January 17, 2011

I've thought all day long about how I'm going to start off today's blog, and I can't even express a piece of happiness that has generated in the past 12 hours. It is simply astonishing how loving and caring people are on this beautiful island.  It’s something I could think about all day long, and yet at the end of the day I still wouldn’t have found a way to express this beauty.  Started of the day early, waking up at 7 in the morning, then immediately getting of the ship to make the most out of my last day in Dominica.  Chilled in town for a little bit, then headed with a group of amazing friends out to this little black sand beach called Mero.  Met some of the coolest locals today, including this guy who calls himself the “Rainforest Mushroom Man”.  These people were so incredibly welcoming and had some of the greatest food that I’ve had in a long time.  After spending a couple hours there, we headed back to Roseau where the ship was on port, and we walked around for hours checking out the locals life and the bountiful markets full of people willing to do anything for some money. The only difference here compared to everywhere else I’ve been, they don’t beg for money.  They want everyone to have a good time and it means the world to them to give a second of your time to simply talk and ask them questions.  One man I spoke to today told me, “Happiness is everything, we feel that we have accomplished our deeds of the day when we see you smile.  One of the most loving places I’ve ever visited and definitely a place where I’d like to come back to some day for a longer time period.