Submitted by Sara Dooley on the 2019 winter session program in Dominica sponsored by the Department of Geography…
Monday January 28th
We had a short class today where we just reviewed our material and went over our plans for the rest of the week. After class, we decided to go to Mero Beach again. At the beach, we relaxed, explored the rocks, swam and played a few games of volleyball. We had many of the locals come up to us and talk to us and continue conversations we had with them the last time. It felt good to be recognized and treated as locals. The vendors are also giving us what they call the “locals prices” as opposed to the “tourist prices”.
Tuesday January 29th
Today was by far the most difficult day we have had so far. Today ,we hiked to the Boiling Lake and it took exactly seven hours! It was a very hard hike. There were lots of ups and downs, but the views from the tops of the mountains were breath-taking. We stopped occasionally for water breaks and to take pictures in all the really cool spots. The weather didn’t necessarily like us today, it was raining on and off the whole hike which made the trail even more muddy. There were some points where it was more of a climb than a hike, but they were actually quite fun. We had to use a rope to climb down a mini waterfall and climb up some rocks and those parts felt more like climbing than hiking. When we finally reached the Boiling Lake, I couldn’t actually see anything, it was so cloudy out and the lake was producing so much steam you could barely see the water unless the wind blew. But it was very beautiful when the wind blew the clouds away! I myself got injured not long after leaving the Boiling Lake and with the help of our guide Columbo I got up the toughest part and then I pushed through the rest of the hike! The second half of the hike seemed to go much faster because we had a better sense of where we were and how much time we had left. I have to say I knew this hike was going to be hard, but looking back on it I’m not sure if it was harder or easier than I thought it would be.
My injury is doing much better and has not stopped me from completing any other excursions!
Wednesday January 30th
Today we were all absolutely EXHAUSTED so we decided to relax and catch up on some work. Then later that night, we all got dressed up and we went to the Cultural Extravaganza. Here, we got to see an art gallery filled with multiple styles of art all done by one artist. Then, we got to eat and watch a group of Kalinago people and some locals perform traditional dances and sing. It was amazing to be able to witness those parts of their culture and to get to interact with them. They were very welcoming and answered any questions we had.
Thursday Jan 31st – Friday Feb 1st
We have spent these few days souvenir shopping and going on some excursions to a few different waterfalls. They were gorgeous despite us having to hike through the rain to get to all of them.
I think we finally are starting to realize that we are leaving in less than a week and we are not excited considering back home is having “The Polar Vortex” and our everyday weather for the past month has been 75-80 degrees.
Saturday Feb 2nd -Sunday Feb 3rd
This weekend, we really did not do much. On Saturday, we just kind of relaxed and did more shopping. And that night, we went out for a really nice dinner and the food was delicious, I had shrimp Alfredo. On Sunday, our group spilt up. A few of us went to the Fort Young Hotel and got a day pass for their pool and we relaxed by the pool all day. The rest of the group stayed back at our hotel, did some homework and then went out and did some exploring of Roseau. A few people stayed at the Fort Young to watch the Super Bowl, but the rest of us stayed at our hotel and watched.
We know these next few days are going to be so bittersweet. 🙁
