How To Get Here and What to Bring?

OK, one of the biggest questions that I had and that other new students ask me before they get to Dominica is, “What do I need to bring?” I know that in the Spring of 1999 when I sent in my deposit the NY office sent me a packet that made Dominica sound more rustic then it really is. Don’t get me wrong, it is rustic, but not as bad as they had made it sound. I’ll first go over how to get here and how to arrive and then what I would suggest bringing.

Assuming that you are coming from the US or Canada there is only one major airline that can get you the whole way to Dominica. American airlines flies to San Juan, Puerto Rico and connects to the Melville Hall airport near Marigot, Dominica on an American Eagle flight. You can also connect to Dominica on Liat, BWIA and EC Express (formerly Air Jamaica) from various islands. You will probably be like the majority of students and take American. It is very expensive.

With the student discount that you can get through Austin Travel it costs about $750 from Washington, DC and most people pay around $700 from New York. I have heard of people getting tickets from JFK for as low as $540 but I cannot figure out how to do that. Be careful of Austin Travel because the main travel agent, Tom Backer, had a large history of not replying to email and providing customer service my peers were not satisfied with. I was always able to match their price on the internet anyway.

When you get to Dominica you will then need to get from Marigot to Portsmouth (pronounced Ports-mouth) where the school is located. The housing office tells you to sign up with them and they will have transportation available. Currently they charge you US$15 while the going rate is US$10. I recommend that you just show up at the airport and the second you leave the door from customs you will be mobbed by drivers wanting to take your money, I mean take you to your new home. I suggest you look for a driver with other students with him (they are all men) and specifically ask for Max or Alexus as they are the ones most used by students. I have ridden with both of them and they are both fair. They will probably charge you the proper cost but regardless of the driver tell them you are going to pay $10 US. The proper rate is either EC$25 or US$10. If you are firm and insist that is the proper price any driver will accept it if they have other people going the same way. If you are not first you could end up paying as much as US$40 like one student I know. You do not need to tip in Dominica but if you want or feel the need go ahead. It’s a poor country so support good service when you can get it.

For your first night plan to stay at the Portsmouth Beach Hotel. Tell the driver to take you to PBH. There will probably be others going the same way. It is the hotel right next to the school with a trail that connects the two near the ocean. About 100 of the 800 students chose to stay there for the semester. If you like it and have the cash stay. I consider it the “dorms of Ross” and will be living there for my third semester after having lived somewhere cheaper at first. If you want to look at other housing there is a housing tour that leaves daily during the time students arrive. It used to start at 9am by the PBH office. The university housing office runs it for free. Chose a place that is registered with the housing office. When landlords start ripping off students and taking advantage the housing office will drop them from the list. If you go with one that is not on the list you may very well get stuck in that trap.

What to bring
Now what to bring, these days you can get just about anything you want in Dominica but if might be tough and you might have to wait for it to be available. The most important thing are your clothes. It is a tropical country and you can get by with shorts and tee-shirts but the AC at the school is very good so you WANT to bring some long pants, long sleeve shirts and a jacket. I keep a jacket in my locker on campus because of the AC. Upperclassmen always bring food because you will get sick of the food but as a first timer you will not have room to bring it in the 70 lbs plus 1 carry-on that American Eagle limits. Bring whatever sun block and bug spray you like since they are hard to get. If you have specific brands of shampoo and other toiletries you like bring them but otherwise you can get them here. They will just be more expensive and a very limited selection. Also be sure to bring enough of ALL medications you might need. In addition to any prescriptions you are taking I suggest everybody bring a 4 month supply of:

Motrin, Tylenol or such
Benadryl
Anti-diarrhea med
Motion sickness med if you need it for a drive on windy mountain roads.

These days thanks to the new and improves bookstore you can get many of these things on campus in addition to all the American candy and junk food you want. If you have any specific brands or types of products you like bring them. Dominica may have a little of everything available but I do mean they have a LITTLE of everything. If you have them and can bring them I suggest you bring:

Camera, digital if you already own one
Computer if you can
Anything small that can help entertain yourself as the little down time in Dominica can get boring.
Bring a few luxury items that you like as a special treat for later in the semester. You will not be able to get them here.

Do not worry much about what to bring. These days you can at least find enough to get by while you wait the two weeks it takes to get someone in the US to mail it to you. I am not sure but I believe that you can get the management at the bookstore to special order items for you and they carry all the most popular American products that the Dominican stores do not have.