Roseau: an adventure of stick shifts, handcrafts, and a coffee shop

Rachel, Christina, and I have been very busy preparing for our big move back to the states. For the past few weeks we've been slowly emptying our apartments as we sell clothes, cookware, and left over odds and ends to locals and students. That's the easy part. We've also spent a lot of time online and on the phone securing places to live, renting u-hauls, updating address information, researching cell phone plans, and getting quotes for car insurance. In the next three weeks everything will be planned down to the last detail (hopefully).

One of those details for Rachel was to buy a car. Her friend in the states helped her find a great deal on a Nissan Altima and everything is ready and waiting for her when she gets home. Only one problem... it has a manual transmission and she can't drive a stick.

Enter Ashley and Christina. We rented a Toyota Corolla with the plan of teaching Rachel to drive and decided to add in a trip down to Roseau to check out rumors of a new fancy coffee shop and do some last minute keepsake buying (souvineer doesn't quite work in this context- it sounds too touristy!). It was the perfect excuse for a road trip with the girls.

Thinking back to all the posts about the road conditions here, you may be thinking Dominica is not the best place to learn to drive a stick. You are right. (Plus factor in the left side of the road driving on the right side of the car which means shifting with your left hand! Talk about confusing!) But over the past 15 months we've learned to make the best of our environment here and where better to learn than 1.) in someone else's car 2.) in a place where no one will ever see you again if you do make a fool of yourself and 3.) with your best friends.

So to begin, we took Rachel to my old street, Moo Cow Trail: the straightest road in the area with the least amount of traffic. I stopped the car on a decline and switched places with Rachel. As the car rolled forward, her first attempt to start the car was a success! With boosted confidence, we practiced for a while until Christina and I decided she was ready for the road. Rachel was a super fast learner!


We made it to Roseau alive (!) and thankful for the solid ground beneath our feet but also very proud of Rachel who made it without blowing a tire on a pothole, falling into a gutter, or bursting into tears (which I was guilty of the first several times I tried to learn).

We ran a couple errands first like picking up Justin's prescription (so much cheaper than in the US!) and Rachel found a plate to replace the one she broke her apartment. Then we ventured over to the touristy section of town, right by the cruise ship dock. Luckily, a cruise ship wasn't in town and while several vendors weren't open, we still found some good things.

We bought baskets that are woven with dried coconut, palm, and banana leaves. We looked for other little things that will remind us of Dominica when we leave like coconut shell jewelry and artwork. In the end we all ended up looking like tourists with our big bags full of goodies!
And then we had the most surreal experience:

A new coffee shop opened up on the bayfront boasting 'Starbucks' lettering and fancy gourmet treats. With only 20 days left in Dominica I felt like I was cheating going in to such a civilized place. It was definitely a strange feeling to do something so domestic with people who see you sweaty and without makeup on a regular basis.

But it didn't take long to change my attitude and I ordered a turkey bacon panini with an iced caramel latte!

I'm not gonna lie: It was good!

Rachel doesn't look as convinced, but trust me, we ate every last bite!

On our way back we made Rachel drive as far as Breezy Mart (the best supermarket on the island!) where we picked up a few luxury items like Tostitos chips and Kraft cheese to last us the next few weeks. Christina drove the rest of the way home so Rachel, who was exhausted from the stress of learning and driving on these treacherous roads, could chill out in the back.

We're as proud of our Dominican driving skills as this guy!
(that's the Dominican flag behind the peeling paint)