Submitted by Mallory Davis on the 2019 winter session program in Dominica sponsored by the Department of Geography…
1/6/19
We arrived at the Dominican airport at around 5:30 pm on Sunday evening. The airport was a tiny orange building with only a couple runways and a few staff members. After finding Dr. Seraphin and the rest of the group, we embarked on our first drive to the southwest side of the island. None of us were prepared for what the drive had to offer. The roads were steep, winding, and very bumpy. While it was getting dark out at that time, we still got to enjoy the small city lights and the amazingly bright stars that appeared above our heads through the sun roof. We arrived at our colorful hotel in about an hour, checked into our rooms, and set out once again, up the mountain, to a small house, where we had our first family dinner at “Exotica”. We met one of Dr. Seraphin’s friends, a historian on the island who enlightened us with multiple different aspects of the island, while we had our first taste of Dominican cuisine.
1/7/19
We woke up to the sound of car horns, loud music, and the sound of the local people at around 9:00 am and made our way down to breakfast at our hotel. Dr. Seraphin then took us around the city of Roseau to show us all that it had to offer. We found all kinds of restaurants and shops, and learned some more about the culture; such as staying to the side of the road so you don’t get hit by cars, learning that there aren’t many traffic laws, and that everyone wanted to know how we were liking their country thus far. That night, we had dinner with Bishop Alice Jacob and her husband, Petter St. Jean, Minister of Education, and Miss Irene John, Mayor of Roseau. We gathered in the conference room of our hotel, learned about all their positions, what they do for Dominica, and more about the island itself. We had a four-course meal including authentic soup, chicken, salmon, rice, potatoes, and cake with a special fruit glaze made from a flower called Soren, similar to hibiscus. We each shared our thoughts and got to shake the hands of many important people on the island; it was truly a once in a lifetime experience.
1/8/19
Today was our first day of class with Dr. Seraphin. We learned about all the natural resources the island has to offer, how Hurricane Maria affected the island, and more about the local communities. After class, we set out to one of the beaches, Méro Beach, in the 80-degree and sunny weather. We were finally able to see the black sand that everyone had been talking about, bask in the sun, and swim in the refreshing Caribbean Sea. Some of us were able to find fish, live conch, and a stingray beneath the surface of the water.
1/10/19
Today, we visited the Alpha Center, a school for students with special needs. The school was small with about six class rooms and only about ten students per class. The ages ranged from about four years old to about thirty years old. The principal of the school informed us that they would accept any student who wished to attend the school and would allow them to stay as long as they needed. This was especially inspiring because all the students who have learning disabilities aren’t treated fairly in this part of the world and the fact they are given the chance to learn really made a difference to them and their families. The students learned anythinge from colors, numbers, and the alphabet to sewing, carving wood, and selling their products and learning how to make their own money. This day was by far the most inspirational and most exciting experience we’ve had on this program so far.
1/12/19
Today, we took another bumpy and winding trip up the mountains to the north-east side of the island to the Kalinago Territory. This is where some of the first people on the island reside and have very different lifestyles from the other locals on the island. We learned about the buildings they used to live in, how they used to cook their food, and the way they lived together as a group. There was a spectacular view of the Atlantic Ocean from this area as well as the massive mountains that appeared on this side of the island. After we left the territory, we drove down the mountain a bit to an area where we hiked down the mountain and sat on a cliff side where we could relax a bit and enjoy the views of the Atlantic Ocean.