In my last post, I shared my personal packing list. The items are many, expensive, and large. You may be wondering how I'll be getting all of those things over to Dominica. Well, it isn't easy and it isn't cheap! As I was researching all of my shipping options, I compiled all of the information I found from different sources and typed it up. Here it is:
For Shipping To and From Dominica
Mail can be picked up at the school. If you decide to pick your mail up on campus, please use the address below. A posted mail list can be found daily next to the mail room in the 4th semester building. Allow 2-4 weeks for delivery of mail and an additional 2 weeks for packages. A notice will be sent to you if you have a package. You will need to take the notice and your passport to the post office in Portsmouth in order to pick up your package and pay customs charges. If you have a package sent through an independent carrier, it can be picked up at the appropriate airport. If shipped other than airmail, it can be picked up at the port authority in Roseau. The school transport drivers may be available to pick up packages for a small fee.
Amerijet, DHL, Federal Express, UPS, and/or Tropical Shipping can assist you with shipping your items to Dominica.
Amerijet (approximate transit time is 2 weeks)
Amerijet sends packages to Miami and then ships them to Dominica.
For more details, please call (800) 276-5387.
DHL (approximate transit time is 5-7 business days)
Visit www.dhl-usa.com or call (800) 225-5345.
Federal Express (approximate transit time is 3 business days)
Visit www.fedex.com to view International Shipping.
Customer service number for calls placed within the U.S……..(800) 247-4747
Customer service number for calls placed from Dominica….…(747) 448-0992
UPS (approximate transit time is 3 business days)
Visit www.ups.com or call (800) PICK UPS
Tropical Shipping (approximate transit time is a week)
Visit www.tropical.com or call (800) 367-6200
Laparkan (approximate transit time is 1 week)
http://www.laparkan.com/
When shipping packages, use this address (EXACTLY):
Student’s name (Identify which semester)
(767) 255-6500
Ross University School of Medicine
P.O. Box 266
Portsmouth Campus
Roseau, Commonwealth of Dominica, West Indies
The US Postal Service
You can experience terrific mailing through the US Postal Service. The box arrives directly into the Portsmouth Post Office. You spend $1 EC (or about $1 USD divided by $2.65); they open the box in front of you and then you pay a small tax (usually $10-20 EC or about $8 USD). It is necessary to print 5 labels on each box (i.e. one for each side and one for the top.) Although the address contains Roseau, it is never necessary to pick up the stuff in Roseau; they always deliver directly to Portsmouth. Make sure you spell out "West Indies"; otherwise if you put WI, it’ll be sent to Wisconsin.
- FedEx and UPS charge around $40-50 per pound for the 1st pound and on a sliding scale thereafter; for example, 10lbs came out to $100 and 25 lbs came out to $200.
- Tip: when you have your parents or whoever send you stuff make sure they don’t have the prices listed as customs opens your packages and will assess the value and charge a value added tax.
- Stuff like food and books will not be assessed a big fee, however electronics will be charged a 50% VAT. Electronic items on the island are expensive for purchase so if you need anything bring it with you such as an iron, coffeemaker, George Foreman grill etc.
I have spent countless hours researching everything related to Ross. I compiled all of the information I found and made it into a sort of "Guide To All Things Ross" on Microsoft Word. It's 40 pages long. If there is one thing I have learned while researching is that you must take everything with a grain of salt. One person's experience is just that, one person's. Often the information is biased, outdated, or just plain wrong. Therefore, look into and verify all the information you come across.
If you're wondering why anything needs to be shipped in the first place, here's why:
- I chose to go with American Airlines (they offer a Ross University Student Discount Code).
- Their luggage policy for flying to Dominica (different countries have different weight restrictions): 2 pieces of checked luggage totaling 70 lbs with no individual luggage weighing more than 50 lbs, 1 carry-on weighing no more than 40 lbs, and a personal item such as a purse or book bag or laptop bag.
- Total weight per passenger on American Airlines = 110 lbs MAX plus your personal item
If you've gone through my packing list, it is blatantly obvious that everything I need/want to take is above and beyond 110 lbs. That being said, I chose Tropical Shipping as my preferred shipping method.
With Tropical Shipping, you can ship on a wooden pallet, in a crate, or in a barrel. Prices on the pallet and crate are based on cubic feet (length x width x height). However, if you ship in a barrel, the price (also determined by cubic feet) is fixed irregardless (yes, it's a word!!) of what you put in the barrel or how much it weighs. There are two options for the barrel. There is a 55 gallon barrel and a 75 gallon barrel. Their corresponding prices are listed below.
My cousin and I bought five 75 gallon barrels. Each barrel is approximately 4 feet in height and 2 feet in diameter. The total cost of shipping was $555.00 (or $111.00 per barrel). This may sound like an astronomical amount of money but we shipped FIVE barrels each weighing a few hundred pounds. It was really quite a good deal considering the amount of items we shipped (you saw the list!) and how much they weighed.
In case you were wondering, I mentioned in my packing list that I bought TSA locks for my luggage and barrels. The barrels have a hole on the lid that allows you to lock them. I opted to lock my barrels because I have some expensive items inside of them. However, I assume I will have to go to customs with the keys. I doubt customs will release the barrels without opening them and looking through them. This is an added inconvenience but I'd rather lock my barrels and be there with customs when they open the barrels than risk leaving them unlocked and having items "disappear."
Side note: See how ugly the barrels are? They are just made of plain, brown cardboard. Well, my mom decided it might be a good idea to decorate my barrels. While I was busy packing barrels, she took it upon herself to "decorate" the barrels I wasn't working on. I use the word decorate loosely because if you saw what my barrels looked like when she was done, you would have died either from laughter or shock. My mom bought TWO 675 count multi-colored reinforcement labels packs. She proceeded to sporadically place the labels one-by-one on each barrel. All 4 feet in height and 2 feet in diameter of the barrels have a yellow, green, red, and purple
reinforcement label. Of course, this was done so that "I could easily distinguish which barrel was mine." To make matters worse, she thought the labels weren't enough and put her drawing skills to use. She drew a heart with "love Mom" in its center on one of my barrels and a drawing of what she says is my dog but I say is a Who from Dr. Seuss on another barrel. I seem to be blocking out what other "pictures" she drew on the barrels. Needless to say, I get to Tropical Shipping with my chicken pox barrels and NO ONE else has decorated their barrels. So Mom, mission accomplished because I will DEFINITELY be able to distinguish my barrels from the rest when I pick them up. Naturally, the man who came to pick up my barrels with the forklift was rolling over in laughter for what seems like minutes. Between gasps of breath, he managed to say, "I've been here 10 years and I have never seen anything like that." And I'm sure he never will. Thanks, mom.
Tropical shipping was also the best option for me because of location. I live in Miami and they have a warehouse in Miami (specifically Doral). I went to the warehouse and bought the 5 empty barrels, went home and filled them up, and took them back to Tropical Shipping. They do all of the paperwork and give you a shipper letter of instruction. You need to take that letter with you on the plane in order to be able to pick up your barrel in Dominica. Tropical Shipping ships every Wednesday and your barrels are delivered to Dominica the following Wednesday. They ship your barrels to Roseau, so you need to figure out a way to pick them up since Roseau is about an hour away from the school.
This is where I am at right now. I have no idea how I'm going to pick them up. On ValueMd, they say you can hire someone to go pick them up but I think I'd like to be there in order to make sure nothing goes missing. There have been stories floating around of items being stolen from people's barrels when the barrels go through customs. I'll be finding out in about a week when I get to the island. I'll keep you posted.
I know this post wasn't exceptionally entertaining but I sure hope it was helpful. And if you're interested in that "Guide to All Things Ross," then feel free to download it from the link below.
Shipping and Shopping
May As Well Teleport Everything I Own..
I think there's something to be said when you're shopping for Medical School in the camping/survival department at Wal-Mart and Sports Authority. Putting together my packing/shopping list was a rather daunting task. Since my cousin and I will be living together, our family has spared no expense when it comes to our comfort. Below is my (and my cousin's) personal packing list.
School Supplies
- dry erase board, markers, erasers, cleaning liquid
- Book bag (that can hold my laptop)
- GOOD set of headphones for Mediasite
- pens, pencils, highlighters, coloring pencils
- note cards w/ rings, note card box
- hole puncher
- stapler and staples
- six 2-inch binders and two 3-inch binders
- calculator
- ruler 
- post-it notes
- 2 sets of dividers
- 4 small notebooks
- loose leaf college-ruled paper
- planner for assignments
- printer with cartridges (2 black & 1 color), 10 reams of white paper, USB cord
- Two Combination Locks (there are lockers on campus)
- Cardboard Filing Boxes (I plan on reusing binders so I bought filing boxes to keep notes
organized)
Medical Supplies
- Littman Lightweight stethoscope
- blood pressure kit
- short lab coat for the White Coat Ceremony
- 2 sets of scrubs (Anatomy lab meets twice a week)
- eye chart
- pen light
- reflex and neurological hammer
- 512 and 256 tuning forks
- box of dissection gloves, goggles, and face masks for anatomy lab
- basic dissection kit with a scalpel, blades, scissors and forceps/tweezers
Kitchen Supplies
- 16-piece set of glass cups
- 18-piece dinnerware set (6 person seating including dinner plate, salad plate, and bowl)
- a set of utensils (forks, spoons, knives) and the tray to hold them
- 6-piece set of steak knives
- 3 cooking knives and wood block
- cutting board
- salad spinner
- small deep fryer
- Magic bullet blender, chopper, and juicer
- 6 ice trays
- small toaster oven
- bottle opener
- oil can for leftover cooking oil
- frying pan splatter guard
- digital thermometer
- strainer
- baking pans
- A flame starter for lighting gas stoves
- Ziploc bags (large and small)
- small (4 cup) rice cooker
- a kitchen-in-a-box set including measuring cups, spoons, can opener, whisk, cheese grater, potato peeler, a different spatulas
- a cooler with a few Tupperware (I thought this might be useful for anything that needs to be kept cool on the way home from grocery shopping)
- Cooking seasonings
- PUR Water filter (PUR is better than Brita because it removes microorganisms from the water Brita doesn't) and replacement filters
First Aid Kit/Medication
- Multivitamin and/or protein powder
- Antacid
- Pepto-Bismol
- Antibiotic Cream
- Antihistamine (Fast Acting) i.e. Benadryl
- Antihistamine cream (Caldaria)
- allergy medication
- thermometer
- ice bags
- Band-Aids
- Ace bandage or other support bandage
- Bug (mosquito) repellent with deet
- Hydrocortizone ointment
- Dramamine
- Over-the-counter medications such as Advil, Imodium, etc.
- 2-3 month's supply of any prescription medication you may need
- aerosol machine w/ albuterol ampules (I have asthma)
Toiletries/Personal Hygiene/Personal Care
- Shower cap
- small amount of make-up
- perfume/cologne
- small amount of jewelry
- razors, shaving cream
- feminine hygiene products
- soap, loofah or washcloth
- toothbrush, tooth paste, mouth wash, floss
- face wash
- deodorant
- hand sanitizer
- baby wipes
- lint roller
- Sewing Kit with extra white and black thread
- Hair : dryer, iron, brush and comb, headbands, hair bands, hairspray, gel, mouse, shampoo, conditioner
- Nails: nail polish, nail polish remover, nail clipper, nail file
- eye mask for sleeping
- set of earplugs for studying and sleeping
- Sun block lotion
- Cotton
- Q-tips
Clothing/Accessories
- nice outfit and shoes for white coat ceremony
- pajamas
- hats w/ lots of brim
- Sneakers and workout clothes
- Flip flops (a few pairs)
- Crocs
- Poncho/rain coat
- bathing suit
- Socks
- Underwear
- Belts
- lightweight shirts
- shorts, pants, jeans, etc.
- One large Sweater (classrooms are very cold)
- Sunglasses – 2 or 3 pairs
- A set of sandals with straps for swimming and/or hiking (mine are from Sketchers but you can also get good ones from TEVA and Merrell)
Bedroom/Bathroom Supplies
- 4 Bath towels
- 1 bath rug
- 3 washcloths
- shower curtain with vinyl liner and rings
- bath mat
- Cup to hold toothbrush
- light comforter
- light blanket
- hamper
- waste basket
- different size cubbies and boxes for storage
- collapse able garment bag for under the bed
- easily assembled wire storage units
- over-the-door towel rack
- Office Chair from Ikea
- Table (bedside) Lamp
- Desk Lamp
- Clothes hangers
- 2 sets of Pillowcases, flat sheets, fitted sheets
- pillow and mattress covers (pillows and mattress' are used)
- Mattress pad (may be useful since most mattress' are made of foam)
- mosquito net (some apartments don't have screens - this may be useful to keep bugs away from you while you sleep)
- Personal items to make a comfortable home ( I brought picture frames and candle holders and my cousin brought a small fountain)
- Battery operated clock (I brought my iHOME because it has a battery back-up system and it charges/plays my IPOD)
- A small lamp that clips onto the bed's headboard
- Set of 6 collapse able boxes for storage in drawers
Entertainment/Media Supplies
- iPOD, iPOD charger, and earphones
- digital camera and case
- video camera and case with extra tapes
- dvd player, DVD's, and DVD case
- Vonage phone
- blank CDs and/or blank DVDs
- Speakers for computer
- Laptop, warranty/paperwork, charger, TV Tuner, sleeve
- At least a 1 GB flash drive (You can also use your iPod but if you're anything like me, it's already full)
- DVD Games: Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, Deal or No Deal, and Family Feud
Miscellaneous Items/General Items for the Home
- A GOOD umbrella
- Extra batteries in all sizes
- Power surge cord
- SEVERAL extension cords
- outlet extender
- Scuba Diving/Snorkeling equipment
- Duct and scotch tape
- bungee cords
- Cleaning supplies
- light bulbs
- moth balls
- iron
- small ironing board
- small battery-operated fan
- Multi-tool and pocketknife
- candles and matches
- clothes line and pins
- air fresheners
- luggage tags
- a travel scale that weighs luggage up to 50 lbs
- TSA locks for luggage and barrels
- small battery-operated generator (it has two plugs and can power for about 4 hours)
- small collapse able shopping cart (kind of like a tiny dolly) for groceries and laundry
- Mag-Lite Flashlight (for the home) and a smaller flashlight (for your book bag)
- basic tools: hammer, pliers, nails and screws,screwdriver, wrench, etc.
- space saver bags (you can vacuum seal clothing, towels, and bedding to save space)
- Poker set and board games
This is what I can remember off of the top of my head, though I am sure I forgot a few things here and there. I know this list is long and some items may seem ridiculous, but I imagine everything will come of use at one point or another. The way I look at it, Dominica will be my home for a year and a half. I feel that the more comfortable I can make my apartment in Dominica, the less homesick I'll feel, and the more focused I'll be on what I'm there to do - become a doctor.
