So a Chinese Tourist Visits Germany...

[flexy]

Chinese Tourist, only referred to as Junliang L., visits Germany. He has big plans, wants to not only visit Germany but also see a bit of France and Italy.

On the airport in Germany, right after arrival, his wallet his stolen.

Junliang doesn't speak ONE word German or English, only Mandarin.

He wants to go to the police and report the theft of his wallet. Because he is unfamiliar with things in Europe, he fills out an asylum request application by mistake instead.

No one can understand him, things are confusing for everyone, no one knows what is going on with this man. He "put a machinery in motion from which he couldn't get out anymore"

Junliang does what people tell him.

From there, Junliang's passport was taken from him and he was given a train ticket to the city of Dortmund, about 417 km (approximately 259 miles) away, where he was officially registered as an asylum seeker, said Schlütermann. Junliang then received a medical examination and was sent by bus with 50 other refugees from North Africa, Syria and the Middle East to a refugee shelter in Duelmen.

Here, he slept alone in a container -- containing 4-6 beds -- in a shelter that could hold up to 200 refugees, and took part in the daily routine.

Folks were still confused about the guy, because he was polite, dressed well and didn't really fit in. Not many Chinese asylum seekers in Germany. So he spends two weeks in a refugee camp.

At some point, people get desperate. They seek the help of a Chinese guy from a local Chinese restaurant and use the iPhone translation app. "What's going on with this dude, what does he want?" This is when they find out the guy isn't an asylum seeker, he is a tourist from China!

After two weeks, he finally leaves the refugee camp....not without saying that Germany wasn't 't exactly what he expected. I hope he has a better experience in Italy and France....

TRUE STORY, this just happened.

 

[Strk]

It must be true. I read it on the internet.

And are you telling me, in all of Germany, there are no translation services?

 

[feralkid]

You can't make this stuff up.

Actually really good novelists can, and this reads like the start of a really interesting story.

Thanks, OP.

 

[DrPizza]

I'm skeptical. CNN & one of the Fox affiliates picked up the story though; but it appears they've just copied it from the same place the OP got it.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/09/travel/chinese-tourist-mistaken-refugee/index.html

 

[Victorian Gray]

Reuters with film.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-migrants-tourist-idUSKCN10J206

 

[zinfamous]

Is it wrong that this made me laugh?

Now, this one isn't funny

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/04/29/the-deportation-machine

 

[Victorian Gray]

Is it wrong that this made me laugh?

Now, this one isn't funny

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/04/29/the-deportation-machine

That is absolutely terrifying. And, absolutely insane.

 

[Zaap]

It must be true. I read it on the internet.

And are you telling me, in all of Germany, there are no translation services?

There's at least one. A Chinese guy with an iPhone.



If that really happened, he'll have a hell of a more interesting story to tell friends about than whatever he would have done anyway.

 

[John Connor]

Apparently, Germany just likes handing out asylum applications. I mean where's the common sense?