JKDMed said:
Mom, could you tell me more about Dominica? I've been set on AUC only because of the island being "more hospitable" (I'm married) but I really like Ross's reputation and residency placements.
Search under my name for other posts I have made concerning Dominica.
I was just thinking today that many people choose to live on Dominica. People that own dive shops, restaurants, hotels, or just like to live there. I think it always hurts their feelings some when students complain about living conditions. I never had much compassion for the single students...we survived with kids in tow as did numerous families. We had so many wild experiences there and the farther removed (the more time that passes) the funnier the "not so funny" ones become.
If you go to Dominica as a tourist it is a beautiful unspoiled nature paradise. 365 Rivers, waterfalls, hiking, sailing, whale watching, scuba diving, etc. etc. As a tourist anything new is fun. The problem is that living there is very different because you have to deal with day to day life (and in the U.S. we have many things that make life easier...fast food restaurants, superb grocery stores, movie houses, etc etc). Setting up your phone, cable, etc. can take longer than you are used to. When someone says they will be at your house at a certain time, well, sometimes they aren't. But it is like this in many parts of the world. My cousin that lives in France deals with many of the same issues that I did in Dominica. So keep that in mind.
We had a really good attitude and enjoyed ourselves for about the first 9 months and then we got cranky. We didn't have AC in our house so we moved to one that did and that helped a lot! Lots of things were going on though...I got pregnant with #5, we missed our extended families, and I was tired of cooking and bored with the food. For a Mom I think that is the hardest, heck I'm having that problem now. After I got pregnant I couldn't do some of the things that relieved stress (scuba diving, beach wasn't as fun as I got bigger) so that made it hard. I stayed on the island until 8 months pregnant though! My kids loved it and never complained. Some other kids would complain about not getting to go to McDonald's but for some reason mine never did. There are sooooo many students that bring spouses and or children. There are older students (2nd career), male, female, and a wide range of ethnicity. It is important for me that my kids see the world from different perspectives so I appreciate the experience we had. The downsides of attending Ross I think apply to the Caribbean in general. I have never been a big "school pride" person anyway so I'd never tell people to go to Ross or not to go. We will have great stories to tell our grandchildren that is for sure!
Specifics:
Ross is located on Prince Rupert's Bay in Portsmouth which is at the NW tip of the island. You fly (or drop from the sky
😉 into the airport on the NE side of the island. The trip from the airport to the school is about 1 hour. It is a winding ride through banana tree forests, mountains, cliffs, breathtaking views of the ocean, etc. The trip makes many people nauseous. I was in the very back nursing our youngest at the time which was an adventure in itself. The transports are European looking vans. We had a house already lined up but most students will stay the night at a hotel and then go on a housing tour the next day.
The campus is normal. The older buildings are the white/metal and the newer ones are block (concrete). There are tennis courts, and basketball courts, the campus is gated, elementary school on campus, a small fitness room, a bookstore (which is NOT owned by Ross and sells coffee, candy bars, and other food from the U.S. oh and some books; the students complain about how expensive it is to buy the U.S. junk food and it is but remember that they ship it from the U.S. and then have to pay customs and then sell it at a profit...moral of the story bring your own treats).
The capitol city is Roseau and is an hour away South. It is a pretty drive as well and not as winding as the airport road. The roads in Dominica pretty much circle the island because it is very mountainous. In Roseau you can find some good grocery stores that will make cooking more fun. The cruise ships that come to Dominica dock here as well so it is the most tourist built-up place. We went whale watching from here. Up into the mountains from Roseau you can visit Trafalgar Waterfalls, the Rain Forest Tram (70 min. ride above the rain forest canopy; the company that built it has one other in Costa Rica), and there are some nice hotels in Roseau. My mil sent us there when she visited for a night. It is nice to get away from campus and the student life every once in awhile.
Back up to Portsmouth...the school is the major attraction. There is an old Fort that my kids liked and the North side of the bay. The best beach is at the school. The beaches are black sand (volcanic island) but we enjoyed it. We got our scuba certification at Cabrits Dive Shop which is next to the school. Super fun! All our dives were in the ocean. It rains often but not usually for long. Sometimes the sun is shining in the rain. Weather is pretty much Hot/Humid. Even on cooler days the humidity is usually high. I remember when we hiked up the highest mountain and I was so excited that I was cold! I saw rainbows daily. Sometimes we saw double and triple rainbows. The island is GREEN. They grow most of the produce that is shipped to other islands.
I can't think right now what else to mention. Oh, most of our extended families came for a visit and loved it. My brother-in-law went to Hawaii after visiting us and he said he liked Dominica better but if he had to live on an island he'd pick Hawaii. They liked the undeveloped island...Hawaii was too much like the U.S. for their tastes...it is all perspective though. Research Dominica like you were going on vacation....buy a guide book, mine has St. Lucia and Dominca together...look up real-estate to get pictures of houses, etc. Most locals live in shanty buildings...small wooden shacks with metal roofs. If you have never seen anything like that it is different. You will see housing like that on all the islands I believe. The internet is a great tool...I was always suprised how many students were shocked and really didn't seem like they had investigated the island or the SCHOOL. Hope this helps.
. Here's a thought, hide some of the toys from the kiddos for a couple of months. When you return them to them, they'll think they're new toys. But then again, kids aren't as dumb as they were in my day..... 
