I am resisting being embarrassed by this email I'm writing. You know --
the social rules that one does not talk about money, especially one's
own. But I am drained, both financially and emotionally, and friends
tell me it is foolish to leave out the background for the Silver Ferret
Ring auction and for the gofundme site.
Here's a summary, and then I'll give the details.
I had enough money to do what I needed when I first came to Ethiopia
in 2007. I brought most of my possessions and all of my animals here,
planning to make this my life's home. I invested about $70,000 in a
sewing business that failed in three years, mostly because of changed
Ethiopian-government attitudes and regulations. The business failure
destroyed my friendships with my Ethiopian partners -- a woman I'd
known since 1968 and her 30-yr-old daughter.
Next, I moved out of the city to the countryside by myself. Shortly
after that began a burdensome set of interactions with the government.
After a year, a seemingly endless series of thefts began -- both
possessions and money. They have not stopped, though after each one I
think they will. I have been increasingly vigilant but, sadly, in this
particular poverty-stricken culture, stealing is considered normal.
Also, it is the owner's fault if something is stolen because of
inadequate vigilance -- this is the attitude of the police as well
as the culture. I now have this set of keys!
http://s1144.photobucket.com/albums/o492/celebrateoften/
I am having trouble making my monthly expenses, the largest of which
is food for the animals. My income is Social Security.
I want to return to my own culture, but only if I can bring my animals.
Leaving them would result in a 95% likelihood of a sad, short remaining
life and a nasty death.
Two dear, long-term friends have offered major help. One offered to buy
me a plane ticket, and the other created this website to attract funds
for the animals' transportation.
http://www.gofundme.com/1l8da0
Now, in case you want to read more about my situation, here are some
details:
I partnered with an Ethiopian woman friend and her daughter to start a
sewing business. I'd known my friend over 40 years, from the other two
times I was in Ethiopia. The investment money was mine, but the effort
was to be joint. One of its goals was to train older women with no
skills or secure prospects.
The Ethiopian Investment Agency was enthusiastic and "helpful," but it
turned out that their advice was skewed. Because the Ethiopian
government wanted investors, small as well as large, the Agency lead
many people down illegal paths. Some of the agency people did it with
good hearts, others to swell the numbers in their books.
After two positive annual inspections, they astonished and dismayed me
by closing my project on the third -- because I was running a cottage
business, not a large factory. Meanwhile I had put over $70,000 into
the project. Even with that investment, the business wasn't doing well,
and that had caused great friction with my friend's daughter and
eventually destroyed my friendship with her mother -- she felt she had
to choose between us. It was a sad, nerve-wracking time.
When I set up my house in the countryside, I had two employees, a wife
and husband. I was spending most of my time in the city, dealing with
problems with the government regarding my remaining business (editing
and writing), which were eating me alive financially and wearing me
down emotionally. Meanwhile, one worker caused the deaths of three
ferrets -- first two and then one more.
I finally decided I needed to have less expensive (and more competent)
employees. I gave my workers 2 months' notice and found one of them a
less difficult and part-time job that paid more than I was paying her.
She refused the job and she and her husband threatened me, saying that
I had to give her 18 months' salary. They'd had an easy life working
for me and did not want to go back to a normal working life.
During the two months, I was away most of the time and they
systematically went through all of my things -- every room, cupboard
and box, and selected things to steal. When, after they were gone I
began to discover the thefts and was devastated.
I'd hired two more people, recommended by the manager of my local bank.
One turned out to be an even greater thief than the first people. In
this case, he stole things that were very dear to me, as well as
valuable. Of the next couple, the wife began to steal as well as to do
damage to my animals. I fired her twice -- once for injuring one of my
donkeys, and finally when I found, again, my dog Dante with a cooked
chicken bone. I'd taken her back. Duh!
Two weeks ago I had half of my Social Security money stolen from my
purse on the street in the capital. Usually I am fastidious about
guarding my purse in public, but this time I had relaxed my vigilance.
Funnily enough, I had been congratulating myself on how most people I
knew had been pickpocketed, but that I had been clever enough to avoid
it. And then I discovered that a new employee who was working for me
in the capital had also stolen from my purse. After that, I discovered
that he'd done almost nothing that I'd asked him to do in pursuing the
government paper-chase to get me what I need to leave.
All this has been deeply demoralizing. My friend Kris reminded me that
i am not alone -- theft is worldwide and prevalent. I also remind
myself that it is part of the culture here -- to the extent that the
legal burden of proof is very heavy for victims of theft. We have to
have three witnesses to the deed. The police will not investigate
actively. Etc etc etc. As Kris put it, I am not the Lone Ranger in
this, and need not feel so humiliated and incompetent.
So over the last two weeks I have started again on the government
paperwork and also I've sold several personal possessions -- furniture,
dishes, clothes, electronics, etc etc. I was going to do that anyway in
order to use the money for moving. Once I get my final payments, I'll
be caught up from the last two thefts and will have some left over.
I think I'll add it to the gofundme kitty!
[Posted in FML 7653]
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