Ten years ago I was forced to get married in Africa, and ten years later I have a home and can't go back
Two days ago, a compatriot came to our camp, not very tall, about 45 years old. He said he came to us to find a job. I was curious as to why a Chinese person would come to us looking for a job. He then told me about his experience, which might have been called a punishment for his impulsiveness.
Lao Zhang came to Africa to work with a Chinese company in 2011, when he was about 35 years old. Just divorced in China, because Lao Zhang often works outside the home and gets together with his wife less, the long-term separation has led to the breakdown of the relationship between the husband and wife. The wife is keen to play mahjong, and later developed a new relationship with the card friends at the mahjong table, and finally announced a peaceful divorce. His wife did not claim any property, because Lao Zhang's family was not wealthy, and his six-year-old daughter was awarded to him, and then lived with Lao Zhang's parents.
In order to make a living, Lao Zhang came to Africa. Colleagues often joked about him, suggesting that he find an African girl here and bring it back to China to show off, but he didn't expect this joke to become a reality.
Lao Zhang's current African wife is named Awasha, and frankly, her appearance is not outstanding, because everyone knows that Ethiopia is the homeland of African beauties. However, it just so happened that this ordinary-looking woman inadvertently became Lao Zhang's wife and gave birth to a son for him. Avasha started out as a local nanny hired by a Chinese company and lived near the Chinese company's camp, where she was mainly responsible for cleaning and washing clothes for the workers. Back in 2010, Ethiopia was so poor that many children could not even provide food and clothing, and many girls were poorly clothed. This is not a joke, it is, and thanks to the assistance of our country, Ethiopia has now made remarkable progress in its development.
At that time, the Chinese compatriots in Africa could be said to be quite chic, and almost all of them were as bold as local tyrants. Many of the workers stayed up late at night and spent their days drinking in bars outside the home. After dinner, the dormitory was almost empty. At that time, the security in Ethiopia was quite good, and the local black residents were full of favor for the Chinese, and regarded us as allies who came to help build our homeland.
Lao Zhang is an honest man, and when the workers don't come home at night, he will run to the kitchen in his spare time to chat with the cook. Every day after dinner, the hired nannies stay to wash the dishes and prepare breakfast for the next day. Lao Zhang's chef is his fellow countryman, and the two like to have a few drinks. Occasionally, Lao Zhang would give Avasha some money and ask her to go to the outside store to help buy beer. The two took the opportunity to talk freely in the kitchen, and the beer mixed with peanuts became their companions for family chat. After each purchase, Avasha would always give the rest of the change to Zhang, who would hand it to her as a tip. These seemingly insignificant amounts of money were a lot of "huge sums" for ordinary people in Africa at that time.
This kind of interaction has given Lao Zhang and Avasha a little more tacit understanding. One day, the chef celebrated his birthday, and Lao Zhang drank with him. Due to the excitement, the two had a few drinks and it was already 11 o'clock in the evening. Avasha waited for them to finish, ready to clean up the dishes. However, Avasha worriedly said that the night was too deep for it to be safe to go home alone, and begged Lao Zhang to send her back. On the country roads of Africa, especially in the middle of the night, it is indeed somewhat dangerous for a girl to be alone. Lao Zhang agreed to her request, and the two walked for about ten minutes. The African breeze blew at night, and Lao Zhang felt the alcohol rush to his head quickly, and he almost wanted to vomit. When he arrived at Avasha's door, Lao Zhang was about to return to the camp, but he did not expect Avasha to invite him into the house for a short rest.
This is the first time Lao Zhang has stepped into a black family. Avasha's parents were selling coffee beans in town and didn't plan to return home tonight. The home can be described as a home with four walls, with almost no modern objects to be seen except for a square plastic stool. Behind a shabby cloth was Avasha's humble bed, covered with hay and topped with a mattress. Lao Zhang sat on the bed, and the alcohol was strong, which made him have the urge to lie down and rest. Avasha makes a fire and roasts coffee beans, which her family grows themselves. After brewing coffee, Avasha knelt on the bed and tried to wake up Lao Zhang. Under the influence of alcohol, Lao Zhang hugged Avasha. He has been adrift in Africa for half a year, and he has not refused to deal with those stormy things, and he has already had a good impression of Lao Zhang. So, the two spent a night lingering and officially established their relationship. In the following days, as long as Avasha's parents were not at home, Lao Zhang would find an excuse to send her home and spend the night together. Occasionally, he would give her some money to buy some clothes or other items.
Time goes by, and things are always difficult to cover up for a long time. One day, Avasha's parents suddenly came to the company to find Lao Zhang, claiming that Avasha was pregnant and asked the company to solve the problem. More often than not, similar things are resolved by giving the girl's family some money and then having an abortion. However, Avasha's parents had a different idea, they took a fancy to this honest Chinese son-in-law, and thought that Lao Zhang was rich and down-to-earth and capable. In order to calm the situation, Lao Zhang finally agreed to marry Avasha. After all, he himself is single and has not violated the moral bottom line.
In June 2011, the two held a simple wedding in the local area. Lao Zhang bought some good wine and food and invited family and friends to share this special moment. Later, Lao Zhang gave part of the income to his African wife to build a brick house in the area. After a simple renovation, the house became a home for the two, and Lao Zhang looked forward to taking Avasha back to China one day. With the birth of the child, they welcomed a son, who looked like a black man except for a slightly yellow complexion.
Later, the first phase of the company's project ended, and all the workers were ready to return to China. The company approached Lao Zhang to discuss and asked him to stay and guard the camp and equipment, and his salary would still be paid. In addition to the parents and their own daughters in China, there is no problem for children to follow their parents, and Lao Zhang feels unconcerned. That's six or seven years.
Two years later, the second phase of the company's project was launched, and Lao Zhang built a small shed and opened a small store in the camp, which was managed by his wife. His small shop made a lot of money by providing drinks and beer from the construction site. However, the good times did not last long, the second phase of the company's project was completed, and the equipment and personnel had to be evacuated. Lao Zhang discussed with his wife and wanted to take his wife and children back to China to live. The wife agreed, but the parents objected, saying that Lao Zhang could go back, but his wife and children would not go to China. Unable to confront his parents, Avasha remained silent. Lao Zhang is really reluctant to give up this African son, after all, most of his income has been used to support the family over the years. In desperation, Lao Zhang could only stay.
It has been six or seven years since he stayed behind. The child is also growing up. During this time, Lao Zhang looked around for opportunities to find some small jobs in the local area and earn some money. Recently, the family called**, my father was sick, and I begged Lao Zhang to go back quickly.
When his parents learned that Lao Zhang had settled in Africa, they longed for him to bring his wife and grandson home to visit. However, now he faces a series of difficulties in returning to his home. On the one hand, it is constrained by the pandemic and high air fares**, and on the other hand, there are passport and visa issues. Lao Zhang has been stranded in Africa for many years and has never gone through the visa renewal procedures, which is actually an illegal stay. If he wants to return to his country, he will first need to go to the immigration office to cancel his previous identification and pay a fine before he can buy a ticket to return to his home country.
He came to us today, on the one hand, to raise funds for the purchase of tickets, and on the other hand, he wanted to apply for a visa through our company's connections. Through the company's channels, you only need to pay a relatively small detention fee and find a reason to apply for a visa. But the only downside is that if we are discovered, we could face significant fines, which leaves me torn between whether I should accept him or not. After all, I also have to be responsible for the company and avoid causing trouble for myself.
Lao Zhang's plight is sympathetic, he has not been reunited with his parents and daughter for more than a decade, and if he continues like this, he may stay in Africa for the rest of his life. This is a true story and a cautionary tale for all those who travel to Africa. Have fun in moderation, don't let yourself fall into the quagmire, Lao Zhang has become a lesson from the past. Perhaps, this can be regarded as a punishment for his one-night affair!