I travelled for nearly 20 hours and close to 4,000 miles to the Commonwealth of Dominica (also known as the “Nature Isle,”) an island nation in the Caribbean. At first I was very excited to begin my career as a medical professional so I didn’t mind the long trip, however, once I arrived my perspective changed very rapidly.
I landed on Melville Hall Airport’s extremely small run way on January 1st, 2010, so I got to spend my first day of the new year on the island I would be spending the next 16 months. This is by far the smallest airport I have ever visited, even the Yuba County Airport in Northern California is bigger and it receives 0 passengers annually. There was a slight drizzle upon arrival, but what else can we expect from a tropical island…snowfall? I quickly walked into the shelter of the airport to check in and proceed to immigration, which is a very strict procedure for Dominica. You must show where you are living, have the proper documents to prove your stay, and then you are cleared for baggage claim. The area to claim your luggage is directly behind the immigration officers resulting in a large number of people in a very small area with TONS of luggage. On this particular day, 2 flights from San Juan arrived in Dominica 20 minutes apart, which resulting in having close to 80 people in small area (not sure the actual size) filled with luggage. Luckily, all of my luggage arrived safe and sound. Once you have collected your bag, you have to clear customs, where the officers can search your bags for any illegal material or anything they feel needs to be claimed. Finally, I cleared customs and was getting excited. I walked out of the double doors and saw more students/parents with more luggage! The university decided to send trucks to load the luggage and drive it to the school. I believe it took 4 trips to get all of the luggage to Ross University and they had 3 trucks operating…that’s a lot of luggage. We crowded around a Ross University representative to await be loaded onto a bus heading towards the campus.
A few pieces of luggage.
The ride to the university was one filled with twists and turns, steep inclines, and breath taking views. However, more than one person on the ride felt sick due to the windy nature of Dominican roads…luckily I took a Dramamine pill prior to the journey and was able to withstand the motion sickness. During the ride, it continued to rain and all I could see was the high volcanic peaks populated with tropical greenery. At first it was beautiful, but then it became oppressive. There were palm trees, banana fields, ferns, grass, tall grass, and several plants I have never seen. I really didn’t know what else to do at this point so I closed my eyes and hoped we would get to campus quickly…a wish that was granted within 15 minutes! Maybe I should have asked for something else???
As I mentioned before, it took the trucks 4 trips to get all of the luggage, and guess what trip my luggage came on…that’s right, the fourth trip. During this time I heard a number of conversations of students, parents, and spouses not receiving a single piece of luggage at the airport, so I quit whining because it would have been much worse. The rains continued as more people were dropped off and it seemed as if the humidity had increased 10%, which could have simply been my anxiety getting the better of me. Next, I was dropped off at my apartment and met my landlord (Ushem) who is great. He’s very nice, patient, and helpful, which is something I needed. We walked to my small cottage from the backside of the apartment because it was a short cut, however, the path was rather muddy and rocky, resulting in the shoes I had gotten cleaned earlier in Sacramento being completely covered in mud…UGH! So, as far as my small cottage is concerned…you walk in and immediately to the left is my bed and sitting area with a desk on the right side. You walk a little more to the bathroom and at the very back is a small kitchen. The place isn’t much, but it will serve it’s function. I have hardwood floors in the bed area and tiles in the kitchen. I have several window that have screen on them to make sure the insects don’t come in. Did I also mention I can hear the geckos scurrying on the outside of my house to eat their dinner. It’s a little unnerving to hear random “footsteps” and wonder what this animal is doing but I guess in the end it’s helping me by eating the insects, so rock on little guys!
The cottage...any engineers wanna tell me what do you call this type of support sytem?
I slept well the first night, which was mostly due to the fact I was extremely tired and didn’t want to have to think about anything else. So I showered, cleaned up, and hit the sack. The next morning brought sunny skies and of course humidity. The weather currently is in the low 80s but with the humidity it feels like it’s in the high 90s. I have only been this hot in the summers of California when I am playing tennis on a 100 degree day…I hope that gives you an idea of the type of weather here, and by the way, it’s winter in Dominica! Fortunately, I struck up a conversation with a guy who was sitting right across from me on the flight so we planned to explore the campus area a bit. We ran some logistical errands and were quickly becoming more comfortable with Dominica. We went on a campus tour and signed up for some free tours of the island, which we hoped would help us appreciate our surroundings.
The following day we went with several others to see the Carib Indian Reservation and Emerald Pool. The journey to Carib Territory was once again very curvy and I remembered to take a Dramamine pill early to make sure it would kick in on time and I was able to give it to a friend in desperate need…she ended up taking 2 pills. Okay, so back the Carib Indians. The first people of Dominica are the Carib Indians, with a population of 4,000 people (there are a total of 70,000 people in Dominica). The British government gave them a total land area of roughly 11,000 square miles (don’t quote me on this) of land, in which all of the tribes reside. In addition, there are no tribal wars and the Caribs coexist peacefully with other Dominicans. The Caribs still make many of the crafts of their ancestors and live life in a similar fashion.
Quick stop at a Vista Point on the way to the Carib Indian Reservation
When we got to the reservation we were greeted by Carib Indians and escorted on a tour of the area. We were told a number of details including how the Caribs live their lives today, how the past and present have fused to form a harmonious bond between the different tribes, and what the future holds. Midway through the tour we were taken to see traditional Carib dances. We saw the “Welcome Dance,” the “Harvest Dance,” and the “Coming Together Dance.” Each was beautiful with different movements and musical rhythms. After we watched the dances, we were invited to participate in the “Moon Dance,” which is performed during the full moon or during a spiritual ceremony along with the “Snake Dance,” which basically ends up being a long line of dancers following the main dancer while holding the hips of the person in front of you…it was fun!
The Carib Band
The Carib Dancers
Once the dances where completed we finished touring the area and met back at the entrance point. Near the entrance you can buy several gifts and eat native Carib food. I didn’t buy anything because I don’t have a use for it at the moment, but I did drink some amazing passionfruit juice…much better than anything in the States.
Following the trip to Reservation we made our way to Emerald Pool, which takes it’s name for the green pond at the bottom of the waterfall. It’s a quick 15 minute hike from the parking lot to the waterfall and you can swim in the pond if you desire, but the water was pretty cold, which felt great in the heat. There isn’t much to report on this area since we walked alone and had no guide to provide information, however, it was a beautiful spot.
The last tourist thing I did before orientation started was the Indian River Boat Tour. There are 365 rivers in Dominica, one for each day of the year, and the Indian River is approximately 4 miles long. If you watched Pirates of the Caribbean 2/3, you might recognize this area because it’s the same place the Vodo Witch (I forget her name) lives. On this tour, we file into a boat that is rowed by a guide up the river to a bar, where we can enjoy a drink and see the natural beautify of the island.
View of the Indian River
The tour lasted approximately 2 hours, in which our guide informed us of all of the plants growing on the river, educated us regarding the birds we saw, and told us that the geckos are OUR friends and to not scare them away since they eat the insects that would typically bite us. He also had a great line for how women behave: “Women are like the volcanos of Dominica, one day they may be quiet, but the next they can explode!” I thought this was really funny…but some people disagreed…gosh ladies, relax. ;-D
The next several days were spent in orientation where I was getting tons of information thrown my way, but not really worrying about it. You may have received a facebook message or email from me during those times since I took my laptop to the orientation. One day I was walking back to my apartment and decided to watch the sunset. Most of the beaches on Dominica are black, due to the fact it’s a volcanic island…I believe there is only one white sand beach. So I made my way do to the beach, listened to music, and relaxed…which was a great help.
Sunset at the beach...picture was taken with my iPhone so sorry if it's not the best quality.
Overall, my experiences in Dominica have been diverse. I have felt strangled by the greenery, irritated at the humidity, blown away by the views, and amazed by the friendly people. School is starting soon so I am enjoy my last free weekend. I hope you like this long blog entry but hope you have an idea of how I am doing in Dominca…I’ll be perfectly fine! After all, I can always change my career and become a beach bum! 
Good morning, I just wanted to say that i really enjoyed reading your entry as I will be living that same thing in about 8 months! Hope everything is going well with the first week of school.
hi justin…thanks for the comment. class are in full swing and you definitely have to the hit the ground running. if you have any questions/concerns let me know, and i’ll help you out as much as possible. best of luck!