Happy Monday! As I write this, I have been home for three days, back from a much deserved and relaxing month in France. So what happens when you leave your beloved little house for a month and trust your handyman will handle the garden, animals and the house? Sh*t.
BF stayed in Guatemala City while I was away, and was able to call him a few times to make sure everything was fine. Apparently, it was, but the guy was so slow to answer questions over the phone, so vague and so sleepy that BF got fed up and stopped calling.
A couple of days before we got back, he called again and told the handyman to stop eating our eggs, and start saving them for our arrival breakfast. That is when we learned the hens were barely laying (compared to 6 eggs a day while we were there), that the rooster had died, and that Mrs Turkey who was hatching 7 eggs when we left, had no eggs left.
When we arrived, we saw Mrs Turkey was still trying to get into her nest to hatch, which she wouldn’t do if she had been egg-less for some days. So we think he took the eggs home and will get a 7 turkey dinner next Christmas. Strangely, he got rid of the turkey eggs “because they were bad”, but not of many hen eggs that did look bad. So clean for some things and so messy for others. We didn’t buy it, but said nothing.
Then the dead rooster, he doesn’t know what happened to him but says he found him dead. Knowing a rooster is worth more than a day of his salary, he may have sold it. Again, why wait until the last day to tell us? When we got there we counted the animals, and about 7 chicks were missing too. He argued that he didn’t count the small ones, so he didn’t know how many died. Again, he didn’t bother to tell us while we were away.
The deal with him was that he was to sleep each night inside the house, and instead of working a full day, would work for a couple of hours in the morning, then go home, spend the day there, and come back for a couple of hours before bed. Over a month, that is 120 hours of work we can’t justify by the look of things.
The house was hastily cleaned, he had sown a few flowers but the rest of the garden was as we left it, just because it rained a bit, it was greener. I doubt he ever watered the plants before the rain season started.
So basically the guy got a month of holiday and was not even able to greet us with 4 eggs to have breakfast. Even if it was true that the hens didn’t lay, he could have brought eggs from his house after eating or selling ours for a month.Yes, we were that annoyed about eggs. Because the one who steals eggs steals anything. Like animal food. We bought a big bag of corn that was supposed to last for a month and is enriched to help the hens lay more. So if they are not laying, it may be because he stole the food and let the animals starve. We found a few in bad shape and two died on the day we arrived, including one of the strongest hens.
We were fuming and BF told him that it was not because he still owed us money to pay his motorcycle back that we had to tolerate him doing nothing and lying to our faces. BF was so furious he didn’t want to deal with him again so I worked for half a day trying to automate his work now that the construction is over, with a cleaning and gardening routine, so we don’t have to see him until late morning when he would come ask for more work. That same day, a hen died and BF asked him to bury it, went fishing and came back 3 hours later to find the rotting corpse still in the cage, contaminating the other animals. It was too much so he asked him if he wanted to leave and the guy said yes, saving us from a painful layoff.
And yes, he still owes us money for the bike, so we told him to go home and come back with the papers to give it to us until repaid. He came back (we didn’t think he would and were ready to pay that price to not see his face again) with his dad asking why his poor little son couldn’t work here anymore. After explaining, the guy admitted his son was unfit even for that menial job and paid us $300 for the bike. He has two months to repay the remaining $700 and signed a contract transferring the debt onto him. We were quite surprised that he took responsibility but it is a very small village and you don’t want to walk around with everyone knowing you are a thieve I guess.
Anyway, things turned out great, we don’t have to see him anymore and be behind him all day long to make sure he does his job, and we still have a carpenter at home who knows about gardening and could take over the garden, while I do the cleaning. It is less hassle to clean than to fume during hours while the guy moves at the speed of an 80 year old.
On the 90 acres development, we are also being delayed by the council. Now that we promised to give them a football field and enough land to build a school and a small medical center if they want, they are complaining that building a school would be expensive. Pretty sure a couple of corrupted guys want their palms greased. And that is not going to happen, I hate corruption.
So we are playing hard to get, and laying off the 10 employees who were building a wall around the property this past month once they are finished with the entry gate. The gate and wall look amazing, it is a small wall made of stone, 1 meter high, just to confirm ownership and so that people can see that something is happening when they drive by. No more letting the villagers get free pasture for their animals either, and when the mayor realizes we are bringing money to his village, we will be ready to listen to a reasonable offer.
He doesn’t seem to get that for every plot we sell, he will charge property taxes, the owners will hire handymen, cleaners, builders and that will help the whole community. He is short sighted and looking only after his own interests.
We kind of expected that, because our contractor, who went to the council to apply for the permits was really enthusiastic, a little too much, saying it would be a piece of cake, because he knew the mayor and would sell our project in glowing terms. We knew there would be obstacles along the way. They are also asking for an environmental study, that will cost north of $3,000 just so they can build paper planes with the file, since no one else has had to do it in the village, not even the mayor when he forgot to design green areas in the center. A corrupt councilman even sold a public beach in front of our land, preventing the villagers (and himself!) to go swim there.
It is not easy being the new kids in town, but we are not letting them have their way or they would eat us alive. I am off to the council as we speak!
I’m sorry to hear about your lazy thieving handyman. What amazes me is that from the sound of it, the job was actually pretty posh. The ability to not appreciate a great opportunity seems not to know national boundaries.
Yes, it was no big deal, and he got to sleep on his own in a real bed in a real house instead of his crowded house where they all sleep in one room on hammocks, and enjoy the beach, etc. but who knows what goes on in his head.
Sounds really stressful. Hopefully everything works out for you guys and these corrupt guys get what is coming to them.
Fingers crossed!
Your life is so drastically different than my boring little Canadian life where I go to work and come home and cut the grass and hang out with friends on my days off.
Your life seems so much more exciting but that comes with a lot of headaches.
It has its drawbacks too! And a few critters haha.
Wow, sorry to hear all of this Pauline. I agree, that anyone who’ll steal eggs will likely steal just about anything else. It really can be difficult to find someone who’ll take care of things the way they should. We like to DIY around our place, and that is one of the reasons why.
BF thinks we were too soft with him and tolerated too many mistakes so he took advantage. It is sad but you have to treat people like crap to get things done.
Wow, definitely not a small amount of work keeping all of this going. Knowing you though, I’m sure you’ll find a way to make this all turn our positively. Good luck getting everything straightened out.
thank you Matt! With the high unemployment around, pretty sure anyone would take over.
It’s a shame you couldn’t trust your employee to actually do work when you are gone. I guess this is why so many small business owners never take vacations… they simply just don’t trust their employees to do their jobs.
Of course, like other have said, I’m sure you’ll get this situation turned around and be better off than you were before.!
It is already better, we are much more relaxed around the house and have hired the carpenter full time to do some gardening.
I would take the vacation over and over again, it is a small price to pay to get away for a month.
Hell yeah I find things easier to DIY than to delegate! Transitioning duties or teaching people how to do processes at work so that I have a backup (like today when I have a funeral to attend) is excruciating. It takes hours upon hours to get them up to speed and that’s even with the process very automated. Anyway my problems seem tiny compared to yours – how was that guy such a terrible worker?!? Honestly he seems like he has the worst work ethic and I’m so happy you got rid of him. It’s also amazing that the mayor isn’t bending over backwards to have you develop this land. It’s crazy to see how things play out sometimes…you really are doing them a favor but they still seem to be making it difficult to get everything approved.
They are playing hard to get but when they realize they won’t get a dime they may change their minds. Re the handyman I think he just got bored of paying back his motorcycle and though we would bear with him until he does, but we’d rather not see him again and have him default!
btw do you know about services on a computer? they can make an automatic backup and send it to your computer, it is simple to set instead of always teaching people.
Good riddance on the handyman. Sounds like you guys are better off without him.
I’ll be curious to see if he is able to finish paying off the motorbike or if they’ll default on that. Do you think the handyman will have trouble finding anther job in town?
I think no one will hire him, which is why his dad is now the one who owes us. We still offered our contractor (his cousin) to hire him on the land development and he said no!
I just knew there would be a handyman story of some sort when you returned, but so sorry he turned out to be a thief. I’ve learned the hard way about employees who steal, so good riddance. I hope the mayor changes his mind. You could write a book about this stuff!
It was a big gamble. I thought the man was a Don Juan and would bring girls over but didn’t expect that NOTHING would be done. Oh well, like you say, at least I have material for a book.
Sorry you had to deal with the thieving employee. I say this every time, but Guatemala does sound like India.
Do you know what the politicians are expecting to get the job done? And what does the approval usually entails? Do you have to deal with electricity folks, water folks and all the other involved parties one at a time or once the mayor gives a thumbs up everything will flow from there smoothly?
Well the problem is there are no strict rules. In the capital it is very straightforward, you need to leave 20% of the area for gardens, take care of road maintenance, etc… here they have never done it so they invent as they please and they expect bribes to smooth the process. Just a big game of patience… Normally we either keep the development private and deal with everything, or in exchange for the football field and green areas we also transfer the roads to the council and they should take care of water and elec, let’s see.
Wow why does everything sound super shady in that community? I would have a hard time dealing with all that! Glad that handyman isn’t coming back!
yes, to make things worse they are all cousins 🙂 like 3 families who think they are owed everything…
sounds like it’s the Guatemala mob.
That is an amazing journey and experience to have, regardless of a few eggs. I would be incredibly angry too, just as you were. Working with people in a new culture is often frustrating, but a great learning experience.
I once had a pipe start leaking in my bathroom while living in Israel. It took 3+ weeks to start work on the project to stop sewage leaking into my unit from the one above. I couldn’t stand how slow they moved, but it is just part of life in the Middle East.
Glad you made it home safe and sound after a wonderful month in France, but sorry to hear about all the things you had to deal with upon your return. Although, I do say good riddance to your handyman. Being lazy and a bit incompetent is a pain but stealing is unacceptable. I’m impressed his father took responsibility for the loan, but like you said, in a small community, he probably doesn’t want to known as the father of the local thief. The stone fence is gorgeous and I’m hoping we hear good news after your meeting today.
thank you Shannon! I hope it turns out ok.
Be patient. Latin America is very corrupt. I’m from Mexico. You have the upper hand, so just be patient.
Sucks about your handyman. He didn’t realize how well he had it. I’m sure you will find someone good. There are always good and bad people. Just treat your good workers well, so they are loyal to you.
Patience is not really in my vocabulary but you are right and I need to learn that…
You probably don’t have a lot of choices where you are. This guy is cheap, but not necessarily reliable. I think I would start looking for a replacement since you will do this every year.
I offered one of the workers to do the handyman’s job, he is nice and has been working hard so far, but once you get from freelance contractor into the comfort of a regular wage, anything can happen..
That seems like a whole lot of unwanted stress. Give me a free place to stay and I will come do the work down there for you. 🙂 jk
sounds like a great idea! But the big work is over so unless you want to be a glorified maid there is not much to do.
Wow, sorry you are having to deal with all this after the lovely vacation you just had. Hope everything gets better for you!
I’m sorry to hear that your help wasn’t what you had hoped, but I must admit, my first thought after seeing all of your pictures was how beautiful everything is. If you ever need someone to take care of the property while you are away… 😉
will do haha! I was thinking about home swapping too, that could be fun and there would be someone here to make sure things are ok.
I love that you’re not letting the council get their way even though you’re “the new kids in town”. That’s really tough to do when you don’t what to what extent the corruption runs.
I’m new here, so I’m off to read the previous posts on this topic.
I am not familiar with this part of Guatemala but know it is pretty rampant everywhere in the country. The worst thing is if you are firm, they will make your life a bureaucratic hell with a ton of useless paperwork but I’d rather go that way and keep my head up high.
Wow, I can’t believe all that happened from someone you thought you could trust to take care of your property while you were gone. Not everyone is honest and if they take the eggs they will probably take anything that isn’t nailed down.
Yeah, that is a sad truth, glad he is gone.
I have to echo the post above that your life is soooooo different from mine. Your posts are AMAZING! I can only imagine what it must be like to live down there and deal with the locals. Glad you sorted things out with the handyman and you ended up in good shape with the motorcycle. Can’t wait to hear how things go with the council. Good luck!
Thank you! Life is definitely…different around here.
Sorry to hear about the handyman. The good thing is that he is no longer your employee so you don’t have to question him and worry if he is actually working or not.
It feels great not to have him around anymore! Pretty sure with time we’ll discover other sneaky things he did but at least he is nowhere to be seen.
Glad you got rid of the not so “handy” man. You’re so right, if he’ll steal eggs he’ll steal anything else. You paid him for a job and he didn’t do it. That’s stealing as well! Glad the father was an honest man, I hope he talked some sense into his son on the way home.
Yes, stealing time is also stealing… I don’t think he learned, he is probably blaming the whole world right now and still gets to keep his bike but this is not my problem anymore, yay!
That is not what we expect upon our return home, is it? Hope you can settle in and get back into a rhythm that suits you better. Not even 4 eggs on your return? Surely it was irritating, but it is so over the top ridiculous that it reads like a comedy. Is that handyman for real?
Sadly, he was for real! Thankfully, he WAS.
I was even getting frustrated just reading about your not-at-all-handy handyman, so I´m so glad on your behalf that he´s gone. And good for you, not letting the corruption get to you. It´s time that they start realizing that your land development will be good for the entire community!
Wow, Pauline. I am just all over the place with my emotions on this one. Sad for the animals, angry for the lies you were told, and happy that you and BF are so brave. I sometimes think you should make this into a made-for-TV special. I wonder who would play you? Some tough, fiery actress!
Glad you had a great trip!
It’s a tragic that we will all experience something like this some day. I’ve learned that once you find that right person for certain job, you make sure to take care of them for good work done and have an ongoing working relationship.
I have one handy man that we’ve been hiring for the past 5 years.
The wall looks great! Sounds like you have given a fair amount of concession already. In Canada, it is quite common for a public works project to be a part of a major construction project’s approval process. For example, a shopping mall was required to put in a small overpass on the highway. It’s really a win, win, as the success of the mall depends on ease of traffic access and the city footed the costs for the rest of the road construction and installation of traffic lights. However, for the city to be able to afford the cost of all of that, plus the overpass, would have been too much. Everyone would have lost out because the overpass wouldn’t have been built, reducing access to the mall, enraging locals and customers, and reducing the commercial success of the mall and therefore the taxes.