17/07/2024
My African customer-Mam, are in a country beset by civil war, causing frequent Internet outages. He have been communicating with me intermittently, and road blockages have been a constant issue, sometimes lasting up to 40 days. Despite these challenges, six months later, he managed to come through, bringing with him 3 jars of honey, 3 jars of butter, and 3 bags of coffee. (The coffee was store-bought, the honey was homemade, and the butter was made by the customer's wife.)
He arrived in this unfamiliar land, his English was not very good,booked hotel himself,stayed in a budget hotel alone and wandered around buying various items. The container include many different things. I spent the entire day working on them, I am exposed to the sun and it was so hot because no fan. I am feeling frustrated with myself.
He only bought a limited amount of our goods, but allowing him to transport the goods and load them into containers makes us responsible for helping him. The costs of the location, food, flooring, and labor were adding up, making it a losing proposition. After working until 8 o'clock in the evening, the loading was finally completed. Fortunately, everything fit perfectly and nothing was left behind. The rusty items that had been in storage for over six months were finally sent out.
The customer is a very quiet and practical person. Although he spent Β₯2,500 to hire a team, he insisted on doing the work himself. He moved small items one by one, slowly secured them, and tied the machines with iron wire. Unfortunately, he injured his hand and had his foot crushed by a forklift. Watching him remain silent, gazing into the distance in the car, made me feel quite uncomfortable. I couldn't help but worry: will this batch of goods be okay? Can his business succeed?
Initially, I was frustrated at noon, thinking that I couldn't take on such tasks in the future. However, seeing him in that state, I couldn't help but take him to get his injuries dressed, pack him something to eat, and send him back to his hotel. I didnβt know what to say. It was really uncomfortable to see him like this.
Many of these machines are second-hand and lack proper packaging. The way they were secured wasn't very reliable. After a long sea journey, I wonder if they will still be functional when he gets back. I hope the suppliers didn't deceive him. I hope their civil war ends soon.
God bless. I truly, sincerely hope for world peace.