Dominica!
Oh my goodness was Dominica amazing! The mountains gave a new found peace to me that I had not felt since starting the journey. There is just so many things that I have had to do to get settled in that the first week that it has been hard to sometimes really enjoy the experience that I am receiving. Now, though, things are starting to slow down so I can begin to really have the experience of a lifetime.
So in Dominica it was in the mid 80’s the whole time we were there. What a difference from 12 degrees in Ohio! Sorry Ohio friends, but I don’t really miss the snow yet! Lol It was a little humid but nothing too unbearable. The first day in port I decided in the morning to take a little me time. I laid out on the top deck of the ship, did some reading, and of course started my tanning process for the next 3 and a half months. Later that afternoon I went with my wonderful roommate Hannah and a few other friends, Chichi and Tharen, to down town Roseau. While down town we got to meet a lot of locals. One man that I met was the local security guard at the Post Office. He was so cool! We sat there and talked to him while we were writing our postcards for almost an hour. He told us a lot about the island, the people who live here, and even some things that we should check out while we were there. When we were leaving we asked him if we could take a picture with him and he said of course! He even gave us his address so we could send him a postcard from America. How cool is that. He is defiantly someone that I will remember for a long time. All of the people in Dominica are very nice and were more than willing to help us learn about Dominica and their way of life through culture, religion, and land forms.
On the second day I went to down town earlier in the day with a friend Kara. We went early so we could see a more natural side of down town. We were just sitting on the pier and saw a pirate ship. We took some pictures of it and in the process it started to move! It was really cool to see this beautiful ship start to travel. We also found this amazing waterfall right tin down town. The waterfall was a cool place to just sit and relax to the soft sound of water falling off the waterfall and into a shallow pool. After a morning of the city we went back to the ship to get ready for our field trips. I went snorkeling at Champagne Reef. It is called Champagne Reef because this part of the Caribbean Sea is under a dormant volcano. The volcano emits gases that produce bubbles like a champagne bottle through the coral. It was beautiful! While I was snorkeling though, my underwater camera broke! I don’t what on earth happened. I just got it for Christmas and had not even really used it that much and it broke! Don’t worry I did get some pretty awesome pictures before it happened but I was so bummed. Also, while we were getting ready to get into the Sea to snorkel it started to down pour which made the water a little cold. It was still so cool. It is so hard to believe that all of these magnificent creatures live just below us the all of that blue ocean.
While in Dominica I made a bunch of new friends from the ship. One in particular is an RD (resident director) Tim. He is so cool! When we met we were upstairs both laying out doing some reading. We started talking and the next thing I knew it was 2 hours later. He and I get along so well. We can have a whole conversation and never say a word lol. A little scary I know! J In general I have had a blast.
Another thing I did on the island was going to a club. I’m not really a big clubber, but it was really cool to experience a club in another country. Things are way cheaper here so it was not nearly as expensive if I would have gone in the states. This club opened its doors on a Monday night just for Semester at Sea. It was neat to see what a club in Dominica was like while staying safe because it was all SAS kids. I really enjoyed going.
Now I’m back on the ship heading to Manaus, Brazil. It was a great few days.
At the beginning of this voyage it was really hard to get into it. We left the Bahamas, and then had to go back to pick up a few people because of Brazil Visa issues. So the first few days kind of felt like I was just in this weird time warp thing. Once I actually got to Dominica it really set in that I was going around the world. That was also a very surreal feeling. I mean, how many people really get to go around the whole world. That to me is just inspiring. I am going to get to experience something that most people only dream of doing. I feel so blessed. I know that right now it is stressful, but once it settles down I know that I will love every minute of it. This is something I am never going to forget. I wish that you all could experience even just a little of what I’m going through first hand. It is a roller coaster of emotions, but a great ride. I miss my family terribly. I can’t wait to return to B-W in the fall, but for right now I am embracing every opportunity I have on this trip.
One opportunity I am embracing is the fact that I was chosen to be an Ambassador for Semester at Sea on the ship. This basically means that when dignitaries come aboard I will help give tours, dine with them, answer any questions, and anything else I can do to try and show our guests what Semester at Sea is all about. I will also have the opportunity to visit college campuses in other countries. I am so honored to have this opportunity.
Well, I think that is about it. I hope that everyone is having a great time. Miss you all and I can’t wait to see you all again soon J
-Bon Voyage
