Culture in STT

Yes, the culture in St. Thomas, as well as the rest of the Virgin Islands is quite similar to the culture in islands like Barbados and Trinidad. So don't worry about "over-Americanization". Honestly, as a native Virgin Islander, I'm only American by what it says on my passport! Just consider your experience in St. Thomas like living on a typical Caribbean island, only with American money, laws, and holidays. However, as "Caribbean" as St. Thomas is, I would consider moving to St. Croix instead of St. Thomas if you're looking for a cultural experience. Yes, a cultural experience in St. Thomas can be found, but the island is also very cosmopolitan and it is very crowded and tourists are everywhere, especially on cruise ship days. St. Croix is more laid back, residential-oriented and the atmosphere is not so fast-paced and more conducive to getting to know the culture of a Caribbean island. Don't get me wrong, life in St. Thomas is quite different from that on the mainland, but I think that if you're looking for the BEST Caribbean experience you could ever have under the US flag, you should move to St. Croix. Drop me an e-mail if you have more specific questions.

Hello Andrea,

I am not familiar with Barbados or Trinidad so can't make a comparison. I am familiar with the Caribbean flavor of other Caribbean islands and of course familiar with the VI.

I find that each place has its own uniqueness and while they might all fall under the umbrella of being 'Caribbean' in nature they are still very much unique. The culture in the Virgin Islands, in my opinion, has a recipe that includes a very healty serving of Caribbean with a good portion of Americanization. Its a unique blend.

What about the culture in Barbados and Trinidad did you enjoy? Perhaps we can better make a comparison once we know what it is you are hoping/looking for.

--Islander

Obviously one of the things I loved about Trinidad and Barbados was the scenery, and from the pictures I've seen, St. Thomas more than lives up to that. I loved the close-knit community atmosphere...people my age (23 years old) visited the parents and families of their friends, even when the friends were away at college. They call the adults "auntie" and "uncle." I loved being able to have a beer in a car without worrying about the police being on every corner, like they are here in the states. I LOVE the music: reggae, soca, calypso. I loved carnival (I participated in carnival in Trinidad and Barbados). I was wondering about carnival on STT...from what I've read, it sounds like the troupes perform certain dances in the parades. In Trinidad and Barbados, the troupes are called bands and are comprised of locals and tourists alike, just dancing down the road, doing their own thing, behind music and drink trucks. Does this sound similar to carnival in the USVI? I loved being able to gather up a group of friends for an afternoon lime at the beach, or at a friend's house by the pool. I'm a little concerned though, because the reason I fit in so well with the locals was because I was brought there by friends who were native to these countries, and I know people in the USVI are wary of getting too close to non-natives for fear they will not stay on the island, which I can completely understand.
Anyway, I am rambling here...these are just some of the things that I loved about Trinidad and Barbados, and if anyone can tell me if any of this sounds similar to St. Thomas and the USVI, I'd appreciate it! Thanks for the help.

Hello Andrea,

Lets see... There is a close-knit community atmosphere here and once you are befriended by a family sure visiting them is welcomed; being invited for dinner, family beach parties, to go to church etc. does happen. The reason I word it that way is because to some degree there is an initial standoffishness that is directed to new residents, but once you are in; you can very quickly become part of the family so to speak.

🙂 yes you can have an open beer while walking down the street or while in your car. That said drinking and driving is a no-no so if a cop were to see you and felt like busting you - he/she could.

Music - we have calypso, soca, reggae, zouk, steel pan. Now I will add that in my opinion our music isn't easy to find on a day to day basis. If you asked where can I go to listen to calypso this weekend I would have to think about it and then say - maybe one of the hotels might have a calypsonian performing in their bar. Same for soca, reggae, steel pan. The bars really play a mixture of music but more American hits with some Caribbean hits. You can definately catch a few local bands performing on a weekly basis on St. Thomas.

Carnival - St. Thomas' Carnival is pretty large, certainly not as large as Trinidad but compared to many of the of the other islands. There are calypso reviews, latin nights, bands performing in the village nightly. The parade is usually about say 8 hours long. The participants are in troupes. The troupes have a theme and the costumes play into the theme. Some troupes dance behind bands and some to recorded music played on huge speakers tied onto big trucks. You mentioned that local and tourist kinda do their own thing... no during our parades the folks in the parade are a member of a troupe. During J'ouvert people dance behind their favorite bands and do their own thing - but no costumes for J'ouvert. You can definately participate in the parades - just find a troupe you want to be part of. And hey if you are on St. Thomas, you can participate in St. Thomas & St. John's parade if you like. And you certainly can go over to St. Croix for theirs. So we have three Carnivals at different times of the year... whoo hooo!! Check out the Carnival section on our sister site http://vinow.com/general_usvi/carnival/

You mentioned you got in with the locals quickly because you went with friends who were from there. Ah hah. Yes same here; if you were a friend of someone and they introduced you, you would be more readily accepted.

Hope that helps.

--Islander

>That said drinking and driving is a no-no so if a cop were to see you and felt like busting you - he/she could.

Actually, that's not true. One of the very lovely things about the VI is the ability to drink and drive.

You can't drive DRUNK (i.e., there is a BAC limit and a "driving under the influence" prohibition), but there is no prohibition against the consumption of intoxicants while behind the wheel.

Is it the same thing in STX?

Yeah