How to Live in the U.S. Virgin Islands - my opinion

One of the things that I, as a longtime resident who has come and gone a couple of times, would like to impart is that living on an island is a lot different from vacationing on an island.

Here, I hope, is a list of things to consider before you decide to relocate to the U.S. Virgin Islands in particular:

1 - We have many of the same amenities, but variety and availability vary. Grocery stores, "big box" stores, movie theatres, live performances, communications services, auto dealers, apartments and condos, schools, churches and lots more. And there is no "county line" or suburb to drive to for alternative suppliers - although you can go on-line. Which brings me to...

2 - Getting things here is governed by rule #1. We are part of the United States Postal Service, but currently, even inter-island mail goes all the way to Puerto Rico. Many on-line merchants do not like to ship to the islands because of the amount of complaints, damages and losses that they have incurred... OR, they do not know that we are part of the United States. Which brings me to...

3 - There are a lot of people whose job it is to know, who do NOT know, that we are an unincorporated territory of the United States of America. A baby born here gets a Social Security Number, our Passports are issued by the U.S., and our young men must register with the Selective Service at 18. Virgin Islanders serve with honor in military branches throughout the world. Which brings me to...

4 - For all the talk of being part of the United States, the U.S. Virgin Islands are unique in that the cultural identity here is Afro-Caribbean with some colonial influences woven through. The dominant sensibility remains Afro-Caribbean, and the society (like everyplace else) has its bad apples, but for the most part Virgin Islanders are genteel, respectful and industrious individuals. Which brings me to...

5 - There are a number of individuals who migrated here from other Caribbean islands and have blended into the populace, and the ties among the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Santo Domingo, Antigua, St. Kitts, Nevis, Barbados, Trinidad, etc. are very strong. Many stateside born Americans also chose to make this their home. This makes for interesting fusions in the areas of cuisine, music, and mores. For example, while cockfighting is eschewed by many Americans born on the mainland, communities here continue the practice. Which brings me to...

6 - Sometimes you "take the bitter with the sweet", as I have heard said here. No matter where you decide to live, there are things you can take or leave, but in a place that is so remarkably different from where you may have been raised, you receive more reminders that you are not in Kansas, or Arizona, or California, or New York any more. Whether it's walking into a government office or store and saying "Good morning" rather than expecting the person you met there to be solely responsible for this social nicety, or the disjointed flow of information among government agencies, life on an island teaches you to become still and and wait. There is no law against patience, it has taught me a great deal over the years. Which brings me to...

7 - Carnival, Kaiso, fungi, Ole Wife, dominoes slapped on a table, leaning back into a lazy beach day, house parties like NONE OTHER, generosity of spirit, peace when I need it, easy conversation, cultural discovery, hilarious tall tales and common sense to the nth... these are the gifts that island life have wrought in my life. I have been included in some places, but not in others (I'll get over it), and where I have been welcomed, I have been accepted for ME, by some of the warmest people that I have ever known. I love life here, but not for the sun, sand and sea. I am "home". Will this become your home? Which brings me to...

8 - You will know, when the time is right. It may take your leaving and then returning through serendipity, as happened with me. I feel that the fates have conspired to place me here sometimes! Don't take my signature below as a challenge, but take it as a bit of data that may help you to be more happy and grateful for the gift of living anywhere, in peace and happiness.