Nothing really to update.
Dominica has remained Covid 19 free, although I think this is about to change as we are poised to reopen August 7. We have been repatriating citizens during July. The entry protocol is very good, but many repatriated people have not been complying. The Government has heartily reprimanded them. I hope it will be different for foreigners. Well, we will see.
We have made very little progress in rebuilding the Peter House and won't be moving in, as planned, this summer. It is plumbed though, water, shower, toilet functioning well. Now it needs to be wired, and stove, and fridge bought and installed. If we get any tourists when the borders open next week we may make a little money to do this.
This is also high season for storms, tropical waves, tropical troughs, hurricanes. Last night the sea was very high. It brought us some nice pieces of driftwood, but not stones and, happily, no rubbish. We had put up a galvanized barrier along the fence to protect the plants and the patio. It will stay up for the next couple of weeks adding to the construction site ambience of the place!
Thursday, July 30, 2020
Saturday, May 2, 2020
DOMINICA STRONG
COVID IN PARADISE
There are certainly worse places to be. Definitely not 'stranded'. Dominica is the place to be. To date, we have had 0 active cases for four weeks. Public education has been excellent, not frightening, but clear and intelligent and based on science. I continue to be impressed with the level of health professionals and professionalism. A word about education as well. Schools were immediately closed and The Ministry of Education organized its teachers and administrators to deliver the curriculum online and offline with support to parents.
Dominica closed its borders swiftly after the first 2 cases came in from England with Covid. The Caribbean was Covid free for the very early weeks; all cases through the Islands were imports. Quick and complete closing was not an easy decision with so many from diaspora wanting to come home, with this island being a prominent cruise ship destination, with Guadeloupe and Martinique as very near neighbours and with a large number of sailboats and yachts looking for a safe harbour or already here. Other Islands were beginning to close so alternative ports were now limited. Tourism is a mainstay, closing would mean real social and economic hard times. As tourism came to a sudden, jarring halt so did most everyone's livelihood.
For us, Marian and McDowell, it has not been as bad as it has for others. Liquor licences were suspended and all bars and restaurants were quickly shut, and still are, so we now have no income. Lots of time, but no money to buy materials and lumber, or to finish the plumbing in the old house. McDowell was able to reorganize his kitchen, move the Bar to the outside, expand the Bar area all with found posts and boards which had been stacked under the house. It looks really good and will be an asset. He has used the many hours under curfew and lockdown to practice his guitar and to plan. He is forever the Sagittarian optimist. I painted, crafted, read, cleaned, cooked, wrote, took a webinar in Caribbean bird watching and practised social media whatever the opposite of distancing is! Boring but not difficult. It is getting harder though. We drank and ate everything that was in the bar when we had to close.
My biggest fear is not getting sick, but that Dominica, and the Caribbean, will rush into reopening the tourist trade, thinking we can just pick up from where we left off. This is the time to rethink it, to understand the trade-offs, not make the same mistakes. I hope we listen to Mia Motley, the Prime Minister of Barbados and Chair of CARICOM on this one. Since the Caribbean is the largest tourist destination in the world we could be a leader.
I used to benignly roll my eyes when Dominicans would proudly proclaim how resilient they are, how they can overcome anything, how much they have endured, how determined to rise above bad times they are. Well, not any more. It is all true and that is what Dominica is. The population understood and accepted what is at stake and, except for the always present rotten apples, have complied with the regulations without too much whining and complaining and too many unrealistic expectations. Lockdown, curfew, loss of jobs, income, livelihood, places of business, the line-ups, and social distancing has its own horrors.
I do believe Dominica can rise again, hopefully, improved.
See you at the beach!
There are certainly worse places to be. Definitely not 'stranded'. Dominica is the place to be. To date, we have had 0 active cases for four weeks. Public education has been excellent, not frightening, but clear and intelligent and based on science. I continue to be impressed with the level of health professionals and professionalism. A word about education as well. Schools were immediately closed and The Ministry of Education organized its teachers and administrators to deliver the curriculum online and offline with support to parents.
Dominica closed its borders swiftly after the first 2 cases came in from England with Covid. The Caribbean was Covid free for the very early weeks; all cases through the Islands were imports. Quick and complete closing was not an easy decision with so many from diaspora wanting to come home, with this island being a prominent cruise ship destination, with Guadeloupe and Martinique as very near neighbours and with a large number of sailboats and yachts looking for a safe harbour or already here. Other Islands were beginning to close so alternative ports were now limited. Tourism is a mainstay, closing would mean real social and economic hard times. As tourism came to a sudden, jarring halt so did most everyone's livelihood.
For us, Marian and McDowell, it has not been as bad as it has for others. Liquor licences were suspended and all bars and restaurants were quickly shut, and still are, so we now have no income. Lots of time, but no money to buy materials and lumber, or to finish the plumbing in the old house. McDowell was able to reorganize his kitchen, move the Bar to the outside, expand the Bar area all with found posts and boards which had been stacked under the house. It looks really good and will be an asset. He has used the many hours under curfew and lockdown to practice his guitar and to plan. He is forever the Sagittarian optimist. I painted, crafted, read, cleaned, cooked, wrote, took a webinar in Caribbean bird watching and practised social media whatever the opposite of distancing is! Boring but not difficult. It is getting harder though. We drank and ate everything that was in the bar when we had to close.
My biggest fear is not getting sick, but that Dominica, and the Caribbean, will rush into reopening the tourist trade, thinking we can just pick up from where we left off. This is the time to rethink it, to understand the trade-offs, not make the same mistakes. I hope we listen to Mia Motley, the Prime Minister of Barbados and Chair of CARICOM on this one. Since the Caribbean is the largest tourist destination in the world we could be a leader.
I used to benignly roll my eyes when Dominicans would proudly proclaim how resilient they are, how they can overcome anything, how much they have endured, how determined to rise above bad times they are. Well, not any more. It is all true and that is what Dominica is. The population understood and accepted what is at stake and, except for the always present rotten apples, have complied with the regulations without too much whining and complaining and too many unrealistic expectations. Lockdown, curfew, loss of jobs, income, livelihood, places of business, the line-ups, and social distancing has its own horrors.
I do believe Dominica can rise again, hopefully, improved.
See you at the beach!
Sunday, January 19, 2020
Nine Drunken Hungarian Sailors
Saturday night, pouring cold rain. Dark. We were just closing when we saw a group of
men wandering around the street. McD called
them over offering food, drink, shelter and music. Who could resist that! We sat them down under the shed at the back
and they ordered a round of rum punch, beer and a Sprite. Three rounds later they were warm and
happy.
One was a drummer and asked if he could use our drum
set. Of course. And he was great, easily picking up the reggae
beat while McD sang. Then McD put on Deep
Purple's Smoke on the Water and they all rose up and sang and rocked out. None of them could speak English or French,
but they certainly knew their vintage R and R.
Addison came to pick them up, they had no idea where their
boat was or where they were. They had just
flown to Martinique from Hungary, chartered a boat and its captain and are
touring the Caribbean.
On the way out they all kissed my hand and bowed from the
waist.
Too funny.
Friday, December 27, 2019
A 'Splin' Hand at Christmas
The day before Christmas I tripped over a lumpy curb to get out of the way of a suddenly moving car and went down flat on the sidewalk. I popped right up with a bleeding cheek, black eye and injured hand. Not so bad considering what it could have been. Someone ran to get McDowell who came right away and found me walking home a bit dazed. The news that Miss Marian had 'fallen' went viral all over Portsmouth. I didn't fall, I tripped.
I gave the minor injuries a couple of days and had all kinds of advice on how to treat the now badly swollen hand. None of which I followed. Dominicans hate ice, they fear it in fact. But being a good Canadian, I knew my ice and applied it diligently.
Today I went to the Portsmouth Hospital Casualty and spent six hours there: 3 waiting for the triage nurse and then 3 waiting for the doctor. Again, not so bad. Most of the wait was outside, in the mountain breeze, listening to the chatter among the others who were also waiting, and I napped.
No pain, just swelling. My right hand is useless, fingers don't work or close, I can't hold a fork, do up my bra, hold a pencil, but my keyboard tapping finger is fine. It's a nuisance.
The tiny Cuban doctor says ice and time. She called it 'splin', I am sure she meant sprain. Anyhow, nothing was broken. She told me that the whole thing will turn all "cowloors" and will take 2 weeks.
I am grateful to the higher powers who are looking after me.
I gave the minor injuries a couple of days and had all kinds of advice on how to treat the now badly swollen hand. None of which I followed. Dominicans hate ice, they fear it in fact. But being a good Canadian, I knew my ice and applied it diligently.
Today I went to the Portsmouth Hospital Casualty and spent six hours there: 3 waiting for the triage nurse and then 3 waiting for the doctor. Again, not so bad. Most of the wait was outside, in the mountain breeze, listening to the chatter among the others who were also waiting, and I napped.
No pain, just swelling. My right hand is useless, fingers don't work or close, I can't hold a fork, do up my bra, hold a pencil, but my keyboard tapping finger is fine. It's a nuisance.
The tiny Cuban doctor says ice and time. She called it 'splin', I am sure she meant sprain. Anyhow, nothing was broken. She told me that the whole thing will turn all "cowloors" and will take 2 weeks.
I am grateful to the higher powers who are looking after me.
Tuesday, September 3, 2019
DORIAN and The Bahamas
Well, Hurricane Dorian is in the process
of destroying The Bahamas and has raised the spectre of Maria for many of us here.
For the past 2 days, while Dorian has
been pounding the Bahamas, I have been quite undone and having flashbacks. I
was quite happy that I couldn't remember much about the Maria event. I still don't, but I guess I really never acknowledged
the effect of Maria on me. At the time, one
had to just keep going and to not succumb to the catastrophe. I did
well, I got along, remained healthy and happy and unaffected by the hurricane. Dorian has awakened something. Definitely not fear, but a sense of great sadness, an
ache, some kind of weird yearning. That
the little innocent Bahamas can be wiped out just like that is heartbreaking.
They will recover, just as Dominica
has recovered. Maybe not as quickly and they
certainly will never, ever be the same, but with the Caribbean community behind them, and their Sister Islands on
the way at this very moment they will be back for sure.
OCTOBER 6
Over the weekend I heard the tourism minister of the Bahamas in the CBC begging Canadians to return. The Bahamas have hundreds of little Islands, most of them untouched. Only Grand Bahama and Abaco are non-functional. Tourism is the lifeblood of the Bahamas.
OCTOBER 6
Over the weekend I heard the tourism minister of the Bahamas in the CBC begging Canadians to return. The Bahamas have hundreds of little Islands, most of them untouched. Only Grand Bahama and Abaco are non-functional. Tourism is the lifeblood of the Bahamas.
Friday, August 30, 2019
Saturday, August 24, 2019
UPDATE
Just a quickie update
All this week it has been quiet on the street, and today,
Saturday it has been unusually quiet. Although
there is political grumble and rustle, there is no activity. My theory is that there is NO cash flow, and there is no cash flow because school is
about to open. It is very, very expensive
to educate your child here in Dominica:
school fees, uniforms, physical education
uniforms, shoes, books, supplies, extracurricular fees - and if you have 2 or 3
or children in school it is a real hardship. Yet it appears all children go to
school. The Dominican web site says that
ninety-eight per cent of primary age children are enrolled. I could not find any stats on secondary education or up to date stats on
education in general in Dominica. School is compulsory
between the ages of 5 and 16. How many
actually graduate from high school? Semi-literacy among senior citizens is
high. The Banks are offering loans of up to 3000 EC dollars for return to school funds.
Imagine!
Also, it has been HOT, which slows everything down, and now we are expecting a possible mini hurricane next week.
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