Change of Plans, Friday, May 27th

Maryhelen Shuman-Groh

On Friday, 5 days before departure, I received an offer to intern with the national water company.  I am now scrambling to rewrite my proposals and modify my packing to accommodate more ‘business’ clothes.  I will still be meeting with the folks in tourism and conservation with whom I planned my original trip but that will be in addition to whatever work the formal internship arranges.  Unfortunately, I won’t know what that work will be until I get there.

These are among some of the cultural differences to be encountered.  I have been told by the some of the ex-pats who work in Dominica that is is not uncommon for e-mail and phone calls to go unreturned; that people there will deal with you when you show up on their doorstep.  With the exception of the tourism-related businesses, who respond swiftly to every inquiry, this is turning out to be true.   Task 1:  Develop a new level of patience.

For anyone who may not be familiar with Dominica, it a lush, green and mountainous island located midway down the chain of Caribbean Islands east and south of Puerto Rico in the Lesser Antilles.  Dominica has been nicknamed the Nature Island by promoters of tourism.  Dominica is said to have named 365 rivers and streams.  The island is volcanically active with a boiling lake and 9 relatively young volcanoes.

One of the last remaining enclaves of indigenous Carib people has a designated territory.  Numbering approximately 3,000, the Carib are a minority in the island population of ~75,000.

Most of the island receives 100-300 inches of rainfall annually.  For many, water conservation is a non-issue because there is so much of it.  However, increased population, increased agriculture, growing tourism and world need for water are making more Dominicans aware of their wealth and questioning how, or whether, to exploit it.  Growing population and expanded agriculture have also created an increased burden on sanitation and pollution of surface waters is becoming more widespread.  Polluted run-off can negatively impact the reefs on the island on which local fisheries and SCUBA related tourism depend.

These are just a few points of background information on Dominica.  I will be providing additional information on the island as my internship commences.  Wishing you all well on your journeys!