By Ashfred Norris
It’s such an amazing feeling to be back at Create Caribbean again. It’s already my second semester, and I once more had the opportunity to reunite with my Create family, get more involved in the affairs and works of the institution, and the best part; the projects! Now, I know you may be thinking, “Why is he so excited about amassing large quantities of primary and secondary sources of information, transforming and interpreting them, in order to present a cohesive and well-constructed piece of research, while also having his college assignments and work to be done, and a personal life to tend to?”
In our very first meeting with Dr. Esprit this semester, she entered the room and asked, “Are you all tired?”, “Have you been staying up late?” She asked these questions to get us to understand that if we are aspiring to be successful people, then we have to drill the concepts of hard work and dedication into our systems now. She then left us saying, “If it hurts, that means it’s being done right”. I took this motivation and applied it to my new project entitled; “The Roseau Valley: from estates to villages”.
The sole purpose of the project is to inform its audience about the Roseau Valley and explain how these estates were transformed into villages and residential areas. I found it both ironic and intriguing as I am from the Roseau Valley, however, I did not have any knowledge on the topic prior to my research. It was quite interesting to find out who were the owners of the estates before, and this further explained how the ownership shifted and landed in the hands of certain persons today.
I enjoyed going to institutions such as; The National Archives and Documentation Center, where I received some of the content which is displayed in the exhibit, and I also had time to look through their collections on Dominican history, and I was also fascinated by some of the things I found. One in particular, being a report from the Seismic Research Unit, UWI issuing a volcano hazard report in 2001 where they explored the possibilities of having a volcanic eruption in the Southern parts of Dominica, and as a result, various earthquakes from 1998 into 2001.
In closing, the assignments and projects that are done at Create are not just extra work we have given ourselves. The projects assist us in becoming well-rounded individuals who can manage their time effectively. Hence, we have enough time to complete both Create and school assignments and, as one intern said, even have time for ‘recreational relaxation’. The research and tech skills enable us to differentiate between actual and alternative facts, amongst other qualities which can be incorporated in our school work and subsequent ventures. In my opinion, Create Caribbean is an asset and the value cannot be depreciated!