Dominica

'
 * Past PO Participants write about Dominica:**
 * J. Lanfranco (2003) - [[file:projectoverseas/J. Lanfranco 2003.pdf|J. Lanfranco 2003.pdf]]**
 * A. Smieja (2009) - [[file:projectoverseas/A. Smieja Dominica 09.pdf|A. Smieja Dominica 09.pdf]]**
 * F. Ferrera (2010) - [[file:projectoverseas/F. Ferrera Dominica 2010.pdf|F. Ferrera Dominica 2010.pdf]]**
 * L. Pietroniro (2010) - [[file:projectoverseas/L. Pietroniro Dominica 2010.pdf|L. Pietroniro Dominica 2010.pdf]]**
 * F. Ferrera (2010) - [[file:projectoverseas/Ferrera Dominica 2010.pdf|Ferrera Dominica 2010.pdf]]**
 * G. Logan (2011)** - [[file:projectoverseas/G. Logan (Dominica 2011).pdf|G. Logan (Dominica 2011).pdf]]
 * R. Fox (2014) -** [[file:PO ARTICLE 2014 DOMINICA RHONDA FOX.pdf|R. Fox (Dominica 2014).pdf]]
 * A. Simonetta (2014) -** [[file:A. Simonetta.pdf|Dominica]]
 * A. Fabiano (2015) - [[file:A. Fabiano.pdf|dominica]]**
 * Tips from R. Trehearne (TL 2009), updates by L. Pietroniro (2010):**
 * **Temperature**: Daytime temperatures average between 21-31 degrees Celsius. The rainy season is between June and October and it is very humid. There was very little breeze inland by Roseau. The more north we went or the more we went inland and up the breezier it got. It was usually sunny in the morning and then became cloudy. It usually rained a large portion of each day.
 * **Money** - Banks are open Monday to Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and Friday 8:00 to 5:00 p.m. There is a Scotia Bank and a Royal Bank both with ATM's that we found reliable. The currency used is the Eastern Caribbean dollar (EC$) and US dollars are readily accepted. Using Mastercard was not a problem but Amex was.
 * **Accommodations -** We lived in the upper portion of a house which was very close to the accommodation used in 2009. There were 3 bedrooms, each with a double bed. There were 2 washrooms (a 3 piece and a 5 piece ensuite) The master bedroom had air conditioning. The kitchen was fully furnished complete with a blender, toaster, microwave and coffee maker. The living room/dining room combination allowed the 4 of us to spread out our materials and plan without crowding each other. There were several tvs and the house had wireless internet (which was very slow at times), adapters and transformers. There was an iron but we could not get it to work due to some wiring complications. The house was equipped with 2 standing fans but there was such little breeze, we kept the doors open during the day. All windows had screens. A washing machine was available for use on the first floor's front porch.
 * **Electricity** - The electricity is 220-240 volt and adapters and transformers are required. These were supplied at both the Convent School and in our accommodations; we did not have to bring our own. They can be purchased if necessary. There were power outages during our stay. Electricity is very expensive and we were asked to turn off fans, lights, a/c, etc while we were away from the house.
 * **Standard of living -** There is a progressive nature of improvements to the infrastructure in this country. The quality of a number of its restaurants and hotels, such as the Fort Young Hotel in the capital, Roseau, are improving.
 * **Taxis** - All taxi's are really vans (as well as island buses) and can be found almost anywhere downtown. We were provided with a van and driver during our entire stay. We were picked up at the airport, driven to and from school each day and we had access to our driver for errand running and work related purposes. Our driver was spectacular and he accommodated all of our schedules, which weren't all the same. Our driver also drove us to the airport at the end of our stay. It is easy to walk about in downtown Roseau, but don't expect streets to be named....the majority are not.
 * **Entertainment** - A day tour of the island was hosted by the Dominican Association of Teachers and they took pride in doing this for us. As well, our team personally hired the driver for some of our free time to visit local sites and to swim at local beaches. The Dive Fest, which happens early July, was in full swing when we arrived. The activities seemed interesting and had we had more information about it, we would have loved to have "dove in" and joined the fun. The music (which was not too far from the house) blared until the wee hours of the morning on several nights. Earplugs are suggested if you're a light sleeper.
 * **Food -** There is often a wonderful variety of local fish served along with chicken which are two mainstays of the Dominican diet. Fresh fruit and vegetables are plentiful. We found that it was as expensive to buy and cook our own food as it was to eat out (reasonably) at a local restaurant. We purchased food for breakfast from the local grocery store (just minutes from the DAT office) but usually ate out at local restaurants at night. Snack (really lunch) was supplied by DAT and was hardy (fish or chicken, rice, coleslaw or breadfruit and sometimes dessert). One night we ordered in pizza, Perky's Pizza, and it was fabulous. You'll love it! Green leafy vegetables are scarce and very expensive. Salads were usually coleslaw (cabbage) with some diced carrot. Coffee was fabulous as it is grown on the island and there is a Rituals Coffee house (Caribbean version of Starbucks) on the main drag by Fort Young Hotel. Dairy was on the expensive side (there are no dairies on the island) and was imported. Milk came in tetra packs and were UHT processed.
 * **Etiquette -** People are very friendly and spiritual. There were some homeless people who asked for money. We were told wearing shorts was not permissible to teach in but many teacher participants wore them. While in the Carib Territory, it is respectable to cover shoulders.
 * **Teaching** - Occurs at the Convent High School, which is a 3 minute walk from the DAT office. We were picked up in the morning at 7:45, classes began at 8:30 (spiritual service at 8) and ended at 1:00. Break was around 10:30 and a snack/lunch with refreshments were supplied. Classrooms were open air (shutter style) or windowed. Each class usually had a standing fan or a ceiling fan. There were blackboards and wooden desks in each room. Chart paper and markers were supplied, and if more supplies were needed (within reason) the DAT was very willing to supply them. DAT made photocopies for us as requested and we did had access to a laptop and LCD projector. Celebrations took place in the auditorium which had a stage and a sound system. There was a computer lab (with internet access) located on the 2nd floor which had about 25 plus computers. We had access to computers and a printer from the staff room.
 * **Telephones:** Pay phones are difficult to find and are often in disrepair as most people use cell phones. The DAT office supplied the team leader with a cell phone for emergency use and to contact our driver. One member had an unlocked cell phone and was able to purchase a pay as you go SIM card for the team to use.
 * **Water** - Tap water is generally safe to drink (except during severe tropical storms when it becomes murky). We purchased large 5 litre bottles from the store and filled our own smaller bottles each day. We drank water from the tap in restaurants and hotels and it was fine. It is a personal choice based on your own sensitivities. The water supply was often cut off during severe rain and could be off for hours. The house was equipped with a water reservoir for this purpose, however, we did encounter some plumbing difficulties.
 * **Safety** - Our team found it to be a safe city with many people around if help was ever required. When walking in town we always traveled in pairs and found this was no problem. We generally did not go out at night and if we did we used the driver provided for us. We felt comfortable in our house, even with the front and back door wide open. For emergencies and to call the police, ambulance etc. dial 999.
 * **Tipping** - All restaurants added a 15% VAT surcharge and a 10% tip on their bills for gratuity. Tipping is up to you. We tipped our driver at the end of our stay.
 * **Mosquitoes** - This was not a big problem although there are day and night mosquitoes. We got bitten, but not excessively! Afterbite took care of the itch. Mosquito nets are not needed although two team mates who are sensitive and more prone to mosquito bites brought nets but did not use them. As we were leaving there was an outbreak of Dengue Fever on both neighbouring islands and therefore Dominica was on the alert.
 * **Beaches** - Most beaches on the island are rocky and not great for lounging and swimming. To cool off at the end of each day we had our driver bring us to one of the few hotels that had pools. At some there was a surcharge. We generally ate and had refreshments there too. It is best, if they are going to charge you, to discuss your visits with the manager to arrange waiving of this surcharge if you're visiting regularly and dining on site.
 * **Canada Day** - Prior to departure one team member made an informative and very picturesque video of Canada identifying each province and territory....with appropriately themed music. Another team member who was computer savvy downloaded a Jeopardy game to which we created categories and questions. For our Canada Day celebration we showed the video and played the game. The teachers loved this and enjoyed the fun and interaction. Afterward we ate cakes decorated with Canadian flags, drank refreshments and nibbled on coin pancakes and 'real' maple syrup. In hindsight, we would have shopped around for the cakes and refreshments. When the bill came we were stunned, it was very expensive.
 * **Final Celebration Parting Party with DAT officials** - We hosted this event at our house the very last day which in hindsight was not a good idea. Our flight out of Dominica was at 7 am which meant we needed to be up at 2 am to leave for the airport at 3am. Cleaning up after the party (which was major), packing and getting last minute things tended to, left us with little time to reflect upon our teaching experiences, the PO journey and the friendships established. Having a full lunch at 11 am and then another full lunch/dinner at 2pm left us with much food leftover. In retrospect we would have had this event on the 2nd to the last day or chosen lighter fare.
 * **Hired Help** - With DAT's assistance we were able to have the house cleaned and laundry washed 2-3 times per week. This was an added bonus because it allowed us more time at the Convent after school, time to run errands in town and still get an hour or two of sunshine/rain before night fall. For additional money we could have had our clothes dried at a laundromat...which isn't a bad idea as it takes 2-3 days for most clothes to dry outside.
 * **Other** - See a link to L. Pietroniro's (2010) blog on the Personal Sharing page.





Overview of **Special Education** lessons taught - (R. Trehearne, 2009) - Special Education (R. Fox 2014) Overview of 2 Week Block **Literacy through Drama** - (L. Pietroniro, 2010) -
 * Lessons:**
 * Literacy** Lessons - (A. Smieja, 2009) - [[file:projectoverseas/Literacy Lessons - Dominica.pdf|Literacy Lessons - Dominica.pdf]]