Just a quick note on office life in Haiti. The Ex-Patriot staff at the office consists of the following: the program manager for the office is Italian-American and from Morrocco, the structural engineer is from Jackson, WY, the construction trainer is from Wales. Throw me into the mix and you can see that we have a very diverse group.
There are also about 50 local engineers and other local support staff in the office. Of course, the main language is Creole, but many know French as well, which is more commonly used in professional business settings.
I had my first opportunity to provide some training to new, local engineers that we are bringing on board. I gave them a quick introduction into retaining wall design and showed some pictures of various retaining wall types. I was very impressed with their enthusiasm for the subject and they asked some hard questions. Many of these engineers have recently graduated from engineering schools in Haiti. There is no licensure process in Haiti so once you graduate you are an engineer. I was a little skeptical of this at first, but my experience yesterday proved that many of these engineers have a solid foundation on engineering basics. They will still need to be trained in specific areas and trained for the situations that many will see while working in the field, but they have a start. More to come.
There are also about 50 local engineers and other local support staff in the office. Of course, the main language is Creole, but many know French as well, which is more commonly used in professional business settings.
I had my first opportunity to provide some training to new, local engineers that we are bringing on board. I gave them a quick introduction into retaining wall design and showed some pictures of various retaining wall types. I was very impressed with their enthusiasm for the subject and they asked some hard questions. Many of these engineers have recently graduated from engineering schools in Haiti. There is no licensure process in Haiti so once you graduate you are an engineer. I was a little skeptical of this at first, but my experience yesterday proved that many of these engineers have a solid foundation on engineering basics. They will still need to be trained in specific areas and trained for the situations that many will see while working in the field, but they have a start. More to come.
I'm glad I finally got on your blog. AMAZING stuff!!!
ReplyDelete(Also, Whitney: so sorry I missed the farewell. I was mixed up on the dates. I really wanted to chat before you left, but I guess I'll just have to wait for the better end of that conversation - when you get home. Best wishes on this adventure!)