Home means so many things to so many people. I think back when I was working in Phoenix, and people would ask…where is your home? I would say Clemson. Now, when people ask where is home, I say Anderson, SC.
When I think of our home, I think of our 100 year old home. We think it is around 100 years old, at-least that is what the public records show…dating back to around the 1920’s.
It is time to change our thinking. Talk less about what makes a great story.
Go out and listen, seek, and find great stories…then tell them. The more you listen, find, and tell stories…the more stories you will find. You never know…you might meet someone that you never thought you would meet, who might not even be able to speak the same language. But you might find something amazing and even get a hug.
The act of listening with our ears and eyes is the greatest start to telling stories…they are all around us. It is up to use to tell them for others to enjoy!
One of the more interesting moments in Cange, Haiti happened completely out-of-nowhere, literally. While were in Haiti, everyone had a motorcycle or a dirt bike. Haitians would ride three and four at a time on these dirt bikes.
I have been thinking about this picture for a few days now. This little moment in time while hiking through the village of Cange. We had walked to the top of one of the peaks where a water cistern was located. As we were looking at the flowing water coming into the cistern, I heard a little baby crying.
It was just last night and I was overhearing a conversation, someone sharing how hungry they were while watching a ballgame. As I sat and listened to the conversation, I began to become overwhelmed with annoyance. I was trying to figure out what bothered me about this person’s diatribe.
Then it hit me…I was thinking about Tito and his friends.
It is Sunday morning, the day we are returning from Cange, Haiti; and it is time to head to the church on the hill. I was not sure what to expect from this Episcopal Mission. I had a feeling the service was going to be in Creole and even noticed many members of the church reading a Creole Bible. Protestant religions represent a small portion of the of the religious base in Haiti where Vodou is practiced by 100% of the population.
After the church service, I was thinking about how amazed I was with the number of people who connected to the sermon. As I was walking out, I noticed these children were running up the stairs to the church, nicely dressed in their church clothes. They brought out their best today, running up the stairs…hand-in-hand…not a worry in the world.
Water…clean water…I do not know what it is like to walk miles upon miles for water, much less clean water. Here at one of the many water fountains in the remote village of Cange, Haiti, people gather bringing their buckets to collect water. They are coming from all over the mountain, some walking miles upon miles in both directions. Once they arrive, they fill up their buckets with water and either carry them in hand by their side, or upon their head. Some walk hundreds of steep steps up and down the mountain, carrying the water.
This is one of the most wonderful #ClemsonMoments I witnessed while traveling with Clemson Engineers for Developing Countries to the little village of Cange in Haiti. Engineering student Ashley Martin was walking down to one of the flat areas in Cange to see what the rest of the group was doing. That is when many of the village children ran up to her and grabbed her hand to walk down. The whole trip, all the children gravitated to Ashley as they used laugher and smiles to replace the language barrier. There are so many moments that have happened in my travels to make me proud of my Clemson degrees, these moments reinforce the broader reach of the Clemson spirit!