Bookshelves Arriving

Bookshelves arriving

Ralmone, the carpenter who built the bookshelves for the school delivered them today. It was really exciting to see them come down the street towards the school in the bed of the pickup truck. After all, the last time I had seen the carpenter, he took $1,000 EC (about $400 US dollars) and said he would deliver the finished product by March 12. Since he had done work for several people here in the village of Mero and came highly recommended as trustworthy and one of the best carpenters in the area, I was pretty confident that he wasn't going to skip town with my money, but on the eve of Carnival and without much in the way of a receipt, it was pretty easy to imagine this cash disappearing.

Bookshelves in their new home

I did speak with him several times over the past couple weeks, partly for my own sense of security that he was actually doing the work and partly to set expectations for others at the school. True to his word, the shelves were finished on schedule (a complete surprise for work around here).

Ralmone attached the heavy duty locking wheels I brought with me for the purpose so the shelving can be moved around the room to accommodate multiple uses for the room, and he did an amazing job re-using boards salvaged from a long-defunct bookshelf. These extra boards he fit into place this morning when he delivered the bookcase.

Ralmone, posing with his work

 

Ms. Pendanque, the Principal, was very pleased and talked about how well this shelf would work, giving her energy and enthusiasm for having more shelves build (with funding she hopes will come from the Minister of Education in Dominica).

Alison and I left the school and both felt elated that we were able to be here for the full process of receiving the barrels, unloading the books and delivery of the bookshelves. Ms. Pendanque talked about her plans to open the library to the community for 2 hours after school each day because there are many books that adults in the town will enjoy. We loved hearing that this library would be useful not just to the students but to their families and others in the community.

To all of you who have helped this project go from dream to possibility to reality, we are truly grateful for all your support.  Thank you very much!

A Coral Reef - By Willow

Spiky
Colorful
Beautiful
Fish Swimming About
Wavy
Straight
An underwater city
A Coral Reef

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
• Dominica’s coat of arms states “after God it is the land”
• The majority of Dominicans are slave descendants brought here from west Africa
• Everywhere you go you see people walking with machetes, also called cutlasses
• There are more 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 water through a series of water carried down in pipes from high peaks.
• The tallest peak Morne Diablotin, is nearly 5,000 feet tall.

Willow's School reflections

Dear friends,

Things are very different here. The Dominica kids have to do praying before school starts. The first day they did their prayers it almost made me laugh because they say, “Good Lord, please make us be good children!” Kids get whipped with books when they are not being good. You are allowed to go into the streets at lunch to buy food at the stores.

I made four friends the first day of school. I call one of my friends “Carrot” because his hair looks like a carrot with braids. Kids are very nice. One lighter skin girl is teasing me for being white. She whispered to her friends and I could tell it was about me. I wish I could go back home but I also wish I could stay right here.

Hike to Boiling Lake

While the kids were off at school yesterday, we headed off for a hike we haven't done for 5 years. It's a beautiful route that took us 4.5 hours, starting at around 2,500 feet and topping out at nearly 5,000. Up and over the ridge, down into the Valley of Desolation, back up another ridge to the Boiling Lake and then all over again. Think "Stair Master" with mud, courtesy of the rain forest.

With only 70,000 residents on Dominica, more than half of them in the 2 cities on the west coast, there is lots of open land. Nearly 2/3 of the island is undeveloped land in the Morne Trois Piton National Park. This hike gives you a sense of that.

While the trail maintenance on this hike has improved dramatically, there were still several steep sections that were nearly impassable, with slick mud and not much to hold onto. The video clip here provides some additional info and perspective.

Today we rest and massage tired calves and quads.

I recommend watching this full screen because for some reason otherwise some of the frame gets cut off.

Unpacking the books

A few days ago, my parents went to go pick up the barrels with all of the books in them. Willow and I were at school while they went with the principal to Roseau, where the barrels were. We all wondered how long it would take them, although we had a pretty good feeling it would take all day. They left around nine o’clock.

At school, it was “come as you like”. That is a day where you have to dress like a character. Some kids came as pop stars, and some kids came as doctors. There were a lot of different varieties. I came as Katy Perry with my friend Kemely because she wanted to sing a song with me by Katy Perry. We sang “hot and cold”.

It was very different to our school’s “field day” or “expression session”. With this school, the kids just ran around until the teachers set up the chairs for us to sit in and watch each kid come up one by one and do their act. Some people were good, but most kids were really bad. At least they tried. When they called Kemely and my name, we went up and sang our song. While we were up there singing and dancing, we were looking at all of the school. It was then that I realized that this school is much smaller than Little Harbour. We could fit all of the kids in the school here on the stage at the same time. After we finished, people clapped.

The teachers kept on calling names. One kid was (I am guessing) about five years old and was dressed as a business man. When he got up on stage, he told us all about how he was a business man and if anybody did anything wrong, he would fire them. He said “see this tag on my shirt, this means I am a business man, so now you know how to spell business man.” We all laughed. He took it so seriously. After we had gone through all of the people, it was snack time. After snack, we had lunch, and after lunch, my parents came back.

They had a pickup truck with all six of the barrels in the back. I helped them unload it and sort the barrels out. We divided the books into different reading levels, beginning in K and running through 6th grade. After about a half an hour of unpacking the barrels, I was pooped. So was everybody who was helping. We had to keep going until we finished. Once we were done, each pile pretty much filled up a whole barrel. I will always remember the feeling that I got when I was helping with the barrels. It was a feeling that you know you’re helping, but it is such hard work.

It’s going to be really great when we see the new book shelves in the library. Hopefully they will be done by the end of the week.

"Snapshots" by Alden

I froze, and the pig looked at me for a minute. He stared me right in the eyes. He seemed to be saying “what are you?” Then, he started running as fast as he could, right towards me! I froze for a second, then realized,” this means you have to get away!” I ran all the way to the car. When my dad went over to see the pig, he told me it was tied up. All that for nothing!

Three, two, one, JUMP! I found my feet immediately leaving the rock. In one second, I was flying through the air. My hair flew up. My arms stretched over my head, and I screamed with joy. In five seconds, I felt my feet hit the water, then my legs, body, arms, and head. I dove under. I came up,the current pushing me towards the rocks. I found the edge of the cliff to hold onto, and finally found a way to hoist myself up. “Let’s do it again!”

Picking up the Books

The barrels we packed in a scramble amidst snow storms and dry goods runs, arrived last week. We enlisted friend Loren and his pickup truck to facilitate. “Call me when you’ve gone through customs so that I don’t have to sit there all day,” he said, embedding his warning that collecting the shipment would be a lengthy process. Thoughts of Dominican inefficiency ran through my mind. Four hours and 12 different lines with payments and clearances later, we had 2,000+ books in the back of the truck bed. Not bad!

What I most love yet most struggle with here is that things are never go as expected. We arrived at St. Joseph Elementary school at lunch time and the entire school population was milling about. Alden had organized several students to help unload and sort books, but another teacher usurped her plan and began to organize for us. We’ve been here enough to know to shut up. “Two students only at a time!” Ms. Thomas commanded. Chaos was building and the religious music blaring on the computer speaker wasn’t helping. Alden instinctively reached to turn it off. 10 minutes later Ms. Thomas turned it back on again and let us know it was her son singing in the chorus. “Keep Your Hearts in Tune” would stay- repeatedly.

We sorted books through lunch, through recess and through the rest of the “academic” day. The teachers seemed to decide there was no need to return to class even though only five students at a time were helping us. Kids peeked through the glassless windows and door to check out what was happening. Word got out there was a barrel of books just for the kids in Mero village. It was like Christmas – exciting and exhausting all at the same time. Except for Ms. Thomas, the teachers didn’t hover, but they were thrilled there were books for them as well as the students. Even the principal asked if it was OK if she put a book in her purse to read over the weekend.

It is hard to know how to fill a need without feeling like colonial benefactors and setting up expectations for future handouts. We have worked hard to involve the community in every aspect so they feel involved in the project. We made sure the kids knew that most of the books came from other students, just like them at another school similar to theirs. It’s so easy to focus on differences when those are what jump out on both sides. And yet, bullying, girl drama and parental pushback aren’t limited by country or skin color. Nice to feel at home when so much makes us feel far away.

Jacko's Steps

Yesterday, we went to Jacko’s Steps. Jacko’s Steps is a hike that the Dominican slaves escaped to. It was a very good place to escape to because it is surrounded by thick forest. The steps are named after Jacko, a former slave who had escaped and then helped other slaves escape using the thick forest as a tool. Later, Jacko and the other slaves built the steps to make it easier for the other slaves yet to come.
The hike was a long one, but it was really fun. At the end of the hike, there was a river. Overlooking the river, there was a vine. You could swing on the vine and then look down at the river. My mom and I were interested in swinging on it, but we made my dad go first. When he made it to the other side of the river safely, we jumped right onto the vine. My mom went first, then I went. I grabbed on, and jumped! Swinging on the vine was awesome!!! I did it a couple of times. After I was finished swinging, I swam in the river. We managed to make our way down the river to the rocks. We swam there, where it was deeper. After about an hour, we dried off and headed for the hike back. On the way back, we took the same route.
When we got back, we hopped in the car for a half hour drive.
When we got back to our village, we went to the beach. We played there with our friends for a while. We spent half the time swimming, and half the time playing on the beach. It was nice to have a relaxing time after all the hiking.

Alden's first day of school

The other day, we had our first day of school. My dad and mom dropped us (along with six others) off. Willow was nervous, I was excited to see all of my other friends. When we got there, my friend Kemely showed me the way. We are in a different building this year, so she had to show me everything. I met our teacher, and he is very nice. When the (handheld) bell rang we lined up for morning prayers. First, the teachers led us in a prayer (that I did not know). I tried to catch on. Next, we sang all of these religious songs. Most of them just talked about Jesus and God and how we always needed to be faithful to God. Again, I didn’t know any of the songs, so again, I tried to catch on.

After we finished our prayers, we went to class. The first thing we did in class was language arts. We read a passage about an opossum 3 times, and then answered the questions about the passage. Next, she gave us our homework on homophones. We read until the bell rang for snack. I ate and shared my sunflower seeds. Then, the bell rang saying that we had to go back to class. The next subject we had was math. Our teacher showed us what we had to do (convert grams into kilograms). I finished quickly.

When the bell rings for lunch, students are allowed to go out of the school gates either to buy their lunch, or go home. When they buy lunch, they go to at least five different little shops. The lunch they buy is normally a soda, fried chicken, and a bag of chips.

It is so different here than at Portsmouth. This school is way less structured. In class, the teachers are not very committed to teaching. If their phone rings, they answer it no matter what, and then have a long conversation with whoever is on the other end, even if it is some-one who wants to hang out after work in the village. When the teacher goes out of the room, the kids go CRAZY! They throw the chalk erasers, they play with a bean bag, and they dance around the room.

Being in the school here makes me grateful for how much work is put into having a successful day by the teachers. Not many people know that.

First Impressions

The grit always takes me by surprise. It’s only when I see the abandoned cars with weeds coming out of the windows and the corrugated tin pieces as entry ways that I remember. The initial view of Dominica isn’t a Caribbean postcard.

Our apartment is a refuge compared to Mero beach, and yet the village is where we want to spend our time. When I walk in the mornings, I wave to familiar faces. The business of the day is already in motion – brushing teeth at the communal water tap, braiding children’s hair, setting out extra fruit and vegetables to sell from the porch. I breathe it all in and get a dose of burning firewood and diesel fumes at the same time.

As a family that loves to explore new places, why are we drawn to this spot again and again? There is so much more to understand with each visit. Dominica reveals itself in layers. After the grit, comes the waterfall hikes, the local johnny cakes and the broad smiles when a whitie says “OK, man!”

First Day of School

We dropped the girls off for their first day of school here. They dressed in their uniforms and, on the way to school, we picked up several friends from the village. The picture here was taken at the entrance to the school yard with their friends.

Alden was excited; Willow was nervous. Both had friends by their side to make them feel more comfortable. We all got hugs from teachers and felt welcomed by the school community as we entered the school yard. The kids disappeared with their friends and we said hello to the Principal, Ms. Verne Pendanque. We asked if she could help us find a way to retrieve the barrels we shipped with all the books. Our small 4x4 isn't big enough to fit more than 1 barrel, and we have 6 that need to come from the port in Canefield.

We will need a pick-up truck (or as they say here, "transport"), and while we have a friend here who may be willing to lend us his truck, we have asked the school to see if they can help arrange for something. The more they have to work at getting the supplies here, the more engaged they become in the process.

We will return tomorrow to see if Verne has found someone willing to help.

As we prepared to leave, Willow found us and, with a nervous, sad face told us that someone had made fun of her. "For what?" Alison asked. "For being white," was her reply. She was surrounded by her friends at this point, and we asked them to take care of Willow. She quickly turned and walked away hand in hand with them.

What a change from living in New Hampshire! Our hearts sank as we left her, but she seemed to feel more comfortable knowing her friends were going to look after her.

Hi everybody! This is Willow.

Yesterday we went to Jacko’s Steps. Before we went there, we learned about the history of slavery in Dominica. It was interesting to compare it to what I have learned about slavery in our country. Jack's Steps were carved by slaves who hid out in the rainforest. Escaped slaves were called “moroons” here. The maroons had their own villages in the rainforest. One of those was at the top of Jacko’s Steps. The steps went down a steep cliff. There were 130 steps. They were the length of my legs. At the bottom of the steps there was a river. My sister, Dad and Mom swung on a vine that led across the river. My friend Alia and I played in the river. Then we hiked back up.

Today we are going to De Leau Chaud. It’s a hot spring that you swim across a river with a strong current to get to. But I can swim across the current by myself. We are going with two friends. Their names are Alia and Tory.
Dominica is an hour difference in time from Portsmouth. It’s 8:40 in the morning here, and it’s 7:40 in New Hampshire.

Middleham Falls

On our first full day here, we decided to hike to one of our favorite falls. At over 200 feet, it's one of Dominica's tallest. No swimming in this one (although we were tempted). Jamie walked down to the pool to see if swimming was safe and the closer he got, the more extreme the experience became. By the time he reached the pool, he reported near-hurricane conditions from the wind and spray off the falls - amazing.

4 of the 6 barrels have arrived here, and we plan to retrieve them early next week once we find someone with a vehicle that can fit them all. The girls were going to go to school today, but it's closed, as it is the last Friday of every month so teachers can go to the capital and receive their paychecks.

Still waiting for one of our bags to arrive - the one with Alden and Willow's clothes. Good thing we packed swimsuits in a separate bag. Re-connecting with friends in town today and possibly some snorkeling.

Alden and Willow in the local paper

For those of you who are not local, I thought you might be interested to see the article in the Portsmouth Herald this morning.

Fun to see the picture and hear (in their words) what makes the experience meaningful to them. We'd be lying if we said we weren't proud!

Click here to read the article

Packing Barrels

We're madly hauling books from the basement and adding them to the 4 55-gallon shipping drums. Last year we crammed all the supplies into 2 barrels. This year we purchased 4 barrels, knowing that we had more books. As we began packing, however, it became clear that even with 2x the space to ship this year, we don't have enough barrels! It seems that every day we're receiving new boxes. Some are dropped off by friends, others by people we don't even know. The outpouring of support continues to amaze and humble us.

This excess of supplies is a good problem to have, though. It just means that we'll be shipping in two different deliveries: one now and the other the first week of February. The priority items will all go in this first shipment, especially the heavy duty wheels we purchased for the book shelves.

We have a carpenter lined up to build the shelves. He comes recommended, but we don't have much to go on other than this recommendation from a friend. Like many of the things we do when we're there, we have to be flexible with our expectations.

In any case, barring highly unusual, the first shipment of barrels will be there when we arrive, and the others will hopefully also arrive while we're still there.

Thanks to all of you who have supported this effort, whether with books, checks to help with the cost or words of encouragement.

Just to make it easier if you'd like to help...

My super-techie sister, Heidi, suggested that I add a widget (that's basically a feature) on the blog that makes it easier to donate. Rather than sending a check, you can click on the Chip-in link and donate on their secure site that's associated with Pay-Pal. Ah, technology! So I figured it was worth explaining this addition. Still trying to figure out the best place to put this on the blog, but in the meantime, here it is for those who are inclined to help but don't feel like using the old school method of cutting a check and sticking it in the mail.

Hey, consider this a carbon-reducing alternative!

Building a Library

Below is a letter that Alden wrote and is sending out to friends and family. While our fund raising techniques to support this venture are pretty basic, the costs for it continue to increase, especially this year as we prepare to ship bookshelves down for their library.


Dear Friends and Family, January 3, 2011

My family and I are traveling to Dominica, an island in the West Indies. This will be our fifth time traveling to Dominica. Dominica is a small, poor island. The people there are happy, yet many of them have so little. The schools are very different from the schools we have in America. The schools are made of plain cement blocks. They have graffiti on the walls and a single blackboard hanging on the wall of each classroom. They have few books, pencils, paper, crayons, colored pencils, or even pens! Academically, they also have little.

Our family wants to help by building a library in their school. Building a library is a big commitment, but if we get enough supplies, we will be able to do it. We have already gathered thousands of books and school supplies. My sister and I have the chance to go to school there for a month every year. We have both found differences and similarities to ours in their culture and schools. All of the subjects that kids learn about in school are approached in a totally different way because they don’t have enough supplies. Even a spiral notebook is a huge donation. When we give them books and school supplies every year, they award us with their gratitude. They are always so grateful for our donations.

This year, we are hoping to raise $1,500 in order to ship supplies as well as bookshelves for the St. Joseph School Library. We hope you can help us with donating any amount you can. Little things make a big difference. Thank you so much!

From,
Alden and Willow Forbes
698 State Street
Portsmouth, NH 03801