If you've never started your own business, I wouldn't expect you to understand.
If you've never lived in a foreign country, I surely wouldn't expect you to understand.
If you've never stepped into my boxing club and caught glimpse of what this place is, you wouldn't understand.
If you've never started your own business in a foreign country, I definitely wouldn't expect you to understand.
And if you've never needed help, then you'll never understand.
But the fact of the matter is we have all needed help at one point in our life and now I'm asking for some.
I am a foreign woman running a business that still to this day many of my in-laws, friends and neighbors believe is not women-appropriate or even a real job. And I know for a fact they're not the only ones who feel this way in this foreign country in which I have set up my company in and have called home for the past 10 years.
A man I have never met, in a country I have never been to, donated money to my Indiegogo campaign and I emailed him to personally thank him. As it turns out, he is from Saudi Arabia and he's been a fan of my homepage, this homepage, for some time now. Honestly, I was as flattered as I was saddened when I found this out. I was flattered because this man who doesn't know me beyond the glimpse of my life I've let him read on my homepage has taken it upon himself to help me. We were are strangers to each other, I didn't even know this man existed, and now his generosity has connected us. But it also saddened me to, to know that some stranger out there in a country I've never been to has helped me when people I know in my own country, both Korea and Canada, have simply ignored my request for help. Many friends have asked me "how's the campaign going?" and I'm almost tempted to tell them if they have to ask they then it's obviously not going good if they, my friend and family, haven't even helped. If you're not willing to help make it good than please don't ask. I find it insulting. It's discouraging.
I'm not asking for help because I want it, I'm asking because I need it. I'm just not one of those people to depend on others. I pride my independence and ability to look after myself but this situation is well beyond what I can handle. And I know I can't expect friends and family to totally understand my situation after all they're not me. Many of them have never opened their own business in a foreign country let alone lived abroad or opened up their own business. But that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt that they're not helping. I'm trying to stay positive, I really am, because I don't want it to take away from those amazing people who have donated and the pure awesomeness they have so graciously shown me, but I can't help but wonder why those I consider good friends and those who are my family aren't helping. It's as if they don't care whether or not I succeed. They have no idea how their little bit of help, a simple donation, can and will make a huge impact in not only my life but the life of all those who come to Hulk's. Boxing has opened up a whole other life to me. It's why I stayed in Korea, it's how I met my husband, it's given me this dream and ultimately a future, and now it's opening up a whole new community here and so many other doors to so many other people. I am by no means the only person this donation will reach and this is definitely not just some boxing club, a business, it's reaching out to. It goes way beyond and I think people really don't understand this.
When I first started this campaign I asked myself "What's the worst that can happen if I ask for help?" At the time, my answer was that no one would donate but now I know that's not the answer. That's not the answer at all. They said fundraising would be hard but trying to not let it crush my spirit has been harder.
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