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Hello family and friends! We are writing to you from Dominica! After a long travel day, we have finally made it to the Secret Garden Inn, just outside of the capital city of Roseau. Lindsay and Dave greeted the first flight at 2:30. Erica, Leah, Allie, Ryan, and Robert made it with all of their luggage in tow! They took a short walk to the shore and had lots of fruit to choose from to snack on – including papaya, bananas, coconuts, and pineapple. Just a short while later at 5:30, Jackson, Cooper, Lauren, Megan, and Juli arrived, also with all of their luggage! And also very happily found was our leader Dave's luggage, which was delayed for four days. Emma and Emily are delayed in San Juan, where they are staying the night with a Broadreach representative. We look forward to them joining us tomorrow afternoon. Once we arrived at the Secret Garden Inn, we were treated to a great meal of watercress soup, chicken, vegetables, and other local fare. We met the owner, June Allen, who shared her plans and vision for her inn here in Dominica. After hearing the itinerary for our three weeks and going over a basic orientation, we were glad to finally make it to bed after a long journey here. Lots of love to friends and family, Dave and Lindsay Day 2 Awoken by the cry of the free-running roosters, we all looked out the windows in awe of the beautiful scenery. As we had arrived to the Secret Garden Inn at night, we were shocked to find ourselves surrounded by a luscious jungle that climbed up the mountains behind us. We ambled down the spiral staircase of the guest house to find the breakfast table colorful with mango, papaya, pineapple, and soursop (a white fruit with a gummy consistency). After breakfast, we hiked to the famed Trafalgar Falls. The road wound about the colorful houses, the emerald greenery, and even a family of goats. The steep inclines tested our endurance, but along the trail Dave found a feisty land crab and showed us how to catch one. The first view of the falls was breathtaking: two waterfalls plunging into pristine pools peppered with mossy boulders. Climbing the boulders to reach the waterfall was a challenge for some, but everyone helped one another out so we could all cool off in the natural pool. Our guide showed us a secret cave behind the falls and then helped a couple of us to jump from low rocks into the pool. After the difficult hike, swimming was refreshing! We hiked back to the inn to cook lunch. We all helped to cook the spaghetti and tomato sauce- which actually turned out well! After playing a bonding game, we helped our host with her plans to expand the inn by moving cinder blocks and removing weeds. We tasted the sour guava after our hard work. Chanel, the host's daughter, led us up the road to a garden where a local led us around his backyard: a rainforest, a waterfall, and tubs filled with the hot water naturally warmed by the island's volcanoes. We tasted starfruit and bananas and saw trees that bear grapefruit, cherries, and even chocolate! The owners had pet guinea pigs, turtles, and a possum. We then came home to prepare for dinner. Our host made us a delicious dinner that consisted of a vegetable medley, fresh tuna, and wild rice. Our last two Broadreachers, Emma and Emily, arrived right before dinner and we are finally all together! We had a wonderful first day and are looking forward to our long hike to the Boiling Lake tomorrow! By Alexandra Beckemeyer Day 3 Finally, our group is complete! Through our readings on the island of Dominica and all it has to offer its tourists, we learned of the famed Morne Trois Pitons UNESCO World Heritage Site. I doubt that anyone was either prepared or expecting what we were told we'd be enduring for the following day. This morning, we awoke at 6:00 only to be greeted once again by the environmentally unmatched mountains of the Tropical Paradise of Dominica. We ate breakfast consisting of delicious locally-grown Mango and Papaya as well as 'bowling-pin' bread with passion fruit or guava jam. We also made our lunches for that day, thanks to our assembly line of people! Each person added another layer to the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, proving that we were not only bonding, but actually working together as a team. At 8:00 our ride arrived- a white van with booming bass sounds of reggae music- and all 14 of us poured in. We traveled up hills and narrow roads to the beginning of our 6 hour hike to the second largest boiling lake in the world. As the hike began we were feeling confident that we could make it to the top. We hiked up trails covered by vines and trees as our guide, George, a happy and passionate Dominican pointed out the different types of trees only found in the rainforest. After about two hours, we reached the Breakfast River, a clear river running quickly downstream that we were forced to cross in order to continue on our journey to the Boiling Lake. As we crossed the Breakfast River, we found ourselves climbing straight up the mountain via wooden steps maintained by the Dominican government. It was an effort of maintaining the beauty and accessibility of all the island has to offer. Finally, after much huffing and puffing, we reached a landing, where we could not believe our eyes. We were surrounded by mountains on every side of us with only a crevice of the Caribbean Sea in our vision, right between the middle of two of the eight volcanoes of the island. We rested a bit and took sips from our Nalgenes and continued on. Soon, after a short trip down hill, we were greeted with The Valley of Desolation, a low valley filled with rivers heated by the volcano. The white, mineral-filled rivers smelled of rotten eggs because of the sulfur, though we found ourselves getting used to the startling smell. The Valley of Desolation provided us with difficult rocks and slippery boulders to traverse, but we stuck together and made it through the tough part. After the Valley of Desolation, we had an hour left of hiking uphill. We were still tired, though anxious to see the famed Boiling Lake. We trailed on only to cross one more hill and see the steam and fog of the Boiling Lake. The lake was very deep and we were glad to see that it was actually boiling! We rested for a while, took pictures and ate our lunches. We refilled our water bottles and trekked back down the Valley of Desolation and thru the winding trees and levels of the forest. Finally, after twelve miles of hiking to and from the lake, we were tired beyond anything most of us had ever felt before. Though happy we'd conquered such a tough hike, we arrived at the bottom, right where we'd started, where we were told if we wanted, we could swim in the Ti Tou Gorge. We perceived it to be a shallow pool only about a foot tall. Though, once we got in the water and turned to our right, we saw a low cave. We all ventured in only to find huge walls of rock, about 40 feet tall on each side of us. We swam further over boulders in the clear, but dark water, using only our ears to guide us to the sound of crashing water. At the back of the cave, we found a giant waterfall, the second of our trip. Many jumped through the crashing water, while others relaxed our sore and over worked muscles in the cool water. After cleaning up the trash in the Ti Tou Gorge camping area, we hiked down to where our once again music-filled van was waiting for us. As we walked down the winding road, we once again saw the three peaks of Morne Trois Pitons, only this time, we were surprised and proud that we'd accomplished such a hike. Even though in the van, we were exhausted, we were happy and laughing as were worked our way around the one lane roads surrounding the mountains to the Secret Garden Inn, our home for the past few days. We took off our packs and plopped our bodies into chairs and talked about the success of the day. Then, J'vonni, the four year old child of our hosts, whom each and every one of our group adores came to talk and lighten our spirits even more. Just as our stomachs grumbled, dinner was ready. We enjoyed noodles, soy chicken and turkey followed by delicious citronella tea, which none of us had ever had before. We reflected on the day and were extremely proud of our tremendous accomplishment, and even though we are exhausted, we find ourselves excited and ready for our trip to the capital of Roseau tomorrow. --Megan Khan-Karen Day 4 This morning we awoke and packed up for Portsmouth. We were all sad to leave June, George, Chanel, and J'vanni at the Secret Garden Inn, but we were also excited for our beach-front cottages up North! Our exploration of Roseau was a success – we wandered around the street vendors admiring their handmade crafts and organic goods. We visited the Dominica History Museum to further our cultural education and noted The Dominica's turbulent past. We ate at a local restaurant and sampled banana pie, fried plantains, and grilled pumpkin. After lunch we strolled through the fruit market admiring the exotic fruits and purchased mangoes, guava, and bananas for breakfast. After our Roseau excursion, we drove up the picturesque coast to Portsmouth. Our driver, Martin, explained the history of each seaside village through which we drove. Finally we arrived at our hotel, the Piccard Beach Cottages and walked down the path to our rooms – the breathtaking view of the Caribbean and the beautiful cottages exceeded our highest expectations. The first thing we all did was rush (the black sand was so hot!) into the sea and bask in the sun. An afternoon of bliss and relaxation passed quickly and we walked to a local Chinese restaurant for dinner. Lindsay taught us about culture and Caribbean history after dinner and the night ended with a moonlight dip in the sea. Tomorrow we will tackle a local service project and enjoy another day in paradise! --Alexandra Beckemeyer Day 5 Today we traveled to Portsmouth to work on our first official community service project. We met with some locals around their youth center, and began discussing our backgrounds and lifestyles. The head of their group told us all about how she takes three buses and wakes up at 5 a.m. to get to the university at 9:30. This eagerness to learn inspired us all, and helped us while we began executing the project. We worked with people ages fifteen to nineteen and were so grateful for their cooperation and willingness to help. We then broke into groups and planned out anti-drug murals at a bus stop and on a wall. I worked at the bus stop with four other kids from our group as well at three of the youth helping out. Before we could even begin painting, we decided to clean up dirt lying around. We were overwhelmed by the amount of glass and other garbage we found while sweeping it into a garbage bag. We decided to integrate our ideas with the native’s designs, because ultimately, they are going to be the ones living with it. We agreed on drawing the Dominican flag on one side and anti-drug messages around the rest of the space. After the first half of the service project, our guide, Martin, took us on a relaxing hike to a waterfall in the Northern Forest Reserve. Everyone that wanted to had a chance to jump off a twenty foot cliff or just relax and swim. While on our hike, Martin taught us some interesting facts about the crops here. Martin taught us that banana plants take nine months to ripen and afterwards they cut the plant down to leave room for the smaller plants. We also learned that vanilla needs to be crossbred with another plant to harvest. Martin taught us other facts and then brought us to the Red Rocks at the conclusion of our hike. The Red Rocks were beautiful and indescribable all together. We then traveled back to our famous 'Pirates of the Caribbean' homes on the beach and had a traditional American dish of pizza for dinner. Today was another successful day in Dominica and we look forward to sharing the end results of our first project. Enjoy the pictures. --Erica Rabner Day 6 Today we rose early to complete our job at the Portsmouth Youth and Community Center. We gathered in the main hall to meet our new helpers – a group of locals from the great island of Dominica – who came out to assist in finishing the mural and bus stop projects. After a rousing game of “The Human Knot,” we were off and running! While waiting for the paint to arrive, Jackson, Emily, Cooper, Alex and Ryan noticed how incredibly littered the graveyard right behind us was and took the initiative to start yet a fourth project... cleaning it up! We also painted a sign to prevent the littering from happening again. Meanwhile, Megan and Robert started to colorfully paint the bricks on the front of the building in the garden providing a whole new vibe for the dull looking place. On the other side of the building, Emma, Lauren and Erica turned a disastrous yellow paint accident on the sidewalk into a beautiful sunshine and signed it ‘Broadreach’ with the date, leaving behind our mark for life. Juli and Leah spent their day painting a giant mural of mountains, volcanoes, and boiling lakes. Allie persevered throughout the whole day replicating the Dominican Coat of Arms. The job was close to done when the bus stop group realized there was nothing on the outer walls so Ryan and Jackson started to splatter paint and then stick their hands in the paint and slap on a nice set of yellow handprints. Before we knew it, the whole group’s hands were colored more than a rainbow! We placed handprints on the freshly painted white walls till all spots were filled. This brought true happiness to the place and it couldn't have gone better! The day was over, the brushes were clean and the group was exhausted, but all of the villagers had smiles on their faces. We made them happy and we made ourselves proud. We did what we came here to do and we knew it. The Center went from a plain building with a graveyard that looked like a landfill and a tattered bus stop to a mountain-colored, country-supported, anti-drug, education playground! Next, we shipped up the Indian River on the “Providence” learning about the plantation, crabs, coconuts, classic remedies, and of course the art of grass origami. Floating through a river of peace and quite was the most fantastic way to conclude a long, rigorous, yet rewarding day. Goodbye now. Tune in tomorrow for an amazing What’s Up entry from Lauren. Peace and Love, Jackson Hart Day 7 Today on the beautiful island of Dominica, we had a wide array of adventures. It all began with a beach cleanup assisted by the Portsmouth youth. Our group, as well as the youth center team, branched out in groups of three and paraded down Coconut Beach with pride. Each group gathered an average of three trash bags plumped with a variety of garbage. After about an hour of cleanup, all of the teams reconvened and consolidated the bags near the road for pick-up. The next item on our full agenda was a brief snorkeling expedition. We masked up and floated gracefully with the waves while watching the reef-fish and a variety of other ocean wildlife, for which Dominica is known. Afterwards, we marched in a herd down the beach anxiously awaiting a filling and delicious Dominican lunch. We all gathered in our cottages and cleaned up; we then loaded into our van and headed off to lunch. Once the team was in full food coma, we drove into town for some free time and modern technology. The cyber cafe was loaded with Broadreachers eagerly checking email. The team met up around 4 in the afternoon and decided to head to the soccer field for a nice futbol game with local Dominican children. While the game was going on, some folks went back into town and discovered a music store. Night began to fall and the team filled up a few to-go containers with wonderful local food and drinks and headed back to the soccer field to admire a real Dominican soccer game. We watched the balls fly back and forth as we munched on our aromatic meals. After eating, we joined in the games too and befriended some local teenagers. Another beautiful day in paradise was winding to an end as our van escorted us home from the field. ~Lauren Day 8 We started the day waking up early at about 6:30 to go and experience the way that they do church out here in Dominica. When we first got there it felt awkward because we had reserved seats in the front and it felt like all eyes were on us. The service was amazing, it was quite long and towards the end was getting very hot but everyone enjoyed it, and it was interesting to notice the differences and similarities in the service. One of the best parts of the service was the melodies and how beautiful all of the church choir voices were. It was very heart warming when they took the time to thank us especially for cleaning up the cemetery and it felt good to get the message out there that it is important to keep that sacred place clean. When the service ended we were ready to leave but we left with a positive attitude knowing that we helped and that the people really appreciated what we were doing. After church we had some much needed free time to relax and take a swim or just go back to bed for an hour and that prepped us for lunch and the walk up to Cabrits National Park with a wonderful view of Portsmouth and cannons everywhere which made for some great pictures. After the walk we were all feeling a little tired and so we came back to the cottages for some free time. Many of us swam to cool off, and a few of us napped before we ate dinner. For dinner we had some great Indian food which was delivered to us and we all got a lot to fill our stomachs, we even had some leftovers for the dogs. After the delicious dinner we had a very interesting and mind opening discussion about the economic structure of the Caribbean and the roles that the locals play as well as the roles of the colonial nations. We talked about the book “A Small Place” which was very interesting and gave us a perspective of the native people about tourists and their role in Caribbean society. Finally, we ended the day with our leaders doing some hilarious skits of some of the memories so far on the trip and it was a good way to top off our stay at the cottages in Portsmouth. Day 9 Today was the ideal balance of service, relaxation and cultural learning. We woke up bleary- eyed at seven, ate a quick breakfast and headed back to the youth center for our last day of painting a mural and a bus stop across the street. We finished painting the clouds and mountains on the mural and the flag of Dominica on the bus stop. We had become quite close with the Dominicans at the youth center. Carlvin, one of the younger volunteers wrote a poem to our group expressing his gratitude for our work and his sadness about saying goodbye. In his poem titled, On Saying Goodbye, he wrote: “There are too many goodbyes in my life. Just too many. Things were sad and then things were bad, and now things were so much better, but I have to say “goodbye”-and even though there will be another “hello” I don't want to see the friends and the times of this best of all summer go. And if only your friend could be with me a little longer, just one more week-I'd have seven more whole days before I'd have to cry.” The child's forlorn feelings were palpable. Yet, knowing that we made an impact in this young boy's life was very rewarding. After finishing up our work at the youth center we went to lunch at the food huts at Ross Medical University. We filled up on pizza, fresh fruit juices, milkshakes, veggie burgers and burritos. I spotted a curious looking fruit that I had never seen before, called a capin. I bought a bunch of the green golf ball-sized fruits and bit into it to discover that it tasted like a sweeter, slimier grape. We then headed back to our beach cottages where the head of the youth center, Caesarina, talked to us about Dominica's youth and filled us in on what life is like growing up in Dominica. We then went for an invigorating swim in the ocean. We spotted the Broadreach boats that would later be docking in Dominica, and a group of us swam out to meet them. After swimming, we headed back to the beach for a festive dinner and bonfire with the two other Broadreach boats. The Dominicans sang traditional songs and taught us up-tempo dances. We ate plantains, salad, rice, chicken and tuna. We said a warm goodbye to the Dominicans who helped us paint the youth center. Tomorrow we leave for Castle Bruce where will split up into homestays and get an authentic, up-close view of Dominican life. -Leah Effron Day 10 This morning was an early one after our beach barbeque last night with the two “ARC of the Caribbean” groups. We packed our bags and put them in a van that shipped us away from Portsmouth, the city we've been staying in for the past five days. Once we arrived at our destination, Castle Bruce, we met with the local Peace Corps volunteer, Jennie, who is coordinating our service projects here. Jennie introduced us to the local youth, and she introduced us to our home-stay families at the youth center. We also got to know the teens a little more at the youth center. Once everyone was situated with their families, we took a walking tour of the village, guided by our new friends. They showed us the local primary and secondary schools. While we were visiting the secondary school, their agriculture class was having a demonstration on how to slaughter chickens. It was definitely an interesting learning experience. Once we finished our tour, we grabbed lunch from a mother of one of our new friends, and we took it to a nearby river. We relaxed there while eating our lunch. Then, we walked down the road to check out the Windblow service project that we will take part in. Windblow is a very special place to the local people. It is a graveyard where many of their ancestors are buried from the time period when the English and French were bringing in slaves to Dominica from West Africa. We will be working on a service project for the next couple days here, clearing out weeds, planting trees, and building a place where tourists can get information on this special place. A guide toured us through the area and shared a little bit about the history. After this tour, we went to the primary school. We hung out there with the youth for an hour or so before we had dinner there. At dinner, Jennie talked to us about her work with the Peace Corps here in Dominica. She talked to us about what she does here. We learned that she works at both of the schools, she serves on the youth board, and she does many other small but important things all over the village. Then, we went back to our home-stay families' houses to relax and sleep. Castle Bruce is very different than the two bigger cities we've been to thus far. It's beautiful, and the vibe of the culture is very welcoming and interested in us and in our work. We're very excited to work with these people for the next four days of our trip! --Emma Edwards Day 11 Today we all woke up later, at eight, which was nice. We then walked with the youth from Castle Bruce to the Windblow, which is an old deserted graveyard for the slaves who fought for Dominica's independence. The area was overgrown with many vines and was also littered with old rusted car parts. The morning started off as overcast with a few light showers, but soon cleared up and was extremely hot. By noon we had cleared up a large section of the area as well as removed many trash pieces. One of the most exciting parts of the day was that we all were granted the use of using clippers to remove vines and small tree trunks. As well as picking up trash and finishing weeding we also got to plant trees to make it look better. The local broadcasting station also came down to watch what we were doing as well as interview two of our members. After a couple hours of work our counterpart from Natural Resources decided that it was too hot to continue working and decided to move on with our day. We then went up to the primary school which was about a ten-minute hike. There we got lunch brought to us from a local restaurant. After lunch we walked down to town to pick up our painting supplies then went back up to the school for our mural work. We started by painting a large section of the wall with white paint, and are currently waiting for an artist to outline designs on it so that we can paint the rest of the wall. After the painting and the cleanup work we went down to the local beach which was much rougher than what we were used to in Portsmouth because it was on the Atlantic side of the island. We all swam out to where the large waves were crashing surf which was a ton of fun. All of us then walked back up to the primary school for our supper. We had our dinner delivered to us from a local restaurant and ate at the picnic tables. After doing our rituals and playing a little soccer with some locals we headed back to town where we met our host families and walked home for the night. --Ryan Bowler Day 12 We were off to an early start today. At 7:30 our group met up with the Castle Bruce youth, and headed for the Caribbean territory. Once there, we met with several groups of children, ranging from about 3 to 12, who were all part of the Christian Children's Fund. CCF is a sponsor group where a family can choose to help out a child by sending them a certain amount of money per month. We interacted with the kids and helped them make cards to send to their sponsor families. The whole experience was very rewarding. It was great to see the kids getting involved in our activities, they seemed to really enjoy working with Americans. For lunch, we went to the Model Village of the Caribbean territory, did some shopping, and took a tour of the Model Village of the ancestors of Dominica. After leaving the Caribbean territory, we went to a natural history attraction called “L'escalier” (the stairs). L'escalier is a rock formation caused by lava flow hitting the ocean. The rocks look like a stair case leading down to the water. L'escalier was beautiful. All around us was water, and huge waves would splash over the sides of the rocks. Some of us took a swim in the pools, while others enjoyed the view from the top of the mountain. As we waited for dinner, we played games with the Dominican youth, which let us get to know each other a little more. Tired after a long and exciting day, we drove back in to Castle Bruce and parted our ways for the night. Juli Day 13 Fortunately for us today was a late morning. We all met up at the primary school at 9:00 in the morning. A little while after arriving at the primary school the President of the Fair Trade Association came and talked to us about how banana farming works. We learned how bananas are one of the main staples that supports Dominica's economy. In order to really understand how banana plantations work we walked to one of the farms and got a tour. The farmer showed us all different sorts of plants along with bananas. On our way back we bought bananas and canips to snack on for the journey back to the primary school. Before going back to the primary school we passed a cricket field and decided to try it out. We waited around while some of the locals went into the woods to find some good branches in order to make the bats. After the bats were made and the field was setup, we hit the fields confused on how to play. They tried explaining it to us but most of us learned how to play simply by watching and jumping in. After playing cricket they taught us how to play Rounders. We were all worn out and ready to relax when Lindsey and Dave informed us that we were going to go to the beach. Excitedly we all headed to the beach. A few minutes after jumping in the water it started to pour, but that just made the swim more exciting. We ate dinner at the primary school and then headed home for a good nights rest. Day 14 Today was yet another exciting adventure in Dominica. This morning we all woke up with our separate host families before meeting at the primary school to finish the mural painting that we were working on there with the local youth. One of the local boys had sketched some creative ideas into the white background that we had painted before so that all we had to do to finish the last task was to color it all in. This job did not take a lot of man power because the size of the painting was not that large, so while shifts of about five people would take turns painting, the others enjoyed snacks of coconut cookies, mangoes, starfruit and a delicious grape-like fruit called a canip. At around 10 o'clock the owner of the nearby hotel Beau Rive came to speak to us as our academic session of the day. As we listened intently he told us about his thoughts on tourism in the Caribbean. After this intriguing discussion, our group, along with four of the local Dominicans, squeezed into a van to take us to three sites that we would visit today. The first visit was to the renowned Emerald Pool. The pool was beautiful and fun to swim in, but there were other places to visit today. So, after a short amount of time, we got back into the van and headed to our next location, Spanni Falls. These two waterfalls were fun as well, especially the hike before the two falls because we had to use guiding ropes to aid us through the treacherous inclines and declines. Our third and last stop was at Layou River. This river was unique and entertaining because it had a natural hot spring on one side. After these three short hikes, the day was capped off with a one pot meal (a large stew made with many different kinds of ingredients) for dinner after a quick swim in the ocean. Although our dinner was fun, it was somewhat sad because it was the last night that we would be seeing the new friends that we had made in Castle Bruce. However, everyone is excited to dive into our last leg of the trip -- sailing! This week was a great adventure in Castle Bruce, and we are positive that our final week of sailing around Dominica and Guadeloupe will be just as exciting. -Robert Kerr Day 15 It was grey and pouring as we said our goodbyes and left Castle Bruce, our home for the past five days. Although it was hard to leave our home-stay families who we had become so close with, we were looking forward to the next leg of our journey. We loaded the van and headed to Roseau where we rode on dinghies to the catamaran where we would be staying. Peter, our captain, introduced us to our boat. We were all amazed to see how beautiful our boat was. After a lunch of peanut butter and jelly we sailed out into the ocean and went swimming in water that was over one thousand meters deep. During the sail, some people enjoyed the ride from the bow while others sat in the salon. Many of us took relaxing naps as we sailed out of the harbor. After our sail we sat on the bow for a session of academics. We discussed sustainable tourism, our community service projects in Portsmouth and Castle Bruce, and what we learned from our home-stay families. We all agreed that it was the ideal classroom setting-watching the sunset on the Caribbean Sea. Peter and Dave prepared a dinner of pasta and sauce, a welcome break from the chicken, plantains, beans and rice that we had been eating throughout the trip. We are looking forward to our first night aboard the Lagoon, sleeping on deck and taking in the sea breeze. Tomorrow we will wake up early to go scuba diving! -Leah and Juli Day 16 Argh, Maties! Today was our first official day on our 44ft Catamaran! We awoke at 6AM to a light drizzle of rain on our faces, as we were all sleeping on deck. We had cereal for breakfast, which was finally accompanied by REAL MILK – not powder! We then hit the shore and headed towards the southern most tip of the island to learn to scuba dive. Some of us were anxious, others were nervous. Though, after learning the safety rules and basics of diving in a makeshift classroom, we boarded a boat loaded with oxygen tanks and vests out to a ‘Crash and Burn’ island, a.k.a a flat strip of sand to practice techniques. Finally we were ready to dive. It took a little getting used to, but before we knew it, we were 40 feet below the deep blue sea along a coral reef. We were astonished by what we saw and most of us found a new love for diving! After diving, we returned to downtown Roseau, for the last time. We split up for lunch, which just hit the spot. We finished shopping for gifts for friends and family, while Dave, Lindsay, and our new skipper, Peter, provisioned for our next few days on board our boat. After hours in the markets, we returned to the boat with our bags of provisions- we were sure it’d last us weeks! We all played a part in organizing and cleaning up the boat, and then most of us went for a night swim. Our leaders of the day, Megan and Jackson, took over the kitchen and made great French toast accompanied with delicious Dominican bananas, putting smiles on everyone’s faces. Finally, everyone once again took a job in after-dinner cleanup. We were so tired from our day in the water that everyone split up with their sleeping bags, books, and iPods and enjoyed each other’s company, making it a perfect, relaxing end to a great beautiful day in Dominica. Megan Khan-Karen and Jackson Hart Day 17 This morning, our group woke up between 6-7 am. For those who slept outside, we woke up to the calming sound of the ocean and light drizzling. We then had cereal and real milk for breakfast! After breakfast, we broke off and cleaned the boat with buckets. When we were satisfied, we had academics for an hour. There, we planned projects in a case study to help a poor village called Benekot in Nepal. We focused on aspects like heath, education, and nutrition and worked on projects to help the village in the long run. After the academics, our skipper, Peter, gave us a sailing orientation. Then we set sail and helped with the engine, wheel, and pulling various ropes. At first, the sailing was very calm, but the water later became a bit rough. We all sat on the boat and relaxed for six hours until we met out final destination of Isle de Saints. When we got here we went snorkeling and saw lots of interesting fish including octopus and a giant star fish. We swam and relaxed and then had stir fry for dinner. Today was a successful day on the boat and we look forward to seeing the town of tomorrow. Erica and Ryan Day 18 This morning we rose bright and early yet again. Last night’s rain had disturbed some of us, but most of us rose after a great night of rest. Breakfast consisted again of an assortment of cereals and fruits so we were energized for the day ahead by the time we were ready to head on land to the town of Terre de Haut. When we got into the town we immediately realized the difference in culture and it was really helpful to have Allie and Lindsay there to translate French to English for us. We then hiked from town up to Fort Napoleon at the top of a small hill. The large structure had beautiful views of the surrounding land, an interesting museum that told about the history of the stronghold and even some information on the iguanas that were found all over the hilltop. While all of the girls were investigating the museums and iguanas, Robert, Cooper, Jackson and Ryan even found enough time to pull out an old cannonball from one of the cannons there. After this activity we hiked back down to the dinghy that was ready to ship us back to our boat for food. Our lunch was sandwiches with turkey, ham, cheese and lettuce, and some great grilled cheeses cooked by Emma. After some time to relax and rest we were now ready to really explore the town of Terre de Haut and spend some time there. We got shipped into town by the dinghy, and Lauren pointed out aspects of Dominican culture that she missed. Guadeloupe is definitely very different from our previous home, with its quaint stores and dozens of mopeds flying past us down the streets. The group split up, and while Allie, Emma, Juli, and Emily searched unsuccessfully for crepes, Leah, Erica and Lindsay found a gem in the local ice cream store, and Megan found some clothing and jewelry in the shops. Robert even bargained with a lady to buy a picture by offering to help clean up some spilled glass around her products. Once we were done shopping, we hopped back in the dinghy to our boat. The first two loads escaped the incoming rainstorm, but the last load, with Juli, Robert and Lindsay, plus our skipper, Peter, failed to miss the rain. Once they came back thoroughly drenched, the boat decided not to worry about a little rain. Allie, Megan, Emma, Dave, Peter, Jackson and Juli decided to embrace the rain. We sat out at the bow of the boat while millions of raindrops fell on our backs and faces. These are the kind of unscheduled surprises that make this trip memorable. After the rain, we decided as a group that noodles would be the best thing to eat. Robert headed up making them, and everyone chose their own flavor. After dinner, we decided on our schedule for tomorrow—we decided to stay around the Saintes and snorkel in a couple different spots, while hanging out and focusing to finishing the academic part of this trip. Day 19 After a hard decision with a coin flip last night, we decided to sail around the Saintes today, stopping along the way to snorkel. We all had a late morning after shaving cream fights and people getting thrown in the water. Before our sail we all jumped in the water and explored the seas below us. While snorkeling we discovered a shipwreck. We then sailed into a new harbor and went snorkeling again. We discovered many varieties of fish, including a very rare baby trunk fish. For lunch our skipper Peter cooked us some zesty pesto pasta. We then took our final exam for the academic portion of the trip, and then sailed to the other side of the island. While sailing the seas were rough but fun on a sailboat. A bunch of us sat on the front part of the boat and pretended we were on a water ride at Six Flags! After anchoring in a northern port that we spotted from Fort Napoleon, we relaxed and got ready for dinner. We bonded as a group listening to music, playing cards, and telling jokes. We all helped make dinner and enjoyed eating our Italian style marinara pasta meal. We then presented our final projects and reflected on our experiences. Although it has only been three weeks our group has created so many irreplaceable memories. We had an in-depth discussion on what we gained and learned over these last few weeks. In order to prepare for the early morning and long sail back to Portsmouth, we listened to music, played cards, and talked amongst ourselves before a good nights rest. Day 20 It seems our voyage is coming to an end, and the team will be united for the last time. Although we are currently reminiscing the day has not been without exciting activities and rambunctious emotions. A piercing scream, a rush of water, a thunder of laughter--our 6 AM wakeup call was to the tune of Dave dumping a bucket of seawater on the peacefully sleeping Megan. Allie was awoken by the shower gel being squeezed into her ear. Robert proceeded onto the deck of the ship, not 100% awake yet as Peter, our skipper, laughed heartily from the protection of his hammock. We had been ambushed in retaliation for the previous night's attack! Megan, Emma and Allie had sprayed shaving cream on Dave while he was sleeping, and this morning he decided to use his mind against us. A mad chase around the boat and a shaving cream battle ended with Megan and Allie bobbing in the waves and laughing hysterically. Breakfast soon followed, and the team was drawn into the daylight by the allure of powdered milk and instant oatmeal. Ryan and Robert jumped into the waves clad in snorkels and fins to absorb the last glimpse of the Isle des Saintes marine life. We prepared to set sail, and glided off into the abyss. Ryan, Cooper, Jackson, Emily, Erica, Leah, Juli, and Lauren perched on the bow of the boat enjoyed a rollercoaster experience atop the thrashing waves. Dominica appeared on the horizon, lightly hazed by fog. We were pleasantly surprised by a pod of dolphins that danced around the boat, welcoming us home to Portsmouth. After the sweet sail we settled back into one of our previous homes alongside the shores of Coconut Beach. With our sailboat nestled in the bay yards away from the beach, the team buckled down and cleaned the boat, leaving her spotless. The next few hours were painted by showers and fancy clothes in preparation for our last dinner. Looking quite spiffy, the team gallivanted down to the Tomato where a table for 15 awaited. Posters signed by Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom decorated the walls of the delicate Italian cafe, and our little family happily dined on Mahi Mahi, pesto and shrimp pasta, and salad. We reconvened in Lindsay and Dave's cottage to share our last moments and reminisce. A poignant slideshow accompanied by songs to which we have become accustomed over the last three weeks elicited tearful smiles. Overall, the experiences we have shared on this trip have served as the sinews intricately weaving the foundations of a tight-knit family. Our friendships will never be forgotten and what we have learned will be apparent in our future travels. Each one of us has grown immensely, and now the challenge rests in maintaining our new viewpoints back home. Lauren Razon and Allie Beckemeyer Final Day This morning was the most painful of all to wake up to, since we’d only had a few hours’ sleep the night before. In just an hour, the group would be split in half due to airport departures. I enjoyed my last round of wakeup calls by clapping my hands and jumping on the beds of everyone, only to be met with cries of despair and tamely hateful words. I went on one last swim while the boys’ cabin and two girls’ cabins prepared for the entrance back into First World living. At 6:30am everyone met at the front desk of Picard Beach Cottages, where many tears streamed and hugs commenced. I sat in the front seat, taking the quiet cue from the sniffling heard amongst Lauren, Cooper, Jackson, Juli, Megan, and Emma. Ryan, Robert, Erica, Leah, Emily, and Allie stayed behind with Lindsay to enjoy breakfast (pancakes, I hear) at the Ross University food stands before heading to the airport at 1pm. My half of the group contemplated the trip without a word for about ten minutes before everybody but Megan discovered the comfort and sufficiency of their neighbor’s shoulder as a pillow. We ‘enjoyed’ mediocre tuna, club, and cheese sandwiches with plantain chips and one last Quenchi soft drink at the airport snackette before heading through security where every one of us were promptly humbled by our forgetfulness to remove sunblock, lens cleaner, and various other banned substances from our carry-on backpacks. I realized just moments before boarding that I’d left my fishing poles out by the snackette, but I retrieved them. The fishing poles were too long to fit in the cabin, so the flight attendant checked them underneath and when we arrived in Antigua we discovered they’d been removed from the plane completely. Liat is my favorite airline ever. (My camera, which was never more than 3’ away from my person, was the only bit of my luggage they didn’t lose on this trip.) Upon arrival in San Juan, Emma was pulled aside at customs because her name and birth date resembled that of a missing girl somewhere. The group, showing solidarity, awaited her to rejoin us for as long as possible until we realized Juli and Megan needed to get on their flight sans Emma. We pushed through Agriculture, where Emma joined us and we headed off to catch their flight. Bad news: they’d closed the flight just 4 minutes before we arrived at their gate. Time slipped while we argued and it became apparent at least a couple of us would be spending the night in San Juan (I missed my flight while working on Megan’s and Emma’s). Juli was able to get a flight out that night and Cooper, Lauren, and Jackson made their originally scheduled flights. But everything else was full, so Megan, Emma, and I ended up waiting until Allie and the afternoon crew arrived at 4:30pm. I used Emma’s borrowed cell phone to call Allie in the women’s bathroom of customs, where cell phone use is strictly forbidden. I gave her tips on which lines to get in for the quickest service while she scouted out flight numbers so I could tell the gate agents that our students were en route. Ryan and Robert, Leah and Erica ran to their respective gates and made their planes just minutes before takeoff, Emily had more time to make hers and Allie had prearranged an overnight layover in San Juan, so Megan, Emma, and I surprised her as bonus roommates. We went out to dinner in Old San Juan, then fulfilled a weeks’ old dream of patronizing Cold Stone Creamery. Hopes of ‘seeing’ San Juan and dancing to Enrique Iglesias were dashed by the previous night’s three hours of sleep. We were out by 11 and up at 5:30 on a day that got us all home on schedule. Dominica presented our tight group of fourteen with the challenges and rewards of cultural and environmental immersion. We had emotional and physical lows that provided a reference to appreciate the multitude of wonders during our last three weeks. We signed up for hiking and swimming and sailing and beaches and diving and even a little local shopping. But we also signed up for living with Dominican families and spending Eastern Caribbean dollars and playing futbol and minibus rides and church and sweat and cold showers and community service and learning about the future of the banana industry. That is what differentiated our trip from a vacation. Eating coconut crackers and local bananas while painting a mural in steamy weather conditions is how we will be remembered and how we will remember. Windward Islands Expedition, let’s share our family with our families: Erica Rabner: Voted most likely to marry a nice Jewish boy, Erica provided us with an unrelenting positive attitude, matched only by her best friend on the trip, Leah Effron. Erica taught us all about Judaism, eating kosher, and enlightened us to the wonders of her sweetheart back home, Ben. Robert Kerr: Voted most likely to be a professional comedian without actually saying anything funny, Robert came out of a quiet shell after the first week and consistently had us roaring with laughter not with anything he actually said, but with his tone and body language. Robert is a witty man who can read an audience. He’s rational and reasonable and he loves to snorkel. Last but not least, he can mesmerize the ladies with a show-stopping rendition of “You Are My African Queen…” Megan-Ann Khan-Karen: Voted most likely to tell the truth, Megan was famous for preceding her thoughts with the statement, “Not gonna lie…” Megan was outspoken and found empowerment in her success at leading by example and quietly delegating. Megan exhibited her value to the group on the boat by always chipping in without being asked. Emma Edwards: Voted most likely to cheer for a miserable basketball team (by Peter the Skipper, who is a North Carolina fan), Emma the Duke fan showed us a replica of Robert’s early quiet shell that later opened to reveal a witty, brilliant person beneath. Emma was a community service hero on our trip. Cooper Loraas: Voted most likely to die in his sleep, this rather morbid vote was reached after statistical consideration of the number of hours a day Cooper can sleep. Cooper’s stateside dreams will likely include his friendships with Dominican high school students, his help in painting tall places, and his Castle Bruce fame as a chicken slaughterer. Emily Pisano: Voted most likely to visit McDonald’s tomorrow, Emily had some of the more emotionally challenging and rewarding interactions with Dominicans on this trip. She was quick to form connections and strong relationships with kids, families, and locals at all three of our residences. While the goodbyes were sad, Emily will return home with a great sense of what cultural immersion means. Juli Schroeger: Voted most likely to be a marine biologist, Juli loved the water and was rewarded on diving day by being able to use her open water certification to complete two deep dives. She was good friends with Emily on this trip and had a fantastic homestay experience. Juli was also noted as a leader on the boat who often picked up chores without being asked. Ryan Bowler: Voted most likely to attend a Hilary Duff concert, Ryan began the trip quietly, not sure how he landed in this place of such extreme heat. However, he soon became a model example of making the best of a situation. He warmed to the group and found his place as a big football player with a soft heart. He popularized numerous one-liners, especially by exhibiting a fondness for “more meat, less cheese.” Ryan took his place on the catamaran as the skipper’s right hand man. Leah Effron: Voted most likely to be carded at age 30, Leah has a young face with a mature personality. She and Erica proved their friendship with an unwavering positivity that buoyed the group in low moments. Leah was in Dominica to learn and try new things, which she proved when she threw a piece of bloody, raw yellowfin tuna in her mouth as her first experience with sashimi (and she went back for more!). Leah also proved herself to be an up-and-coming writer through her stellar and thought-provoking journal entries. Jackson Hart: Voted most likely to become a vegan, Jackson enlightened us to his world of northern California slang and movie-making skills. He excelled when working with the young kids on Christmas cards in Castle Bruce. Jackson showed his personal motivation towards a cleaner world when he sponsored a cemetery cleanup and initiated a new painted sign on the cemetery wall asking people to respect those inside by not littering. Allie Beckemeyer: Voted most likely to be featured in the Windward Islands Expedition 2008 brochure, Allie’s photogenic personality shows both in her photos and the warmth that emanates from her presence. She always worked very hard at all service projects alongside Emma, often the first to start and the last to leave. Allie has a beautiful smile and a friendly being. A great French speaker, Allie was key in making sure our trip to Guadeloupe was a successful endeavor! Lauren Razon: Voted most likely to meet Kurt Cobain in the afterlife, Lauren has a unique, perceptive personality. She became a standout early on by volunteering to help the owner at Secret Garden Inn with dinner and subsequently slicing open her finger (Mistaaake, Mistaaake!), earning her a trip to the hospital with Dave. Lauren made the best of her working thumb and learned to swim with one hand above water. She also learned to love her host family, her peers, and all the new things she learned in this tropical place so far from San Francisco. --Dave and Lindsay |
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