# Marriage fraud



## Monopoly00 (Nov 15, 2012)

Hi
I have got into a fake marriage to sponsor my friends friend.
However now I want to stop doing this.
When I told them I want to stop, they said they will bring this matter into court.

Would I be penalized ? And what would it be?


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## Laegil (Sep 17, 2012)

I would like to punch the living hell out of you right now. It is because of F**kwits like you that people like us have to go through a ridiculous amount of paperwork, money, stress and waiting time of up to over a year to get visas approved. 

I hope your "friends" sue the s**t out of you. 

To everybody else: Sorry about the language.


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## Frutsel (Jun 7, 2012)

Laegil said:


> I would like to punch the living hell out of you right now. It is because of F**kwits like you that people like us have to go through a ridiculous amount of paperwork, money, stress and waiting time of up to over a year to get visas approved.
> 
> I hope your "friends" sue the s**t out of you.
> 
> To everybody else: Sorry about the language.


You took the words right out of my mouth!!
Indeed because of those people we have to wait. I am married for 13 years with an Aussie and I also have to wait in the que. play it fair!!!!!


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## Boboa (Mar 24, 2009)

You will need to notify DIAC. If you are the one who lets authorities know you should escape with just a fine. If DIAC finds through someone else you will be taken to court.


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## Nelly87 (Jul 3, 2011)

Let's start with: if you are the one who steps up and owns it before they report you for fraud first you might be off a bit better than otherwise.

Secondly I second everyone else's sentiment. I hope you realize you deserve to get punished for this and own it and take it like an honest person. I hope you realize what people like you cause others. You're the reason those of us who are really in love have to crawl, beg and turn in their savings to be able to stay with their partner. The reason some REAL couples who simply do not have a lot of finance to share but also don't want to get married to make it easier because they don't want to lie, get REJECTED and TORN APART because they took the honest way and that didn't count because of people like yourself.

Honorable as you are for owning up to it now, I hope you don't expect a round of applause until you've paid your dues to the system. We pay MORE than your dues probably for doing absolutely NOTHING wrong. We turn in months and years of our lives and countless sleepless nights and huge sums of money just because we love someone. You might do some of that, too, for assisting in fraud. Count yourself lucky that whatever punishment you'll get, at least you get to have your loved ones around you whenever you like.


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## Harbinger (Jul 21, 2012)

Oh give me strength to not hunt you down,my wife and i have had to be apart for 7 months so far with more to come apart from 3 weeks in Oct. Be best you never admitted such to me in person. I am not saying any more as im sure if i kept going my post would not make it on here.
Harb.


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## frangipani (Oct 18, 2012)

You deserve to be punished. If you have any decency whatsoever left in you, you should disclose this information to DIAC immediately. It is because of people like you and your friends that the rest of us have to suffer and be apart from those we love. You also need to ask yourself what sort of a friend would ask you to do this for them.


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## kimalboudi (Dec 29, 2012)

*Marriage Fraud*

I married my husband from Lebanon (muslim Aliwite) 5 years ago. He had already been in Australia for 3 years when I met him. He was a shy, loving and kind man that I fell in love with but gradually over the 5 years he became a monster. It got to the point that my self-esteem hit rock bottom and I feared telling Immigration Dept that I no longer wanted to be with him because in fear of his anger and abuse towards me.

One time I left him to live with my family but he convinced them that he 'would try and stop being angry and violent.' So it seemed I had no choice. I worked very hard to get him citizenship after he had been rejected 5 times before we married an application for a protection visa. He lied about being captured by the Hezbollah and bashed. I believed his story for years as he did have sustained injuries which convinced me he may have been telling the truth, but I later found out from his brother that it was from a motorbike accident in Lebanon.

He also dumped his car in bushland and claimed the insurance money, he had been texting other women and being secretive about money telling me he was getting paid but his boss told me he was getting paid every week. And my husband never paid tax either while working. Things that were happening just didn't add up. I confronted my husband and asked him if he was using me to gain citizenship but again he convinced me he loved me but his actions never matched up with his words.

In October 2012, he was granted Permanant residency and I saw it as my opportunity to see if he was in love with me. I left him after another one of his violent outbursts. I left with just a dress to wear the next day and fled to my mother's. And just as I suspected, my husband never bothered to try and get me to go back. Within a few days he offered a friend who was divorced to move in to the rented unit we were living in. I saw legal aid and reported to police his violence. Although he never hit me just putting his fist up to me, and he wasn't harrassing me, I didn't get an AVO.

I am studying nursing and had no where to live so had to rent a room in the middle of an isolated town outside Sydney. I went to centrelink and they were very helpful emotionally and I did get an extra $10 a fortnight because of my situation (living in a room). It was horrible and still is. I opened my heart to a man that lied to me day after day, with planning he got what he wanted.

He has not once said he'd try and change by seeing a counsellor because I was willing to go and seek help and support him. He told me his anger was from the things happening in Syria. He has since changed his first name to 'Michael' from Mohamad, is going to learn English which he said he didn't have time while we were married. And has never offered to help me financially while I have lost my whole world literally out from under me he continues to live his life the way he wants while I suffer.

I suspect he's seeing another woman because during the last week I left him I called a number that he smsd and the woman hung up on me when I told her who I was. I know I can't save my marriage and you all probably think why would I want to which is understandable but I am lost, heart broken and want to know what my legal rights are. I have suffered for years while married to him and still am because I continue to live in a room and have nothing. I eventually had my family collect my things and he packed everything including rubbish eg; old outdated food. That really made me feel like he thought i was rubbish too.

I have written to the Immigration dept outlining what has happened and also wrote to the Immigration minister NSW. Any advice would be appreciated.


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## Nelly87 (Jul 3, 2011)

Hi Kim,

I'm very sorry to hear about your situation. I myself have been involved with a less-than-great partner before so I know the fine line between the urge to stay and the urge to leave, although I do hope you'll forgive me for saying that by reporting him and/or incidents earlier, you would have had a stronger case now.

In your situation I would not go off of what people on a forum say, even though you might get some great advice, because your situation might touch on a lot of different departments. Can you get free/affordable legal advice since you say you are financially weak at the moment? Go talk to someone who can give you free legal advice, I know it's possible I have just never been in that position so cannot tell you off the top of my head where to turn for that. Also talk to someone at the police station and someone at Immigration. Make very clear in all cases that this is a former abuser and someone with a troubled past so you would prefer for them not to approach him before you can make some kind of a case against him, through any of them. Get advice from as many professionals as could be applicable in your situation. Keep going until you find a way to create consequences for his actions, and ask all those different institutions what they would advise you. I am sorry to say some might tell you you should have said something and/or pressed charges earlier, but that does not mean you just give up. You have to be hard about this one last time, this is your last shot, don't let him bend and break you again and stand tall for whatever the results may be.

Just like you need a paper trail to get a partner visa - do you have any paper trail of the abuse? Any notes of his, or any hospital bills for injuries inflicted (indirectly) by him?

Since he has already been granted permanent residence you might have to accept that Immigration might not be your go-to people at this point anymore. It is too late to take that back now, probably, although I am not a professional and you might want to try anyway. 

Good luck!


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## dunan (Oct 5, 2012)

One other suggestion is go tell your story to shows like ''A Current Affair'' or go on talk-back radio....it will cause quite a stir n then maybe the ones in charge might take action...


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## Nelly87 (Jul 3, 2011)

That is actually a good one... these kinds of people, like the man who took advantage of you and the system, need to be exposed to make clear that they cannot get away with this stuff anymore in this day and age.


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## kimalboudi (Dec 29, 2012)

Thanks for the advice. I have already been in touch with police and reported the violence so it's on record. I should have added more detail about how I informed the Immigration Dept of what I went through and I contacted my local MP to follow up my complaint after I sent a 7 page letter outlining all that I knew about lies being told in order to get perm. residency. The MP was told that he is now being investigated. There was a lot more to my story here that couldn't be added but my husband isn't a very nice person and is known to do anything to get what he wants by lying to authorities and comitting crime . However, I was wondering about what my chances were in regards to taking him to court for 'maintenance' even though I don't have children with him, but I have suffered financially and was at risk of being on the street if it wasn't for my family. I still live in a room and I have been affected mentally and emotionally. I can't explain the tremendous pain I have had to endure, being used for the purpose of staying in Australia is the ultimate betrayal. That means every time he told me he loved me he was lying. Or on the other hand should I just forget about seeking legal action on the grounds of marriage fraud law and just move on. But then it means he has been able to get away with it??? I am plagued by what this man has done.


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## louiseb (Dec 22, 2012)

I cannot believe that some people would admit to going into a fake marriage on a forum where they see people fighting to be with loved ones, what sick people are amongst us, do you realize your on a forum where people are comforting each other with information and support because they cannot be with loved ones, and you pop up with IM IN A FAKE MARRIAGE, WTF i hope your thrown in prison for your false declaration to the IMMI department, do you seriously think people on this forum find your post amusing. Its people like you that make me spu i really wish you were in front of my face right now, i,d sure as hell slap you stupid, or maybe when your locked up in prison you can become some ones BITCH.... wishful thinking on my part.


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## kimalboudi (Dec 29, 2012)

I am very sorry Louiseb. I'm sure if your comment was directed at the one who originally posted the marriage fraud post? or me? When I was in search of answers in my situation re: 'marriage fraud' popped up from this website. I did not know it was a site to support ppl like yourself. However, forums are really used for all types of discussion. My intentions of marriage to my husband was based on love for him.


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## dunan (Oct 5, 2012)

Im sure its not directed at you kima...you are the victim of this stuff, the OP is the crap that makes it so hard for those that believe rightly or wrongly they are in a genuine relationship and have to go thru nerve racking experience...so hang in there and pursue whatever you need to do to get justice...


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## louiseb (Dec 22, 2012)

kimalboudi said:


> I am very sorry Louiseb. I'm sure if your comment was directed at the one who originally posted the marriage fraud post? or me? When I was in search of answers in my situation re: 'marriage fraud' popped up from this website. I did not know it was a site to support ppl like yourself. However, forums are really used for all types of discussion. My intentions of marriage to my husband was based on love for him.


No Kimba it was not for you, it was for the original post, 
Happy new year


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## Nelly87 (Jul 3, 2011)

I understand your pain and I can only advise you what I would like to see happen, from your position and from mine, which is don't forget about any way to punish him even if the odds are against you. Yes he's already been granted permanent residence but you need to send the message that when this kind of stuff happens, good people don't agree  you are too good to let this slide, and he does not deserve to be in this country. Abuse victims cannot be held accountable for keeping quiet initially, just because it could have changed his visa at the time doesn't mean you should have been different from any other abuse victim. Try to find a way around it. It is people like you who can give this visa its credibility back by making clear that nobody stands for the abuse of immigration, especially not if it is to abuse Australian citizens. Maybe also talk to your former case officer at immigration to see what they know about your options. They might have had hesitations too and be able to back you up?


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## kimalboudi (Dec 29, 2012)

Thank you all so much. All good advice. It makes me feel less alone in the world where good, honest people are hard to find. Good-luck to all who have found a wonderful partner in life and who are waiting to be reunited with loved ones. And bless those like me who have had the courage to speak up and also hope to find the strength to carry on after a devastating experience of finding what I thought was love but then realised it was only I who was capable of unconditional love, not with dishonest intentions but with an open heart. Happy new year.


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## AJ67 (Oct 23, 2012)

Kimalboudi,I´m so glad you found a way to get out of the relationship and this is a the beginning of your new much,much happier life! 
Never let anyone control you like that again! You deserve so much better!!

You received 2 great advices a couple of posts up here,in my opinion:
1. Contact A Current Affair. 
I´m sure they would love to hear your story and so will many viewers.
People don´t like seeing men OR women being used to get into the country.
You can probably be anonymous in the feature if you don´t want your name or face shown on tv.

2. Contact your/your husbands Case officer.
I´m not sure what they can do but your husband used both you and the system and I´m sure they´ll do what they can with the info you can provide them with. You married him out of love and shouldn´t be risking anything.
And I must say,thank God you didn´t have children with him.That would have complicated things so much.

Things happen for a reason and you´ll get stronger by this,I promise.
Happy New Year and all the best to you!


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## kttykat (Oct 30, 2012)

Monopoly00 said:


> Hi
> I have got into a fake marriage to sponsor my friends friend.
> However now I want to stop doing this.
> When I told them I want to stop, they said they will bring this matter into court.
> ...


I hope you get three years in prison  You can't have been that stupid to think is was ever OK to enter into a fake marriage. I have to agree with others on this forum, it is people like you who ruin the lives of real couples who are denied entry into Australia and make the rest of us wait up to years to be together. There is no excuse. 

Kttykat

Australian Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs Annual Report 1998-99

During the year, DIMA's Investigations Unit referred 88 briefs of evidence about immigration fraud to the Director of Public Prosecution - 52 people were convicted for offences against the Migration Act 1958 and other Commonwealth legislation.

Penalties resulting from the convictions generally consisted of good behaviour and community service, but there were also heavier penalties, including custodial sentences of up to three years and fines ranging up to $7000.


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## louiseb (Dec 22, 2012)

kttykat said:


> I hope you get three years in prison  You can't have been that stupid to think is was ever OK to enter into a fake marriage. I have to agree with others on this forum, it is people like you who ruin the lives of real couples who are denied entry into Australia and make the rest of us wait up to years to be together. There is no excuse.
> 
> Kttykat
> 
> ...


oh KK you have made my day posting this info i feel so much better now knowing Fraudsters get fined and prison time, your post,s are so fun to read lol


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## kttykat (Oct 30, 2012)

louiseb said:


> oh KK you have made my day posting this info i feel so much better now knowing Fraudsters get fined and prison time, your post,s are so fun to read lol


 Thanks, yeah that was an old report, we can only hope they are making the prison sentences longer now 

Kttykat


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## bryanperth (Mar 18, 2013)

you want to hope i never meet you matey.i have lost my job and my sainity due to going into bad depression due to my wife being gone so long and is all thanks to idiots like urself so thanks mate thanks a great deal good thing carma is there for people like urself


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## Rina (Nov 10, 2012)

Hope you're ok


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## Rina (Nov 10, 2012)

bryanperth said:


> you want to hope i never meet you matey.i have lost my job and my sainity due to going into bad depression due to my wife being gone so long and is all thanks to idiots like urself so thanks mate thanks a great deal good thing carma is there for people like urself


Hope you are ok


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## bryanperth (Mar 18, 2013)

Hey there Rina, i really dont know how to answer ur question because truth been known no i am not.i shed tears and blood daily just waiting for good news.to be honest if i new what i know now i would have never married her would have been easyer just to date least that way she could be here.my biggest issue i am having at the moment is iv tried 3 times getting her a visitor visa but every time immigration come up with a new interview with prevents her coming back even for a day even an hour would be do.my wife is Vietnamese so can be so darn stubborn and does not understand what how or why i am missing her so much and how badly it is affecting me.i have found Vietnamese people have very little emotion or there just great at controlling it because for her 4 months is nothing and another 2 months which shes telling me to wait seems easy for her but reality is i cannot cope i cannot do it.i give it another week before i lose all hope and just give into this cruel world


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## Rina (Nov 10, 2012)

What are the details of your Visa ? Like what are you applying for etc. Be great to see a timeline

I understand this process is tough, as do most of the people on this site. We are all in it together, so please dont feel alone.
Ive found after being in a long distance relationship for over 2 years now...positivity is the only fricken thing that will get you through. Im not saying that is easy either, its bloody hard.


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## Rina (Nov 10, 2012)

Rina said:


> What are the details of your Visa ? Like what are you applying for etc. Be great to see a timeline
> 
> I understand this process is tough, as do most of the people on this site. We are all in it together, so please dont feel alone.
> Ive found after being in a long distance relationship for over 2 years now...positivity is the only fricken thing that will get you through. Im not saying that is easy either, its bloody hard.


Another thing I do and you can too..try looking at what this situation is teaching you about yourself..do you get me?
Ive learnt so much about myself in the duration of being apart from the one person I really want to be with..and its really cool when you can look at what you can learn about you..it keeps you going and makes you stronger. Everything happens for a reason, I fully believe that. Although I hate all the fricken delays and the not knowing..Ive been getting through it! That is awesome in itself.
Try changing your focus


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## melandabdul (Sep 1, 2012)

bryanperth said:


> Hey there Rina, i really dont know how to answer ur question because truth been known no i am not.i shed tears and blood daily just waiting for good news.to be honest if i new what i know now i would have never married her would have been easyer just to date least that way she could be here.my biggest issue i am having at the moment is iv tried 3 times getting her a visitor visa but every time immigration come up with a new interview with prevents her coming back even for a day even an hour would be do.my wife is Vietnamese so can be so darn stubborn and does not understand what how or why i am missing her so much and how badly it is affecting me.i have found Vietnamese people have very little emotion or there just great at controlling it because for her 4 months is nothing and another 2 months which shes telling me to wait seems easy for her but reality is i cannot cope i cannot do it.i give it another week before i lose all hope and just give into this cruel world


Hi There Bryan,
I am so sorry to read your posts and to see that you are suffering so badly with your situation. I do understand so well what you are going through as my mental health is degrading day by day as a result of the stress and pressure of this process and being apart from the man I love.
It means that everything in our lives suffer. Right now I don't seem to be able to have healthy relationships with anyone as I am so vulnerable because of my life being out of my control that I just seem to have conflict left, right and centre.
I also wanted to say that like your love, my man is so much better at dealing with emotions and long waits etc than me. You know I think I have come to understand that as a 1st world citizen in many ways I am the weaker one in this relationship. Being from a 3rd world country he is used to adversity, having to fight for what you want, dealing with difficult emotions, life not always turning out the way he wanted or planned...or in fact not even having options to plan...just taking what you get.
This has been a big life lesson for me to see that in fact he is not feeling any less emotion that me, he is just trained in the art of managing it as it has been part of his way of life to do so....where as in a 1st world country if we don't like something we generally can opt out, shift up or move out...we have options so we are not as good as living with it.
Anyway just some of my thoughts that I felt might help you out a little.
In terms of the Tourist Visa....I would say give up. They can make the rules with these visas and you will be chasing you tail. If you are waiting on a 309 focus your attention there and on maybe you going to see her.
Stay Strong xxx


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## someuser (Nov 6, 2012)

melandabdul said:


> Hi There Bryan,
> I am so sorry to read your posts and to see that you are suffering so badly with your situation. I do understand so well what you are going through as my mental health is degrading day by day as a result of the stress and pressure of this process and being apart from the man I love.
> It means that everything in our lives suffer. Right now I don't seem to be able to have healthy relationships with anyone as I am so vulnerable because of my life being out of my control that I just seem to have conflict left, right and centre.
> I also wanted to say that like your love, my man is so much better at dealing with emotions and long waits etc than me. You know I think I have come to understand that as a 1st world citizen in many ways I am the weaker one in this relationship. Being from a 3rd world country he is used to adversity, having to fight for what you want, dealing with difficult emotions, life not always turning out the way he wanted or planned...or in fact not even having options to plan...just taking what you get.
> ...


I'm not sure I agree with that. My wife is from Kenya and I'm Aussie. I'm definitely handling things way better than her. I think it's just that everyone is different. I'm definitely a glass half full person and she is a glass half empty person.


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## melandabdul (Sep 1, 2012)

someuser said:


> I'm not sure I agree with that. My wife is from Kenya and I'm Aussie. I'm definitely handling things way better than her. I think it's just that everyone is different. I'm definitely a glass half full person and she is a glass half empty person.


Yes it's true the we are all very different. I was more talking about my relationship but also some general specifics of things he sees as part and parcel of life being from a 3rd world country that I find hard as it is not the same challenges I face.

I hope I didn't offend.


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## CollegeGirl (Nov 10, 2012)

Not to stereotype, but it could also be a male/female thing. My fiance and I are both US-born, but he is much more chilled out about this whole process than I am. I am impatient. He is, too - but he seems to cope with it better.


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## bradsterusa (Oct 24, 2012)

CollegeGirl said:


> Not to stereotype, but it could also be a male/female thing. My fiance and I are both US-born, but he is much more chilled out about this whole process than I am. I am impatient. He is, too - but he seems to cope with it better.


Us Men Just Hide it Better :-D


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## Nelly87 (Jul 3, 2011)

melandabdul said:


> You know I think I have come to understand that as a 1st world citizen in many ways I am the weaker one in this relationship. Being from a 3rd world country he is used to adversity, having to fight for what you want, dealing with difficult emotions, life not always turning out the way he wanted or planned...or in fact not even having options to plan...just taking what you get.
> This has been a big life lesson for me to see that in fact he is not feeling any less emotion that me, he is just trained in the art of managing it as it has been part of his way of life to do so....where as in a 1st world country if we don't like something we generally can opt out, shift up or move out...we have options so we are not as good as living with it.


At the end of the day I think we all know very well that every individual is different - my mother once told me a story about two brothers whose father was an alcoholic and abusive: one of them ran his own successful company, the other was homeless on the street due to drug addiction. They were both asked the same question - "How did you get where you are?". The successful brother said: "Because of my father, I didn't want to end up like him and I had to grow up fast." The homeless brother said: "Because of my father, the violence and instability of my childhood have destroyed me."

We all know it's an individual thing, but what you said reminded me of something.

One of my co-workers here in Australia is from Iran - he is here on a student visa. I am always most fascinated with people's stories who are from the countries whose reality I feel I know least about, and I feel with everything we hear about Iran on the news we never actually hear from the regular people. So I decided to just come out and be possibly rude and ask him what Iran is really like and what life was like there for him, and what he likes about Australia.

He said he enjoys life in Australia because he can actually make plans here. He said where he is from, from one day to the next people can get shot, businesses can get forcefully bribed, prices go up and down and food gets monopolized or used up. He said at home he can not make plans, there is no point or sense in it. He said everything was being determined by the seemingly random wants and needs of the government and/or military and you take what you get but you don't expect more - and that there is a lot of violence and a constant expectation of it. He told me all this with a smile on his face. I presume because that is the only way to deal with that reality in reality.

I realize others from Iran may have other experiences but listening to him did teach me something. I used to work for a small organization that builds schools and hospitals in Cameroon so I already knew at some level - but his way of dealing with things made me realize how little perspective most of "us westerners" really have on suffering, anticipation and fear. It may well influence how we deal with situations like this one - even though you can't practically generalize, theoretically it makes sense.


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## melandabdul (Sep 1, 2012)

Nice post Nelly. Thanks for sharing xxx


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