Coming from Ohio, we are used to October being a fun time of the year. Between high school football and soccer, beautiful fall foliage, and Halloween, October has a lot to offer in the Midwest. This year, we had to make due without any of the above staples of fall, and instead embrace the slight decrease in humidity and the festivities of Creole season. October is a very important month for Dominicans, and throughout the month locals can be spotted wearing the bright plaid dresses and ties that celebrate their Creole heritage and independence. These festivities build throughout the month and culminate during the last couple weeks with Creole in the Park, The World Creole Music Festival, and Independence Day celebrations (taking place today). The World Creole Music Festival is an international event, drawing large crowds from the surrounding islands of St. Lucia, Martinique, and Guadeloupe. This event features local and international musical artists performing in the large cricket stadium located outside Dominica's capital city of Roseau. Creole in the Park is designed more for locals and is a low cost county-fair style event. Local musicians play concerts from noon to seven and booths are set up along the perimeter of botanical gardens that supply various kinds of local cuisine, such as Agouti (basically hamster). While this was not the typical October that we were used to, it was fun to witness and you can't complain about slightly less humid 80 degree weather on the beach.
The Saturday after Genny's last exam, we went to a beach club on the Atlantic side with our friends. It was just a little tiki-bar/restaurant, but it has a stretch of white sand beach and one of the best views on the island. It also has some of the best fish and chips that I have ever tasted. Instead of eating Budweiser battered frozen cod in a sports bar in the Midwest, we were eating Guiness battered fresh mahi-mahi on the beach....with some delicious sweet potato fries. We finished the night at the beach with some s'mores over their fire pit.
From left to right: Max, Jenny (Max's fiance), John, Joe, Genny, Will
Genny's one day break after her last exam was about all she could afford to take, as the next exam is rapidly approaching. This "mini" will cover the gastro-intestinal tract and renal system in one week from Monday. This has necessitated long hours studying worms, parasites, and squeezing fecal matter out of cadaver intestines. To go into any more detail concerning these weeks of studying would be overwhelming, so from here on out we will just try to stay on top of it better.
Will has been working less at the store, and due to different managerial and ownership issues, will be working even less in the future as the store will soon be closing. However, he will have his first session as a standardized patient in the coming week, and if all goes well, then this will provide for much more stable and high-paying employment in the semester to come. Will is still working on his online courses and preparing to apply to graduate schools, and is fortunate enough to be able to play basketball almost every night.
One of the most exciting events of the past few weeks, and indeed of the six months that we have spent down here, was the visit of Will's uncle Tim. Though the transportation of the week was not thoroughly planned, they were lucky enough to be able to rent the last car from a local car rental agency, and have Tim be a natural-born Dominican driver. The car was a Toyota Rav-4, right hand drive, and fared remarkably well on these windy, pot-hole ridden roads. Will and Tim visited almost every main tourist attraction on the island, and fit it all into a schedule that would be a great template for any future visitors. Within the next couple weeks, a video of this trip will be uploaded to the blog so that readers can see all of Dominica in a short clip.
This ends our summary of the past month. There have certainly been more daily events that we wish we could have documented, but perhaps this will serve as a reminder to do a better job in the future. Thank you for your patience between updates, and good night from Dominica!
W&G
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