Mad Science

Our convoy consists of six engineers from the San Francisco chapter of"Engineers Without Borders"; Kay Dano, David Nichols and myself from South Mecklenburg Presbyterian Church, Charlotte, North Carolina; and Kent Shell from Houston, Texas. The primary responsibility of the engineers is to correct any problems which may have arisen in the"solar system" and it's counterpart, the diesel generator. When I refer to the solar system, I do not mean the sun and the nine (now eight) revolving planets, but the intricate system of solar panels that provides a significant amount of electricity to the community. Additionally, the engineers will be rewiring the compound, using underground wires and fuseboxes as an alternative to the power lines strung across avocado trees that now exist. Although the engineers come from diverse backgrounds--there are self-employed researchers,multi-lingual travelers, and PhD physicists among them--they are all brilliant individuals. To the extent that this isn't "rocket science", one of the engineers has a degree in aerospace engineering. Sadly, over the past week, I have come to realize that I speak even less "Engineer" than I do Kreyol (and my Kreyol is extremely limited). Our repertoire of tools ranges from the most high-tech (e.g. PV cells, solar modules, inverters, gps devices, and remote monitoring laptops) to the most basic pick-axes and machetes, used to dig trenches and cut out roots, respectively. The engineers work from dawn to dusk without complaining and it was truly our pleasure (the non-scientists) to bring back a few beers from town to reward them for all of their hard work.


David has been busy as usual with tasks that have included completing financial requirements for a micro-credit grant, interviewing past graduates (and providing needed reassurance) and exploring the possibility for a future drip irrigation project. Kay and Kent (her brother) have spent a lot of their time overseeing the construction of an orphanage down the road to which they have contributed generously. They also spend their time catching up with old friends and making new ones. Eventually I will embark on a plethora of tasks, including monitoring the microcredit program,networking new laptops and of course, teaching English, but I have taken this week to acclimate myself. I offer my modest services to the engineers but more often than not, I am assigned to distract the children playing near the wire trenches or utility shack. There is no difficulty attracting the children to the giant, white man with the soccer ball they affectionately call "Blanc."