Dengue continues to sweep through the Caribbean

Two men have died of Dengue Hemmorhagic Fever in next door Martinique, and the mosquito borne illness is now found in St Maarten's and St Bart's as it spreds through the islands. Malarial risk is also up in the Caribbean.

Dominica has Dengue on the island, but I have not heard of Malaria here yet.

Eliminate pooling water, wear your DEET, and read our Environmental Health Officer's blog at The Woodshed Environment to keep informed of what is happening with these issues. There is a wealth of information on his site.

Take a moment to view the Dengue Poster that Martinique is handing out to departing visitors. Scary.

livingdominica: once you have seen someone ill with Dengue, you know to avoid it at all costs.

Rumors, Pilgrims, and Saints

We heard a rumor yesterday, and it was about us. Dominica is a gossipy little place, like a small town, so I would like to clarify something for the record. We have not received money from the government for Wit's End, nor have we requested any monetary compensation. We have requested to have our land replaced with a piece of similar size and amenities. So if you hear how "the government is going to give them a lot of money", please correct the rumor. We don't even want money. We just want to have a place to put a house and have an organic farm like we intended up at Byack. Besides, nothing could compensate for the heartache this situation has caused. We just want to get on with life.

I did hear a funny story from our neighbor up by Wit's End. Some tourists came up and asked for him by name after reading the blog. After hearing this, I wonder if I should promote Wit's End as a pilgrimage spot? We could build a little shrine and ask for donations. Or turn my shack into the shrine! (I would be more likely to get rich from this than from asking the government for money, I think.) There must be a patron saint for landslides...

By the way, a saintly person has responded to the request for a washing machine for Life Goes On and has offered to make a generous donation toward the purchase. I am so touched and excited by this gift. Not only will this gift help Mr. Rasta, but many others in the future will benefit also. Illness always means a lot of laundry, in my experience.

livingdominica: just hoping for some land so we can build our house and garden...

No Car. No Water. No Joy?

We are well into our second day without water following a storm which blew through bringing wind, masses of rain, and eroding the road surfaces. Mr. Wizard was told by the water company that they turn off the water to avoid sucking mud into the pipes. I don't know about the sucking of mud, but I do know that not having running water sucks.

Fortunately, with friends' help, we can get through these things. Here is a picture of my friend Chrissy who came over and we laughed and caught water to use for flushing toilets and mopping floors from a broken gutter. Because we also have no car, my friend Nora took me to the grocery store to provision for the weekend so that we can at least eat something other than from the tins in the cupboard. Other buddies, Quinten and Chris are fetching us for supper tonight. With friends, life is good!

The same storm that robbed us of water also tore up the roof on our rental house, so the workers are up there banging away to keep us dry. But we are hearing that a new roof might be coming! Great news! It has been disconcerting to watch the shingles whizzing by during every little storm since Hurricane Dean.

We also have no transportation since our car is being repaired, and life as we know it on the island has stopped to celebrate Creole. Three Nights of Pulsating Rhythms means no car for us since all the rentals cars on the island have been engaged by the festival people. I hate the idea of once again owning 2 vehicles, but it may come to that. Things do seem to happen all at once, don't they? But even if we had the vehicle, the road between us and town is nearly impassable from erosion. The torrential rain has dug beneath the tarmac in areas up to 12 inches deep. The forces of nature are mind boggling sometimes.

The Wiz and I were discussing this morning how much more able to cope we are here than we ever were in the US. Here we always have water stored, batteries charged, and a cupboard full of tins of food. In the US we were so lulled into complacency by the consistency of services that if we had 2 days of interrupted water, we would have been desperate for something to drink, not to mention all the other things in life which require water. I like the feeling that we are ok when systems break down (with a little help from our friends, of course) But it does make me wonder why we were ever so willing to bet things would continue to work in the US? I like the feeling that we are fine when things do not consistently work.



livingdominica: off to joyfully wash my hair in a bucket.

Creole is Here!

Here is my Madras for Creole Days.

This post is updated from an earlier entry, if it seems familiar...


This month is Creole time here on Dominica, which is my very favorite celebration. This time of year is a festival honoring all things Dominican. Everyone gets into the spirit of things in the days leading up to Independence Day (Nov. 3) and the World Creole Music Festival (Oct. 26-28).

Here are some of the things I love about this time of year: Creole in the Park is a family celebration of food, music, crafts and fun held in the Botanic Garden. This year Creole in the Park starts on October 22 for four days. I can already taste the Crab Backs, my favorite Creole dish.


On the Friday before Independence everyone, I mean , everyone will be decked out in Creole dress. Women in madras dresses and head ties, men in the traditional dark trousers with white shirt and red sash. Sometimes the guys have a madras vest or tie, too. From toddlers to grannies, everyone wears some version of traditional dress, even immigrants. (My madras outfit is pictured above)


Community Day of Service (Nov 4) is a day when everyone works together to improve the country. Much cleaning, painting and trimming is done this day in a spirit of pride. It is a work party and you can see a real difference everywhere you look after this day of work, trash all gone and everything tidy.


Market Day with a Difference: The markets of the island are wonderful every Saturday, but on the Saturday before Independence, the stalls and vendors are awash with madras. It is the best!


Miss and Madam Wob Dwiyet competitions: Wob Dwiyet is the traditional island costume and women of all ages compete in several areas in order to win the title. Miss Wob Dwiyet is for the younger set, Madam Wob for the mature women. But the most important skill they demonstrate is the ability to wear this costume with the grace and dignity it deserves.


During this season, every village seems to develop Creole fever and strives to show it's neighbors how well it is preserving heritage and traditions. The pride and love for this island is truly palpable this time of year when areas around the island compete in dance competitions and village festivals are held.


Local TV has a lot of historic and cultural programing which includes Dr. Honychurch's history and archeology films, demonstrations of how to properly tie a West Indian head dress, and lots of traditional dancing and music. I love the Bele and the Jing Ping bands most of all. It is wonderful to see the children learning these traditional art forms. Thank goodness Dominicans are passionate about keeping their history and culture alive.


livingdominica: I am a little bit Creole in my soul...

Land Deal Gone Wrong Hell

A friend of mine wrote me an email asking about our current land situation. Here was my reply:

"We are slogging away at the land issues, but I think this last year is something out of Dante's Inferno. We are stuck in some Dominican land-deal-gone-wrong hell."

Forget the beggars on the streets asking for bread money, forget your recent terminal diagnosis. I am the one you should really pity. I continue to feel bereft and homeless. I bumped into a friend on the street in Roseau who commented that our landslide (which he can see from his house) keeps getting bigger. I should have a snappy response to that, but I don't. If you can suggest one I would be so pleased.

I could try this: "Oh really? And we thought it would start getting smaller!" or maybe "We thought the situation sucked so badly the whole thing would disappear into a black hole." Or maybe I will just act American and beat up anyone who mentions our plight. Of course Mr. Wizard is ever so much more evolved than I, so he would not participate in street violence. I'm kinda on my own with that plan. If you are up for a fight, come give me a hand. Maybe we'll start a street gang. You figure out the hand signs, I'll buy the spray paint.

I am indulging my blatant self pity re: the Dominican land-deal-gone-wrong level of hell, but you get the idea. Our current L.D.G.W.H. involves endless waiting, attorneys who do not return phone calls or keep appointments, and a depleting bank account as we pay rent on a house with a leaky roof and termites. Lucy definitely had a hand in this.

I can find one slight glimmer of hope. I think the Wiz and I are burning off a mountain of accumulated Karma, and will eventually emerge shining and pristine from beneath the pyre to live in splendor. Or we will end in utter madness. Depending on how long this all takes. (Wiz will probably get the splendor, as I descend into madness...)

livingdominica: ever striving to be the tragic figure from some maudlin old story. Can't you just hear the sobbing violins?

Thoughts on Suffering

I met with Mr. Rasta again yesterday, and things are getting worse for this poor man. He is very frustrated because his tumor is growing much bigger and the doctors here have said they cannot surgically intervene because of bleeding risks. As his tumor grows, he is becoming more isolated in his community. "People are afraid." Tears flow as he tells me about sitting alone in his poverty, hoping that a solution will appear.

I listen to him and try to communicate the acceptance and caring he needs as much as he needs food and medical attention. I give him a few things and agree to meet him next week at the Life Goes On house. Not much help. I feel pretty lame.

The Life Goes On house is a little haven for people living with HIV and their caregivers who may be shunned in their own communities. It is a place of support and acceptance where both body and spirit are nourished. I can only imagine what it must feel like to have this welcoming spot full of caring people when isolation and fear are ever present.

Of course funding is always an issue for Life Goes On. The bus needs fuel and insurance. The house always needs food to share with the community. Sometimes the needs here on Dominica seem like a bottomless hole where my little help is mostly futile. Just a drop in the bucket.

But, of course, if my drop is added to your drop and all the other drops, soon the bucket begins to fill.

Looking into the face of suffering is so difficult. It is easier to turn away, of course. We all have plenty of personal suffering (and it is much easier to focus on my own pain, rather than embrace the suffering of someone like Mr. Rasta). Helping can be like walking the razor's edge between the care of the self and care of others. At one time, during my hospice years, I allowed the suffering of others to swallow me whole. I am older now, and less likely to completely throw myself on that razor. But nontheless, living in a world of suffering does call to me to do something when I can. No matter how inadequate and lame it may be.

livingdominica: maybe it is time to read Ram Dass's How Can I Help again...

Minutes of the First Meeting of the Book Club

At 4 PM on October 12, 2007 the first meeting of the Book Club was held in the bar of the Fort Young Hotel. Attending this meeting were Jen Miller and Chris Lawrence (who really doesn't like to read much but came because I asked her and she is my friend). The meeting began promptly at 4 PM and Officers were elected. Chris Lawrence was nominated to the esteemed position of Lofty Matron of Unread Books (LMUB) Jen Miller was nominated to a temporary position of Recording Secretary and Honorable Matron of the Slippery Land (HMSL).

Refreshments were served.

New Business: It was decided that should anyone be interested in a Book Club other than the LMUB and the HMSL, they should step up and arrange the next meeting. This motion was passed by acclaim.

Refreshments continued.

Old Business: None.

Admiration for the plantings in the bar were expressed by one member, and another member offered that she had occasionally pinched a start off the plants here.

Refreshment concluded.

The meeting was adjourned at 4:45 PM by unanimous vote.

Meeting notes respectfully submitted by Jen Miller, HMSL and Temporary Recording Secretary.

Dengue Alert

An interesting post about our Dengue situation in Dominica is found at The Woodshed Environment.

This is not a Disney World Island

A friend of mind calls those other islands the "Disney World Islands". (you know, the ones which have turned themselves into plastic versions of a Caribbean island)

Wit's End Update

More slides, no stabilization started. We hear that the Cubans are now to look at it. I believe this will be the fourth group of foreign engineers to visit the landslide; including Canadian, French, Chinese, and now Cuban. It is a veritable United Nations up at our land. Are you familiar with the crass American anacronym SNAFU?

livingdominica: here is the more civilized version for our genteel Brit friends. Situation Normal All Fouled Up.