We Need Progression not Laxation

As usual, my stay in Dominica was wonderful in spite of a few minor incidents. During my second week on the Island, I took an early morning walk which began peacefully and uneventful but ended prematurely when I slipped, fell down a steep incline and injured my left leg.  Thankfully, I escaped with no broken bones; however, a large bruise on the top of my foot caused me to limp painfully but successfully back home. The injury slowed me down considerably and prevented me from hosting some of my planned events, such as, the highly anticipated one-week summer camp for children and a senior citizen’s gathering. Nonetheless, in spite of my injury we hosted a one-day children’s fair from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., which was quite successful.  Other planned events such as, two wedding receptions and several Friday nights events, were also successfully hosted.  The senior citizen’s affair has been rescheduled and will be hosted during my December visit.

Spending over two months in Dominica exposed me to some changes in people’s attitude towards school and work, for example, which are negative and could affect continued development on the Island.  Growing up as a child in Marigot, my recollection of people’s attitude towards work was one of seriousness, constructiveness and true commitment.  My father, for example, left home every morning at 6:00 a.m. and was not home until very late in the evening, exhausted but still having time to help out in the home.  He also taught many young men from Marigot and other villages the trade of repairing and building houses.  A considerable amount of his time was spent repairing vehicles as well as fixing sewing machines and other broken equipments.  He also made mats and baskets from dry wild pine leaves and coconut straws.  I remember the large wild pine tree which stood at the end of our garden with long, sharp, leaves pointing upwards.  After working he also found time to socialize with his friends by playing games such as, dominos and draft.  My mother, who was a homemaker, was extremely busy tending to the household chores while actively participating in other church related affairs and performing community services. Simply put, we witnessed the determination of our parents, as well as other Dominicans, as they diligently worked in homes, gardens, baking, fishing, offices, or doing whatever it took to make a honest living, so that we could survive.

Today, some young people seem to be quite comfortable hanging out just about all day. Leaving early for work seems to be a thing of the past for many people. Foreigners have replaced many of our young men by becoming gardeners for some people who are unable to do their own gardening.  I had the opportunity to use two foreign workers while in Dominica and I must admit that they were both very industrious, dependable and a pleasure to work with.  I did not set out looking for them, they actually came to me and inquired about work, which is what most of our young people seem reluctant to do for one reason or the other.  Who are most of the people selling fresh vegetables and fruits in the village and in town?—foreigners who are willing to work the land.  I am not insinuating that all Dominicans have forsaken the land, however, a great deal of them have.  On the positive side, there are also many people who continue to plant and reap the bountiful returns of their land. When I think of my good friend Leon and her husband who travels for miles each day to work on their estate, continues the process of gardening around their home and still finds time to be involved in community affairs, such as, being a village council member and church leader, it’s truly amazing.  Another amazing person is Ursulin who makes several trips up and down the steep hill selling her ripe banana and other produce. My neighbor, Miss. Susanna who still plants her sweet potatoes, peppers, herbs, etc., and sells them right in front her house. My nephew, Jaheil loves plantain so we frequently purchase her ripe banana and ripe plantain, which are ever so delicious.

One might argue that there is no money to be made by planting gardens but how are we suppose to eat if we don’t plant.  When most people refer to the market being bad they are often referring to the decrease in banana production; however, other fruits and vegetables are thriving very well in Dominica. There are also several vendors such as, Chad Musgrave in Marigot, as well as other well known vendors who are constantly purchasing and shipping seasonal produce to other countries. Although our produce is also used at home, more fruits can be utilized for making fresh grapefruit juice, mango juice, the popular fruit punch, as well as several other kinds of fruit juices needed, instead of buying bottled carbonated drinks that are more readily available. Ultimately, by practicing a healthier approach towards maintaining better diets, our behaviors will be examples for our children who also need to recognize and enjoy the benefits of a healthy diet.  Thanks to the many vendors who created the Weirs market where one can easily obtain fruits and vegetables, mostly weekends, instead of driving into town or waiting until a van of vegetables arrive from another village.  Keep the roast plantains and barbecue chicken going. Thanks to my good friend Lyn for making it possible to purchase a Saturday breakfast of roast breadfruit, codfish, smoked herring and cucumber.  I am already missing the excitement of hanging out with you while enjoying the activities on the roadside.

Maybe someone can help me with the answer to this question.  Are some of us guilty of perpetuating a crime of laziness within the community?  Are we the ones who have made it so easy for some of our young people to become so careless and hopeless because we work hard, deprive ourselves of luxury items only to maintain their life styles?  I must admit that I have asked myself whether or not I have unintentionally encouraged and contributed to such behaviors.  While my intentions might be good, I do believe that my good nature, have been somewhat abused and taken for granted by some people.  For that reason, I sometimes feel a bit resentful, but continue to hope that my good deeds will not go unnoticed by the people who are most deserving of my help.  Although I feel discouraged at times, I realize that Classiqué is my vision, one which was created many years ago, and for that reason, I am obligated to, and will work diligently towards achieving it’s full potential.  I am confident that with determination and consistency, Classiqué will thrive to higher heights.  I assure you, Marigot is a place that is literally evolving and there is plenty of room for improvement; however, we need to be more aggressive and committed to improving our community.

Currently, all children in Dominica are granted equal opportunities to higher education; however, some parents and children do not regard education as a priority and it is taken for granted.  While growing up in Dominica, I was not privileged to attend high school for several reasons, first my scores were not high enough, secondly, my parents could not afford the expenses, thirdly, a high school education was mostly seen as something granted to a chosen few whose families were recognizable.  Today, however, education is recognized as the means by which to achieve a higher education and be better qualified for changing employment opportunities.  While some children take advantage of the opportunity to advance themselves to a higher level of education, unfortunately, other children attend high school with a negatives attitude and the result is quite noticeable by their level of reading, writing, and most of all verbal communication.

Sadly, some parents who disregard their children’s education are  themselves uneducated or simply refuse to invest the time needed to assist their children with schoolwork, or to attend informative school meetings.  As such, the result of a child’s bad behavior can lead to suspension or dismissal due to intolerable bad behavior towards teachers as well as students who are willing to learn.  During a town hall meeting which was held at Classiqué International, Prime Minister Skerrit also expressed his concern at the level of complacency which has set in within our communities pertaining to education.  He urged parents to become more proactive in their children’s education while stressing the importance of a good education.  We need to wake up and understand that in order for our country to be more progressive it is our responsibility to encourage our children to become serious and appreciative of the opportunity to acquire a high school education.   Without a higher education it is difficult to be progressive in a world where technology is evolving faster than we can conceive it.  To some children, the process of riding the school bus, disturbing other children who are willing to learn, cutting classes as well as fighting, is a routine exercise.   With lack of discipline and enthusiasm towards learning, it is simply difficult to understand the importance of being granted the opportunity to attend high school in the first place.

Times have certainly changed and so have the children who are now being raised in Dominica.  Television, computers, cell phones and musical instruments have replaced things like reading, outdoor playing, and story telling.  Noticeably gone are the older people such as, grandparents who sat on steps outside telling old time stories, while children played hide and go seek until they were exhausted.  Eating habits have also changed.  Most children do not appreciate mangoes and other fresh, local, fruits as much as we did. Why? Because store shelves are stacked with fast foods (junk food), which are seen in commercials on televisions and other advertisements.  Of course, some of us are also guilty of packing and shipping lots of man-made foods (junk food) to our families and friends. When you talk about things such as, designer clothing, fancy shoes, bags, video games, etc., most people in Dominica are more up-to-date than those of us who are living abroad, and I mean that literally.  When I asked my seven year old nephew, Jaheil, if he needed another pair of his usual Payless, light-up sneakers, his answer was no.  Did he really mean that he did not want a new pair of sneakers? Not really.  Jaheil responded by saying, “I want a white pair of sneakers with a check mark on them.” He was referring to (Nike sneakers), of course.

The world has become a much smaller place and traveling is no longer such a mystical thing like it was years ago, just more expensive.  I remember how excited we became when news was received that family members or friends would be coming home for Christmas or Carnival, for example.   Times have changed and people travel more frequently to and from Dominica, allowing one the opportunity to meet people who might be visiting the Island for occasions such as, weddings, funerals, Creole/independence festivities, carnival, Christmas and or other family related events. With the improvement of the airport and the possibility of night landing, even more people might have the opportunity to visit Dominica because of easier access to travel in and out of the country.  The addition of new hotels will also be a plus, especially during the holiday festivities.

Dominica is beautiful and remains relatively peaceful and unspoiled.  When I am on the island my world appears smaller and I feel more at one with nature.   Like all other countries, changes are being made and improvement is quite visible, but there is much more work to be done. Repairing and building new roads, for example, would be a welcome and very visible change in all communities. Frequent visits to the Island have afforded me the opportunity to meet and become more familiar with many people, who are all interesting in their own way. I enjoy being in Dominica and hope to remain an integral part of the community, as I strive to create and host activities for children as well as adults.

While Classiqué is mostly known as a place for hosting formal and non-formal events, it is my intension to host other functions which are more inclusive and not affairs just catered to partygoers.  During my last visit to the island, it was my pleasure to welcome several Dominicans to Classiqué International, including our current Prime Minister, The Honorable Roosevelt Skerrit and his cabinet members, who held the first town hall meeting in Marigot on Tuesday, September 1st, 2009.  As we work to improve Classiqué, we will continue to warmly embrace all Dominicans, as well as our international visitors, who choose to visit the Nature Island for business as well as vacation.  We must not encourage the noticeably lax discipline which could destroy that which has made our Island unique, but work together to preserve our natural, fertile, and beautiful resources as we strive to build a more prosperous Dominica.