Happy New Year, Island Style

"What are you doing New Years, New Years Eve?" sang my friend last year around this time for a dinner theater. The song has been bouncing around my head off and on from the week before Christmas, all the way up until New Years night. At the last possible minute, we threw caution to the wind and signed up to go on a trip to Sunset Bay Resort for their New Years Special. We RSVPd for the whole family, and showed up for dinner around 8:00 pm with my friend and her husband and baby, and her cousin and the cousin's spouse.
I was really uncertain about the trip because I didn't know if it would be appropriate to bring children, and I am happy to report that the evening was delightful and attended by several other families as well! Sunset Bay Resort is owned by a wonderful French couple, and their cuisine is so good that Ross University likes to wine and dine people there. Their New Years Special involved a four course gourmet meal including Callou soup, Breaded and fried Lobster, Tournedoes, and a Crepe Suzette all for around $50 US. It was fantastic! The courses were served with plenty of time in between for the food to settle and create room for the next splendid concoction. We were just receiving our Crepe Suzettes around 11:00 pm, when the Madame opened a box of noisemakers for the children and party hats for every one. We finished dessert, took a stroll through the tropical garden to sit in some peace and quiet near the swimming pool, and then returned with plenty of time to spare for a New Years toast and count down.
There were many French families in attendance, and at least some of them were related to the Resort's owners. One family sitting near us had a little girl close to my daughters' age. It was amazing that the only language the children needed in common was that of friendship, and as the adults were enjoying the third and fourth courses the three little girls were dancing and frolicking like the best of friends, all without being able to say even two words to each other in a common tongue. I will cherish my memories of our New Year celebration here on Dominica for the rest of my life.