Maybe I'll Get Paid Soon

Yesterday morning I got a call from on of the secretaries at the university. She wanted to know my bank account number to arrange something with my paycheck. So I'm hopeful that the ball is at least in motion to get my three months of pay that are owed. But she also wanted me to bring in a copy of my contract with the incorrect amount to pay me per month and make a photocopy. When I asked her if I was going to be paid soon she kind of laughed and said maybe a month. So I have no idea what to expect really.

The other volunteers at the university haven't been paid either. Just about every day at least one of us will go down to the financial department and check in or hassle the secretaries, yet still we are without our pay. If anything can be gained from this experience, it's that hopefully I will develop a zen-like patience when waiting for money to arrive. If you think it's hard waiting around for a bi-weekly check, imagine how difficult it is for a tri-monthly check. Yeah, it's kind of like that.

I'm still riding out a little bit of cash I have and avoided spending money unless I need to so that I don't have to dig into my savings. But the other day I went to the pharmacy and decided that I couldn't afford to buy floss. It's expensive here as it is, but I didn't want to spring for it as it's not a necessity. But that's kind of the way things have progressed here lately. My friends in Machala weren't paid for a few months either and were randomly handed $1000 in cash. As cool as that would sound, I'd rather avoid any issues and just have direct deposit like we're supposed to, which is why we have dealt with the lousy banks here from the start. Even a check would be welcome at this point.

I just want to get paid.