Trip to North Carolina

No I didn't leave Haiti to go back to the Blue Ridge Mountains, but Father Kesner did during a two week trip around the Carolinas. On Thursday, Father Kesner and Ferest, who traveled from Cange, met and had lunch with my parents. Jane Chalker and Al Brady were also there.So glad they got to meet each other and connect.

Ferest, Father Kesner, Mom, Dad, Jane, Al

Cange Circa 1983

"It is appropriate for this project, and suits us fine to consider the spring as part of a divine scheme for supply water to Cange and we will not seek further scientific explanations."

That spring is still going strong, supplying life giving water for the village of Cange through a water system built decades ago and updated by Clemson engineers in the past four years. The source of that important spring is still unknown, yet the water still comes.

The remark about the "divine scheme" comes from the original engineering feasibility study from 1983 done for a water supply system to Cange and Ecole Bon Sauveur. The project marked a significant addition to the relationship between the Episcopal Upper Diocese of South Carolina and the town of Cange, Haiti, a relationship which continues today.

Church in Tierra Muscady

Yesterday I got the chance to see one of the nineteen smaller Episcopal parishes near Cange. Father Kesner preached at Eglise Transfiguration de Tierra in Tierra Muscady. That church is supported by Church of the Incarnation in Highlands, NC, where Kesner will be preaching in two weeks. We went to Tierra Muscady with Jane Chaulker and a few others from Church of the Incarnation who were here in Cange for the week.

The trip to Tierra Muscady was one of my first to a village outside of Cange. We were able to take a car to the church, heading up the paved Route 3 until taking a right onto a rocky dirt road.

What Am I Doing?

My assignment in Cange is economic development, a fairly nebulous task that means different things to different people. But over my first two weeks here, I've gained a much better idea of my tasks.

The broadest perspective involves creating a baseline study of the economy of Cange and the surrounding villages to help guide future economic development in the area. For this, I will work together with the economic development project team of Clemson Engineers for Developing Countries and local entrepreneurs to create a report on the economy. This process will include conversations with locals in the market, various store owners, and those who live in smaller villages who produce (or could be producing) agricultural products to sell in Cange.

Bonswa soti Cange

After a relatively stress free day of traveling, I arrived in Cange Saturday with the crew from South Carolina. Since there are several people here from the Upper Diocese of South Carolina, this week has been packed full of meetings, which is helping me get introduced to some of the locals. It is wonderful to finally be here and begin settling in to a new home, language, and culture.

View from my temporary room. I can see the Dominican Republic from my house.

So much has been going on, it's overwhelming, and everything is such a new experience. For this post I'll just share some highlights from my first few days in Cange.