Thursday, May 12, 2011

Things That Continue To Astonish Me

Bioche - a fishing village at sunset









Mero Beach
















We sent a sick young man to the hospital with fever. They sent him back with a vial of his blood, in his hand, not wrapped, just as is, to be tested. He took it to the lab, by bus, to the next town where the lab is. The result of the blood test was that he had dengue fever.

A person with the Ministry of Education was on the public bus, writing government cheques to various agencies.

Reruns of 6 month old news casts on Dominica’s national TV channel.

Dominicans talk to each other at the top of their voice, often at the same time and always illustrating their point with actions and gesticulations.

Often the sun will shine in all its brilliance while it is pouring rain. One wears sunglasses and holds an umbrella!

There are always people about. Even in the dead of night, someone will be on the street, walking or just sitting in a doorway.

There is absolutely NO confidentiality. Everyone knows everything about everyone and can recite every family's geneaology. When meeting someone for the first time they will ask, "Who is your father?", although fathers are often not in the home and have children with several women.

The lab where they dissect bodies at Ross University is at street level with big windows. As you walk by you can look right into the lab and see the students at work on dead bodies. Honest