Office job

Two weeks into the office-job part of my internship with Engineering Ministries International Canada (eMiC), things are going well.  eMiC's office is a friendly, talkative environment.  We have a daily prayer meeting in the morning.  My commute takes me over railway bridges at sunrise and sunset every day.

My tasks to date have included learning AutoCAD so I can help with... well... I'm not sure yet, but eMiC uses AutoCAD for everything;  and translating some of a French soils report into English, which will be an important input to the design of the Welcome Home Children's Centre building's foundation.

Finally, I've been going through old EMI projects, particularly from other projects in Haiti, to get a feel for what our end goal is.  We will be eMiC's 14th design team sent to Haiti, each previous team leaving a 20-to-30-page report and dozens of technical drawings, so I have lots to browse.  The following quotes come from two of these reports, here reproduced with permission to give you an idea of the goals that have been motivating foreign ministries to enlist eMi's help.

The oldest report I read had this to say:  "Many of these children have been abandoned to government hospital wards where [as of 2002] they receive inadequate care....  Her [the minister's] goal is
to empty the abandoned children's wards in the Les Cayes area."

Another report, this project aimed at serving Haitian young adults, explains:  "The ministry is focused on transforming Haiti by using vocational training to prepare [former orphanage children] for a lifetime of independence.  Upon graduation from this program it is the hope that [they] will become effective citizens that have a passion for remaining in their country and making it a better Haiti..."  Quoted from memory:  "The primary aspiration among Haitian young men is to leave Haiti."

Of course, the reports mostly consist of things like, "The maximum wind suction pressure on the roof elements near corners and returns are expected to be up to 7.33 kN/m²," and, "The septic tank has been sized to process 4000 gallons of wastewater per day in 2 chambers, which is enough for up to 50 children and 20 adults."  The reports for Haitian projects often discuss the challenges of making a building both hurricane-proof and earthquake-safe while keeping the projected cost low enough to be taken seriously.

As my graduation neared, I was given a steel ring to wear as a tangible reminder to double-check my work because, in engineering, I will often have people depending on it for their safety, but I'm finding that I don't need the reminder.  The spectacle and gravity of the work, and the humbling and uplifting character of the cause, are enough.