Dominica Bound - Day 3

We started off Day 3 (Friday) pretty late. I slept in till 11:00 AM because I spent all night unpacking my barrels and setting up my room. We also stayed in most of the day because we were expecting Michael's barrels to come in and because the plumber was supposed to stop by. After we learned that Michael's barrels were indeed not in Dominica, he and his dad went to Jame's store to pick up a few things.

1) Jame's Store - Jame's store is similar to Tina's in that it has a little of everything. However, Jame's store is literally across the street from campus and it offers a little more variety. It's also a little pricey as well, although it's slightly cheaper than Tina's. Here's a list of what Michael bought and how much it cost:

- Lucky (brand) Shampoo (EC$8.33)
- Colgate Shaving Cream (EC$9.52)
- 5 pack of Gillette disposable razors (EC$13.00)
- Ludao (brand) Air Freshener (EC$6.96)
- 1 Tube of Pringles (EC$7.50)
- 1 Bottle of Hawaiian Punch (EC$9.26)
- Small Pack of Table Napkins (EC$2.60)
- 1 Tube of Colgate Gel Toothpaste (EC$5.61)
- 1 Pack of Bounce Napkins (EC$2.60)
- A Box of Nilla Wafers (EC$7.52)
- A Bottle of Ajax Dish Soap (EC$5.13)
- 1 Roll of Bounty Paper Towels (EC$11.27)

The total bill came out to EC$102.64 (about US$40). I uploaded a picture of the receipt above so you can see the charges as well as the added taxes.

Tip: My boyfriend decided he wanted to try to save a few ECs on toothpaste so he bought the imported toothpaste from China. When he tried it at home, he almost vomited all over his toothbrush. So, if you're at Jame's Store and you happen to see this toothpaste, don't be frugal and spend the few extra dollars on the Colgate stuff.


Side note: I hope you're starting to get a feel for what things cost over here. If you have the option available, try to bring with you as much food as you can. Produce is readily available, but I have yet to see fresh milk on the island. There are some dairy products (such as American and mozzarella, and cream cheese) but they are among the priciest items. I have seen meat and chicken (I've seen no chicken breasts, only boxes that say "chicken parts.") but judging on appearance, I wouldn't touch the stuff. Of course you have the option to eat Chinese food, pizza, or Subway every day but I think you'll quickly find your wallet getting thinner and your waist getting wider.

2) My boyfriend also secured his housing today. While we were in Miami, he had placed a deposit at Avie's Ville. However, once we got here, we realized it was about a 15-20 minute walk from Avie's to Coco Mango where I'm staying. Also, at night, it is pretty dark and scary walking from Avie's toward school down Banana Trail so he decided to get something closer to the main road. Luckily, we found out that the brand new apartment building next door had vacancies. The apartments are EXTREMELY expensive but some students (like my boyfriend) find it completely worth it. The apartments look just like apartments in the United States. The furniture is really nice, the appliances are brand new, and there are marble (or some material resembling it) floors. There is also a "security guard" that walks around the building all night. After seeing the apartment, my boyfriend spoke to the landlord and decided to rent one of the apartments. His rent is astronomical, exactly US$990 per month; this includes the 10% government's Value Added Tax, water, and maid service but does not include electricity. Despite the expense, he is extremely happy with his apartment. The apartment is right off the main road and it takes less than 5 minutes walking to get to either the Annex or the main campus. Below are some pictures of his empty apartment before he moved in. The other picture shows how close his apartment is to Coco Mango.







3) After my boyfriend secured his housing and transferred his barrels over to his apartment, I stayed in my apartment to wait for the plumber and the cleaning lady. While she was cleaning my bathroom, she apparently didn't know or forgot that the faucet was broken. When she went to turn it on, the faucet practically exploded and a 3 foot fountain of water was spewing from the bathroom sink. I had to immediately rush to use my brand new towels to mop up the water that was quickly flooding my bathroom. Thankfully, my roommate ran upstairs and shut off the water. The landlord sent a plumber later in the day to fix it and now it is working just fine.

Side note: The shower curtain I bought was too long and was touching the floor. I asked the cleaning lady if she knew anyone who was a seamstress or where I could send it to get hemmed. Turns out her neighbor is a seamstress. The cleaning lady took my curtain and shower liner and three hours later, a man showed up at my apartment with my perfectly hemmed shower curtains. The price was EC$20.00. It only cost me about US$11.50 total including a EC$10.00 tip for the excellent work and fast service. My point is that Dominica is home to very handy people and labor is cheap. If you need anything fixed, ask around and you'll find someone that knows someone. Everyone knows everyone here.

4) After my boyfriend finished unloading his barrels into his new apartment and I finished with the plumber and sink fountain fiasco, we all decided to get something to eat. We walked over to Subway only to find it was closed (they close at 4:00 PM). Since we were already there, we took a minute to walk down a small trail (pictured right) that led us from Subway to the beach. The beach was gorgeous as the sun was setting. It was the first time we all got to step foot on the beach since we had arrived. The sand is black volcanic sand, and the view is just spectacular.




5) After a quick visit to the beach, we headed back to the Chinese Restaurant we ate at the first night we arrived. My roommate learned his lesson and ordered the chow mein I had the last time instead of the beef curry. My cousin and I weren't in a Chinese food mood so we both ordered the fries and chicken tenders. They were really good! My boyfriend and my cousin's dad both had the sweet and sour pork. Both of them really liked it. Therefore, our second time around at Brother's Restaurant and Bar was better than the first. After dinner, we went back home to prepare for a very early morning the next day.