Layla – Dominica
March 11-13, 2025
On Tuesday, we went to the Alpha Center. It is a school for children with disabilities. I observed a therapy session for a 16 yr old boy with down syndrome and a therapy session for a 4 yr old boy who we suspect has autism. It was a step out of my comfort zone, but I enjoyed the challenge of taking notes and interacting with the patients. We have an occupational therapist who works for Therapy Abroad with us this week, so it was cool to see interprofessional collaboration. For lunch, we ate out at small restaurant with a covered outdoor porch. I liked the pumpkin fritters. We hiked to Trafalgar Falls and took some pictures of the two waterfalls, known as the Father and Mother Falls. Next, we went to a place that had sulfur springs, which is basically a natural hot tub. It was very relaxing. Our team is growing closer each day. We have spent full days with each other and eat 3 meals a day together. I am thankful for the friendships I have formed on this trip. Everyone is supportive and encouraging. Our Therapy Abroad staff, Katie and Jayme, have been very kind and awesome at leading us through each day. I love our faculty, Mrs. Lineberger and Mrs. Winslow. I enjoy observing how passionate they are about their job and learning from them. It’s fun to see everyone’s personality shine. We have time in the evenings to debrief and share about our day. I like hearing everyone’s perspectives from the day.
On Wednesday, half of us went to visit Castle Bruce Primary School and the other half went around with a caregiver from Yes, We Care to visit patients in their homes. Yes, We Care is a government run program that offers in-home care services to those who cannot care for themselves. I went and visited 5 different patients in their homes. It was an emotional day for me because we got a glimpse of how these patients live. Most of them shared that they are lonely and all they do is eat, sleep, and bathe. There were some very fulfilling parts, such as seeing a patient utilizing strategies provided from the previous group that had worked with her to help her slow her rate of speech. Again, I find it beneficial to observe the faculty doing what they are passionate about and connecting with patients. We are all learning about ourselves and the field of speech-language pathology. I admire how faculty and students alike are open to new or different experiences and share our feelings of excitement or anxiety. The added factor of the culture here is also important to recognize because it’s another layer of something new and different. I had the opportunity to write my first note on a patient. I am grateful for faculty and graduate students who allowed me to start it on my own and gave me constructive feedback. The evening ended with cultural performances. A group from the local primary school performed dances and there were local musicians who played the drums and the harmonica. It was beautiful to watch and very touching to see them share their culture. They came to where we were staying. We also got to have fun and dance a bit. It was a fun and wholesome evening. It was a nice way to wrap up our last night in Castle Bruce. We also did a project with driftwood we found on the beach. We made the shape of the state of North Carolina with ECU in the middle. It’s a tradition that every Therapy Abroad group does when they stay in Dominica.
Thursday was our last morning at Castle Bruce. We didn’t want to say goodbye to our lovely staff Mariana, Carol, and Flo. We loaded our luggage up and headed to the infirmary in Roseau, the capital of Dominica. It’s interesting to see the differences between the country and city. We got a tour of the infirmary, which is a public institution that houses about 94 elderly and/or infirmed residents. We got there in the morning, so we got to assist some patients with breakfast. One of the things I noticed at every site I have visited on the island is how much time people spend outdoors and in nature. The infirmary was a big square with a courtyard in the middle. It was nice to see so many residents sitting outside. The view was beautiful with mountains in the background and there were birds and flowers. This uplifted my spirits after walking through each ward and seeing patients in their beds. I think residents may feel the same way when they get to sit outside in fresh air and enjoy nature. I observed and spoke with many patients. I love to hear about their history and just be there to give them company and someone to talk to. Next, we checked into our hotel and got ready for Mero beach. We picked up our lunch and ate it on the beach. I tried shawarma for the first time, and it was really good. The sand on the beach was dark and very hot. The water felt amazing, and we all swam around and hung out. I found some sea glass. Surprisingly, the beach was not busy at all. We finished out the beach day with ice cream. The hotel is nice because it has AC and hot water. We watched the sunset on the bay and then had some spaghetti and salad at the hotel. It was our last day doing therapy sessions. The next few days will consist of fun activities, quality time together, and exploring the city.
March 7 – 10, 2025
After a long travel day, we arrived in Dominica around 2:30 PM. We were greeted by Therapy Abroad Staff. We loaded up in two vans and headed to Castle Bruce. Our bus drivers, Kenny and Kent, always have a smile on their face and share things about the island as we drive around. It is a mountainous island, so the roads are very curvy. It was a little scary at first because the roads are so narrow, and I have never been to a place where they drive on the left side of the road. It’s also common for people to honk at each other as a greeting. The first place we are staying is the Castle Bruce Regional Center, which is an emergency shelter center. Once we settled in, we took a walk through the village to the beach. Dominica lives up its name “Nature Island”. There are fruit trees and flowers everywhere along the sides of the roads. The houses here are painted various vibrant colors. Category 5 hurricane Maria devasted the island in 2017 and they basically had to rebuild everything.
Dominican cuisine is a blend of indigenous Kalinago, African, French, and English influences. Some of the staples I have noticed are rice, beans, plantains, breadfruit, and ginger. I have enjoyed every meal so far. We have two wonderful ladies who cook meals for us at the Center. I like the fresh juice and fruit at every meal.
The second day here we had a full day to explore the island. We started with a tour of the Kalinago Territory. The Kalinago people were the indigenous people of the island. We learned about their history and culture. My favorite part was learning about their passion for herbal medicine. Later that day we went to Emeral Pool, which is a small waterfall that has an area to swim. The water was very cold. It was a fun day hiking and getting to know everyone better. We spent the evening preparing for the next day.
The next day was our first clinical day. We went to private owned residential care provider call Premium Home and Residential Care Services (PHARCS). It is cross the street from where the Prime Minister lives. The majority of the residents have some sort of dementia. We got there at breakfast time, so I got to observe a feeding and swallowing session. I immediately bonded with a resident who had the same name as my great grandmother, which was neat because I had never met anyone else with that name. The next resident we worked with enjoyed music. I learned that music is very important to the people in Dominica. Our bus driver said the genre of the music is known as bouyon. After our time at PHARCS we went to an outdoor restaurant with a beautiful view of the water. They normally aren’t open on Sunday’s, but the owner said they partner with Therapy Abroad and opened specially for our group. I got to try soursop juice and my main dish was mahi with rice, beans, and vegetables. Soursop juice is actually not sour like the name suggests. We digested and talked about our first clinical experience, and then we headed to Layou River. It was cool because there were a lot of locals there and they were playing music and swimming. They were very nice and did not mind sharing the space with us. We had to swim across the river to a hot spring. It was not easy to swim against the river current, but I made it. The hot spring was a small section in the rocks that was warm. We got back to the Center and had dinner and worked together to write notes about the patients we saw that morning. I got to learn more about how to write notes. I have been learning so much through hands on experience, observing, asking questions, and the graduate students have been giving me some practical tips. Each night we debrief about that day and then discuss the plan for the next day.
On Tuesday we visited the Kalinago schools. Our program is relatively new to the island, so we had to do a lot of speech and language screenings. It was a little chaotic because we had five screenings going on in one classroom. The most special moment was when one kid who was so shy at the beginning opened up to us and when he left he gave me a huge hug. It was one of the sweetest experiences that I won’t forget. We took a lunch break and then went to a small school that worked with people with special needs. I got to observe a session with a woman who was deaf. One of the graduate students is fluent in ASL because her mother was born deaf, so she was able to lead the session. The lady who worked at the special needs school sells crafts made by the students at her mother’s craft store, so we went to go support them. I got a pair of earrings that the students made. That evening, we went to Rudy’s, which is right next to the Center. We had pizza made by a local and Rudy’s plantain chip with the special dipping sauce.
March 6, 2025
HI! My name is Layla Beals, and I am a junior in the Speech and Hearing Sciences major at ECU. I am excited to be going to Dominica during spring break! ECU is partnering with Therapy Abroad to send Communication Sciences and Disorders graduate and undergraduate students to provide speech-language pathology services to people in Dominica. Therapy Abroad is a program that offers faculty-led group travel programs with structured, professional experiences designed exclusively for those interested in speech-language pathology, audiology, physical therapy, occupational therapy, sports & exercise science, and public health. For the last couple of years, ECU has gone to Belize. This is the first year we are going to Dominica, so it will be a new experience for everyone. Our motto is “Be Flexible.”
Dominica is a mountainous Caribbean Island. We have several fun trips planned where we get to explore the island and learn more about the culture. Dominica is known as The Nature Island. We have had a few snow days here this winter, so I am looking forward to warm weather.
Our team consists of two faculty members, three graduate students, and seven undergraduate students. As an undergraduate, I will have the opportunity to gain clinical observation hours. I am excited to work closely with graduate students. We will visit schools, the Dominica Infirmary, and Premium Home and Residential Care Services (PHARCS). We will get to see adults and children. I have been busy reading notes about the patients we will work with. I am grateful for the opportunity to partner with ECU and Therapy Abroad to serve people in Dominica. I look forward to making a positive impact on people’s lives to and to learn more about the field of speech-language pathology. I know that this experience will challenge me and push me out of my comfort zone.
It’s the day before I leave, and I have everything packed. Our flight leaves at 6:30 AM, which means I need to be at the airport around 4:00 AM. I think I am too excited and nervous to get any sleep. I will post another blog after I have arrived in Dominica!”
Thank you!