My Most Meaningful Moment Here in Dominica to Date

Of all the different places and things I have encountered thus far here in Dominica, I would say that what has been most meaningful to me was the time we spent at The House of Hope.  It was very disturbing for me to know that after seeing these people who have either been abandoned at a young age or grew up as orphans with mental disabilities or have physical handicaps, that there was no place for them to go to get special care around the clock.  What Mr. Alexander has established in his community (in what is supposed to be his retirement years) I think demonstrates the close-knit community here in Dominica with the philosophy of helping others in need even when you get no other benefit from it, other than knowing you are doing such a wonderful thing to help somebody else who really needs your attention. 

What specifically hit home most for me and is my most meaningful moment to date here in Dominica was actually when I got the opportunity to feed "Darcy" lunch.  Darcy suffers from cerebral palsy (a neurological disorder that affects body movement and muscle coordination) and she is immobile.  When I originally applied for this rotation, I included how interested I was to help out at this house because it brought back memories of the time I spent with my grandmother who got very sick and eventually became blind in the nursing home.  She required above and beyond care of what the nursing home staff could do, so there were times I would feed her and just talk to her about life.  My grandmother, someone I admired very much, was always helping others. Working with less fortunate individuals reminded me of my grandmother and made me feel inspired to continue this type of work.  The time we spent today at The House of Hope was a very humbling experience and I appreciated every moment we had in interacting with them.

-Anthony