Jungle Week

This is where I spent the week.

Dominica has made me certain that I have a fairy godmother.

I’m spending the week at the Waitukubuli Entrepreneurs Leve (WEL) Emerging Entrepreneur Retreat at Jungle Bay Resort and Spa. I got pulled into working with WEL by one of the older PCVs as the program is national and not directly affiliated with Salisbury. The program was the brainchild of the owner of Jungle Bay, Sam Raphael and a previous PCV who was assigned to the community Jungle Bay is in. The organization works to encourage entrepreneurship in Dominica by training young entrepreneurs in both hard skills (cash flow, sales and marketing, cost calculation, etc.) and soft skills (personal motivation, efficiency of time, leadership, etc.) during a one-week retreat and quarterly “re-connects” focused on participant requests. All of the presenters and speakers donate their time to the retreat. Sam spends all day with the participants teaching and coaching them.

It is an absolutely incredible project. Today is the last full day of the week long retreat; tomorrow we have an incredible speaker coming from St. Lucia to address this year’s graduates. The participants are incredibly diverse ranging from a grandmother to 18 year olds, participants who have studied business administration overseas or only have a primary school education, entrepreneurs who want to screw and nail manufacturing companies and those who want to develop their custom cake decorating businesses. Each and every one of them have blossomed during the retreat. They talk about their businesses during breakfast, while relaxing at night and on the daily morning hikes we take. They explain business concepts to each other and discuss collaborations. They love the human knot game.

The retreat has been a week of seeing the absolute best side of Dominica. Jungle Bay is the most beautiful place I have ever stayed. It is located right on the Atlantic coast in a jungle. The entire resort was built using local, natural resources. I’m staying in a cottage with an outdoor shower in the jungle and a porch with a hammock overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

Beyond the physical beauty of the resort its existence is inspiring to the entrepreneurs. Jungle Bay is built on what was considered unusable land. The idea of an upscale eco-tourism resort was unheard of. Jungle Bay is now easily one of the most successful businesses on island.

It seems that Jungle Bay inspires everyone to be at his or her best. The participants have told me repeatedly that one of the best aspects is having incredibly successful and busy entrepreneurs and business people come and spend time talking to them. Reversely the people coming to speak love working with the entrepreneurs. There have been a number of speakers who hung around the rest of the day hoping to have a chance to answer more questions and spend more time with the emerging entrepreneurs.

Dominican Phrase Book: “If I plant you, will you grow?” When Nicole and Aaron were here we taught my friend “nose goes”, the “game” in which after someone says something that needs to be done, ex. going to Ma Clem’s shop to buy ice, everyone touches his/her nose and the last person to touch his/her nose must go to buy the ice. “If I plant you, will you grow?” is the Dominican version.

Erin is relaxing on the couch. From the kitchen:

Erin’s man friend: “If I plant you, will you grow?”

Erin: “Sure babes. The soil in Dominica is quite fertile.”

Erin’s man friend: “Watch in my wallet for coins for soap.”

Erin: “What?”

Erin’s man friend: “You said you’d grow babes. That means I need you to do a message for me.”

**A “message” is any kind of errand. Buying rum can be a message.

Erin: “That doesn’t even make sense. Is this payback for nose goes.”

Erin’s man friend: “Yes babes.”

“If I plant you, will you grow?” I really want someone to mail me a new pair of sandals. I’ve burst three pairs of sandals in the past two weeks.