Living in Dominica

Typical weather??

2011-09-17T14:28:00.003-04:00

So obviously the normal thought process that goes through people's minds when you say you live in the Caribbean is that hurricanes are a norm from July through November. Not really...well, maybe...I guess it depends where in the Caribbean you live.

I myself, being from NC, was used to hurricanes. We usually got one once a year(ish). So I've been in Dominica for 2 years now (this is my third hurricane season). Right after I arrived in 2009, there was a tropical storm that went over us. Nothing fancy. Last November (2010) we had a Category 1 hurricane (Tomas) that passed between us and Martinique (that one I actually felt because I was on the very south part of the island. They said that where I live in the north part of the island, you didn't really feel any of it!).

This hurricane season (2011) has been pretty active. We've had 3 tropical storms that have affected us one way or the other. The earliest was in July (Emily), then Irene, and then Maria (apparently on the ladies love us). Now none of them went right over us. Luckily Dominica is in the Windward Islands (Lesser Antilles) and is too far south to really be affected by the major hurricanes (most of the time). If they graze us, it is usually as a tropical storm and then they pick up speed and intensity after we've been passed (yeah us!). I thought for sure we were going to get Maria (projected to go right over us). We got the outer bands with heavy rain and some wind, then it jump straight north and we had a sunny day! Bummer.

Actually my parents in NC had more issues with hurricanes so far than I have. They lost 13 trees out of their yard from Hurricane Irene!

I mean, it's only September so we are still at the "beginning' of this year's hurricane season. So it'll be interesting to see what else will be happening.

Now, don't get me wrong, I don't want a major storm to hit us. That would really suck. But a little rain and wind never hurt anyone. :)

PS- When I woke up this morning it kinda felt like I was home. It was sorta chilly and its been rainy today. Everyone's facebook status is talking about the cool weather in NC right now. I miss it and everyone back home!

Stir crazy

2011-07-02T21:33:00.002-04:00

Stir crazy, island fever, whatever you want to call it, I think I've got it. :( I switched lectures at school with one of my colleagues this semester, so I lectured the first 6 weeks of the semester (before I lectured the middle third of the semester) so after week 6 (realistically week 7 due to lab exams and module director responsibilities) I've not had that much to do (we're on week 9 now). I want to go somewhere, do something, with someone, anyone. Unfortunately there's been at least one if not two people in my course gone for a month (the last two weeks and the upcoming two weeks) so I don't feel that I actually can leave because I need to make sure everything is getting done and is covered (aren't I such the responsible one). So I was banking on some down time in August between semesters but don't know if that'll happen or not.

Originally I had planned on going to a meeting in Vienna, Austria, but I decided to back out of that (didn't really want to go to another meeting and the timing of the conference was just NOT optimal). So I then implored to my friends to see if anyone wanted to go on a trip somewhere, anywhere (just not Vegas~ I'm doing that at Christmas with my parents). Thought I had a shot with Matt to LA then Vancouver, but looks like that might be a bust (won't know for sure for another 2 weeks but that cutting it close, and the airfare has already gone up $500 in two weeks). I just want to go on a vacation and NOT BY MYSELF!!!

Guess I should be used to it. Most people go on vacations with family members (love you mom and dad but I will have already done three trips to see you guys this year), siblings, significant others, spouses...need I go on? I'm no stranger to travelling by myself (Bermuda, Scotland, part of Australia). I just want to share an adventure with someone. Maybe I'm just getting lonely in my old age. Which would open a whole other discussion which I know you don't want to hear about, so I'll just stop there.

I guess I shouldn't complain too much...David (Danielle's husband) just left the island for the first time in 10 months! At least I had somewhat of a break in April! I guess I need to look at the bright side. If I don't go anywhere then I'll save some money (though my mind might explode for not leaving from April to November)!!

Movin' on up!

2011-05-07T12:57:00.002-04:00

So, shortly after I moved to Dominica, they started clearing land close to the school to build a new grocery store. Most of the grocery stores near school are more like convenience stores in the US. You can get your basic supplies, and live off them, but it's nothing special. If you wanted to go to a more "proper" grocery store, you'd have to go to the capital, Roseau, which is an hour long bus ride and I personally can't stand Roseau. It's hot, crowded, and everyone thinks you're a tourist off a cruise ship just because you're white! I can't stand Roseau so much, that I haven't been in a year (now it's just a matter of principle to see how long I can go without needing to visit it!). So, since I've been here, grocery shopping consists of starting at one end of Picard (where Ross is located) and visiting the 3-5 grocery stores to get as much stuff as you can find (just because they had it last time, doesn't mean they'll have it this time). Which I don't mind doing, it just makes grocery shopping a little more complicated. You have your favorites at some stores. To this day, I've only found one place that has chocolate chips (James Store...which is actually pretty gross). So I know that if I need chocolate chips (or laundry detergent...they actually sell detergent as opposed to fabric softener, which everyone else only sells...but you must read the bottle carefully and be able to translate spanish in order to determine this fact), that's where I need to go.

So this "new" grocery store that is supposed to be built is slated to be a proper grocery store (like they have in Roseau) and was supposed to be open last November (2010). Guess what...TID (this is Dominica) and of course it's not open. Fast forward to April 2011...It's supposed to open on Friday...think again...Monday...psych!!...Tuesday at 10am...just kidding...Tuesday 5pm...We're in business! Of course this Tuesday falls on the day of our lab practical (which is an 11 hour work day for me), so I don't get to partake. Plus, I leave the next day for 2 weeks back in the US, so I guess I'll miss the grand opening and all the amazing things they have inside. As I'm sitting in the waiting area in the airport, I'm reading everyone's facebook status about the "amazing new grocery store" and "they've got strawberries" (which pisses me off bc I know that when I get back they'll all be gone) and "civilization come to Dominica." Yeah yeah...you guys enjoy your grand opening, but I'm going back to the states to enjoy great food and variety for 2 weeks!

Fast forward 2 weeks...I come back to Dominica. It's time to check out this new hot spot. Yep, well worth those posts. Proper US grocery store (on the small side comparatively), with a deli and a bakery and freezers that actually work! Guess what...they even still had strawberries, sorta. I enjoy perusing, grabbing things off the shelf that i don't need, but take bc I haven't seen them since I've living down here. I go to checkout and surprise surprise, my strawberries don't ring up, they're not even in the system, and the manager and no one currently in the store knows how much they cost. So they don't let me buy them (I'm seriously cussing some people out in my brain at this point...I'M OBSESSED with freaking strawberries, or any berries for that matter bc you CAN'T get them here~ it's too hot to grow them!!) And wouldn't you know, I've not seen strawberries since then. So obviously they've still got some kinks to work out. It's a great addition to the community, but it's still Dominican! At least now I pretty much only have to stop at one place to get all my groceries! Happy shopping!

Turtle watching that was...

2011-03-29T11:12:00.002-04:00

This past weekend there was a faculty outing to Rosalie Bay Resort. This is a new resort that has been in the headlines recently (Top 10 Romantic Caribbean retreats on CNN!). And it was extremely nice. The purpose of the trip was to watch for the sea turtles that come ashore to lay nests of eggs and to relax and get away from campus. But, let me start from the beginnning.

So, Rosalie Bay is on the eastern side of the island (it's about an hour and a half drive from campus) midway between the northern and southern tip of the island. When we left it was nice and sunny and hot, but the closer to the eastern side of the island we got, the more rainy and dreary it became. So essentially the entire Saturday was spent in the rain. :( We took around 50 people (their largest crowd yet) and about half of those stayed the night. (When I booked my room, I got upgraded for free plus a 30% discount for the weekend for being Ross, divided between myself and my roommate = US$80 for a room that would normally be US$250!!) The people at Rosalie pulled out all the stops for us. They even had a 13 person steel drum band that played for us by the pool (They were actually really good! I've got a 2 min. video up on facebook if you want to check it out!). I don't know that I've ever seen that many people in a steel drum band actually... Good food and great service! We also had a turtle presentation given to us by DomSeTCO (Dominican Sea Turtle Conservation Organization) and NET (Nature Enhancement Team). We learned that there are 3 types of sea turtles that lay their eggs on Dominica (Leatherback, Green, and Hawksbill). Of these three sea turtles, the most common is the Leatherback. These are the largest of the sea turtles weighing 800-1000 lbs. In fact, there was a Leatherback that laid a nest the night before we arrived. They measured it at around 180cm (5ft. 9in). The picture I've posted is of the sea turtle tracks from the ocean up to the higher beach where it laid it's eggs (around 100 eggs per nest depending on the species). We were told that the process takes about 2 hours (from the time the sea turtle leaves the ocean, makes its way up onto the appropriate type of sand, makes a nest, lays its eggs, and then goes back into the ocean). The sea turtle nesting season begins in March, peaks in May/June, and ends in September. From 2003-2006 and 2008-2010, there were an average of 150-200 sea turtle nests reported on Dominica, and in 2007 there was over 700 nests reported (don't know what caused the huge spike)! Unfortunately, there was no sea turtle that came to lay the night we were there, but now we know to come back in May/June to see if we can get lucky!!

Even though there was a lack of sea turtle excitement, the getaway was nice, and the sun even decided to come out for a little while on Sunday so we could enjoy the pool and swim in the river. Highly recommended for anyone wanting to relax!

My first yoga retreat

2011-03-14T15:54:00.006-04:00

Let me clarify that...as a teacher! This was definitely different than being a participant. So some background first. I've been doing yoga off and on for about 4 years. I started being much more serious about it once I moved down to Dominica. I was taking a great class from an awesome girl, Jess, who was a spouse of a student at Ross. Unfortuantely they don't stay students forever, so they left at the end of last summer (August) to go back to the states. I was definitely bummed, because it's hard to find a good yoga teacher, that teaches a class like you want to take (I'm more of a fan of the workout and sweating type and not so much of the feely relaxation aspect of yoga). So I decided that even though I don't have any certifications, but I have enough experience, knowledge, and ability that I could do a decent job of teaching a yoga class. So...I began teaching an intermediate level Vinyasa yoga class one day a week at Ross. I must say that I've developed quite a following this semester, because I routinely have 15-20 people at my Friday afternoon class!

One of my friends, Natasha, begged me to do a yoga retreat this semester (Jess used to do these when she was here, but I didn't do one last semester), so I gave in and basically threw one together within 2 weeks. So we left school at 9am and drove to Red Rock park and did yoga on the big red rocks overlooking the ocean (if you're my facebook friend, you should check out the pics, they're pretty awesome!). We did a normal yoga class for about an hour and 20 minutes, then spent the last 40 minutes doing partner yoga poses. Luckily for us, the weather was beautiful that day (low 80's, breezy, sunny at times, but other times partly cloudy~ which was nice bc I definitely got sunburnt on my back!). After yoga, we made our way down to Red Rock Haven (a favorite relaxation spot on the island) for some great food (I literally have dreams about their tostones~ fried plantains in a spicy garlic aioli sauce) and a few hours of relaxing on the beach. Trust me, there were exams this week and the students and the faculty needed some down time! So I thought it was a success! No major mishaps, 20 participants plus me (21 total), and everyone had a great time! Maybe I will do this again next year!!

Carnival 2011

2011-03-09T12:10:00.005-04:00

It's that time of the year again! Carnival!!! So last year I didn't participate in any of the Carnival activities (sorry, large crowds of drunk people really don't appeal too much to me), but Molly's family was visiting so I decided that I would tag along with them if they did anything related to Carnival. I actually did want to see what it was all about. The opening festivities actually started about two weeks ago, but I only wanted to see the main thing. So on Monday, there was all sorts of activities in Portsmouth. It started at 3am with J'ouvert (pronounced Jew-Vay) which means "dawn or daybreak" (hence the 3am start time!). Of course, I decided to stay in my comfy bed for this and let everyone else get up at the crack of dawn (or more likely the case, still be up from partying the night before!). Molly and her mom did decide to go (they went at a more reasonable time of 6am) but only stayed 45 min.

I did however go and watch the parade in Portsmouth on Monday afternoon (as is any caribbean fashion, what was supposed to start at 3pm, didn't actually begin until closer to 5pm). My friend Susie (see earlier blog) is back in town, and she dressed up and participated in the parade (second picture of her in her costume on the beach). This is more of the traditional get-up that you will see in Trinidad or Rio (Brazil). The first picture is what a lot of the people here actually wear (complete with the ghoulish mask). The parade in Portsmouth was very short (I was under-whelmed, so maybe next year I'll have to go to Roseau and see it proper). There was a whole bunch of little girls in white and red cowgirl costumes (they had to be cheerleaders or a dance team or something of the sort), very cute; the ghoulish guys running around, and the Ross t-shirt "band" (no they weren't playing music, but they were walking behind a two story speaker truck!). That was pretty much it...see, now you're disappointed too!

So historically Carnival (or Mardi Gras in the states) is the very beginning of Lent (for those of you not religious inclined). So basically Tuesday was Mardi Gras, which literally translates as "Fat Tuesday." That was the last day to engorge yourself before Lent actually begins, which is on Wednesday or "Ash Wednesday." During Lent, you are supposed to give up something. This year, I've decided to give up desserts (chocolate, cookies, cake, and ice cream...please God, give me strength!!). A few years ago, I gave up Starbucks, which didn't turn out so good (I blame my professor, who is Catholic and told me about the "loop hole." So Sundays apparently don't count for Lent, which is 40 days and 40 nights and signifies the time Jesus spent in the desert being tempted by Satan. If you count the days, it's closer to 50, so Sundays are free days and you can have what you gave up. Once I found that out, I only lasted half the time.) Hopefully this year I'll do better and ignore the "loop hole" days.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to next year, and maybe I'll get to see all the cool costumes! Can't wait for Lent to be over, luckily I'll be at my Grandma's for Easter so great food awaits!!

Boiling Lake...check!!

2010-11-14T16:28:00.004-04:00

So I FINALLY did Boiling Lake. Let me tell you, I've actually been scared to do this hike for the past year. This is one of the "big 3" hikes in Dominica (and the longest at 10 miles). Some people say of the big 3 that it is the easiest, but it is definitely an endurance test. I purposefully did several long hikes (5 milers) that were moderately rated 2-3 out of 5, and then some harder rated hikes 4-5 out of 5, that were short in duration 1-1.5 hrs. This one takes the cake though...rated 5 out of 5 and takes anywhere from 2-4 hours...each way...yes, you are reading that correctly, a 4-8 hour hike. I finally decided this semester that I was going to do it, even if it killed me. So early last Saturday morning we head down south to Roseau to the start of the trail near Titou Gorge (where I've done the Canyoning trips). We started with 15 people (and we ended with only 13!) up the trail at around 8:30am. Now, I'm not fast (5 ft in height can only give you such large stepping ability), but I'm not the slowest person on earth either so I figured I'd be in the middle of the pack. As soon as we get there it starts raining (and rains the ENTIRE hike)...which I was actually glad for because it was a pleasant temperature and I'd much rather rain and slightly overcast rather than hot sun! The majority of the hike was in covered forest and much of the hike was stairs (basically this hike was 10 miles on a stair master). Quite a few river crossings and some scrambles up and down old river beds. The majority of the hike there is uphill. It trick ya...its kind of a low grade initially, then come all the stairs. There are some downhill parts, but everytime I came to those, I couldn't help thinking, damn, I have to go back up those (there is a pic on my facebook account if you want to see). :( I can do low grade incline nicely, but the steep parts are what always kill me. Luckily I knew that if I just took my time, I would eventually get there. When we finally got to the top of the first mountain, the views were amazing! And better yet, the next part was all downhill!!! We get to this crazy section where we are actually climbing down a waterfall (I kinda slide down it on my butt...I'm more secure that way) and then arrived in the Valley of Desolation (see pic above on bottom). This place has been described as "other worldly." Which I guess is true, especially if you are in Dominica where everything is green. Here you have to be careful because these are active fumaroles, so if you step in the wrong place (like I did), you sink into the mud/quicksand like areas and lose your shoe (I eventually got it back). There are streams running through here, but they are VERY hot, so you want to avoid them. The Valley of Desolation was pretty cool. After this, you walk through the (now) warm river, cross over another river, and more stairs up a second mountain, and then over another river. (Yes, I know by now you are singing "To Grandmother's House We Go!") A short scramble up an old river bed and then a short walk to arrive at the Boiling Lake (see pic above on top). And it only took me 3 hours to get this far!!! It is the 2nd largest boiling lake in the world. Not entirely what i expected though. There was a ton of steam (to be expected) and the majoring boiling part is in the middle (I thought it would be more like a rolling boil everywhere). This is because there is a magma chamber underneath it. We ended up on a ridge right above it, so I didn't go down right to the lake (it's not like you can take a dip in it anyways), but it was still pretty cool. (Take note that I get dehydrated REALLY easily so I came prepared with 2.5L of water and 500ml of Gatorade...At this point I've gone through 1.5L of water and the gatorade). We chilled out here only for about 30 minutes (I know, 3 hours of walking just to get there and we didn't stay very long), but this is because it started raining and it was FREEZING!!! I was huddled under part of a rock with another girl shivering, so we decided to head back. The hike home was uneventfuly, except that I did 90% of the hike back by myself! The fast group went ahead (took them 2 hours to get back), I was in the middle (took me 3 hours to get back, the rest of my water, and another liter after I was done!), and the slow group was behind me (4 hours to get back). See, going up was harder for the cardio, coming back was harder on the body (imagine walking down stairs for 3 hours). Let's just say, the next day the parts of me that were sore were my calves and my quads (not my butt like I thought)~ was unsore about 4 days later. Now, a little over a week out, the only nagging injury is a blister that burst on the way TO the lake (and then I had to hike 3 hours back with it), so I've got a hole in the side of my foot that is slowly healing, but I'm having to treat it like it was infected (I don't think it was, but just to be on the safe side...I like having all my extremities). So, when I got done with the hike my comment was, "One and done!" I'm glad that I did it (and in 6 hours, under my goal time of 6.5 hours) and it was cool to see and I can say that I've done it, but I don't know that I would ever do it again! :) I'll let you know when I do the other 2 hikes on the "big 3 list!"

A housemate has arrived!

2010-09-22T18:34:00.004-04:00

I've got a new neighbor!!! Back story first though... So when I first moved into my apartment, and English couple (Tess and Kevin) lived below me with their three dogs (Honey, Bell, Ocho). They moved out in March of this year (have their own land and have built some eco-cottages near where I live). So for the past 5 months, I've essentially had the whole place to myself. Nice and quiet, but always can be unnerving at times (no male presence or dogs, just deter any potential problems). Also, lucky for me, I never had any issues with no one living below me. But all that has changed now!

At the end of August, a new Ross faculty named Molly (from Wisconsin/Minnesota~~and yes, she has the accent to prove it) moved in with her dog Cocoa (chocolate lab- who doesn't have the accent and rarely barks at all). And lucky for me, she's my age so potentially an instant friend. As fate would have it, we get along great. I love her dog (and my cats are adjusting to the dogs visits~ they're not running away as much and actually are coming to investigate) and it's nice to be able to take walks with someone else and an animal (safety in numbers, especially from all the locals trying to pick you up!), watch tv shows or movies with someone, and have dinner parties and eat on the patio furniture she brought with her! She gets along great with my friends that I have introduced her to as well, so extra special plus.

So hasta la vista empty house and buenos dias to company when you want it!! Woo hoo!! BTW...I may have several adventures (a la: the hiking kind) lined up for this semester so look forward to some new posts coming in the next couple of months!

I'm YOUR weather girl....

2010-09-03T21:04:00.003-04:00

AAAAHHHH.....Hurricane season. :) Yes, that is a smiley face. So unless you've been living under a rock for the past two weeks you know that the Atlantic hurricane season is in full swing. Growing up on the southeast coast of the US, this is nothing new. I've been in my fair share of hurricanes (luckily I've lived a good ways inland so I haven't really been horribly affected by them), so nothing new to me. You would think that living in the caribbean, where all the hurricanes usually pass through first before they get to the states, I would see a lot more. Not so says I. Luckily for me the Windward Islands (of which Dominica is considered) are a little more southern so the hurricanes usually turn north before they get to us. Such as Earl and Fiona did this past week. (Sorry to all my peeps in NC who got battered by Earl yesterday.) Now, Fiona turned north much earlier and was of lesser caliber, so we didn't see any effects of her at all. Earl on the other hand...

Right now Dominica is hot. Hot, sunny, and humid. Yeah yeah..tough life, I know. But believe it or not, sunny tropical days get old (especially if it's upper 80's or low 90's and 80% humidity!). So when Earl in all its massiveness came through the area last week, it was actually kind of a nice change. (I know you're thinking, "What kind of crazy girl actually likes hurricanes?") See Hurricane Earl went much more north of us, so we didn't get it full on, just some of the southern leading bands. This meant cloudy skies with a little rain (not much), the wind picked up a bit (more so right on the water, I really couldn't tell that much at my house), and crazy seas. Crazy seas meaning 10-12 foot swells on the normally calm and flat Caribbean side of the island. A welcome from "gorgeous" weather. AND....I'm NOT the only one that thought that (three of my girlfriends said the same thing I'll have you know)! We actually sat on the beach and watched the waves and had a glass of wine and birthday cake.

Dominica does get hit head on by hurricanes and some nasty ones at that. I don't mind if they stay away while I'm here. The next storm (Gaston) is actually tracking to hit us dead on sometime in the middle of next week (luckily it is just a tropical depression so it should be a cake walk...but it makes me giggle to see everyone squirm who's never experienced one before). So the lesser of the hurricanes...BRING IT ON (you bigger ones can keep turning north however) this chica is excited for cloudy and stormy days every now and then! (Disclaimer: This blog may be updated next week to cancel out everything I just said if Gaston and the one behind it get bigger, hit us head on, and really mess things up! However, let's hope not.)

It's electric!! (boogie woogie woogie)

2010-08-15T16:16:00.004-04:00

Today's society has too much sensory overload. You come to appreciate that living on a developing island. In the states, you're always running around doing something...driving you car while listening to the radio, texting or talking on your cell phone, surfing on the internet or even having your butt parked on your couch while watching television for hours on end. Now, don't get me wrong...you can do that all here too, just not always.

For example, we have days where the power is just off. No reason or warning, just "Sorry, you don't get electricity today." This morning I woke up (yeah yeah, I dragged myself out of bed at 10am, but in my defense I couldn't get to sleep last night until around 2:30am) and realized my fan was not working. I immediately knew that, "okay, today is going to be one of those mornings I don't have power." After you experience this a few times you get used to it and at least your first thought isn't "oh crap..." So I went on my morning like I normally do (feed the cats, clean the litter box, make breakfast...luckily the stove and oven are gas powered so at least you can eat when there's no electricity) and instead of eating my breakfast while watching tv, I sat at the kitchen table and read a magazine. At this point, the power still isn't on. So, I finish putting up my clothes from the four loads of laundry I did yesterday, sat and watched the rain for a bit, and then decided in the midst of a break in the rain that I was going to go for a walk/jog. The walk/jog killed about an hour (just over 3 miles) when otherwise I probably would've been inside watching tv. Others were out and about, playing in the sea, fishing, and chatting to their neighbors (when is the last time you just chatted with your neighbor?) even though there was a slight rain off and on (exercising in the rain is actually quite enjoyable). Came back home (still no power) but was thoroughly hot and soaked so I took a cold shower (still no power remember), which can actually be quite enjoyable once you get over the initial shock. Then finished reading a book that I had started a while back. Right at the end of my book (around 3:15pm) the power came back on. So after I finished my book I turned on the tv and caught the end of the gymnastics championships.

Now, not once today was I upset that I had no power. It's actually quite liberating to have this happen once in a while (luckily they always turn it back on before it gets dark, but I have candles and flashlights just in case). So, in the end, I challenge all of you (back in the states and leading your cushy lives with technology surrounding you) to go a whole day (let's say from the time you wake up until 5pm) without electricity (no tv, computer, internet, etc) and see what you can get out of it and if you actually enjoy going back to the "olden days." Peace out!!

New sports

2010-06-02T19:17:00.003-04:00

This past weekend I had my first experience with cricket and actually I was pleasantly surprised. Since Dominica used to be occupied by the British at one point, it's no surprise that cricket is one of the two main sports here (obviously futbol, aka soccer, is the other). Now, I previously lived in Australia for about 6 months, at which time I went without being drawn into the cricket thing. I got exposed to "footy" (which I think EVERYONE needs to get into because that has to be the toughest, manliest sport in the world!), but always steered clear of cricket. This partly because cricket seems to get a bad rep for being extremely boring, but once you get it explained to you it isn't that bad (it's definitely better than baseball). The game or "test" I went to was a ODI (one day international) test between the West Indies (Windies) and South Africa. This is only the second time they've played in Dominica (I think our stadium has only been built for 2 years). There was a game on Friday that I didn't go to, and then one on Sunday (obviously I attended that one). Cricket is an all day thing (on the 5 day tests, they actually stop for tea!), so the test started at 9:30am and didn't finish until 6pm (there was a 45 min. break in there for lunch). The thing with cricket is that one entire team goes "up to bat" first to try to score as many runs as possible, then the other team will bat and see if they can beat that number of runs (as opposed to baseball where they keep trading off). Since it was a one day match, there were only 50 "overs" allowed per team (an over is 6 balls or pitches, aka bowls), so for the baseball inclined a team has 300 pitches to get as many runs as possible. Now I'll go ahead and tell you the final score for each team was over 300. So, I know you're scratching your head and saying, "How exactly does that work?" Well, if the batter hits the ball, he can get anywhere from 0 runs to 6 runs. Obviously if he hits the ball and doesn't run it's a 0, otherwise if he hits the ball he and his partner run to the opposite of the pitch to score a run~ as many times as possible before the other team gets the ball back to the wickets (that I'll explain later). There is also a large rope around the field. If the ball passes this rope (after it has touched the ground) it's an automatic 4 runs, while if the batter hits the ball over the rope before it touches the ground it counts as 6 runs (think of a grand slam in baseball). This way it's possible for a guy to score more than one run everyone he hits the ball. So I enjoyed and cheered the whole morning while the Windies were at bat~ we scored 303 runs!! In the afternoon when South Africa was batting I actually took a nap for quite a while (hehe, it was crazy hot and I had a headache) but then cheered the last 20 overs. Talk about a close but exciting game. It literally came down to the last ball...the score was tied at 303...and unfortunately the guy fumbled on the last chance and South Africa pulled out a win 304/3-303/6 (as it is reported, SA won by 7 wickets~ think of a wicket as an out and there are 10 outs in cricket). Anyway, a lot was learned and I would definitely go again. I think losing to the #2 team in the world (for ODIs) by one measly run isn't too bad. I think next year we play India!!! Until next time...

The people you meet...

2010-05-31T18:12:00.007-04:00

One of the great things about living on a caribbean island is having a lot "outsiders" coming to visit. I've been hanging out with the owner of the dive shop in the Portsmouth area who just happens to also own a cafe which just happens to be on my way home from work. Most convenient for a glass of wine while watching the sun set over the caribbean ocean after a long day's work. (Insert all your sighs and jealous faces and eye rolls here.) This is also the location of a bay (Prince Rupert Bay, to be exact) that a lot of boats, yachts as they are called here, anchor for how ever long their stay is. Yachts mean mostly sailboats, single hulls over catamarans mainly, to the un-marine versed. These are yachts from all locales and crews from all walks of life. Some yachts are owned privately (including this crazy mega yacht "A" that stopped by for a brief afternoon~~you've got to google that boat!), while others are chartered out for different amounts of time. There are the frequent visitors, of which this blog will be expanding on, and those who just pass through. People from UK, New Zealand, France, Canada, US (I even met another North Carolinian), Swiss, other caribbean isles, etc. So it is always an interesting afternoon at the cafe because you never know who you're going to meet (and yes, I've definitely met a few hotties- mostly UK- to flirt with for a time).

Anyway, where is this going..well on Saturday, my friend Orla and I spent a lovely afternoon on a british lady named Susie's boat, "Spirited Lady of Fowley." Susie is one of those frequent visitors. She's been living on a boat and sailing the caribbean for the past 7 or 8 years. Her current boat is a beautiful 54 ft. single hull, which she also races. She rotates crew a lot and I might try to crew for her at some point, maybe as soon as August for a week or so. It just seems like it'd be a fun thing to do and I'd love to learn to sail! Susie is the owner of the dive shop's friend. I think I may have met Susie briefly on one of her prior trips. She's a lot of fun and Orla and I had a grand time just hanging out on her boat, doing some snorkeling off the bow, snacking on yummy caribbean treats, and spoiling her dog Shubie with love and attention (this is whom I'm pictured with). Without hanging out "with the locals" in a spot frequented by "yachties," I would've never met Susie, or the others that I have met and befriended. Hopefully there will be many more friends made and adventures to be had while I'm hanging out in Dominica. My advice to all is to "go native!"

Weekends are for Adventures

2010-04-11T10:22:00.003-04:00

Gotta love the weekend. Especially if you're not a student in Dominica. You above all need to have a keen sense of adventure and be willing to go with the flow. Yesterday, 10 of us set off to go to Wavine Cyrique (hike to a waterfall) and to Scotts Head (snorkelling). We pile (cram is more like it~ 13 people total) into a transport and head south and east through the interior to an area south of Carib Territory. Mind you, it has been raining non-stop all night and thus far this morning. Of course, any trip wouldn't be complete without a flat tire (these locals can change a tire like a race track pit crew. Luckily we only had one flat tire, otherwise we would've been in big trouble!). Moving forward, we arrive at Riviere Cyrique. Two of the people had been here before, so we assumed they knew where we were going. We start walking down the trail and it splits. A normal person would follow the nice steps and landscaped part, but our fearless leaders remembered adamantly that it was really the less landscaped trail that meandered into the woods. So a nice trek through the woods ensues for a good 30 minutes, not knowing where to go, until we are rescued by our driver who shows us where to go (we should've followed the steps apparently). The steps end and we come to ropes and tree roots hanging down essentially a cliff (think rappelling with no harness). Of the 10 of us that have come to this point, only 5 of us continue (of course I continued, who are we kidding here!). I conveniently oriented myself in between the two largest guys (just in case I ran into any trouble in the form of slipping down a cliff). So after about 20 minutes of down-climbing using ropes and tree branches (I did mention before that it's been raining for a while, so the rope is wet and covered in mud, and the dirt is now mud too) we make it to the beach (Atlantic side, so much more rough). We walk down the beach a bit and find Wavine Cyrique (pictured), a beautiful waterfall coming out of the cliff into the ocean. Definitely worth the crazy climb. We hung out of the beach for about an hour, taking pics, playing in the waterfall and ocean (we were covered in mud so we cleaned up a bit~~ though I don't think it did any good bc we obviously had to climb out in the rain and mud). The climb out went much faster, though took a bit more strength (and then walking up steps is much harder than going down). So this hike I'm definitely getting some of my more adventurous friends to do!

The rest of the day went on pretty much without a hitch. Long drive back through the interior and south past Roseau, Roadside bar-b-q chicken (YUMMY), snorkeling at Scotts Head (beautiful fish, 1 eel, and 3 squid!), and a LONG drive home (in the rain). So moral of the story is even though it may be a yucky rainy day, as long as you have a bunch of friends and a sense of adventure, there are endless possibilities!

Island hopping = not easy

2010-03-19T10:21:00.004-04:00

One would think that living in the caribbean you would island hop all the time. That's SSOOO not the case. I too naively thought that I would be taking weekend trips all the time to the neighboring islands (Guadeloupe and Martinique) and that it would be easy to do so. Nope! I have finally taken a day trip to Les Saintes (part of Guadelopue) and it was fun but not as exciting (or easy) as I thought it would be. See there are ferries that go from Dominica to Martinique, Guadeloupe, and St. Lucia, but they are kinda expensive and the schedules are not conducive to weekend getaways. Plus a lot of the time I can't find anyone to go with me and do I really want to go by myself?? Granted I did take a nice 4 day trip to Bermuda by myself and had a blast, so there really shouldn't be any problem. But I did go with a faculty group from school so I just showed up at the appropriate time with my passport and everything else was already pre-arranged. We (about 30 of us) sailed on a large catamaran (no sails). The crossing from Dominica to Terre de Haute, Les Saintes takes somewhere from 1-2 hours depending on the speed of the boat and the roughness of the seas. Now, I took some dramamine (actually Gravol, which is the canadian version of dramamine) on the way over and was fine, plus the seas weren't that bad (they way back was a different story, no drugs and rough seas = not a happy Kristjan). We didn't get to spend a lot of time there, but it was nice to be in a place that was a bit more civilized. Got to go shopping for (French) clothes, eat gelato (AWESOME!), eat nice French food, and walk around a bit. (We started to rent scooters, but that lasted about 5 minutes before we gave them back.) I think I would go back for a long weekend next time. It is a bit of a hassle because you have to change currency (Euro) and they pretty much only speak French (and I don't) so it's a bit tougher to get by. It was nice to have enough Canadian friends who spoke at least some French to help translate. So I think in the future I may try to do a bit more exploring of the adjacent islands but definitely for a longer time frame. I'll let you know what happens. (In the picture from left to right- Janelle, Mike, me, Orla. We are swimming in the bay in Terre de Haute, Les Saintes).

Rain, Rain, Come and Stay

2010-02-26T21:23:00.003-04:00

So Dominica season's are definitely different than in the States. My poor family at home is freezing their butts off and getting tons of snow, while the temperature here hasn't varied more than a total of 20 degrees in the last 6 months. Haha! (Had to boast a bit!) The "winter" season as it is between November and March tend to be much cooler than the "summer" months. And let me tell you, I have enjoyed the temperature. However, now we are in the "dry" season. It hasn't rained more than one day in the last month (a few days after the volcano in Montserrat blew, so at least it washed the ash off of everything)! And for a country that gets an average of 350 inches of rain a year (in the mountains/ 40 inches on the western coast), that's a drought! Since it's so dry, we have all these brush fires that automatically flare up. (I recently saw one so big that I thought it was going to burn down the hotel near it!) My lovely green island is turning BROWN...and I don't like it. So, I really want (and it definitely needs) to rain. End this yucky drought. It's also gotten pretty hot again, and the rain would cool it down some. Rarely do people wish for rain, but I've learned since being here to make an exception and that sometimes rain is a good thing.

Manna from Heaven

2010-02-06T09:41:00.003-04:00

Living in Dominica too long will make you a fruit juice snob. There is always FRESH fruit juice and it's so much better than juice you can get back home. This is one of the nice things about living in a country whose temperature variance is a total of about 20 degrees year round (never below 70F or higher than low 90F). Most of the fruits here are in the tropical or citrus variety. For example, in my backyard I have the following fruits growing that I can pick anytime I want to: lime, guava, papaya, orange, coconut, and banana. I get limes on a regular basis (great over grilled chicken) and on occasion oranges (on New Year's morning we picked oranges off the tree, squeezed them and had mimosas!!). There are also some variation in the names of fruits. What they call tangerines here are like clementines back home, while tangerines at home are mangerines here. They have ortanics (which is like an orange and tangerine hybrid). Passion fruit, avocados, plantains, etc. ABUNDANCE!! When you go to restaurants here, always ask what juices they have. Everyone is different and some things are actually seasonal. There are two separate juice vendors at the Shacks on campus. Roslyn is my preference (she's a sweetie) over the juice guy (don't know his name). She'll have juices ranging from orange, tangerine, sorrel (seasonal and my favorite!), cherry, lime (good in combination with cherry), passion fruit, guava, and i know i'm leaving some out, but there are just too many to remember! They're cheap too! For $3.50EC or about $1.30US, you get a 16oz cup! Sweet deal if you ask me. But this island is lacking in one of my favorite things...BERRIES. I love berries, and I miss berries. Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries... They don't grow here and they generally don't import them. (I've found frozen blueberries in Roseau, but it's just NOT the same.) So yesterday, we went out for lunch and on the counter there were two BEAUTIFUL strawberries! Now, I haven't had strawberries since this summer before I left and I'm going in total withdrawl. I asked them where they got these strawberries and after lunch we found the place and I got to buy some. Now...don't freak out or think I'm an idiot or anything, but a pint of strawberries cost $23EC, which is $8.50US. I know I know, you wouldn't be caught dead paying that much for strawberries back home (and I wouldn't either), but you gotta understand my pain and desperation for these beautiful red berries. And I had a few with my chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast and they were totally worth it! I can tell you I probably won't be buying strawberries that often (especially for that price), but every once in a while, you just have to give in to indulgence.

Colors of the rainbow

2010-01-30T19:22:00.004-04:00

So weather wise this week has been a bit off. I know I know, all of you people are thinking, "You're living in the caribbean...please don't complain. I'm sure it's blue skies and paradise everyday." Well, most of the time you would be correct (yeah yeah, I am rubbing it in a little). Currently it's "winter" here. Or as much of a winter as you can get in the caribbean. (I know my friends and family from back home are rolling their eyes, as they have just gotten the biggest snowstorm in the last decade there! Sorry I'm missing it guys!!) Winter here means cooler weather (82-78 during the day and 73-70 at night). Perfect temps in fact. Though living down here as made my skin become thin, so its chilly to me. Also during this time of the year (usually starting in November and going through February) is the trade wind season. Think beautiful skies but tropical storm gusts of wind (probably around 40 mph~ that's a total guess by the way). These gusts of wind will blow everything around your house (curtains, papers, bottles, etc), and they've even awaken me at night.

So moving on to the weather of this week. I guess it really wasn't weird per se, just striking. Monday and Tuesday it rained constantly all day and night. As I was driving to work on Monday morning, the blandness of the day struck me. The tar on the road was gray, this gave way to the beaches where the rock and sand were gray/black (volcanic island- no white sandy beaches here), and the ocean was grey (reflecting off the sky), and subsequently the sky was grey, overcast and flat. All in all it was quite dreary (but really cool that everything was such a monotone and muted color). However, in true Dominican fashion on the horizon over the ocean was the brightest most brilliant rainbow I've seen. Not only was it the brightest one, but just above it but not quite as bright, was a second rainbow. This is not the first double rainbow I've seen (that one was in Australia) and I know it won't be the last (Dominica is the land of endless rainbows). But it is by far the most striking and memorable. It just goes to show you that even the most dreary and yucky days and parts of your life have specks of beauty and the promise of joy and life in the distance.

Home and back again

2010-01-25T20:30:00.003-04:00

So it's been about a month since I went home to visit. Sorry I've been MIA from my blog for a while (was too busy having fun with friends visiting from back home!). It was definitely a nice change of pace to go back to the states to visit friends and family (a bit of a whirlwind is an understatement!), but I'm glad I'm back in Dominica. It was great to be able to "bundle up" in pants, scarfs, gloves, and long shirts (though I definitely still enjoy wearing short skirts and sleeveless tops all year round!). One thing that was apparent is that I definitely don't miss the stress and anxiety that comes from living in the states. For example, being back home I felt like everything was on such a strict time schedule. There was no room for relaxation and it was always go go go from one minute to the next. The slower pace of Dominica is divine. Back home, as soon as I got behind the wheel of a car, I was stressed out and got that minor "road rage" back when people weren't going the speed limit. In Dominica, there is no speed limit, so when you're behind someone that's really slow you just kinda deal with it. Therefore my conclusion about Dominica is that if you need less stress and a slower pace of life, this place is for you (I have an extra bedroom available for guests...hint hint). It wasn't all bad being home. I had a great time visiting my family (I love you mom and dad, but I still work best being around for a week or two at a time!), and I ate everything in sight (which I had planned on doing anyway~ though I gained 5lbs at home, I knew I'd lose it w/i a week or two once I got back here). The US is great for many reasons, but bad for many reasons too. The quality of living is definitely better in the US, but the quality of life is better in Dominica!

HOMECOMING!!

2009-12-15T16:14:00.002-04:00

In 6 days I'll be back in the US!!! Albeit only briefly (I'm only home for a week), but home none the less. I'm definitely enjoying my time in Dominica and am glad I'm not leaving here for good yet (we'll see when that happens, but I still haven't lost my love of the place yet). It will be good to go back to the US for several reasons.
Firstly, HOT SHOWERS!! Don't get me wrong, it's usually pretty hot here so a cold to lukewarm shower is actually quite pleasant. However, getting a cold to lukewarm shower in the morning (when it's still in the low to mid 70's outside) is kind of chilling to wake up to (but yes, it does wake you up in the morning). Plus since it's going to be in the 30's to 50's at home (and I'm used to 70's and 80's), I'll definitely need hot showers to keep me warm.
Secondly, STARBUCKS!!! I was one of those people back in the states that lived at Starbucks. I went every morning (and if you figure out how much you're spending per year by doing that your jaw will hit the floor!). Dominica doesn't have a Starbucks (but Rituals is a good stand-in). The first time I see a Starbucks (in some airport on my way home probably), it's a grande non-fat pumpkin spice latte (if they still have it, if not then the good 'ole standby of a grande no-foam skinny vanilla latte will do).
Thirdly, OPTIONS!! Don't get me wrong, you can find everything you need in Dominica. Note I said need, not want. Usually here you only have one option and that's what you get. I can't wait to be able to go into a store or restaurant and be able to choose from more than one thing that I like to eat or try! I've actually gotten used to it here and don't mind it. But sometimes it is nice to have a variety.
Word of warning...I got used to living like this in Australia (though not quite as rugged) and when I stepped off that plane in LA, I wanted to go right back to Australia. Hopefully it won't be that bad this time. And if it is...at least I'm only home for a week!!

And the winner is...

2009-11-30T18:17:00.006-04:00

So, it's election time in Dominica. Interesting to say the least. The political system here is modeled after the British parliamentary system (since Dominica used to be owned by England~ and the Queen is still on all of the money). Dominica has only been independent since 1978, so she's still in her independence infancy. As best as I have it figured out, which is not very well I might add, there are two main parties. And since it's the Caribbean, they are fittingly usually referred to by their colors. The red party (the Labour party) and the blue party (the Workers party) seem to be the main ones (akin to Democrats and Republicans back in the US). How the two parties differ, I have no clue. I do know that the current party in power is the red party and the current prime minister is the youngest elected in the world (yes, you read that correctly. He's only 37~ now whether that's how old he is now, or how old he was when he was elected, I dont' know). There are also some smaller parties (think Independent party back in the states), the green party (Freedom party) and the yellow/orange party (the Para party, that one i really haven't figured out yet. I think it broke off from the Labour party) and probably another small one that I haven't heard of yet. So campaigning is pretty harmless (see picture). Mostly flags hanging on telephone posts, trees, cars, houses...basically anything you can tie that color fabric to, as well as some posters and signs (the large blue signs with the question marks in them are for the Workers party. It took some digging but we finally found out that supposedly for each sign they have around the county~ and they're EVERYWHERE~ it represents a question that hasn't been answered by the current government).

So, anyway, elections are every 5 years (which should make the election next year), but this year it was called early (it can be anytime within the last year, and is called by the current party in power). I think one of the reasons it was called early is because the prime minister's speech got stolen and read on the radio before he gave it. So, it will be December 18th (and I will be glad when it is over). Riding around are pickup trucks decked out with speakers and bullhorns blaring music and covered in their parties colors (at ALL hours of the day... and night~ I was rudely awakened by one at 2am that decided to essentially sit outside my door for 5 min with music so loud you couldn't sleep or drown it out with pillows!). So since an election has been called, the president of Dominica is now in power. He's more like a figure-head really (like the Queen of England), doesn't do the work, just signs the documents and goes to parties or what not (I actually have seen him and his wife on occasion~ they were at the White Coat Ceremony this past semester).

Election is done the old fashion way, paper ballots and hand counting. Luckily, since the population of Dominica is around 78,000 people, the results will be in by 8 or 9pm the night of the election. And I've heard that there will be partying all night long. So, stay tuned, we'll see who the next ruling party of Dominica turns out to be.

Smorgasboard

2009-11-15T18:09:00.003-04:00

I know, I know... I've been slacking on the blogging. It's just that I need to be inspired to give to you guys and there just hasn't been that much going on other than work! I generally like to keep it light and funny, so I need good subject matter. So, right now nothing is jumping out at me, so I guess this'll just be a smorgasbord of things! (Some of which may just be reiterations from before.)

First and foremost, I've decided that I hate roosters. If I were any better at cooking than I am, I would become the worlds foremost chef at making Coq au vin (for those of you less culinarily inclined, this is a French dish whose main ingredient is old rooster). Don't get me wrong, they are interesting to watch (especially when they are climbing trees~ yes, they do this in Dominica) and are decently attractive (much prettier than a chicken), but when they are crowing or cock-a-doodle-doing or whatever it is they do at 5am when you are still trying to get that one more hour of sleep, you just want to shoot them! I've gotten to the point where on most nights I don't need my A/C anymore, but will inevitably have to turn in on at 4-6am bc they're waking me up! Those damn roosters are running up my electric bill...they must pay!

Secondly, don't start thinking that you haven't felt an earthquake in a while, bc as soon as you do, you'll have one (as I write this, I just had a small minor house shaking one and then another little aftershock)! Ah, the life on this island...

Let's see, what next? Did you know that it is really hard to hang pictures here. See all the houses are generally made out of concrete and therefore don't really have any drywall or plaster on the walls (just painted concrete). So obviously, you can't just put a nail in the wall to hang your pictures. You need to actually drill holes and what not. Well, I don't do power tools (I plead the estrogen clause on this one). But, I've found a way around this lack of easiness. There is crown molding at the top of the walls, so I've put two nails into this and then attached fishing line to the pictures/paintings and made them hang from the two nails (think of the fishing line making an upside down triangle). It actually works pretty well (i hung my hummingbird feeder outside like this too~ when you're on a roll...), but obviously the pictures aren't flush against the wall. It works, and it's not causing me any sleepless nights over it, so why worry.

Anyway, I think I've taken up enough of your time on randomness, so I better sign off. Hopefully I'll become inspired for the next blog and you won't be subjected to the random workings of my brain! Tata!

Internal Clock

2009-10-27T20:09:00.004-04:00

One thing that I love about summer back home is that it's daylight until 9pm during the longest days. This is great for everyone. Hang out longer, kids play outside with each other longer, and enjoying the coolness of early evening while it's still light and pleasant outside. Oh how I miss those days. An interesting thing occurred when I arrived here... See, Dominica does not abide by daylight savings time. :( So no long days for me anymore. Here, on the longest days in the summer, it gets dark around 6:30pm. Now that "winter" (yes yes, I definitely use that term loosely) is starting to begin, the days are getting shorter. (I know time changes back in the states this weekend, so I guess I can't complain too much!) So now sunset is around 5:40pm and by 6pm it's pretty dark. Grrr... (And all the stores close at like 4-5pm anyway, so there's NOTHING to do once there is no light.) Though it does get light much earlier here (usually around 5:30am). I'm usually at work by like 7:45am, which would NEVER happen back home in the states. I was lucky to get out of bed at 8am (here it's 6am) and be at work by 9:15am (now I'm at work before I was out of bed back home). Crazy. And I'm not any more tired from it. (It's amazing what early morning sun and roosters crowing will do for your sleep patterns~ oh and the goats too.) I did mention to my parents that I feel like I'm getting old (or becoming more like them). At home, they're usually in bed by 8-9pm and up at 4-5am (if they're lucky). I will admit that on more than one occasion I've started to fall asleep on the couch between 7-8pm and then wind up in bed by 8pm (and then proceeded to sleep until 8am...I was REALLY tired in my defense). Back home I never went to bed before 11 or 11:30pm. Here, if I'm not in bed by 10:30pm, there's a big problem. I figure part of this new internal clock thing is a consequence of getting old (and I really don't want to age myself), but I'm going to attribute it to this crazy daylight schedule the islands have. So if anyone ever desires to actually come and see me, then they can enjoy pretty sunsets, but REALLY early ones!

Shaking at the Knees

2009-10-21T18:47:00.003-04:00

So when I was younger (and much more naive), I said that I wanted to experience (and live through, of course!) every type of major natural disaster, just to say I had. This includes hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, floods, volcanic eruption, and the like. Some of these events just don't happen in NC, so I was basically outta luck. Got the hurricane thing down to a science. They're really not that bad. Just a lot of rain and wind (don't drive in it). I missed the big flood at home (had just gone off to college a month earlier), and tornados happen, but very rarely so "Twister" will have to suffice.

Being in Dominica (which is essentially the top of a volcano), I get to have earthquakes now. Granted, they're pretty much tremors (lasting a second or two) and they haven't been huge (just rattled the house a couple of times), but nevertheless they are still unnerving. And apparently the shallower ones (the ones you hear but don't really feel) aren't tectonic, but magmatic (hehe, I just quoted "Dante's Peak"~ I know too many movie lines!). I hope you have seen the movie "Joe versus the Volcano" with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan (1980's movie, not great but entertaining). In this (disclaimer: from what I remember), Joe (Hanks) discovers he has an incurable disease and takes a trip to an island where he is to be the sacrifice. He's going to jump into the volcano on the island to appease the volcano gods, so it doesn't erupt and the island will continue to survive and prosper. On the way there, he and Meg Ryan happen to fall in love, and she obviously doesn't want him to go through with the sacrifice (I promise, you'll see where I'm going with this in a minute). So when Joe (and Meg, bc they're in love and obviously if one dies, they both have to) are jumping into the volcano it decides it's going to erupt and they get shot out of the top of it into the ocean. They watch as the island sinks and everyone is killed except them (they survive with some high tech luggage that floats, but anyway...). The point is, if Dominica decides to erupt, then I want to be that person that makes it off the island and is sitting there watching it sink (this is the only stipulation, dying isn't an option). The reason I'm getting all these earthquakes is apparently bc the side of the island I'm on is really close to a fault (it runs in the channel in between Dominica and Guadeloupe), and the north side of the mountain close to me (I'm on the south west side of it) is supposed to eventually fall off into the ocean and take out Guadeloupe with a tsunami (if that happens, maybe Dominica will actually make the nightly news and people will have heard of it!). So, I'll keep you posted on that situation. :) Until then, keep in mind that you might be in for a "rolling good time" if you come visit!

A lesson learned

2009-10-18T18:36:00.002-04:00

So today I officially went on my first hike in Dominica. Sure, I've done trips where there have been some hiking, but pretty short ones (~30 min). My idea of hiking is 2-3 hrs. worth of hiking. That's what I'm used to from back home. 2-3 hrs. is essentially 5-8 miles in NC. Granted, it's pretty darn flat, so it's not that difficult, just long. So today was my first long hike since I've been here. I hiked the Capuchin to Pennville Trail, which is like 8 km (or 5 mi for all you non-metric folk). Now, in the guidebook this hike is rated a 2 out of 5 (in my mind I was actually thinking it was a 1 while we were on it and I was about to go ballistic on the writers!), where 1 is the easiest and 5 being most difficult. I had asked around and people said it was a pretty easy hike. I've now learned that all these scales and opinion are REALLY RELATIVE!! This was not my idea of an easy hike (not what I had imagined at all), but I definitely wouldn't call it difficult either. It was a moderate hike. All in all, there were parts that there were a lot of hills (especially at the beginning), but the last 1/2 was more even or down-hilled mostly (which really helped). We completed the hike in around 3 hrs (maybe a tad bit longer). If we didn't have to wait for a few REALLY slow people in our group, we definitely could've done it in 2-1/2 hrs easy. The guidebook (if you're wondering which one I'm always referring to, it's Bradt's Dominica) says guide is recommended...well, I think it should be required! At some places its pretty well marked, but there are numerous forks and ultimately the trail is pretty covered and hard to see. I had thought that I would only need one time and then I could remember the way, and that's totally not the case (sorry Matt, when you come down and if you want to do the hike, I'll find us a guide!). Also, it just so happened that it rained the majority of the time (downpoured at one point). This is typical in Dominica and I figured that it probably would rain, especially since it had been raining off and on since the night before (that's okay, we really needed it!). By the way (tangent coming), people never cease to amaze me. One of the guys (obviously one of the two we waited on) actually brought an umbrella on the hike. I'm sorry, but you're in the elements in the middle of the jungle...live a little! Anyway, this in my mind was supposed to be one of the easy hikes here. I was using it to gauge my ability to go on the harder hikes that are around (Boiling Lake- which is rated 5 and is 3 hrs each way, etc). So I think the lesson learned here is that there's no way that I'd survive the Boiling Lake hike, so I should just kiss that option good-bye. I might try a 3 hr. level 3 hike, and maybe if I'm ambitious a 4, but only if it's less than an hour. Not all people's minds (and bodies) have the same idea of easy!! I'll let you know the next hike I partake in!

Dodging bullets

2009-10-17T14:16:00.003-04:00

So okay, not really bullets, but you'll get the idea soon enough...

Anyway, I'm from North Carolina. So most people in the states will appreciate this. Back home when you learn to drive, your parents teach you specific things about driving at night. Namely, white-tailed deer are abundant in NC and you learn to drive cautiously and to look out for the reflections from your headlights in their eyes. Thanks mom and dad!! That's saved me and my car driving at night back home. Now, being in Dominica, something that is lacking is deer. Or really any native mammals to be exact. However, this doesn't mean that you don't have to pay attention while driving at night (the potholes will eat your car, seriously!). So instead of trying not to hit deer, here you try not to hit crabs. Land crabs to be exact. Now back home, crabs on the beach are quite small (as they generally are here too). You have to go to a restaurant or deep sea fishing to see big crab (or just watch Deadliest Catch on Discovery channel, especially during King Crab season~~ yes, I know I'm a geek, but that show is AWESOME!! I love you Phil and the Cornelia Marie!). However, the land crabs missed the tiny crab memo apparently, bc those suckers are huge!!! (And not fast either, though at least they'd beat a turtle.) When I say huge, I generally mean about the size of a dinner plate. Not too shabby! So, while at this point, I technically still haven't driven a car in Dominica, I'm learning what I have to look out for when I do start driving. Once I embark on that experience, believe me I'll blog about it! Until next time...dodge those crabs!

My new favorite hobby

2009-10-13T19:11:00.004-04:00

So most of you know that back in the States, I was into rock climbing. Unfortunately Dominica (being a volcanic island and all) isn't conducive to rock climbing. Believe me, I've tried. Most of the "rock" here is like sandstone (as soon as you try to put any weight on it, you fall right off). However, it is apparently a good island for canyoning (canyoneering to some). You may be wondering, what this is exactly. Well, it's rappelling (abseiling) essentially. Though here, it just isn't off cliffs, but down waterfalls! Awesome, I know!! So the canyoning trip I went on this past weekend was to the Titou Gorge, which is a little west of Roseau. We went with Extreme Dominica (check out their website) which is in affiliation with Cocoa Cottages (you REALLY need to stay there if you just want to get away from it all and experience living in the jungle in luxury). Anyway... we get there and changed into our "gear." "Gear" being full-on wetsuit (long sleeves and legs- HOT in Dominica), helmet, climbing harness, shoes, and life jacket. (I admit I was thinking that it was REALLY overkill at this point.) After a brief training session, we then drove to the middle section of the gorge and started our adventure. (I've got pics posted on Facebook so you should check them out!) Luckily for me, it came quite naturally (I guess with my climbing experience, though I'd never really been a fan of rappelling) so I was pretty efficient and fast. We rappelled down around 7 waterfalls ranging from 15-30 ft. high. There were places we jumped (if it was deep enough) and they were 5-15 ft. high. There were also a few place (2) that we were just lowered down (didn't really know why). In between waterfalls we trekked through the gorge (for my Australia peeps, think Northwest trip through the gorges up there, but green instead of red!). The gorge was about 60 ft. deep (from what I remember, maybe more) with a river running through it. It was pretty shallow in some places, and in other, you definitely had to swim! (At this point, I was glad I was decked out in all that gear!) We were probably in the gorge for 3 or 4 hrs and I wish it were longer! The hardest part of the whole thing was the hike back out! Since we were going down the gorge the whole time, we had to climb back out, so it was 20 min. of scrambling!!

So now I'm hooked on canyoning. I found out that they divide the gorge into three sections. The middle is the easiest (DONE!), the first part is the intermediate one (on my to do list, hopefully before Christmas or just after), and the last part is the Advanced one, this one includes a 260 ft. rappel down Trafalger Falls (REALLY want to do this!). So, if you're planning on coming to Dominica and you have a sense of adventure, you HAVE to put this on your "To Do List!"

Living without DVR

2009-09-25T18:53:00.004-04:00

So I will say that of all the things I miss from living in the US, I miss my DVR the most. I mean, come on... has there been a better invention in the past couple of years in entertainment? Being able to record more than one thing at a time and pause and rewinding live t.v. That's pretty awesome! So of course, Dominica doesn't have that technology yet. (Shoot, I'm pretty darn sure they don't have digital t.v. ... it's all regular cable.) Though you can get satellite dishes (I've even seen those old-school ones that are bigger than your car!). Luckily, I have a great landlord that covers the cost of my cable (the reason will become apparent in a minute). I thought, "This is great! An added perk that I wasn't even going to ask for!" And the t.v. stations are pretty decent too. NBC, CBS, ABC, CW, Lifetime, Spike, Disney, Discovery, most of the American channels that I generally watch. There are even like 4 Starz channels too (~60 channels total), so you can watch movies!

The caveat of this great t.v. experience for such a small remote island is that unbelievably cable is pretty cheap. I'm talking like $30EC, which is equivalent to about $11.25 US. Now, tell me... when is the last time your cable bill was that low? Come to find out, that the reason cable is so cheap is that it is completely stolen. Meaning, they just point their satellite (or whatever) and those that they can pirate off for free, they get! Pretty cool (in a completely illegal sort of way), huh? Though it's interesting because this means your t.v. channel viewing doesn't always stay the same. For example, when I first got here, we got SyFy channel, which we no longer have. :( Because apparently they found us out and encrypted it. Grrr! Also, one day NBC will be on channel 26, and the next day it'll be on channel 40 (this I haven't experienced yet, but am sure that when I do, I'll be utterly confused).

But getting back to my DVR, the stupid networks have completely screwed me over this t.v. season! There are 3 shows at 8pm and 3 shows at 9pm on Thursdays that I watch (and can only watch one of them!), and no way to record them (VCRs are so 10 years ago). I'm sure you're thinking, "Come on Kristjan, just go online and watch them!" See, the US has a monopoly on that too. You can only watch the shows off their respective channel websites (NBC.com for example) if you live in the US, and also Hulu.com only works in the US. That sure does narrow it down! Luckily, I am surviving. SurftheChannel.com actually works, so I've been able to watch my shows at a later date (as long as the internet is actually on and isn't playing the "let's see how slow we can be today" game). But at least I'm fully caught up on Bones, Grey's Anatomy, ANTM, and only one off on Supernatural. So the moral of this story is, be glad for what you've got (though in reality, life would be so much greater if we all just threw the t.v. out the window!). Until next time...

On a clear day...

2009-09-14T19:25:00.002-04:00

So you know how there's this old play/musical/now a movie called "On a clear day you can see forever." Well, it's hard to imagine how true it is here in Dominica. The other night there wasn't a cloud in the sky, so the stars were amazingly bright! You could actually see the Milky Way! That slight opaque white color swirling through the stars. It reminded me of being in the Outback of Australia. Absolutely amazing. If you've never experienced darkness like that and skies so clear, then you're really missing out.

Now during the day, being clear brings an entirely new meaning. Dominica is situated in between to French islands, Guadeloupe (and Les Saintes) in the north and Martinique in the south. Since I'm on the northwest end of the island, I can generally see Les Saintes (small island group thats a par of Guadeloupe) in the distance. However, on a clear day when there's no clouds or haze, you can see not only Les Saintes, but also the towering island of Guadeloupe behind it. I'm not exactly sure what the distance is between Dominica and Guadeloupe, but it takes an hour by high speed ferry to get there. If it's a clear day and you're standing on the southern most tip (Scott's Head), you can see Martinique. Also, since I'm living on an island, the ocean goes on and on and on. It's cool to look at the horizon and see nothing but water, but to also see the curve of the earth.

This whole place and the atmosphere lends itself well to being able to go all philosophical, however, I'll spare you that misery, bc philosopher I am not (even though I have a doctorate of philosophy~ hardy-har-har!). Anyway, I just hope everyone one day gets a chance to appreciate what I have had the opportunity to appreciate. Until next time...

My new home...

2009-09-14T19:05:00.005-04:00

So, I promised pics of my house and here are some. There are more on facebook, so if you're my friend, check them out! I have a two bedroom, one bath house (actually the second floor of a two house~ the first floor is rented by a couple from England who are in the process of building their own house near here) (also the bathroom is split, so the toilet is in one room and the shower-that may or may not have lukewarm water- is in the other with the sink outside in between two, with no mirror). I've got a pretty great view (you can see the Caribbean ocean and Cabrits National Park from my place) and its quiet (at night almost all you here are crickets and such). Since I live a decent ways from campus, I get to catch the bus in the mornings with all the locals (a bus is supposed to hold 12-13 people, to give you an idea of how large a bus is). Good times! So whenever you guys want to come visit me, let me know! I've got an extra bedroom and a decently comfy couch!

Wagging war against the mosquitoes

2009-09-10T19:00:00.003-04:00

So I really like my new place. However, I DETEST the amount of insects that it contains. It's nice up on the hillside, however, sometimes there is a lack of air flow through the house. Unfortunately, since I have my kitties, I am unable to open the doors to help the air flow bc there are no screens on them and I don't want them to run away! Though the windows do have screens, which is nice, there just needs to be more ventilation (I'm looking into getting a fan, however, getting it to my house is a logistical nightmare without a car).

So since I had been here (all of three nights), I was getting eaten alive by mosquitoes. I counted around 40 (I stopped at that point bc I couldn't see anymore) just on my arms, shoulders, hands, and upper chest area (bc those are the parts of me that are sticking out of the covers at night). Finally my neighbor told me about this bug spray you spray in your house to kill everything. I purchased some yesterday, then proceeded to fumigate my house. That stuff works, let me tell ya! No new mosquito bites last night, plus all the little bugs (gnat like things) were gone too! Yeah! So it appears I'm starting to win this battle. We'll see how long it lasts however, bc if they survived while the dinosaurs died, I think they'll probably prevail. :-(

Moved in...but I'm HOT!

2009-09-06T19:51:00.003-04:00

So I have officially moved into my new house (or top floor of a house to be exact). The business of moving is crazy here. They finally out-sourced my move to one of the locals bc it was going to take at least another week if I had waited for the Ross people to do it (and it had already been sitting on the docks for a week!). So I get a call telling my they're on their way to my house, meanwhile I'm still sitting in my temporary housing and have to somehow get to my new place (which is a 20-25 min. drive and I have no car). Luckily I ran into a taxi guy that I had used that morning so he took me up there. Yeah!!! The movers moved all my stuff in and actually helped set up some of the larger things (my bed, kitchen table, bookcase, desk, etc) which I was totally stoked about bc I definitely couldn't have done it myself! I spent all day Saturday unpacking boxes and setting everything up.

And today, I moved out of my temporary housing (with all my suitcases, things I'd acquired over the last two weeks, and my kitties) and into my new house. Now, I know you're itching to see pics, don't worry, they are coming. I want to make sure all the boxes are gone and everything is in its place before I take any to post. My kitties are settling in, but they (as well as I) are RIDICULOUSLY HOT!!! I got this place bc it was cooler (temperature wise) and there's usually a nice breeze. Well, today there wasn't. My poor babies were panting like crazy! Now, I know at this point you are wondering..."Why don't you just turn on the A/C dummy! You do have A/C don't you?" Yes, I do have A/C units in both of the bed rooms. However, it's really expensive to run them (electricity wise). Oooo, on a side note, the way the electricity works here is pretty cool. It's a pay-as-you-go type deal (think pre-paid cell phones, that you buy minutes for and when they run out, you can't talk anymore). So basically I figured it out, that its a dollar an hour to run your A/C (steep, huh?). I've definitely gotta invest in some fans (now if I could only figure out where to buy them...). But back to the cats. I shut them in my bedroom and ran the A/C for a few hours so that they could cool off and start to acclimate to the new temp/place.

Anyway, now that the sun has gone down, it is cooler (about 82 F), but I'm still sweating like crazy. I'll have to get used to this. I'll definitely be glad when cooler weather comes around! (Besides the fact, that I'm gonna freeze my ass off when I come back to the states in December!)

Animals Abound

2009-09-01T18:16:00.004-04:00

One of the interesting things about moving to Dominica is all of the random animals roaming on the side of the road. It's not uncommon to have a cow in the middle of the road as you're driving along. Take for example, the campus of Ross. There are multiple dogs running around the campus. Island dogs as people call them. They are very sweet and just want you to rub them and of course, if you have leftover food, they are glad to take it off your hands (though they are pretty good about not begging incessantly for it). There are also cows on campus (as pictured above). I don't know exactly who the cows belong to, but they just kinda chill out and munch on the grass.

Now, at my house, there is this open hill opposite from my front door that is apparently the grazing area for random goats and sheep. They are bleating at all hours of the day. The chickens and roosters also hang around and I think by the time I come home for Christmas I'm gonna be sick of hearing the stupid rooster crow! (There's also a random cow down the road)

So the moral of the story is, when you move to Dominica, be prepared for all the animals running around wild (cows, sheep, goats, chickens, dogs, cats, etc) and drive carefully because they run around in the road too and just take their sweet time moving out of your way.

Emerald Pool

2009-08-31T09:40:00.000-04:00

So in the Dominica guidebook (or any other travel book about the Caribbean), Emerald Pool is on the list to do. It is definitely worth it (though kind of a long drive to get to~ about an hour and 15-20 min. from Portsmouth). It is situated in one of the better tended to parks so the walk is pretty easy. The pool is crystal clear though very cold. However, since it's been pretty hot lately (low 90's) and every time you walk outside you feel like you need a bath, this cold water was quite appealing! So if you come visit, this would be any easy thing to do and still see all the beauty of Dominica!

Syndicate Falls

2009-08-31T09:25:00.000-04:00

So on Friday, I went on a trip to Syndicate Falls, which is just south of Portsmouth (like a 25 min. drive). I was pleasantly surprised by this trip. Of course, the bus we were on had to break down a little ways from our destination, so they dropped off the students and one bus came back for us (our broken one was taken back and we were given one that actually worked). I had noticed that the speedometer on the bus had not worked since we left school, but who really needs to know how fast they're going anyway.

We get to our drop off point and we do a small hike (it was supposed to only take like 15 min., but probably ended up being closer to 30-40 min. bc of the lines). Pretty good hike! We had to cross through two streams/rivers (so note to those wanting to go here, were appropriate shoes that can get wet and are still sturdy). The falls were nice though. It was crowded bc there were so many of us, and unfortunately the bottom of the falls are fenced in so no one can swim there or get really close. But in the long run, it was definitely worth it, just for the hike! Oh, plus there are lots of fruit trees on the hike (we got some which was either unripe orange or grapefruit, couldn't tell which).

After the falls, we went a little further up the mountain (Morne Diablotin) to the Syndicate Nature Trail. This is where you were supposed to be able to see the parrots (Sisserou and some other kind), unfortunately we didn't see any. But the hike through the woods was pretty good. Since this peak is the highest, the top part is always covered in clouds, so it was really neat to be so close to a cloud-covered peak. Apparently you can hike up to the top, but from where we were it was a 3 hr hike each way (which you must start before 10:30 am!).

Woe to the roads

2009-08-28T14:56:00.000-04:00

So I've decided the US is ridiculously spoiled and people should not be complaining about the state of the roads there. Those people just need to come and live in Dominica. Not only is there really only one main road, but they're lucky just to have it! Yes, the majority of the road is paved (but riddled with potholes), but there are some locations (such as near to where my house is) were there is no pavement yet. (I'll be glad when they have finished paving it too!) The potholes will eat the cars. No joke! Just ask any of the people who drive here. You have to get a new set of tires and new brakes each year (brake pads 3x a year).

Also since it is so mountainous, the roads are not straight (it worse than driving the Blue Ridge Parkway), so you need to use your horn everytime you round a corner, so you might end up getting hit by another car or large dump truck (though they are pretty good about blaring their horns). As you can see by the picture, there are plenty of places where there's a 180 degree turn that buses navigate.

I have a new respect for the drivers here, and am leaning toward not getting a car because I'd probably kill myself and someone else trying to navigate these roads. With the lack of shoulders, lanes, traffic lights, traffic cops, and paved roads, I'm just doomed. So, if you decide that you want to visit me (and you're more than welcome to!), expect to be carted around by taxi. Once you're here for 10 minutes you'll undertand why.

Snorkeling in Toucarie Bay

2009-08-27T18:37:00.000-04:00

Since I've gotten all I can get accomplished done currently, I've signed up for a bunch of different trips (mostly with the students) to see some of the sights for cheap!! (Note to all new students, take advantage of these trips, they're much cheaper than you'll find later on!). So the one this time was snorkeling in Toucarie Bay, which is actually just north of where I'll be living in Savanne Paille (so about a 20-25 min drive from Ross).

Now, I haven't been snorkeling in a while (quite a few years actually~ I guess working on your Ph.D. doesn't allow you time for much else if you're really trying to graduate!), so this was nice. The reef is quite shallow and close near the cliffs, but will go quite deep (probably 40-50ft). I saw a lot of the same fish that I saw when I was diving in Australia (the names escape me currently, so I guess I'm going to have to become a fish person--I was a bird person in the US). So lots of good snorkeling and scuba diving locations. I'm going to have to invest in a pair of fins and snorkel/mask! But I thought I'd just put a picture in of the bay and the group that went. Lots of fun for only $20EC (about $8 US)! Note to people...bring food, because the snackette only had cheese curls (and they apparently weren't that tasty!).

The Move...

2009-08-27T18:00:00.000-04:00

So moving to the beautiful island of Dominica is definitely easier said than done. I moved from North Carolina down to the island in August. So...it's hot as heck. I ran into issues, mainly because I was moving three of my cats down with me (I'm not the crazy cat lady, so do not judge!). Now within the US, they allow seven animals on a flight in-cabin, however... once you land in Puerto Rico, the flight to Dominica only allows two in-cabin. So way back in June (yes, you should definitely book at least this far in advance) it took me over an hour on the phone with an American Airlines representative to figure out how to get me, my parents, and three cats from RDU to Dominica (FYI, this cannot be done with US Airlines/LIAT), going back and forth from one day to the next, just to book us. But it was finally accomplished. Carrying your animals as a carry-on is the cheapest way to go ($100 per animal as a carry-on as opposed to $3000-6000 total with a private pet moving agency).

The big day finally arrives. I'm so stressed out as to how my poor babies are going to handle an airplane (when they usually stroke in a car!) and the whole move, I'm the one needing a valium!! Luckily for the kitties, they got some (Thank God!). After driving to Raleigh in such a bad rainstorm that we actually had to pull over onto the shoulder of the road (as did about 10 cars around us, one of which got stuck in the mud), we arrived at RDU. Check-in went smooth and we went over to security. I was not aware that when you travel with pets as a carry-on, they actually have to be taken out of their carriers and walked through the metal detectors (while the carrier is put through the x-ray machine). Thankfully, the drugs had kicked in by then and the cats didn't try to bolt out of my arms. We arrived in Miami at 9:30pm and had to go to our hotel (about 10-15 min drive away). We had an interesting night in the hotel (another new experience for the kitties) and I didn't sleep a wink! This was essentially repeated in Miami all the way until landing in Dominica. However, I had to take an earlier flight than my parents since only two animals were allowed on the last flight.

Needless to say, we all arrived safely and after 38hrs of being awake, I finally got some sleep! Now the adventure will begin. :)