We’ve already finished our first week of service!

Heading into our second day of service work, half of the group finished painting the inside of Cecil’s house while the other half started painting road signs for the community landmarks. In the afternoon we hiked down to Batibou beach, enjoyed the waves and played a game of beach soccer. 

The next day the whole group went up to work on the road to Chaudiere Pool, clearing weeds and planting ornamental palms and hibiscus along the road. We took a break to snack on fresh pineapple given to us by a local farmer. We then took a break from the hard work and hiked down to the pool to refresh ourselves by the waterfall. After lunch, we had the pleasure of visiting Lennox Honeychurch, Dominica’s leading historian. Lennox gave us a fascinating overview of the island’s natural and human history. 

On Friday morning, half of the group finished up painting the signs, while the other half continued weeding and planting along the Chaudiere road. In the afternoon, to celebrate Drew’s birthday we went to Batiste beach, and in the evening we enjoyed birthday cake and a dance party at a restaurant in Bense, enjoying a mix of Caribbean and American tunes.

Early Saturday morning, we hit the market at Portsmouth, stocking up on fresh veggies, pineapples, bananas, passion fruit and other local delicacies. These items were a welcome addition to our lunch. In the afternoon, some of the group went down to nearby Lelai beach while the other half returned to Chaudiere pool to enjoy the waterfall.

Today we are off to Kalinago Territory to learn about the indigenous culture and history of Dominica. We’ll report back about  it in our next blog. For now, we look forward to enjoying the rest of our weekend before starting work again tomorrow!

– Liv & David