Submitted by Abigail Vanover on the 2016 winter session program in Dominica sponsored by the Department of Geography…
This week in Dominica taught me about the fragility of the little things.
Thursday afternoon, we drove out to a village hit hard by Tropical Storm Erika back in August. We drove through mountains and on the coast, winding our way through the country. The farther we got away from the capital, the worse conditions became. One bridge we drove over was wooden logs over a river. At one point we drove through water because the roads were flooded. Close to our destination, we even found our way barred by a landslide.
When we arrived at the village, it looked like the storm had hit just a few weeks ago, rather than months. I remember vividly standing on a huge chunk of concrete and rock, then looking down and seeing one shoe stuck partially underneath. We were told the official death toll for Erika, but the harsh reality was that in areas like this village- there were many people missing who were not counted in the official death tolls. For many of those people, their villages had become their graves.
It was a grim experience, but it refocused me, and I think all of us on the program. It’s easy to get lost in nature, dwelling on how beautiful the mountains, forests and water can be. Here in Dominica, the people live by the mountains, forests and water. They also die by them. There is nothing to make a person humble like being forcibly reminded how easily nature can overpower us.
In the face of all this, it’s pretty easy to put your own life in perspective. For me, it’s finding that balance of holding on and letting go. Want to watch that sunset? Please go do so. Worry about what that one boy told you weeks ago that still bothers you? Please don’t let it because it’s not worth it. What I learned this week was a little cliche, but all in all it was an experience that I would not wish, nor should I, to trade in for anything else. Having experiences like visiting the village makes seeing a beautiful sunset all the more sweeter, because it makes you realize just how lucky you are to be seeing it.