The Abundance of Dominica

If you're a hunter / gatherer, Dominica is full of possibilities. Whether you're walking through the woods or through town, if you're aware, there is plenty of opportunity.

Alison finds watercress in a high mountain stream

Farmers don't mind if you help yourself to a piece of fruit

But is it OK to help yourself to someone's goat?
 I decide not to test this one. 

Plenty of artful treasures here

Keep a plastic bag handy because you never know when the fishermen will come in with a catch! 

We go right to the source at the Macoucherie Rum Factory - they still use water  power to squeeze the juice from the sugarcane

Flowers abound

Make sure to carry empty bottles in case you run into the coconut man

Hunting on the street for smoked chicken and grilled plantains

We let this guy go - for now.

Some Funny Quotations from our Conversations - By Alden

This trip, we have had a lot of funny moments! The funniest part about those moments are what we have said without realizing how funny it is until after it comes out of your mouth.

Here are some of our funnier moments:

Willow was explaining to Mom what she thought a word meant. Mom disagreed. Willow said: “I believe what I believe!”

After the hike around Fresh Water Lake, Addy (one of our friends from the village) and Willow just realized that the hike ended up in the same place as it started. They said: “OH MY GOSH! We’ve been tricked! This hike ends where it started!”

1. On the hike to Jacko’s Steps, where the former runaway slaves (called maroons) escaped to live in the woods with a larger community of other maroons, we were hiking on the edge of a large cliff (probably 200 feet up) Willow was dancing and singing at the top of her lungs. Mom said to Willow: “Keep track of your body or you’ll fall off the cliff!”

2. On the same hike, I was talking to my mom and I told her that I didn’t particularly like this hike. I quickly re-thought that and said: “Actually, I don’t really like any hike, I just do it for the water falls at the end.”
3. Still at Jacko Steps on the same cliff, I nudged Willow along because she was going very slowly. Willow said to me: “Alden, you don’t push people when you’re on a cliff!”  As I looked down 200 feet to my left, I could see that there was some wisdom in that comment! 

Library Reflections - By Alison

The down side of hunting for beach treasures is your eyes cannot simultaneously scan the horizon. In Dominica, however, the horizon sometimes finds you. “What are you looking for?” The guy making charcoal looks up from his work as I walk by him the other morning. I explain and he leaves his shovel and tells me he is going to help. “You need to return to Boston with a full plastic, man!” The horizon twists, and I have a partner in my quest. In the seven years I’ve been filling up baggies with beach finds, locals have observed my strange white person behaviors, smiled and waved as they see me in the mornings, and sometimes even offered marriage proposals. Never have I had any local offer to help.

Julian answers my questions about making charcoal, but we mostly walk in silence. He shows me how to look for the smoothest glass under the rocks at the end of the beach. Once we reach the far side, there is a woman I see some days who calls out to me. “I collect shells, too, and I want to give you these,” she empties the treasures into my bag. She smiles and contributes without asking. I return the smile and thank her.

Two years ago when we left St. Joseph Primary School, our book donations were up to a thousand for the assortment of books that made up a library that migrated in bins, depending on where there was space and time to use it. Last year, we built a shelf to hold over a thousand books. This month, we walked into the former classroom that when we last saw it, had books scattered in piles on the floor and a new, large, unpainted bookshelf. We could not believe what we saw. More shelving had been built, hundreds more books were neatly arranged on tables, the students had painted nearly every inch of the space in vibrant murals. We did not ask for help. It was given and the results overwhelmed us.

I never thought we’d get to a point in our work at the school where we could walk out of that library and pronounce our work “done.” Yet last week after organizing shelves and categorizing the books, we looked at each other and said just that. When multiple people contribute, the plastic baggie fills with treasure quickly.

Before arriving this year, we got word of another library project started by a local transplant to Mero. We donated three of our six barrels of books to her before realizing there wasn’t yet a physical structure to house them. “This is amazing,” Maureen says, “you’ve just tripled our inventory!” She tells us that she’s been building a house and has been too busy to open the library the last couple weeks, and we tell her we can do it for her. With a surprised smile, she accepts our help.

Twice a week we have helped catalog the new books and set out the bins for locals to browse. The magazines are popular with the older ladies who cannot read. The piles of picture books draw the younger kids. The girls’ local friends help us label the new books and we create a production line at the picnic table. Many hands help the baggie fill quickly.

Now, in our last week, we start to step back and watch as others take over what is needed. St. Joseph Primary will raise funds to build additional shelving and add carpeting. We find another friend in the village to open the Mero library on Thursdays and another to continue cataloguing the new books. As I walk the beach, I think about my tendency to look down while I am working. How many opportunities have I missed by not receiving help? I head out this morning and remind myself of the treasures on the horizon as well as in the sand, and I am grateful to so many for helping us fill the “plastic”.

Indian River Boat Trip- By Willow

We went to the Indian River and went on a rowboat with our tour guide, David. He was awesome and even made us little gifts out of palm leaves. We saw birds and a place where part of "Pirates of the Caribbean" was filmed. David said that he took Johnny Depp on his boat to get to the film locations every time they did scenes in the river.

We eventually ended up in a bar, and Alden and I had a Coca-Cola.

On the way back, we saw a heron eating a crawfish. Here are a couple pictures from the trip.

Trafalgar Falls Warm Springs

Alison captures the warm river that feeds into the Trafalgar River. This fumerole-heated river is a perfect hot tub temperature. The further downstream you go, the cooler the water becomes. Find the pool with the temp that suits you best...

Driving Scene through local town

Driving in Dominica is, for some, treated as a competitive sport. There's weaving around potholes, livestock, people and other cars (which often pull over to the side of the road suddenly with little warning). Check out the video below for a quick clip of a recent trip through one of the local villages.

Fun Facts about Dominica

Dominica’s original name is Wai’tukubuli which means tall is her body

Dominica is 29 miles long and 16 miles wide

Approximately 70,000 people live in Dominica

2/3 of the island is national park and protected as a World Heritage Site

Dominica’s coat of arms states “after God it is the land”

The majority of Dominicans are slave descendants brought here from West Africa

There is also an active community of native Dominicans, called Kalinago – they prefer not to be called “Carib” Indians, which means “cannibal”.

Everywhere you go you see people walking with machetes, also called cutlasses

There is a greater concentration of active volcanoes here than anywhere in the world

80% of the people here are Roman Catholic

English here sounds like African languages mixed with French creole. For example, “I love Dominica” translates to “Mwen enme Domnik”

We see lots of African traditions here including Carnival which means Masquerade

There are 195 recorded species of fern, 75 kinds of orchids, 50 kinds of butterflies and 176 species of birds!

Dominica’s landscape is very diverse: woodland, rainforest, microclimates, hot springs…

Endangered giant leatherback turtles lay eggs here every year

Dominica gets 60% of its power from hydroelectric

Swimming in waterfalls can be dangerous! Or "Irresponsible Parenting 101"

Hikes have no value if they don't have a waterfall to swim in, according to Alden. It's how we determine which hikes to bring the kids on with us. Longer hikes with no swimming possibilities: opportunities for me and Alison to do on our own. Shorter hikes with waterfalls and swimming possibilities: bring kids.

Sometimes we even bring friends of theirs from the village here, as we did recently when we headed overland to the other side of the island for a quick but very steep drop into a gorge with a beautiful carved-out cavern. You swim through the narrow gorge and can climb onto the rocks right next to the falls. For those interested in the element of danger, you can jump from the rocks into the frothing deluge, getting pushed down with the water that has dropped 10 feet from above.

All works great as long as you don't fight it. Swimming against it means remaining in a state of suspension whereas just "going with the flow" means getting pushed with the rest of the water and getting churned back to the surface within a few seconds. I watched Willow (who, like most children, prefers to think that danger is something that happens to other people) swim up to the froth and then get pushed down. As she tried to get back to the surface, she was moving against the force of the current. For what felt like an eternity for her but was probably closer to four of five seconds, the top of her head was all that was visible. I was able to quickly jump to her and pull her out of her suspended state.

Willow now refers to this experience as "the time I almost died".

Alison happened to be filming at the time and while she ironically began panning to the top of the falls while Willow was submerged, she pans back down just in time to capture my heroic rescue from Willow's near-death experience.

I think I was actually even more traumatized by the experience than Willow was.

Sharing - by Alden

In Dominica, many the kids have so little. But I have noticed that, no matter how much they have of something, they always share it.

One of our friends from school brought us to her house. She had a collection of Jumbi Eyes, a type of bead from a tree, that she had spent hours collecting. She took a few handfuls and put them in a bag for us. It made me notice how much we have at home and how little we share because we don’t appreciate the things we have.

Being in Dominica has reminded me realize how lucky I am.

Willow's notes from teaching

Teaching was fun!!!! We read a story to the third grade class called The Happy Lion and I led a discussion with the class. The next day, my mom and I wrote a play for the kids to do. We brought props for each part which was fun. One person was king and wore a Burger King crown. Six kids were the townspeople and they had food and shopping bags. Six people were the servants and they had cooking spoons, mops etc. The second grade class was the audience.

Although the kids did not memorize their lines for the play. They were pretty good at theirs roles. The play was supposed to teach the children to appreciate what they have. The play did not go as I expected it would because the children were talking most of the time. It made me know what teachers have to go through when kids don’t listen sometimes the kids pass notes to each other about the teacher. A couple boys in my sister’s class did that about my mom.

My mom told the class about the expression “The Grass is Always Greener on the Other Side.” They didn’t know what that meant. After the play, I said, “FREEZE!” It worked and even the teacher froze. Then I asked the class some questions. I told them to take out a piece of paper and write about what makes you happy and what you appreciate. They had all kinds of ideas like birthday parties, their parents, siblings, cousins, sweets, books, tv and friends.

When I was teaching, I felt energetic and like I was making a difference in the class. I don’t think I would like to be a teacher though when I grow up because you have to deal with too many things and sometimes kids don’t pay attention. I would rather be a mom of two kids and a nanny for dogs like 101 Dalmations and have a lot of dogs. I would also like to be an artist because I am good at art now so I’ll be even better at art later.

Beach Glass - Alison

It was a perfect piece of sea glass. Rounded edges, smooth middle and slate blue coloring. How many years had it been tossed around to arrive here like this? As I walk, I see other pieces that need more time. I reach down and throw them back into the sea, one by one. I imagine them protesting as they hurtle through space. Willow and I call to these pieces, “see you next year after a few more adventures!” and continue looking for treasures.

I gather twisted pieces of wood and discarded coconut shells. “How do you decide what things to pick up?” Willow asks me. The youngest ones always ask the best questions. “Hmmm, I like pieces that have unusual angles and curves. Things that aren’t symmetrical. Objects that have been through some storms.” She doesn’t respond and we walk in silence for a while. “Mama, I just pick up things that I find interesting.” Tell me more. “I don’t pick up anything that is too sharp or too dull.” Wise kid.

I’ve always been drawn to those people, objects and places that have been tossed around a bit. I’m with Willow: too sharp or too dull and I leave it on the beach. Sometimes, however, pieces just need a little more time. I know most people walk right over those, but somehow it makes me feel like I am contributing by throwing those objects back to the sea.

Each year the pile of treasures builds as the days progress. Some we enjoy while we are here, others we take home. We make driftwood sculptures and cairns of beach glass on the window sill. I like mine piled on top of one another. I notice that Willow arranges each of treasures meticulously and separate from one another. Side by side, the styles complement. Such a pleasure to be doing something where there is no “right,” a game where no one strikes out and it’s impossible to score against your own team.

How do you know what to pick up, what to walk past and what to throw back? The answers are personal and take time. Last year I gathered mostly blue glass. I needed that intense beauty and color. Healing light. This year, I am drawn to the white, cloudy pieces. Empathy. Once you have your treasures what do you do with them? How do you arrange them? Always, I let the colors overlap, pile on top of each other. This way, I can see what rises.

What a difference! From barrels filled with books to a real library - By Alden

A few years ago, we started to build a library in the local school here in Dominica. When we started, there was no library. There was a room with a couple computers that was also used for Spanish. Here's a picture of the library with the bookshelves we added last year.

It had maybe ten books that students used when they were at school. The walls were just cement and there were no shelves. Today, we went in to the new library for the first time. It had one big shelf and a few little shelves that we had raised money for last year, it had around a thousand books that we had collected over the years. The walls in the room were painted with castles and fairy tales by the students, and the only thing they use this room for is a library!

It made me feel so proud that we helped make this happen. Look at the pictures of the library today!

Comments are good!

My mom (Tally) mentioned she was having trouble posting a comment, so I thought I'd post something giving EVERYONE permission to post comments, ask questions, let us know what you'd like to see more of, less of, tell us what kind of weather we're missing, etc.

It's easy! If you're on the blog, all you need to do is click on the comment link which appear at the bottom of every post. If there are no comments, "0 Comments" will be listed. Simply click on that link, and "voila!": you can post your own comment. If you're looking at the specific post, it's even easier because there's a comment section. Just lay down your brilliant prose then click the "Publish" button.

This is particularly useful for Alden and Willow, who will be thrilled to know that their posts are being read.

As parents of young kids, Alison and are accustomed to talking and getting no response, but if you have something smarmy, witty or even nice to say, feel free to post a comment.

Go on, give it a try!!

Alden's First Day reflections

As I run to the village for the first time, I feel the rush of the wind in my hair. I wave to the ladies in the shower caps saying hello. On my way down, I notice the chickens walking around me and clucking, sometimes pecking at my feet. I see a few of my friends, smiling while they help their mom hang up laundry and cook the fish for dinner.

They run up to me with open arms and huge smiles. I give them a hug and we go off to play on the beach. The sun is just setting and the sky is a pinkish-orange. My friends go back to help their mom before it gets too dark and we walk back up, warm and happy.

Willow's Finally Arrived

Dominican Hugs
By Willow

Chapter 1:
Getting on the airplane feels like we are being rushed. We don't have time to linger or talk until we start flying. I love seeing when we take off. I am looking forward to our trip. When we land in Dominica, it feels like our Portsmouth life is stopping and our Dominican life is starting.

Chapter 2:
The car ride to Mero Village from the airport is a bumpy, long adventure. I see cars thrown on the side of the road with windows smashed open The clay walls stack as tall I would think Mt. Everest is. I love the sweet breeze that blows in my hair and I roll down my window to feel it. When I hear dogs barking and horns honking and people saying, "yeah, man" in their Dominican accent, it makes me feel this is where I belong.

Chapter 3:
Running down to meet our friends is awesome and I wave to people on my way. The stone roads push against my feet. The hot sun warms my face. And then, I see my friends just waiting there for me with open arms and I run up to them and give a squeeze. Then I run down the beach and play until sunset.

Chapter 4:
The moon glows brightly and the sky is a pink, blue, orange and yellow blaze. As I run home with Alden I see old, beaten up houses and think to myself how fortunate I am! I hear waves crashing in the in the distance and dogs barking, and I think to myself, they are barking for me because I am finally here.

Images from our First Full Day

Our first full day started with a beautiful rainbow, shown here from our window. The rental car logistics and general settling in took the bulk of the morning, so we decided to get some snorkeling, heading to the southernmost tip of the island called Scott's Head. Alden is captured (above) as she practices her diving skills.

As we leave the town of Scott's Head, the fishing boats provide inspirational reminders of things we sometimes forget in our busy lives: Faith, Praise, Hope.

Relaxation begins to coarse through our veins, lowering our pulse and broadening our smiles. It's nice to be back.

Dominica's Presents - Alison's reflections

When I was six I planned my own birthday party. It was going to be magnificent – magic show at ten, swimming at eleven and hot dogs at noon. I’m sure there were specific minutes attached to the hours just to appeal to my sense of order. There was only one problem. My guests didn’t follow my schedule. They wanted to swim before the magic show. They wanted me to open gifts immediately. “You guys aren’t getting it!” I protested. The heat came up from my heart and into my cheeks. For the next two hours I cajoled my friends back to my plan. I was not smiling. As the magic show wrapped up, I burst into tears, unable to hold back the dam of frustration any longer. I never got to open my presents.

We arrive in Dominica and I do not feel ready for the sensory assault. The garbage, the potholes, the inability to get email. I feel frustration grabbing hold of me. Each year the events of the winter offer something different that I take on this journey. Last year, it was Switzerland. This year, there are many convergences. I am packed but not ready to be here. My schedule isn’t aligning with the plane tickets. I should connect with a few more clients. I need to see Sara. I want a little more time on the phone. “Your rental car was in an accident so we’ll have to give you this truck,” we are told on arrival. I sit in the front seat and feel our bags jostle in the truck bed behind, fully expecting them to bounce off the back with the bumps. “The Layou River has washed out the road. We need to drive around it. It will take some extra time.” I am six years old. I want the magic show first. The heat is rising. Wilson drives on, talking calmly.

“It wasn’t even a tropical storm that created this wreckage,” he informs me. “I have lived here my whole life and I have never seen anything like it…it was just ordinary showers.” His face is without emotion as he tells me 7 cars washed into the river when the dam burst. “Houses that survived Hurricane David were wiped out and everything in them swept away.” I look around at the solidness of Dominica: the thick vegetation, the strong bodies, rich soil. It was unimaginable. “But that’s nature,” Wilson concludes.

That’s nature? That’s it? You sit back and just let things get washed away? By ordinary showers, no less? I am a fierce protector of what I hold close: friendships, kid snuggles, beach rocks, words that resonate. I do not let anything precious get washed away. The magic show has to come first. It has to. “The dam burst,” says Wilson. “The river washed the bridge away.” So now what? I ask as we bump along the road. “We rebuild,” he tells me with no dramatic effect. “That’s nature. You need to move with it.”

Ah, I get it. Dominica’s first lesson. It’s primary lesson. My schedule doesn’t matter. Dams burst. Parents die. Friends get sick. People come into your life at unexpected times. “That’s nature.” I feel the heat leave my cheeks. I look around and see the garbage piles by the side of the road as the vestiges of Carnival instead of merely the disrespectful marring of beauty. Rebuild. It’s OK to swim before the magic show. “That’s nature.” If I practice moving with it, maybe this time I’ll actually get to open my presents.

Thanks for all your help!

Thanks to help from many friends and family members, we've packed up 6 55-gallon drums with more books and have shipped them off to Dominica, where they are scheduled to arrive in 2 weeks.

We're in the final stages of preparation, with clothes strewn all over the dining room floor, snorkel gear, cameras, more books and food. This year we will be bringing books both the to school (where Alden and Willow have attended classes the past years) and to the town of Mero, which we have heard has created a makeshift library by re-purposing a shipping container. We are looking forward to seeing the new library in Mero and adding our shipment to the shelves there.

The girls are collecting lesson plans and assignments so we can continue school work while we're there. And Alison is speaking with the local principal about the possibility of teaching a class or two with Alden and Willow at the primary school.

Thanks so much for the support you have offered, whether it's boxes of books dropped on our doorstep, words of encouragement, or donations to help us fund this venture. We hope you enjoy hearing about it as much as we enjoy making this happen. Ultimately your collective support has enabled us to take this project much further than we ever envisioned. If you're able to help again, we're trying to make it as easy as possible. Check out the "Chip In" option to donate on the blog or simply click this link to make a payment online through PayPal or with a credit card.

If you'd prefer to send support by mail, please send checks to our home address:
698 State Street in Portsmouth, NH 03801

Thanks again, and we hope you'll follow our adventures this year. We leave for Dominica this Wednesday and after a layover in Puerto Rico, we'll be settled in the seaside village of Mero on Thursday just in time for dinner.