Programs Blog

November 7, 2024 

Location: Dominica 

Weather: 86 °F and Sunny 

Hi everyone, welcome back to another Jeremy blog. Before I delve into a day in Dominica, which is quite the spectacle, I need a little introduction. I am a Junior attending Pitzer College studying environmental science, with a potential double major in geology. My second-semester junior year class registration is fast approaching, which is so surreal. Anyway, please send me your thoughts as this class registration is going to be a doozy.   

As I am currently comfortably sitting in the Soufriere Guest House, let me tell you about our wonderful, long day today. The last couple of mornings have been unexpected early wakeups, and today was no different. The Roosters, as per usual, set a strict 5:30 wake-up time, making sure I was up well before our 8:00 AM bag drop-off. Anyway, fast forward a couple of hours, and 8:00 AM rolls around. Right on time is Harry, who is a professional freediver, ready to help us move our bags from Rosehill Heights to the Soufriere Guest House. After about 20 minutes of loading and unloading the bags at the Soufriere Guest house, I found myself riding in the seat-equipped back of the pickup truck. Definitely the highlight of my morning. Breakfast and a packable lunch came at 9:00 AM from the wonderful Joan Birmingham, a local chef who fed us so well for the first five days in Dominica.  

After breakfast, we were picked up for a drive from Soufriere to Dr. Lennox Honychurch’s house. The drive was quite a long one, going up the entire west side of the island, cutting over to the north side, and ending up in Woodford Hill. In total, it took us about 2 hours and 30 minutes, but it was stunning the entire way, with gorgeous views of the west side of Dominica, rocky beaches, colorful buildings, and crystal-clear rivers. As if the drive was not pretty enough, Dr. Honychurch’s house was stunning, with nearly 180-degree views of the ocean. However, we did not come for the view; we came to talk about the life of Dr. Honychurch. He told us all about his childhood growing up in Calibishie (next door to Woodford Hill), yet having to go to school in Roseau, the capital, which is nearly 1 hour and 30 minutes away by car. After primary and secondary school, Dr. Honychurch went into the radio business, teaching others about the history and archaeology of Dominica and Barbados. At the radio station, he learned of his love for writing and began compiling his short radio talks into his first book. Nearly five decades later, he has seven books spanning different subjects and age groups. In between Dr. Honychurch’s writing career, he served in Dominica’s legislature, traveling to the United Kingdom working toward and eventually gaining Dominica’s full independence. As if this were not enough of a starred resume, Dr. Honychurch attended Oxford University to study History and Anthropology and focused on the different aspects of the Kalinago tribe. After about an hour and a half of conversation with Dr. Honychurch, he let us walk down his path to a nearby beach, which was the most pristine and beautiful beach I have seen in the Caribbean thus far. Overall, our talk with Dr. Honychurch was inspiring on the effect one person can have on an entire nation, and it was interesting to hear about such a diverse life story.  

We then left Dr. Honychurch’s property, headed for Cabrits National Park, and ate lunch along the way. At Cabrits National Park, we got the chance to walk around Fort Shirley. The British mainly constructed Fort Shirley, but the French made significant additions to the fort during their occupation of Dominica. Fort Shirley is most notably known for the revolt of the British 8th West India Regiment. The revolt involved enslaved African soldiers taking over the garrisons for three days to protest against the news that they would be sent back to the plantations instead of being granted freedom in return for their service. The revolt resulted in all the West India Regiment’s enslaved soldiers becoming free. The fort is incredibly well preserved, holds so much important history, and has a stunning view of Prince Rupert’s Bay.  

After about an hour at the fort, we decided it was time to face the two-hour drive home, which included lots of napping and watching the sunset. Finally, we arrived at the Soufriere Guest House around 18:00, eating a dinner of chicken, noodles, cabbage, cassava, potatoes, beans, and carrots at 18:30, which concluded our day. Overall, it was quite a busy day, but nonetheless, it was filled with amazing views, incredible history, and cool people.  

Thank you so much to our driver Phillip who drove us for more than five hours in total today, Dr. Honychurch, for speaking with us, Joan for making us breakfast and lunch today, and Jana for making us dinner, Harry for helping us move our belongings, and Wes for letting us stay at the  Soufriere Guest house.  

Catch you on the next blog, readers,  

Jeremy.