Internet & Starfish

Hello, friends!

Sorry I have been a stranger this week, but we've been sans internet at our apartment for a week now, and it is starting to get to me.  Oh, Dominica.

Oh, Dominica is one of my favorite expressions to say down here, mainly to describe those frustrating experiences that are a small price to pay for living this adventurous island life.  It's similar to only in Dominica which refers to those extremely bizarre moments that can be explained in no other way.  My other favorite thing to say down here is white people, said in a Dominican accent, appropriately used when a Dominican (or three) is staring at you with bewilderment over something you're doing that they think is ridiculous.  (Don't get me wrong, I love it here, but these are just funny things I like to say!)

While I'm at it, only in Dominica is rain an excuse for your internet not working, even when it hasn't rained for five days... Oh well.  White people and their internet, right?

Anyways, here's what we've been up to this week:

Monday was a Dominican holiday, Whit Monday, which most Dominicans will you tell is just a "beach day." So we lived it up and spent the afternoon at the beach.

We ran into these two little friends from InLightIn on the beach and took them to lunch. Cokes, french fries, and chicken wings? They were such happy campers.  After lunch they joined Charlie and I for a "sea bath" (a swim!).  They swam in their underwear (as most boys in the Bahamas and Dominica do) and had a blast jumping off of Charlie's shoulders and standing on his submerged back like it was a surfboard.

While swimming, we spotted a student from CALLS on the beach who joined us for a swim. He found an impressive starfish in the sea that we all admired.  The boys loved playing with it and checking it out.

Charlie has been down at the hospital several days this week and has gotten to have some great experiences working with the doctors down in Roseau.  He's performed exams on patients, conducted interviews, given shots, written prescriptions, and removed stitches.  Not bad for his first two weeks!

I've also been teaching at CALLS, checking my email at Katie's apartment, hitting up the gym in the evenings, and gearing up for InLightIn tomorrow.  I also gave in and started reading 50 Shades and have been flying through it.

How's your week going?

Font used:
Pea Annie

Photos by Clare Wilkinson for C Squared W

Flaunting my Causes

Today I'm excited to participate in Flaunt Your Cause and share with you two wonderful organizations that I spend my time with in Dominica.

Here on the island I keep myself really busy and as a former teacher, I love working with local youth in a couple of different capacities.  

InLightIn is an after school program for local preschool and elementary schoolers here in Dominica.  Every Friday, we meet the kids in the park for an afternoon of games, craft projects, and an afternoon snack.  I love just hanging out with the kids, hearing about their day at school, and playing soccer, Uno, and dominoes (such a popular game here!), or coloring while listening to their stories.  

We bring mac and cheese, baked goods, and juice for the kids to enjoy each week.  For some of the kids who attend InLightIn, this may be the only meal they have all day, so this is an especially important part of the program.  We also help the families of our InLightIn kids by buying and delivering groceries for them when needed.  I have been working with InLightIn and our kids for 17 months now, and feel so lucky to know them. They are sweet and hilarious, and their laughs are contagious! 

The second organization that I work with here in Dominica is CALLS.  CALLS is an alternative high school in Dominica that gives students a second chance to finishing school and learn vocational skills.  I have volunteered my time at CALLS as a tutor and art teacher since I arrived on the island in December 2010 and love going to the school on Wednesdays afternoons.  

I usually work with the boys and have a soft spot for all of them. I love that they call me Miss Clare {said in an awesome Caribbean accent, of course!}.

A huge thank you to Emily and Lindsay for organizing this wonderful event.  I loved having the chance to flaunt my causes! 

Previous posts about my volunteer experiences in Dominica:
InLightIn Fridays
Silver Dust
Wednesdays at CALLS

Friday Friends

These are my favorite Friday friends.  

They are full of hugs, smiles, sass, and laughter.  They get fired up in games of Uno and are never too cool to hang out with me or throw a football with me, even when they've reached grade five.  I love their island accents and big brown eyes.  They give me surprises like friendship bracelets and half-colored coloring book pages with T-Rexes on them.  

They're sweet and hilarious and I love every one of them, even though they try to look like gangsters in basically every photograph I take.

Yesterday was our last In.Light.In until we start the program up again in June... I'm really going to miss these kiddos over the next two months! 

In.Light.In Fridays

One of the highlights of my week is hanging out with some of my favorite kids at In.Light.In on Friday afternoons.  This is the fourth semester that I've been involved with In.Light.In, so I've known most of these kids for over a year now.  I love hanging out with them, coloring, playing Uno, and kicking the soccer ball with them.  I have a soft spot in my heart for these kids, especially the hilarious boys and sassy little girls.  They are just too cute!

{just hanging out. love him!}

{all smiles}

{sassy artiste}

{mesmerized by the toy airplane on the field that's gearing up to fly}

{so serious and proud of his penguin}

{back handspring - midair! so impressive!}

{sweet girls}

Bon weekend!