Best single piece of advice for new resident moving from mainland?

Dive into the local life here. Volunteer with a charity or local organization. Don't sit on the sideline.

Keep an open mind. Hope for the best but prepare for the worst.

Take any advice from this forum with a grain of salt. 😉

Be patient and be nice!

It takes a year or two to really get the feel of life here and make some friends.

You wife might hate it at first, but will love it later.

Don't be that person who immediately starts bashing WAPA, Police, Government, customer service, etc., etc. There are problems for sure, and we all complain from time to time (as you have seen on the forum), but like anywhere else, nobody likes newcomers complaining about their home. I know some people do it so as to appear "local", but it's not cool. 🙂

Bring money and lots of patience.
Give yourself time for the move.
That in itself, is stressful.

Read "A Small Place" by Jamaica Kincaid with an open mind.

I suggest this book because I was born and raised here and never really thought about an island from different views but when I moved to NYC I got a bird's eye view. If you're going to live here be aware of the issues that are here and don't just sit on the sidelines like "that's their problem."

The book is about Antigua but the issues are on any island. My background is from Antigua and when i was younger I got the "local island life" view but when I went in 2013 for a funeral, I got the "wow this is a beautiful island" view. By that time I had already read the book and influenced me to move back to St.Croix for a bit.

TLDR: Some people never left this rock be mindful of those people.

Nice summary, cre. 🙂

My words of wisdom: Bring less stuff! You won't need nearly as much as you think, and the tropics will ruin most of it eventually anyway.

just remember-people who are from here generally dont like to hear "thats the way we do it back home"

remember you are not stateside and no matter how much sense it makes your opinion/advise will usually fall on deaf ears

and carry LOTS of patience

Newbies don't always get a warm greeting because they bring their habits and attitudes from the states. But be friendly, smiling and nice to others, with a customary greeting of "good morning/afternoon/night" and the favor will be returned.

Best advice I can give is to be aware that West Indians are not "African-American" so leave all of your preconceptions and biases on the mainland because we are accustomed to being perceived as individual men and women with individual traits, not some formless entity to be referred to as 'the blacks' or 'the black community' or any other such generalization.

Bring your sense of humor and hang onto it.

I've been here for a year now...
1 - when walking your dog, keep in mind the ground gets hot, really hot, really really hot, be mindful of their paw pads.
2 - as FDR said, bring less stuff! Bring less long pants and long sleeve shirt. When we moved here we brought a "few" outfits, that are very suitable for New England summer nights...but here, even the nights are warmer. 🙂
3 - As others have said, SMILE, wave, say Good Morning, Good Afternoon...I'm getting better about Good Night, but Good Evening does keep slipping out, but always with a smile. Even when driving, if you're at a stop and someone is sitting/standing there, smile, wave, say Good Morning. People are very friendly and appreciate you being friendly back.
4 - Ask people where when, etc. Most people are very willing to help you get your bearings. Be open to their advice.
5 - Be willing to compromise. You will be living on a beautiful island, somethings like your favorite brand of something, you may not be able to find here...so try another brand or have it shipped.
Enjoy!!

Respect the local culture. Relax and enjoy the island life.

Have less expectations and don't allow frustrations to affect your enjoyment of life - look at the bizarre situations you experience with a constant sense of humor and a deep well of patience.
Just let the good things outweigh the potholes of efficiency.
Slow down and don't let what you can't cross off your to-do list bother you at all.

Wish my husband could read this...

Wow, there is some really good advice here. My wife and I will keep these in mind as we prepare to move. Thanks all!

Bring your driver record abstracts. Nothing without those!

Bring your driver record abstracts. Nothing without those!

Driver record abstracts? Never heard of such records being required - can you explain?

was wondering what a drivers license abstract was

An abstract is a complete driving history from date of issue to present day. So even though your points may drop off after three years and your record is now "clean" to an employer or insurance company, it reveals everything they want to know. Kinda like a criminal background check AKA police clearance.

But what would you need it for here? I would think it might possibly be relevant if you were seeking a position as a driver of a commercial vehicle but it's certainly not something you need to obtain a driver's license or vehicle insurance.

But what would you need it for here? I would think it might possibly be relevant if you were seeking a position as a driver of a commercial vehicle but it's certainly not something you need to obtain a driver's license or vehicle insurance.

I had to provide a copy of my driving record when I swapped my stateside license for a VI license. It's not needed to register a vehicle or obtain insurance.

Don't know. Just answering the question.

If you want to get a VI driver lisence you need a state certified copy of your driving record. You don't need to bring it with you. I got mine in about 20 days from mailing application to getting it.