My first memory of HDC Josh had asked me to come over there for some reason to look at something for him. In normal Haiti fashion he got stuck in traffic and I was just waiting for him forever. At the time I could barley speak any creole. Adelson came out and kept trying to say something to me…….but to no avail.I just couldn’t understand what he was trying to say. He then made sign language that resembled eating. I realized he wanted me to come eat with him. So I go inside his house and his wife Majorie had made this amazing tasting fish.We sat there and shared a meal together without even being able to communicate to each other much of anything. After that Josh showed up and we ended up looking at his electrical or whatever his problem was. Ever since that day Adelson and I always had a cool connection.
After that day, I pretty much got recruited to be HDCs maintenance guy. Anytime they had a problem I was called over to try and solve it or fix it. Usually if I couldn’t fix it, I could find someone else that could. Let it be Robert or Gaetan.
Kobus, Josh, Gaetan and I build the gazebo/pergola thing on the roof of HDC. I was over there so often all of the workers from the night guard to the leather guys to the jewelry ladies to the administration ladies upstairs all pretty much knew me by name. I would hear my name called out on the streets in Clercine and usually it would end up being some one from HDC saying hi to me.
I have so many fond memories of HDC. Many times I’d hang out with Josh late into the night as he was trying to iron out the kinks of some new leather product they were about to come out with “NEXT WEEK!” One time he let me go pick out my own leather from the scrap bin and make my own passport cover. He basically gave me a little guidance and let me pick out all my own stamps or anything I wanted to add to it. I love that passport cover. I’ve also been rocking a wallet from them ever since I bought it probably back in like 2017.