August 29, 2010
Hey everyone,
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| Me at Red Rock |
So it has been about a week since my last update and now I am getting on my weekly update schedule. Life here has changed a little bit since the last time I updated you all. A lot more students have arrived and I have made friends with a number of new first semesters. We have also gone on some tours around the island. Most of the places to eat are currently closed because of it being break and all but there are still a few places where we frequent. We go to this bar/hotel/restaurant called De Champs at night sometimes, they have a good happy hour and really good american food like burgers and fries, quesadillas and what not. I found this place called M's which is a tiny shack next to my apartment where they sell "bakes" now I never knew what a "bake" was before I had it but it is like a croissant type bread that is flakey and light stuffed with different things so for breakfast they have bakes with ham, cheese and egg for example. These are delicious and only cost 4EC per bake so a really good price.
On Monday the 23 we had board game night at the CAC which is our game room on campus where they have pool, air hockey, darts and all that fun stuff. Tuesday was the the first day of tours, we went to Red Rock Cliffs, which are cliffs that overlook the ocean and they are actually the color red because of the volcano's it was a great tour and the view was amazing the water crashed up on the rocks and overall we had an awesome time. After the Red Rock tour we went to Pagaua Bay resort. The resort is totally American with great food, an amazing view and they even have hotel rooms that have all American amenities like a king size bed, hot water without having to turn on the hot water switch and waiting (like we have to), plasma televisions and everything else you could imagine. these hotels are close to the airport and offer water sports and a private beach to swim at.
On Wednesday we went snorkeling at Toucarie Bay. The bay had pretty good visibility but because of the rain we'd been having it wasn't as clear as normal but we had a great time swimming and diving deeper into the water to see the different colored fish. During the snorkeling we got a huge rain storm but we were in the water so it didn't really matter. This is the "rainy" season so getting used to rain all the time is a must. I have learned that I need to carry my umbrella with me at all times because you never know when it is sunny and then its all of a sudden going to rain. The trips snorkeling and to Red Rock really allowed me to meet a ton of people from all over. Quite a few people here are from different cultures, communities, and even countries. I am having trouble remembering some of their names as they are very difficult to pronounce. But everyone I have met so far is extremely nice and friendly they all are in the same situation as I am so its nice to talk amongst each other.
On Thursday i went scuba diving with Cabrits the dive shop here in portsmouth and had a bit of a refresher course. It was amazing and the colors and reef were quite a beautiful sight. I saw a flying grynard, angel fish, a sailors eye and tons of life on the reefs. The sailors eye is cool because it is actually a single celled organism and it is said to be the largest single celled organism in the world. I also saw a very cool animal which is called a christmas tree worm, i think, and it flares out but if you move your hand towards it, it shrinks away into its hole to hide. This is a very cool mechanism to both catch food and also to escape predators. On Friday I got my new student ID card so I am officially a Ross University Student!
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| Me at Syndicate Falls |
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| Me at the roots of a HUGE tree |
Yesterday was a day full of adventure. We started the day with a 6am trip to the local market. The market was a world of excitement where you could buy any fruit or veggie that you desired. You could also buy fresh eggs and fresh bread. The most interesting are the fishermen who blow the conch shell when they have fresh fish to sell. When you hear the sound of the conch you try to go to the area where they are selling the fish. Yesterday they had fresh tuna and were selling the fish for 7 EC a pound which works out to be $2.70 per pound US. My friend Kyle who lives in my apartment building and has become a very good friend asked the fisherman if he could have a whole fish so the guy chopped off the head and the tail and just cut the fish into one pound hunks for him. Also in the market you could buy a coconut for the coconut water that is inside. The locals take the coconut and chop off parts of the top with their machete so there is a hole in the top to put a straw in or you can do like the locals and just drink straight from the hole! After the trip to the market we went to the syndicate fall for a hike. Boy was it a hike, we hiked 2.5 miles into the jungle to get to the falls and then 2.5 miles back. The falls were beautiful, I have attached a picture of them as well. Following the hike to the falls we went on a nature hike where we learned about the different trees, birds, and jungles of Dominica. After the school tour a group of us decided to go cliff jumping at bense pool where they have a natural water slide and a 15 foot jump into 40 foot water pool. So we hiked to bense pool and had a great afternoon climbing and jumping from the rocks into the water below. We also sat in the pool because the water was crystal clear and very refreshing which is hard to find here because most of the water on the island like the ocean water is warm. So overall yesterday was a very busy day and I hiked more yesterday than I ever have in my life before!
Unfortunately today Hurricane Earl is going to hit Guadeloupe which is the island directly to the north of us so we are supposed to be getting some bad weather this afternoon into tomorrow. Everyone here is used to rain and wind though because we get that all the time. I'm staying in today and doing things around my apartment because tomorrow starts orientation for school and I will be at the campus every day next week. I hope that everyone is doing well and enjoying the rest of the summer! I miss you all so much and would love to be kept up to date on all your lives. I know that I will be getting busy soon but I still am going to do my best to email often. I hope you love the pictures.
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Sunset at PBH
Till next time... |
