Tuesday, September 4, 2012

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Near the production location I surveyed this piece of land as a possible factory site.  But I went in disguise because my white skin literally doubles the price!  Land acquisition is tricky business in a densely populated, developing area.  So, off I went on the back of a motorcycle with my skin cloaked with a jacket and my face covered with a full face helmet.  Accompanied by an ally - Mr. Jem, the farmer group leader we have equipped and trained- I discreetly walked through the property, keeping my helmet on so as not to reveal my features.  Mr. Jem explained, "If anyone sees you, word will spread quickly through the neighborhood and the price will go up a lot."  

His point was illustrated perfectly the previous day, when I visited a different site.  The person who met us in the field was not the owner but a village leader who apparently had enough clout to insert himself in the middle of a land transaction that included a foreigner.  We previously received information from the owner, indicating that the land cost was within our budget.  During my discussion at the site with the village leader, the price had clearly doubled, with you-know-who getting the difference.  I'm pretty sure there is a less expensive way to build a friendship with this guy!  So now we simply walk away from that option and look into something else.  So many twists and turns as we build people to build a nation!

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