You Know You Are Dominican If You.....

 YOU KNOW YOU ARE DOMINICAN IF YOU…….

·      Arrive an hour late and greet the group with a hearty, “Good Night”

·      Know the difference between bush tea, cocoa tea and green tea

·      Play dominos on an old board balanced on your knees in dim light

·      You point with your lips

·      Say ‘just now’ meaning anything from in a minute, to soon, to tomorrow

·      You douse everything with hot sauce

·      Suck your teeth to show disgust

·      Ask someone to pass you something that is well within your reach

·      Talk way louder than necessary

·       You think plantain is a food group

BOXES

 At last, my 3 bins have arrived.  They are now at home getting unpacked.

I have to say this arm of the government works well:  DAPA  (Dominica Port Authority).  They have developed a procedure for picking up barrels, boxes, and small containers from the congested and too-small port at Fond Cole.  It is slow, there are many papers that have to get stamped, and small fees to pay but as long as you go where you are told, do as you are told, and just follow the procedure you will eventually get your boxes through customs and onto your vehicle. The various guards, security officers, officials, and customs officers were helpful and even courteous in some cases.  This is remarkable because it is completely different from past years. I have done this now 6 or 7 times and in the past, it was always a guessing game run by diffident workers.  

The port is huge, the sheds are huge, and there are hundreds of huge shipping containers stacked all over and being moved about by huge, huge equipment.  It was hot.  And I was very, very car-sick.  The ride down from Portsmouth did be in.  They don't allow anyone into the compound except the person whose cargo was to be picked up.  So McDowell had to wait outside and I did it on my own! 2 hours!

The customs man who was checking me asked me what was in the bins.  I told him honestly, I don't remember.  It left me on August 25 and it is now October 25.  He chuckled as he cut through the shrink wrap Nick had used to secure the bins.  When he opened the bins he saw books and art supplies and didn't bother to look further.  There was nothing to find anyway.  However, I did have 200 plastic shot glasses and 200 7 oz plastic glasses right on top, which he confiscated.  That type of plastic (#6) is banned.  He explained, showed me the chart, and apologized!  I didn't argue, I had bought them at the dollar store, and I was happy not to have a huge customs charge,  I only paid the basic 100ec,

So that's it until the next trip to my Canadian home.  I now have two nice new large rubber maid containers here.

iPHONE BLUES

Just before Hans died, Nick bought him an iPhone 12 because he (Nick) was out working all day, and Hans was alone.  He (Hans) could call 911 or Nick with one button if he (Hans) needed help.  But Hans couldn't manage it, so it never got used, but was registered in his (Hans) name.

 Nick gave the phone to me.  Nick got the phone UNLOCKED and cleaned up by Bell and Apple by the time I left with it.  He talked to them, they did their thing and it left Canada unlocked and good-to-go. NO.  When I went to buy a local SIM card they said it was locked. I had to get it unlocked first before they would sell me a SIM card.

There is a young man who often comes to the Bar, sits in the breeze on the patio by the ocean, drinks his rum cocktail, and smokes his little joint.  He moonlights as an IT tech.  He has done several internet things for us over the weeks.  I liked him and trusted him, so obviously I thought he could unlock this phone.  He said he could.  I gave him the phone.  After trying for several days he told me that he could only do it if he bought a  program from Virgin USA.  It would cost $149 US dollars.  I thought about it briefly and agreed.  It got charged to my MasterCard.  They said it would take 4-5 business days to download. he showed me the email, I read it. OK.  A week went by, and then he showed me another email from them saying that they couldn't do it and would refund the money, which they did.  Joed tried another company, same cost, the same notice that it would take 3-5 business days.  They also refunded the money.

Meanwhile, McDowell was getting more and more agitated about the whole thing.  Joed had the phone and as far as McD was concerned he also had my MasterCard number and my NBD account number and I was being taken and refused to acknowledge that Joel was fooling me, which I continued to insist he wasn't.  McD was very upset and angry with me for 2  weeks. I trusted Joed and  I know how long these things take in Dominica and was willing to give it time.  But Joed was not coming to the Bar every day as he had been. I agreed to call him.  No answer.  Messaged him, "Bring the iPhone back, locked or unlocked".  OK was the reply, but he didn't come. I messaged and called him every day for 4 days. Phone calls would go directly to his voicemail.  I gave it one more day. 

 By this time McD had already gone to the police and spoken to the Inspector to tell him what was going on. what he suspected and asked his advice.  The Inspector said we were doing the right thing.  McD was no longer even speaking to me. He was 'blue vexed' as they say.  I decided to give it one more day, another phone call, several messages.  No response.  

Finally, I had enough and I was upset by this time.  I took myself to McDowell at the Bar and said OK I am ready to go to the police.  He took my hand, told Clarence to mind the Bar and we went directly to the police station, which happens to be steps away.  They didn't know him, (Joed Hector) but began the process of looking him up in their records, came up with nothing and said they would go find him.  The police were mad at me, McD was satisfied, I was sad.

6 AM the very next morning, Joed was at the Bar door with my iPhone in his hand.  McDowell wouldn't let him in, or wake me or accept the phone.  He told Joed to return it to the police and they both marched down to the station and Joed gave it to them.  I picked it up from them at 9 AM. They handed it to me with a look of disgust. 

Someone in the police station tipped Joed off, called him and told him that the police were coming.

So today I went, where I should have gone in the first place, and was told that APPLE always relocks their phone when it comes here and it cannot be unlocked from here.  I would have to call them and request that they unlock it for here, Dominica.  I am not going to do that.  There is no Apple outlet in the Caribbean.

I am so fed up with the thing. It will now languish in my bottom drawer.  I can't even mail it back to Nick as Dominica has no postal service.  It is a useless piece of electronic junk.  Takes excellent pictures though, but so what.  The next person that goes to Canada can take it and mail it to Nick.  Maybe I can sell it and buy a Samsung here.

I feel sad that I cannot explain to Joed that I did trust him and that I fully expected him to figure out a way to unlock the phone.  All he had to do was respond to one of my texts, to come. to bring the phone back. It is because he didn't respond at all that I am left with a niggling suspicion.  I could text him, I guess, but I wouldn't do that to McDowell.

December 2023 - I have heard via the jungle drums that Joed has been in court lately on several charges.   Apparently, he has not p[produced the various phones he was supposed to be fixing!   

PHILLIPE

 Tropical Storm Phillipe struck us last night (October 2, 2023) along with Guadeloupe and Martinique, our near neighbours. After a weeks-long drought and hell-like heat we finally had  RAIN, RAIN, RAIN, causing much destruction.   Not to us, we were snug and dry, but today Salisbury is underwater, the cliff at Tarrish Pit is crumbling, and the road from Trafalgar to Woten Waven is awash and not passable. Probably the road from Calibishi, over the bridge is also impassable. The usually calm and patient Caribbean Sea was very high, and noisy and brought a lot of detritus and debris, and the bloated body of a rather large drowned dog.  EBoy and Darius waded in and got it but couldn't bury it because there was just too much water and heaps of beach shit.  The Sea is still rolling and the several local rivers that flow into it are running hard and fast.  Today it is raining off and on and it is dark. 28 degrees C, so it is not cold at all.  Damp.  Nothing is drying.  There are barges, cargo ships, and tugs moored way out.

McDowell is worried about what happened in the heavy rain at Destinee.  The pomme cythere trees were loaded.  Is the fruit now all on the ground?  Lemons?  Plantain?  He will try to go up there tomorrow.

                             Pomme Cythere - makes good juice.  Said to lower blood pressure

Is this the last storm of the season?  The hurricane season does not close until the first of November.

Wednesday, October 4, 2023 - 35 degrees C, sunny, west breeze.  Nice.  Cleaning up.  The beach stinks.  The sea is filthy, but calmer.  The tap water is orange!

McDowell went up to the farm early this morning. No real damage but a lot of fruit on the ground.  He came back with 20 coconuts, several bushels of pomme cythere, guavas, lemons, and lime. He took the puppies; they romped around and went for a walk up the Waitakubuli Trail (segemtn13, a difficult hiking section of the system) which was never properly opened up after Maria. He saw his 8 Valencia orange trees just beginning to bear. The puppies are asleep, knocked out from their morning in the bush.

 I'll be making guava juice this afternoon.  I don't make the pomme cythere juice as it is too much work 

A New Chapter

 After a not-so-bad trip back to Dominica, 4 weeks ago, here I am again.  The relentless heat, the power outages, the internet gone for 3 days, and the mighty thunderstorms are all too familiar, and now September 2023 is coming to an end.  Dominica is broke.  Some people have not been paid since August. The ATM rarely works or even has money in it.   The infrastructure is rotting, and petty crimes abound.  The fruits and vegetables in the market wilt under the grinding heat...and so do the vendors! The last threatening storm of this hurricane season has passed. I was heartily welcomed home. Dominicans are champion survivors and truly resilient.  The tourist season is coming.  

McDowell has rescued 2 (two) puppies.  They are fat and happy now as they wrestle with each other, churning up my garden, 'stealing' our shoes, and eating.  They are outside dogs, we don't let them in the house.  They will sit at the door, cocked heads, bewildered at the refusal to let them in, so cute!  But no.

While I was away the garden became a jungle.  McDoo did his best, and Tracy and Mait came from time to time to cut some of it back and pinch some heads!

What has changed is me.  I sorely miss my children and few friends. This feeling of longing for them is new to me. I missed them before, but this is different. I filled out a form the other day and checked off 'widow' under marital status.  Hans and I haven't lived together for nearly 20 years, but we were good friends and knew each other well.  Now he is gone, celebrated, and hopefully has found the peace he so longed for.

Stay Tuned  

July-August '23

I have been here in Brooke Valley for almost 8 weeks.  I have one more week.  It did take all this time to do what had to be done after Hans's death.  I am satisfied that the proverbial ducks are in a row, however rickety that row may be, and I renewed friendships with the few that matter to me.  The house is in good enough shape and in good hands.  Anthony, Nick, and Samantha are making their way. 

I won’t go into the nightmare of sorting, packing, and deciding what to give away and what to throw away. So many things I have collected and loved over the years; some from my mother’s house that I have grown up with, some from her mother’s house, and some my children have grown up with.  I know them all, each piece, miniature, book, picture, dish, nick-knack.  I have had enough nostalgia to last the rest of my life.

I have dealt with all Hans's things: humped around thousands of books, filing cabinets full of his notes and papers.

I have made my Will.  Not an easy thing. Hard decisions.  Much thought. I hope that the beneficiaries find it reasonable.  

I have learned a lot, and much that I only had a hunch about has been confirmed;  trust in the process, one is on one’s own in the end, don’t panic (as McDowell says), keep moving, you only know you are doing the right thing and making the right choices if it feels right.  Honour the past, but keep in mind that it is the past and you dwell in the present and somewhat in the future.  Don’t spin your wheels.  Know what you are grateful for and nourish it, abandon the rest

NOTES

•    It has been an unusually cold summer.
•    I will run out of BP meds this weekend.    
•  Great food. Ontario peaches, sweet corn, cherries, blueberries, cheese, bread. maple syrup.
•  What they say about Canadians is all true:  polite, clean, honest, friendly, quiet, and good drivers (no road rage, no honking).
•   I will miss the washing machine, the quiet, the cleanliness, and the friendly nods and chats with strangers. 
•  I got used to this house and the routine.    I will miss Savvy, the little fluffy white doggie who followed me around and was glad to see me whenever I came home and slept beside my bed every night.
•    I will miss Anthony, Nick, and Samantha.     
•    I am glad I was here for Peter's annual family gathering and saw all the nieces and nephews.
•    I am leaving Ottawa at 6 a.m. Thursday, September 7 and I am not looking forward to the trip,  although the end will be worth it.  💖🌴🏖

 

wi

 

BROOKE VALLEY

 On June 28, my husband, Hans, passed away. It was not unexpected, he was 94 and was fading this last year.  

I flew up immediately and I will stay until everything is done: lawyer, accountant, bank, et al.  Cleaning, packing, sorting, organizing, and giving away is tedious and hard physical work, not to mention mental work.