxi.   I am glad I am only here for another day.

Comments

[reedrover]

WOW.

I would definitely mention that to the hotel management, and if you have a second, the local school.

Talk about a bad reputation to get... "Visit Scotland, where the children throw garbage at passersby."

[indigo-rose99.livejournal.com]

I told the hotel front desk, and asked what I could do. Nothing feasible. Try to catch the kids, call the police, hold them for the police. Protesting to the parents would likely only get me parents angry at me, not the kids. This is all from the hotel staff, who said she was not local either. She seemed unsurprised by my story and said that Scottish children are notoriously badly behaved.

I will keep an eye out for a school.

[reedrover]

Scottish children are notoriously badly behaved

Oh, ouch. Now there's a reputation that every country wants to have.

[pamwheatfree.livejournal.com]

I am saddened by this. I have never understood children and probably never will. I am not even sure what I would do in response to this. I want to kill the children or maybe just punish them. I am sure my response would be inappropriate. As adults, we cannot do what we would do if we were other children, which would be to stalk them and throw garbage at them. Since you do not live there, you cannot have a talk with their parents who are probably not going to do anything anyway. My first response is to fill a water gun with disappearing ink and shoot them with it. However, you need to already have that with you and no one wants adults shooting children. Perhaps, you can rent a big dog to walk with and let it go after them. You would have the excuse that the children startled you and you couldn't hold onto the dog. I am not a mean person, but I would have to figure out a way to keep this from ever happening again. I really don't like children. If a parent cannot keep their children under control then they shouldn't be allowed to have them. Maybe I will write more about my views on children tomorrow.