Tuesday, January 26, 2010

mmm.. fruit

Here is a photo of the fruit known as Sweet Sop, or Sour Sop. There is a small distinction in taste between the two, however they look the exact same (to me). The green skin is hard and pricky, the inside consists of big black seeds. The fruit itself is a sweet flavor (in this instance) it is so soft, if ripe enough, it is the texture of pudding.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

A new approach to reading

Since November 2009, my counterpart and I have started an after-school reading program for the young children in our village. The program is three days a week and consists of a total of 41 students, however the average is 30 per class. For an hour on each day Lil and I open with a song...
Reading time, reading time, reading time Reading time, reading time, reading time Take a seat and be comfortable, everybody has a right to read, Reading time, reading time, reading time!

Lessons are given through workbooks according to age and grade level. We started by aiding to K-5th grade but due to all of the interest are now accommodating Preschool through Grade 6. It is difficult to assist so many children and such a wide range of ages at the same time. Luckily some youth from the community are helping when they can, taking some pressure off Lil and I. The students love the class, whether they are there to read or socialize with schoolmates, the turnout is bigger than planned for. Fridays are our ''fun days'' where we play games. This past Friday we did ring games; an important cultural tradition.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

The Boiling Lake

Dominica has half of the Eastern Caribbean's twenty active volcanoes. Although they have been silent for the past 1000 years, bubbling sulfur springs, fumaroles, solfataras, and a massive boiling lake indicate that the volcanic activity below the ocean floor reaches the island's surface. Dominica's Boiling Lake, second in size to the Frying Pan lake of New Zealand, is 200ft wide. It is located five miles from the city at the core of the Morne Trois Piton National Park, a World Heritage Site. This steaming basin of earth is one of he most amazing geothermal features on earth.The Valley of Desolation, just a few miles from the Boiling Lake, is another of the island's spectacular hot spots. The floor of the valley resembles a multicolored spattered canvas, from which solfataras and fumaroles spurt.discoverdominica.com

Volunteers and myself took the holiday to hike the toughest route on Dominica. The boiling lake was intense and beautiful at the same time. After about an hour of hiking we reached "breakfast river", filled our water bottles and had a snack.