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Did I Over-React?


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Last night while sleeping with my windows open, I awoke around 4:45am to the sounds of hack sawing followed in a couple instances by what sounded like metal parts falling to the ground outside the perimeter wall to my residence. It seemed to me as though the sounds were coming from the gated driveway to my neighbors’ vacant place across the street, but at the same time I could not be certain that the sounds were not coming from the front of my locked gate.

I listened intently for several minutes as the sounds waxed and waned. I looked outside my window, but I could not see much, as the perimeter wall obstructed much of my view. I also switched on some outside lights to alert any possible intruder that I was up and about. When the hack sawing sounds resumed shortly after all of this, I reluctantly called the police to report (in my very limited Spanish) that a possible break-in attempt was occurring at either my place or my neighbors’ property and asked that they send someone over asap.

To the credit of the local police jurisdiction, two officers arrived in a pickup truck about 15 minutes later. I went outside to greet them, and only at that time noticed that my neighbors’ driveway gate was opened and that their gardener was in their yard watering the plants. He apparently earlier had been sawing off some tree limbs on the property. (Mind you, all of this was taking place in the pitch dark well before dawn). It immediately became clear to me at the time I went out to greet the officers that the sounds that had startled me had come from the neighbors’ gardener performing his tasks and not from an apparent intruder. Embarrassingly, I had called in a false alarm.

Did I over-react by calling the police? (I don’t think of myself as a ‘nervous Nellie’ type, and never in my past have felt the need to call the police for any purpose.) How should I have handled the situation differently, if at all? Though my ability to communicate with the officers was extremely limited, I was sincerely apologetic to them for wasting their time. And I felt quite bad for causing the police to question the gardener. One of the officers seemed understanding of the circumstances that led me to call while the other seemed somewhat perturbed with me.

Any thoughts/comments would be appreciated.

MexSeekin

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You weren't out of line but the gardener sure was. If somebody started up a lawn mower at 5 a.m., they'd get an earful from me. You, however, heard a SAW and called the police....ya really think you should have investigated anyone in the dark at 5 a.m. operating a saw?...and were the neighbours in residence at the time? I doubt it. You did the right thing...now let your neighbours know that what the gardener did was inappropriate. I think they'll be embarrassed.

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Thanks for sharing this, MexSeekin. It reminds us that we all sometimes act in a manner whose wisdom we later question, especially when those actions are taken in the wee hours of the morning when our brains are often responding from more primitive impulses. With the benefit of hindsight, I think I would have called out in a loud voice, as gruffly as possible, "¿Qué pasa?" Having worked as a gardener before, I can see the guy's logic in wanting to avoid, as much as possible, the heat of the day.

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I agree, you did the right thing. The gardener should not have been out there at that hour.

If it had been the real thing, you would have stopped a crime and helped your neighbor.

I would let the owners know of the incident and why you called the police.

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I think you did what was right and sensible. That is what police do, they check on suspicious situations, and MC is right on...you were thoughtful, caring and your action is commendable. The police need more like you to help them keep crime to a minimum. Well done! The gardener made a mistake and hopefully will think about the neighbors and do sawing at a proper hour in the future. It was a win win for all.

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Don't feel concerned about making that call. You did the right thing and that is what the police are there for. How would you have felt if you hadn't called and it had turned out that someone cleaned out your neighbor's property because you were afraid of looking foolish? You are indeed the kind of neighbor who most of us would love to have and your neighbor should talk with the gardener and tell him not to come before 8am because people are sleeping and shouldn't be disturbed like this before the sun is even up. Good job!!

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Better safe than sorry.

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I want to thank you all for your kind comments, which serve to lessen my embarrassment and reassure me that my actions were reasonably prudent.

Regrettably, I nonetheless suspect that should a similar sort of incident occur in the future, I’d be inclined to think twice or even more so before calling out the police again -- that is unless I have much clearer evidence of a security wall or gate being breached. I lament that this take-away lesson could be to my or my neighbors’ detriment.

It’s strange. In the short two weeks since I’ve arrived in Ajijic (this being my first season-long stay in what I hope will become a recurring summer residency), I find myself questioning my thinking like never before. First, against my better judgment, I allowed myself to be unnecessarily checked into a GDL hospital for tests and observations based on a suspicious, faulty EKG reading taken here at a clinic in Ajijic (alluded to in an earlier post on this forum). And now I find myself involved in making a middle-of-the-night call to the police for help, which turned out to be a false alarm. Both first-time experiences, these are not quite the sort of ‘adventures’ that I imagined for myself here, but I will cope. I look forward to the many remaining weeks to come.

Canmex87 and lakeside7, if after these comments you still want me as a neighbor, I could perhaps arrange it for next summer. However, I must let you know that I really, really like the place where I am currently staying, and I’ve been hoping since the day I arrived that it will become available to rent again next year. . . . J

MexSeekin

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If it makes you feel any better, my husband was sent to the hospital because of a suspicious EKG reading that they took at the Ajijic Clinic across the street from Gossup's Restaurant. We already had our own cardiologist that had treated me previously so the doctor at Ajijic Clinic sent us right to Guadalajara to see him. It saved his life. Better safe than sorry ... and we need to keep in mind that EKG's are only the first in a line of tests that may need to be performed. Many times these readings are faulty and it is not the fault of the establishment or doctor performing it.

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Again, your approach seems correct. This time regarding questioning your thinking here in Mexico. It is appropriate. Question your thinking and reactions on everything. Most things here are done differently. It is best to observe the culture, see how things are done, then act. It is something most expats do not do. They assume they can act the exact same way to things as they did north of the border. Which causes problems for everyone. Things may look like they opérate similarly but, believe me, this culture is VERY different from the one NOB.

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