Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Beginnings

For as long as I can remember, helping people has been a passion of mine. I remember well times from my childhood through my adolescence in which I did what to me seemed only natural inclination that others praised as compassion and empathy. These were the reasons that almost eighteen months ago (insane the way time flies) I decided to become involved with Clemson Engineers for Developing Countries (CEDC.) The ideals and mission of accountability, commitment, and service appealed to me and seemed an excellent outlet through which to apply both my experience in the trades with my father as well as the engineering education for which I attend Clemson. Eighteen months ago, I had no idea that as I’m typing this I’d be doing it from a small room in the remote village of CangĂ© in Haiti’s arid, yet verdant, central plateau. Along with my partner Zach, we have completed today, week one of our seven-month long internship in Haiti. I began this with a story about how my interests and actions during my formative years shaped who I am today and how I came to be writing this post. It has been my discovery that events in life seem to happen in such a way (one might say methodically) which serve as preludes to a future from which one can look back and very clearly see the road that led them to where they are now. People that know me know that sometimes I like to write and that I like to talk. Sometimes I put the two together. People that know me well, know that if you ever want me to stop talking the easiest way to do that is to never get me started. That said (this is the disclaimer on potentially lengthy stories to follow in the future), in closing, I’d like to personally invite each of you to follow along with Zach and I on this journey, and perhaps seven months from now together we’ll be able to clearly see how our time in CangĂ© has clearly shaped not only where we’re going, but also the future of each person we meet during our time here.