My new favorite things

I have discovered that I am in love with the most random things here in Dominica.  Things that I used to take for granted have become my new favorite things.

1. Tupperware/Rubbermaid containers--They are FANTASTIC!  After waging a constant battle with ants my first night, I decided that the ants weren't going to win.  So the next day I went to the store and bought a Chinese bootleg version of tupperware and guess what!  No ants the following morning. So I have basically outsmarted the ants.  Occasionally I will see one small one wandering forlornly across my counter searching for a crumb but no more ant trains.  Lesson learned--tupperware + clorox cleanups= no ants.

2. Zipolocs--Not only are they great for my war against ants but they provide cheap waterproofing.  A quart -sized one is my dry bag for my little camera and a gallon-sized one is the dry bag for my iPad.  With the random, intense rainstorms we get down here, ziplocs are essential for quick, non-bulky waterproofing.

3. Black Leggings--It is hot here (almost Dante's Inferno hot--I guess my Western New York blood isn't used to constant humid heat).  Because of this heat and humidity, I would choose to wear as few clothes as possible.  Unfortunately this is not socially acceptable (example--when videochatting my old roommates, I was wearing a questionable outfit of a tank top and sarong.  Megan's statement of "What are you wearing" made me realize that this outfit was not going to fly).  Hence the black leggings, they are cool enough and decently socially acceptable but they also provide more warmth than shorts. Now you might be asking, why is she talking about warmth? She was just complaining about the heat down there...well the classrooms are super air conditioned.  I am talking Ice Station Zebra level of coldness.  So I wear a tunic and leggings to class and then throw on a sweatshirt after the air conditioning cools me down.  Black leggings= Dominica's version of skinny jeans.

4. Education--During one of the optional orientation lectures on the food of Dominica, the lecturer was giving a brief synopsis of the island's history.  When she grew up in Portsmouth (the city that the school is located in), the area consisted of sugarcane fields and a few houses.  She spoke about how special it was to own a book and how she had to leave the island and go to boarding school in order to get a high-school level of education.  She credited Ross with "civilizing the island" and bringing education to the island's people.   The state-of-the art equipment at Ross (the 6 simulation dummies for example) show how far this island has progressed in the past 50 odd years. I never truly realized before how amazing it is to be able to read and to have quality education readily accessible and have a new found respect for my parents who always said that an education was the best thing they could give me.  It definitely has a way of opening doors and exposing you to a way of life that would not be possible without it.