No Pay

So.......I have now reached a point where I have worked more without pay than for pay. I still haven't been paid for my work in December. Not to mention January or February. Oh Ecuador! And I'm not the only one. Everyone with WorldTeach who works for a government school has not been paid. I think that is about a third of us.

The excuse has been changing. First, in early January, I was told that the ESPE campus in Quito was not given money by the valley, and that the valley was going to pay me. Then, in the middle of January, I was told it was because the finances guy is getting transferred. So when we got the new person (a week or so), I would then get paid. Then in February (and this is still the excuse), I found out that the entire Ecuadorian government is restructuring its pay system so that ESPE is not going to pay me, but the Department of Defense is going to. So now.....I'm settling in for a long haul. I have also heard rumor that the government isn't wanting to pay foreign organizations (like WorldTeach) until we set up special accounts.

I guess the worst thing is the ambiguity of it all, the lack of a coherent and solid excuse that doesn't change from week to week. All I want is the reason and a concrete day when I can expect my pay. That way I can more effectively budget my dwindling resources. Is that too much to ask?!?!?

Oh Ecuador..........I guess this is what I'd call Ecua-bureaucracy.