Easter Holiday!

The entire family (6) came down to Dominica for Easter this year! We stayed in Mero in an amazing and perfect apartment hotel. It hosted 8 of us comfortably and its back balcony was our dining area for all meals and a gorgeous view of the Caribbean Sea. The days we didn't spend sunning and swimming on the beach we went sight seeing in the city of Roseau, Trafalgar Falls, Petite Soufriere, Scott's Head, Sulfur Springs, Screw's Spa, Portsmouth, Cabrits and others....

paint paint paint

before

after

More successful painting jobs done by the male youth. Another Saturday working hard and having fun on top of the village hill. We spent about four hours cleaning, mixing paints, painting, repainting and enjoying the time.

...Momentum...

The youth I have been working with are continuing to impress me! My counterpart and I show up on Saturday mornings to do community service and the young people consistently show up as well. Last project,we worked for 7 hours(!) on a painting and cleaning job. A bus stop which had paint peeling off, dirt and grim everywhere and just uninviting we cleaned and repainted. Once we finished it looked so nice we all took our shoes off before entering the stop! We also used some of our funds to hire a village member to clean the vines and weeds behind a mural. This was done by the previous volunteer but after a couple years it has faded. We touched it up and brightened the encouraging words on it. We had a family cook us an amazing lunch of rice, lentils and chicken which they delivered to us in a huge pot. The ten of us sat on our bench and ate, talked and laughed until we continued our work well into the afternoon.

CARNIVAL

Carnival is said to be the most festive time of the year in Dominica. Also known as 'The Real Mas', it is a pre-Lenten festival, and usually falls in February or March each year. It is hard to miss the fervour of the people's loyalty to their favorite calypsonian or pageant during the preceding months of the Calypso Final and the National Queen Show.

Parade in the city on Carnival Tuesday.

"My kids" in kindergarten made Carnival masks in art class.

I spent both days (mon & tues) in the city celebrating with friends and fellow PCVs. Monday morning consisted of a "jump up" where people dance in the streets from 4am until about 10am. The morning was then quiet until the afternoon where the dancing started again. Large trucks with speakers and sound systems set up on them slowly drove through the streets while the dancers followed the music.

MONTSERRAT!

This morning I woke up to a layer of dust along my porch banister... ?

Looking out it looked foggy... or dusty even... ?

Where I could usually watch the ocean waves roll there was a faint blue abyss where the water sat...

Montserrat a volcanic island 30miles north of Guadaloupe threw ashes 9 miles into the sky overnight. Many of the Caribbean islands are feeling effects from this with a dusty, cloudy day. It does not cause problems breathing, it is not that thick however it is covering EVERYTHING... and making quite the mess. Some of the islands closer to Montserrat have closed schools and authorities are encouraging people to stay inside, and keep windows and doors closed.

But no alarm, here in Dominica we are experiencing a thin layer of ash on houses, cars, etc. Flights have been canceled since last night, through today and authorities estimate the ash will remain for the better part of the day.

Monserrat Photo: PHOTO FROM 1997 ERUPTION

PHOTO OF AERIAL VIEW

ART ART ... Everyone loves Art!

Art class is going very well, I teach for an hour in the Kindergarten and first grade classes. We color, paint and create hands-on pieces of art! Every time I pass children from the class, on the street they say, "you comin' arts n' craps tomorrow?" (no matter the day). I am excited they enjoy my company and the lessons I bring. Below you see Mardi Gras-type masks. These were made in celebration of Carnival time in Dominica. It is a cultural event remembering and celebrating slavery and their freedom. Costumes and masks are cultural wear through parades and daily shows.

Hopes for a cleaner community

After a simple request a local corporation from the city donated 4 barrels and 5 gallons of paint for our Drum Painting Project. About 15 youth from the village took their Saturday to design and paint the barrels! After 3 hours in we ate our food off turkey and provision broth and relax. To finish the day we had to remove the covering off the top of the drum and distributed them around the village. The community has truly appreciated the work and involvement of the youth as well as the new fashionable garbage bins sitting by the roads :)