What is there for me to do in Dominica?

We have learned that Ross University is a good school that will get you licensed in the US. We have also learned how to study and work hard but what is there to do when we have a few minutes of extra time to kill or just need an evening off to relax?

First, there is a reason that Dominica is called the “Nature island of the Caribbean” but there are a few things that one can do when you have extra time. Now for study breaks there is not much, but like anywhere it’s hard to find a good stress relief in a short time. The most common thing for people that study on campus, like myself, to take a break and do are either go to the bookstore or Seaside café for a snack or go to the library and get on the internet. The library’s internet capabilities are weak but are improving quickly. The library has about 40 student computers that are connected to the internet but right now the connection is very slow.

It will be improving quickly. The new ownership has been putting a lot of money into improving the IT systems and this year the money has gone to improving the internal network. The IT staff is expecting New York to approve a satellite based internet connection back to the states to get better service then the 256k DSL line that the whole campus shares. Other projects the local IT staff hope to get approved include a video-on-demand system to allow more students to access the academic videos that the library holds.

If you are looking to take a day or evening off there are a number of things that students like to do. My personal favorite is scuba diving. There is a 5-star PADI dive shop which is about a 5 minute walk from campus. They offer all levels of training up through assistant instructor. Most interested students take their first dive course “open-water certification” down here while some of us are taking classes to become a “divemaster” which is the first professional level of certification. The Cabrits dive shop does most of it’s diving between the campus and the North point of the island. Be sure to ask about student rates as they are much cheaper then what tourists pay. There is also a dive club on campus that is volunteer run and has the BEST rates on certification and dive trips and dives all over the island. They seem to go diving at least 3 our of 4 weekends a month.

Other activities to blow off steam include heading to some of the small local bars. As a non-drinker I cannot tell you much about that but I’m sure it’s like everything else, less then you would get in the US. I can say it’s fun to catch a transport to visit other parts of the island. The activities office regularly plans such day trips around the island and have hiked to boiling lake and taken whale watching trips off the South point of the island. It can also be a cultural experience to go down to the capital city, Roseau, for one of the festivals that they have. In the spring there is Carnival on the Tuesday before lent (same day as Marti gras) and in the fall is the independence day celebration.

For many of you religious people you may wonder what churches are like. Many of the locals are Roman Catholic, Seventh Day Adventist and various protestant denominations with Baptist being the most predominant. Some students attend services in local churches but most of us that are religious worship in churches and fellowships started on the campus. I am currently the worship leader at the Ross Christian Fellowship which is an interdenominational church that meets in classroom 3 (on campus) on Sunday at 10:30pm. We also have a number of Bible studies including our whole group Bible study and others for married people, men and other specific groups. Other religions are also represented on campus including Roman Catholic, Mormon, Judaism and Islam.

Like everything else remember that you are not in the US. Once you truly understand and accept that you will do well and become well adjusted to Ross.