Wrote this in  2012
Just got off the phone with my Son Raymond, he's in Africa, North West Africa, The Islamic Republic of Mauritania to be exact. He is an independent contractor working for the Canadian Corporation Kinross, one of the largest mining company's in the world. He works 7 days a week, 12 hours a day at an open pit mine in the Sahara desert. He is a Foreman on a rock crushing rig. He lives on site, and in the last 5 months has had 3 days off. 3 days on the Island of Las Palmas, Cayman Islands.  He is well compensated, and gets room, and board. Has TV, Internet (slow) and phone (limited). He took this job so that he could pay off his debts and get ahead, which he is doing. If you could just send him an email, to let him know you think he is on track to a better future, and that as hard as it is, it's going to bring him to a better place, a more secure future.