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Need local helper to carry boxes

Hi there,

Can someone recommend a local helper to help me move heavy boxes, a desk, etc. on Monday & Tuesday.

It will be 1-2 hours work on one day & maybe 30-60 minutes on the next.

$5/hour should cover it, my only issue is that I'm not fluent in Spanish, so if someone can help by translating that would be much appreciated.

Thank you

Michelle

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Replies

  • Thanks for all the kind words. I love each & every one of you as well.

    I'm pulling out of this thread as I found someone.

    Michelle

    • What a crock! But again, some of the most hysterical posts in the history of Boquete.ning...

  • I think one owes oneself to read this moving and inspiring blog. A story of courage and resilience in the face of adversity. A true inspiration to all mankind. Both protagonist and racounteur, Michelle is indubitably the new Mandela - fighting oppression, be it the evil oligarchs, Mother Nature and her fiendish instruments of torture, or greedy, petty potentates. She does so, armed with will and determination and grace, too.

    And so, one is left with bated breath wondering the outcome of this great saga. Will good triumph over evil? Will Michelle return to the Promised Land, leaving behind géhenne to live out her idyll, or will she be grasped by the Kafkaesque claw of the Isthmian quotidian? That is the question, and the crux of any truly great story.

    These epic stories only come by very rarely, and revealed only to a chosen, lucky few. Not since Schindler's List have I been so moved, so inspired and so profoundly impacted.

  • Michelle, after reading your saga on your website I can only say how sorry I am that you did not understand Panama is a developing country. It is not developed, it is imperfect and does have it's issues. So many of the things that have made your experience here a horror are things you will discover in rural areas in all the world and most developing countries.

    People did not lie to you, they omitted things they take for granted having lived here. If you want first world amenities you need to stay first world.

    I am posting a link to your site so that anyone who wishes to make a donation to help you can.

    http://wedeservehealth.com/donations/donations-for-a-major-move/

    • This reply was deleted.
      • fear not brethren, technology has rescued this awe-inspiring prose from the Kafkaesque claw of Wordpress updates:

        I’m seeking donations for a major move to Israel

        Hi there,

        Please understand that I have never done something like this before, but I am in such a need to move away from Panama & get to Israel, that I am reaching out for help.
        I can accept Pay Pal or Wire Transfer, but I’d rather incur the cost, as I feel bad for anyone who has to pay wire transfer fees.

         

        $0

         

        Here is my true story…

        I moved to Panama back in 2011 after researching the country for a few months. I had been looking for a less expensive place to live that was cleaner, had great produce, warmer, etc. & had been researching several countries in Latin America.

        Unfortunately, after being here for 8 months I realized this wasn’t a country I could handle living in & that the expats hadn’t divulged a lot of crucial information that would have struck Panama off my list. Issues such as:

        • No reliable water. Unless you live in a very expensive area, you will be almost certain to experience water outages & they NEVER tell you in advance. In the last house I lived in 30 minutes outside of Panama city, there were days I want 12 hours with NO WATER.This went on for 6 months non stop. One week I went without water for 2 1/2 days.
        • Electricity is a terrible problem in Panama. There are power surges all the time which has ruined almost all of my electrical equipment.There are brown outs & blackouts too. In one of the houses I lived in, I went for 7 hours with NO electricity.It’s bad enough that my food goes bad, but then in the extreme heat not to have access to a fan & no way to work or see anything, it’s a nightmare!
        • I work online & the first question I asked when deciding if Panama had what I needed was… “How is the Internet?”I was told by several people that it was fine.Well I can tell you that IT’S ALL A LIE!I have lived in 7 different houses & I’ve had Internet problems in all of them. Either the speeds aren’t what I pay for, or the Internet goes down all the time, or there are glitches.One can’t even have a proper meeting because my phone line may go down at any time.The ISP here doesn’t know what they are doing & they don’t let you speak to a manager. I was just lied to about the cost of my move, so in the end I wasn’t charged the $20 I was told I would be, I was charged $60.I tried to fight them on it, but here in Panama, fighting any company is next to near impossible. They don’t take any responsibility for their mistakes or actions, they won’t let you speak to a manager, & they are very greedy. They will do everything in their power NOT to give you a credit or give you your money back if you need to return something.

        So by the time I started to figure out only some of the issues I mentioned above (trust me there’s way more), my online business was failing because of Google’s algorithm change.

        I had no money to leave the country, I was STUCK here & as I’ve learned over the last 2 1/2 years, there are several expats that have been in the same boat I am in. They want to leave & yet can’t.

        The stress started to build, as there was problem after problem living here. I’ve even been threatened by landlords.

        I started to realize I couldn’t work properly because of the ongoing problems with electricity, water & the Internet. I also couldn’t sleep because of constant barking dogs & parties with loud music.

        The cost of living here in Panama has also increased at least 6 times since I’ve been here & many Americans & Canadians have moved back to the States & Canada because it’s less expensive to live there & at least there it’s civilized.

        I eventually started working as a freelancer online, as I had no choice. I hadn’t worked for anyone since 1988.

        Because of the constant competition from workers in the Philippines and India, I had to take very very low paying jobs even though I’m much more qualified for higher paying work. I’m not complaining, I’m just stating a fact that making only $5 per hour is not even minimum wage.

        I eventually got myself 2 steady clients & I was starting to save money, but then I had to leave the house I was in. After looking around, I couldn’t find anything within my $300 budget in that area, so I moved to the opposite end of the country where there are a lot of expats. The move cost me a bit, but I thought things would be better over here, the rent would be less expensive, but in the end, the problems ended up being WORSE.

        Lightening is a HUGE problem here in this town & again, not one expat mentioned this HUGE problem. Within 3 weeks of moving into a house, I lost my desktop to lightening, so I had to replace it. And just to be clear, I even had 2 UPSs set up & I still lost the desktop. One can’t live in Panama without UPSs.

        I lost many days of work because 2 different modems were struck by lightening & the second time it took the terrible ISP 6 days to come & replace it. I ended up having to spend money I didn’t have on going to a restaurant to get wifi & order food from them & waste money on cell phone cards when normally I don’t have to do that because I have a Voip phone line.

        The stress just kept getting worse & worse. I thought I was going to lose my clients. Clients in the US obviously don’t put up with all these issues & I don’t blame them.

        I eventually got my new desktop, but not just before my laptop died on me, so I lost work during those days too. During this period I found out that the Internet wasn’t actually wired properly in that house & there shouldn’t have been any Internet at all. The ISP being greedy & incompetent, turned it on anyway. And the day I moved out of the house, a construction worker in a house across the yard came to tell me that he was cutting the wire because it was in the way. Had I stayed in that house one more day, I would never have been able to work.

        I ended up moving to another very small house in another neighborhood thinking things would be better, but they got even worse. I had Internet problems for a whole month before they finally fixed them. I had disruptions while working, & having meetings.

        Then I had a HUGE lightening scare where I thought I lost my ENTIRE office setup AND my new computer.

        I was in tears not knowing what to do. Any money I made was quickly going to replace things that were breaking in addition to the 2 moves all within 2 months of moving to this side of Panama.

        If I had to replace this brand new computer, it wouldn’t have happened as I didn’t have the money. I had no backup laptop & I can’t work on a laptop for long anyway. I prefer a desktop for several reasons.

        Then I had to waste time researching how to solve this terrible lightening problem & I learned that people here lose their modems, routers & computers ALL the time. In fact I’ve heard twice now that people have gotten struck by lightening in their own homes.

        I did manage to get the landlord to address the lightening issues in this house. I had already come to learn that they don’t know how to do anything properly in Panama, so it was no surprise to learn that his electrical boxes had no ground rods, which considering the lightening issues, it’s absolutely paramount they be in place.

        I had to get him to install one ground into the electrical box & I installed another 2 along the fence. I had to find the electricians (3 different ones), while he didn’t do a thing. I had to fork over $60 just for an American to do the initial consult. I’m detailing this so you can see how much of my time is wasted on these issues.

        Then around this time I started to notice that my Nikken water filter system sponge that is normally white, was turning brown with brown spots. Never in ALL the houses I’ve lived in in Panama has this happened to my water filtration system.

        At this time I started to have issues with the water. I could tell something was seriously wrong with the taste, & my lips & tongue were going numb. Also after washing dishes, my hands felt tight & painful & we are talking hours after, not just right after.

        I kept telling the landlord, but he kept telling me there’s nothing wrong, it’s just me.

        I once again had to be the one to research all of this & find a plumber. I got the landlord to pay for the filter outside & I got an American to install it. I thought that would solve the problem, but it didn’t. In fact if I sent you a picture now, you’d be in shock. Only a month or so after it was installed, it’s completely covered in brown guck!

        I then proceeded to order 2 different filter sets for my 2 different water filtration systems. Both of these cost me over $200. I lost the 2nd Nikken filtration set because the sponge again turned brown. This brand new filter set is toast. It’s been damaged by the water.

        The other set I didn’t use, because I found out that my ionizer will NOT get rid of bacteria, & using that system when the water is so toxic will ruin it. So the filters are sitting in a box for when I finally leave Panama.

        I waited weeks trying to get one of the electricians to refer me to a water tester, but like everything in Panama, most of them just ignore you & disappear.

        I finally found a lab where I got the water tested & sure enough, there’s HUGE levels of bacteria in the water, including FECAL bacteria.

        I started to get very sick.

        I had already started buying bottled water, & since that’s ALL I drink is filtered water & green tea, my expenses just sky rocketed. I also only cook with filtered water. If I could afford a filtration unit for the whole house, I would have purchased that years ago.

        I tried to boil the water, but it was terrible. Even cooking with the boiled water made everything taste terrible. Boiled water is DEAD water. It should never be used for drinking. In all my life I’ve never had to go through these serious issues.

        Despite what I didn’t want, I had no choice to boil pots of water one after another which cost me gas money, time from having to run to the stove every time. I once forgot about the pot & burnt an expensive one. I couldn’t concentrate on work & this went on & on & still is.

        I have tried to get the town to fix the water & eventually started going to the Mayor’s office, but no one will do anything. I’ve wasted tons of my time day after day trying to get this problem resolved even though this is NOT my house & it’s not my responsibility to do this.

        Even after e-mailing the landlord that I was right & the water is toxic & asking for the money for these expenses I have incurred (I hadn’t even asked him for all the money I lost because of this), he refused to pay for the water test or the filters. He proceeded to tell me to get out of his house & leave the country.

        My stress levels are soooo bad now, that my stomach is killing me & that along with the toxic water, my digestive issues have increased. I’m very frightened he will lock me out of the property. Some Panamanians build a very tiny house on the back of their property & rent it out. That’s where I am, several feet away from where he lives.

        I had health issues before moving here, & I thought they would get better, but because of the constant stress & unfit living conditions, my health is so bad that there are hours when I can’t even work. I get tired very easily & have to just stop everything for a few hours until I get my energy back.

        I am a holistic person as you can see with this site of mine.

        Where to move to next?

        I had already been thinking of where I wanted to move to next. Israel was in the back of my mind, but as I researched the country, the more I decided I wanted to go there.

        The problem is, I can’t leave. I’m stuck here in Panama, may get thrown out onto the streets at any time, I just lost one client, as he wants to pay me even less than I was getting before, & I haven’t found any other client to replace him.

        Since September 1st I have been trying to find a replacement client & it’s taken a lot of my man hours to bid on jobs, interview the odd time & I’ve come to learn that a lot of these so called companies online aren’t real solid companies, they are just looking for ways to take advantage of workers. I’ve had companies play games with me several times now agreeing to a price, then trying to get me to lower my price just before hiring me. Or the one last night tried to do away with the hourly rate & pay me only be result. I have no problem doing that when I work for myself as a business owner, but when I work for others, I won’t do that & I don’t tolerate people who play games.

        There is so much competition now since summer broke, that I just can’t compete with freelancers who are willing to work for $8-10/hour. I am trying to get money to get to Israel. $8-10/hour just won’t cut it.

        My sites are doing even worse now then they were after Google’s algorithm change back in 2011. In fact a few weeks ago one of the sites is totally gone from the search engine. I can’t make any changes to it, because I can’t afford to pay anyone to move my site or make the changes that need to be done.

        I haven’t had a sale in 2+ months.

        So here I am I’m pleading with you or someone you know to help me.

        The last free flight to Israel is on December 23rd, 2013. I can’t wait until the next flight in May 2014. I am literally going insane living in this country. I’ve been holding on by a thread here.

        Every day there’s another HUGE stressor that occurs. Just the stress of trying to juggle the water issues, landlord issues, work, business & planning the trip is making my head spin just typing about it.

        The ongoing lose of work because of these electricity, Internet & water issues doesn’t end.

        I can’t just live & work, there’s always a problem.

        My Budget for the Move

        Here is what I need the money for:

        • to fly to Panama city so I can fly out of Panama city. That’s $250-275 round trip.
        • fly to Miami for the interview. You can’t move to Israel without this interview & their permission. I’m still trying to find the cheapest flight. I am guessing it’s around $400 round trip.
        • Hotel & transportation expenses (that’s both in Panama city & Miami) – $50-100.
        • Food in Miami – $20-50.
        • Bottled water both while in Panama city, on the plane, in Miami, back in Panama city, etc. $20-25
        • Money to ship my things from Panama to Israel. I’m still working on getting rough estimates. I hope it won’t be more than $2,000. I have no way to tell them how many boxes it will be, nor the weight or dimensions. I’d have to box everything up which I can’t do, as I need these things to live.
        • Money to fly again to Panama city when I finally leave. $150 one way.
        • Money for the flight from Panama to New York – $400 one way.
        • Extra baggage fees for the flight to Israel. I HAVE to take my computer, monitor, etc. so I can start work again within 2-3 days of landing. $390
        • Hotel costs for Miami & maybe New York for one night – $300-400
        • I have to buy several things before I make the move. Shipping things from the US to Panama is a lot easier than shipping them to Israel. Almost all of my things I brought to Panama have broken. Everything in this country disintegrates or breaks down because of humidity or electrical surges. Even my clothes that I had for years that I never had problems with have been ruined.I need a new office phone. The keypad on this one & the display are dead. I need an unlocked cell phone for Israel (they are a lot more expensive in Israel) & a few other misc. things.I would also like to buy some cotton clothes while in Miami or NY, as I heard they are very expensive in Israel & there’s not much selection. $500-1,000.
        • I need help with living expenses for the first few months upon arrival. The Israeli government may help me some, but I won’t know until after the interview. Even with that amount it won’t be enough, as I need money to buy furniture, & first & last month’s rent. $3-4,000

        I’m trying to get my living expenses in Israel down to $3,000/month. I’ll be moving to a less expensive area of the country where rent is around $800/month.

        I’ve been on a shoe string budget for a while now, but I still need the essentials like water, electricity, ISP, cell phone, food, transportation, toiletries, I have to buy cleaning supplies, etc.

        I already spend around $350-400 every month to cover my business expenses.

        I don’t want you to think I’m doing nothing to help my situation.

        What I will be doing to help myself in the meantime is:

        • continue to work. When I have the energy, I can work upto 10-12 hours per day.
        • continue to work with my life coach to cut down on the stress & move towards a plan that will get me out of this mess.
        • I’m waiting on holistic medication to arrive from the US. While I’m sure it will help, stress will counteract anything I take. Stress is THE number one killer of everything.
        • try to find another client to replace this last one. This takes time & money. Every day I’m working on it. I’ve already calculated that I’ve spent almost 10-12 hours looking for work. It’s probably more than that.
        • I’m currently trying to find some business consultants to help me narrow down the next business I want to start.
        • once I am settled & don’t have to worry about all of these issues anymore, I will be starting that new business. I am already working on it, but I’m juggling so many things at once, my head is spinning.

        Please, I’m begging YOU for donations for a major move. Even if it’s only $1

        I have no family to help me. I’ve never asked the public for help before. When I needed help here in Panama, I tried to get it locally twice, but it was a struggle, I felt very bad, & I could tell they didn’t want to help.

        When I had some money back in the early 90′s, I gave to help kids in need in the Philippines, so I have given back myself & I’m a very giving person by nature. When I have money again, I will start helping those in need. This has always been my goal anyway, nothing to do with my situation here.

        My sanity is close to the tipping point. I came to Panama to alleviate some of my stress, when in fact the stress here is WORSE.

        I have to get out of here & move to Israel & I can NOT wait until May 2014. I could be dead by then both from the health issues, stress or just my wits end.

        If you have any questions, please let me know. I am more than happy to talk with you on the phone or even via Skype. You can talk to my sister who lives in NY, she can vouch for me. In fact she even recommended that crowd funding site to me.

        Any help you can give to get me to my goal is much appreciated.

        Thank you VERY MUCH & I hope whoever you are, that you are fairing much better than myself. My heart always goes to people under extreme amount of stress. Keep your family & friends close, they mean WAY more than any materialistic item or amount of money does.

         

        Michelle
        Hugs & in tears

        electricity.it
        This domain may be for sale!
        • "The cost of living here in Panama has also increased at least 6 times since I’ve been here & many Americans & Canadians have moved back to the States & Canada because it’s less expensive to live there & at least there it’s civilized."  ..now that's inflation!

          • Sounds like an old lynnie post

            Funny her budget projection for Israel is roughly 3k a month...yet here she can't make ends meet -- how is moving to Israel going to help? Hope whoever is going to interview her doesn't look online and do a search and find her thread.........I did that for potential employees and it is amazing what you turn up. 

    • Michelle, the above blog that you authored is one of the most interesting diatribes that I've read in a long while. I agree wholeheartedly with Lee's assessment and would add that some folks just aren't equipped for life outside the box. Good luck.

This reply was deleted.

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