A new semester is starting at Ross University and that means a whole lot of first semester students need to find somewhere to live. I’m certain that there are other students out there who will tell you differently but I will share with you my advice on where to live in Dominica.

First off you should know that a family friend of mine told me where I should live first semester and I ended up staying there for all four semesters on the island. I lived at Old Avies Ville because it was cheap and was in a good location. Rent is relatively cheap at around $500/month. Other places can run you close to a grand. I personally didn’t want to waste a lot of money on rent in Dominica because I knew I wanted to come back and waste a lot of money on rent in New York. I will admit though that a few of my friends paid around $800 to $1,000 in rent per month but they got what they paid for. One apartment complex right next to The Barn provides you a Caribbean view and really is a much nicer apartment than I lived in. Other places were much closer to campus and the only gym on the island. Again, I would choose to live somewhere cheaper the first semester and then figure it out once you are actually living on the island for the following semester.

As for location, Old Avies is situated down the road from my favorite grocery store Picard Grocery. There is another grocery store, IGA, that is down the road and is closer to what you might picture when you think of a grocery store but when you have to walk your groceries all the way back to your apartment it only takes one sweaty stroll with heavy grocery bags to appreciate the  convenience of Picard Grocery. As one of my favorite blogs, From Louisiana to Dominica, about life in Dominica explains ‘you will get to know the stores quickly and figure out which places sell which goods’. So in my humble opinion it was nice having Picard Grocery up the road from me.

Besides a grocery store, Old Avies is also down the hill from ‘The Barn’, my favorite study spot. It’s also down the hill from Tomato’s restaurant/bar, Tulip’s bar, and the main campus. All of those locations are within a ten minute walk from Banana Trail where Old Avies is situated. Old Avies Ville also provides cleaning services on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday so I would normally cook my weekly meals on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Old Avies also has drop off laundry services on the premises, and a small pool that one or two residents would use to swim laps in the morning.

It’s newer cousin, New Avies Ville, is up the hill and is a little bit more expensive. When I visited friends who lived in the New apartment complex I found that it was a little bit prettier and maybe a little bit bigger but not worth the couple hundred dollar price tag increase. So live in Old Avies Ville your first semester and then go see your friends apartments and figure out what your priorities are. Lastly, I never had any trouble with payments or with safety while living there. Just lock your door when you leave your apartment and don’t walk down that sketchy, poorly lit part of town late at night.

Here are some links that might help:

• Old Avies Ville tour.
• Avie’s Ville website

My next post will go over what you should bring in your barrel to the island! Good luck on your upcoming semester and congrats on starting your first semester of medical school!! And as always, happy studying.