First Port: Dominica!

I just got back on the ship from my first port on the beautiful island of Dominica (Dah-mo-nee-ka) not the Dominican Republic. We were there for two days and it was the perfect country to visit first. Fun fact: Pirates of the Caribbean 2 was filmed on Dominica because it is literally covered with so many kinds of flora and fauna. It also has no dangerous or poisonous animals, insects, or reptiles (my kind of island!). It is a small island of approximately 70,000 people. Around 3,000 of which are known as the Caribs, the indigenous people of the island. I spent yesterday morning eagerly getting my backpack filled with necessary island items (lots of bug spray and sunscreen) and went upstairs to the outside deck to see land. Not only did I see land, but also a breathtaking and vast amount of jungle-covered mountains with Caribbean colored houses tucked away within them. Not the type of mountains you would see in Colorado because they had rounded tops and were volcanic, both beautiful in different ways. I quickly ate breakfast (and had a lot of coffee because I am still not used to getting up so early!) I left the ship on the 5^th floor and had to swipe out my student ID card. On the way back in the ship they go through your bag, you have to empty all liquids, get patted down, go through an x-ray machine, and swipe back in. They are pretty strict about it, but it needs to be done!

I then left to go to the Waiti-kubili emerald pool. Waiti-kubuli meaning, "tall is her body" is the original Carib name for Dominica. I didn't understand why they would name an emerald pool that but once I arrived there I saw why. We hiked through the jungle (the kind of jungle that reminded me of Jurassic Park) and I could hear a faint noise in the background that turned out to be a cascading waterfall gently spilling into a pool of crystal clear emerald colored water. I have never seen anything like it. It seemed as though in that moment it was placed there to remind me that there is such a thing as a peaceful place. There were tree vines swaying near the waterfall and the guide told us the bright red and orange roots were only two weeks old and were many feet long already. Once they matured over years and years do they actually turn brown. After swimming in the water we headed off to go river tubing. Once we got there I was none too happy to receive a life vest, helmet, and wooden paddle. I thought it was going to be a relaxing float down a river. Boy was I wrong. There were a dozen guides staggered across three miles of river to assist us in not hitting massive sharp rocks or tree trunks sticking out of the riverbanks. It was a good bonding experience between all of us that were slamming into each other and we all helped one another out when we were stuck on a rock about to tip over. We all made it out alive and were rewarded with some rum punch and local fruit at the end! After we got back I went downtown Roseau with my friend Steven and just walked around taking in the busy and crowded streets.  We were starving and decided to eat at a very (very) small and very (very) local "restaurant" (mom you would have never stepped foot in it). There was one choice for food. Chicken, rice, fried plantains, and green bananas. I didn't get sick so it turned out well and we got to talk to the locals who sat with us because we were the only Americans in there. We then went to the beach, which isn't a white sandy beach you would normally think of. They have black sand because of the Volcanoes and a lot of pebbles on their beaches but it was pretty nonetheless! I went back to the ship, showered, and went out to dinner at The Old Stone Grill. It is one of the nicest restaurants on the island and I had a delicious pina colada, local beer, and jerk pork (extremely spicy). The food was really good but the service was slow. We then went to the crazy coconut, a local bar and club, which was swarming with SAS kids. It was really fun to get to know everyone and let loose a little bit.

I came back to the ship and slept like a sunburned baby. I woke up this morning to go on my first FDP (Field Directed Practia) which is a trip required for a class that is led by your professor. I went to a village of the Carib Indian tribe. I was expecting people to be living in huts and wearing animal skins when I thought of an indigenous tribe. Not so much….they had one car and one cell phone in case of emergencies and were wearing "normal" clothes. The chief, Levern, of the tribe greeted us and showed us around his community. We got to see a woman crafting baskets out of a plant similar to a bamboo. We got to see a man grinding sugarcane with a stick and collecting the juice, which they use to mix with chocolate to make a tea. We also saw how they make traditional bread. The chief then took us around and showed us hundreds of plants that they use to treat the flu, headaches, and coughs. They only use herbal medicines and remedies which is so awesome to me! What I thought was very interesting was how self-sufficient this tribe was, and the whole island in general. It is amazing how much excess we as Americans have in our lives. I was terrified with myself when I looked around and thought to myself how bored I would be if I lived there, how did they survive without internet or the TV. Simple….because those things are not necessary and I honestly think their lives are better without it and why they live until 114! To end the day we all sat down and ate a traditional island lunch that they prepared for us and listened to stories of their history. It was a productive and great day! I am now exhausted and still have to read three chapters before class tomorrow, ugh, after leaving such an awesome country behind the last thing I want to do is read about "The New Reproductive Landscape" for my technology and reproduction class.

We talked a lot about a book called "A Small Place" in which a native from the island of Antigua writes about how much she hates tourists (especially American) and how it has slowly ruined her island and destroyed her native culture and traditions. In the book when she wrote the word tourists she often wrote (you) next to it. It really made me upset to know that people could hate me by stereo typing me into an American tourist. Yes I am a tourist from America. But I would have to argue that I am not there to be a tourist that wears a god awful Hawaiian shirt, goes into the local gift shop, buys a couple of t-shirts and some postcards, eats a nice restaurant, and goes on a tour of the island. I am there to be respectful and open to new cultures, foods, traditions, clothing styles, religions, architecture, communities with different socioeconomic backgrounds, music, dance, landscape, farming practices, and history of the island. I really took the book to heart and made myself a promise to be as openhearted and open-minded as I possibly can in each country I go to. I'll be honest, I was looking forward to Dominica but not as much as I am to Cape Town or Vietnam, but I was pleasantly surprised by how absolutely gorgeous the island was and how genuinely nice the local Dominicans were to us students. All of the tour guides and cab drivers were eager to show us all the things they love about their home so that we can spread the word about their island so that others may come to visit. They appreciate (respectful) tourists because it is a large part of how they gain income that in turns helps their economy. Overall the island is very poor but they are a very strong and bonded community that cares and looks out for one another. A minor detail that I noticed that really stuck out to me personally was the way they drive. The roads are VERY scary. They are extremely small, they drive on the left side of the road, the roads are very steep and winding, and there are people walking everywhere. I figured everyone was beeping because they had road rage. The driver of our car told me that they beep as a courtesy going around corners to let other cars know they are there, or they beep at a friend they see walking by. It was refreshing that even driving doesn't seem to faze these islanders. 

I loved Dominica and wished I could have stayed longer to explore more in the jungles but I had an amazing time these past couple of days and look forward to six days on the ship then our arrival in Manaus, Brazil!!

Miss you all so much!

Love,

Alli