On Monday, we spent the afternoon on an "herbal scavenger hunt." Before we left Jungle Bay in the morning, each student was assigned 2 plants to find, research, and photograph, and compile the information and send it to Dr. Abrons by the end of the rotation. We were also asked to interview someone in Dominica about our plants and upload the videos and photos to the group's Shutterfly.com site.
Because our scavenger hunt began immediately after returning to Jungle Bay from the Petit Savanne Primary School, we were all wearing nicer clothes, but most of us had moderately appropriate walking shoes and were told that it would be a paved, easy walk. Naturally, I was wearing sandals, and they were not the appropriate footwear. This unfortunate choice made me less excited about the scavenger hunt, but it was really an amazing experience.
We hiked from Jungle Bay along some local roads, and Justin stopped occasionally to point out certain plants or explain a medicinal use. I had no idea that so many plants had such a variety of uses! Nearly everything growing in Dominica has some kind of practical, medicinal, or spiritual use, and it makes me realize how little Americans value our natural resources in comparison to the people of Dominica and those who might use more traditional remedies for their ailments. It also amazed me that Justin could identify such an encyclopedia of plants simply by sight. I am so thankful to have him as a resource!
As we walked, Justin found a freshly fallen coconut and dehusked and cracked it open in front of us. We got to enjoy fresh coconut milk and coconut "meat" (the fleshy, white inside that is so delicious) on our walk, and as the sun shined on us, a breeze ruffled my skirt, and I ate the tasty fruit, I was elated. Justin and the preceptors (Dr. Abrons, Erica, and Theresa) kept pointing features and dropping hints on the locations of our plants, but it was definitely a team effort to find them! Some of us returned empty-handed, but once a couple of us found our plants, we all began looking for each others', as well. Some of them too more effort than others to find, though. Jackie's plant was very far away, and Justin had to climb over other plants and rocks to reach it and pluck off a leaf for her, while one of Eric's was over our heads a few times before we noticed it. By the end, we were all hunting for the leftover plants of a few people, and kept finding things that looked similar but were not the plant of interest. The funniest moment was when Griffan, who was convinced that her plant was lemongrass, walked the path and stopped to smell every grassy plant on the way. Once we did find her lemongrass, though, it was extremely clear how it got its name: it definitely smelled like lemon!
On our way back to Jungle Bay, we also got to stop at a small area covered in spongy, spiky grass (or maybe it's a type of moss) that overlooks the beach, which was where Dr. Abrons and her husband were married. It was so beautiful! This picturesque locale was also where Justin used to live, and I cannot imagine being so close to hear the surf against the rocks every day. It would be very relaxing, though never totally silent. It was a lovely detour and helped the group get to know Dr. Abrons a little bit better, since we could see this very special place with her.
We returned exhausted, but I had a wonderful time beginning to explore the natural resources of Dominica, and look forward to learning more about the herbal remedies and other uses for plants here. Hopefully, we can take some of this information home to the USA in order to help some of our patients at home!
Jessica Shalita
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