Culture shock

I suggest you start by reading this: https://www.vimovingcenter.com/talk/read.php?4,35345,35345#msg-35345

Then we can have a chat! 😉

Thanks that answered a lot of questions about culture shock. And raised many others.... What would ya'll say is the biggest diffrence between down there and the mainland?
Thanks
Crys

2005 vs 1960's pace of life

Its like moving to a very small town in a way different part of the country.

The main things that I am having trouble adjusting to are the customs of the virgin Islands. I came frome a county in Colorado that was twice the size of STX , had one paved road, and no stoplights. This seems like the big city to me. Many of the young kids here think that they live in New York City. It seems that they feel as though they can do alot of bad stuff and never be caught. This is a small Island and everyone knows what is going on and nobody does anything about it. A person from the states can get the feeling that thier hands are tied. The police just over look many crimes. It is illegal to own an unregistered firearm here. I read about people getting cought with them alot. But I never hear of those people getting the full manditory minimum of 25 years in prison. So the crime just continues. It also seems to me that a lot of people here didn't go to kindergarten. They don't know how to wait in line,say please and thankyou,or respect eachother. No matter how many times you say good morning to some people they will never say it to you.In fact some don't even acnowlege that you are standing next to them. But you are rude if you dont say good morning or good afternoon. So it is a catch 22. There is some racism here , but the main predjudice is classism. The rich dont talk to the middel class or the poor. They just seem to sweep them under the carpet even if they are related to eachother. I seem like I don't like it here. But that is not the case. I love it here and am adjusting day by day.I have lived here over 2 years now.Not very long. I just deal with all of that stuff and more. It is still worth it to live here. The beaches are beautiful if the water is'nt full of sewage. (that is another subject) That only happends after a big rain. The reason for that is the governor gave a contractor ,who is a cronie of his, the money to fix the sewer and the contractor just dissapeared with the money and never did any work. So here we sit in s**t. I would suggest living here at least 1 year before you invest any money here. I've heard many stories of people who put their live savings into this place and the findout that it is not for them. Good luck and only take this as my opinion. Others have different prospectives on STX life this is just part of mine. I hope that I didnt discourage you. It is not always bad.In fact most of the time it is a great way of life. If you want some good things about STX E-mail me and I'll tell you some and send some pictures.

If you move here and do buy real estate right away and then discover that you can't cope with island style life, there is no reason to panic. Real estate values have been rising dramatically on all three of the USVI's and are expected to do so for quite some time. Most properties are selling very quickly when they come on the market. Over the past six months on STX, some of the condo complexes have seen a 25-40% increase in sales prices. People who bought 6 months ago are able to sell now if they find they need to and they are walking away with a nice financial bonus in their pocket.

The bottom line is that you should choose the property you invest in with care, selecting something that is likely to appreciate steadily in value and that would be easy to resell. Then if you leave island, you will have something you can unload and make a profit on to help you get set up in your new location. If you stay, you may still want to reap the profit at some point and find another real estate investment to continue the cycle.

There is only so much land on Caribbean islands... and a very limited amount on a UNITED STATES Virgin Island. That makes this beautiful land we sit on a precious comodity and a very good investment. It's hard to go wrong with real estate.

My husband and I are not going to be buying property within the first few years. This being a job related move, if he gets transfered again we want the flexablility to go with the flow.
The good thing about the move is the company he works for says they will cover "most" of the relocating expenses. Not quite sure what "most" means yet. LOL
Another question and I know this is silly ,but how are women treated down there. I have head some horror stories!
Thanks again
Crys

Hello Crystal,

What do you mean? How they are treated in general? How husbands treat their wives? Women in the workforce?

--Islander

I can speak about older (??!!) women. I'm 58 and look it. People here, well most people, treat me with a lot of respect. It's not unusual for someone to defer to me in a line, for example. And the young woman at the donut shop next to the laundromat calls me "mommie", a serious term of respect for older women -- the first time she said it, I almost hugged her!

On the other hand, young men are quite open in their appreciation of female beauty. Not necessarily disrespectful or forward (there, I have really dated myself) but definitely vocal.

You're worrying too much.

guess what I want to know is if they put us up on a shelf down there or are we able to get good paying jobs and work right along with the men. I have heard that along with the 1960's feel , there is also the 1960's treatment of women. I don't know if the person who told me this is right ,because they were only there for a short time. I have spent the last few years getting certified to open a medical billing agency here in the states ,and I would like to continue with that plan ,or at least get a job in the field while on the islands. I just want to know what attitude I might face if I do that.
I don't know if this is making sense to ya'll. My husband says I'm stressing to much over little things. LOL

Crystal,

I want so badly to answer your questions. I have lived here one whole year and feel as if I have experienced it all, however the truth for me is that the longer I am here the less words I have to describe living here. The only word that fits universally is 'different'. It is just different here. I will say that the 'culture shock' can go away. It is similar to depression. You can't see it until you are getting better.

I will say that after a year of ups and downs and complete culture shock for me, I really love it here. Oh no, I said the 'l' word. First time I have said that I 'love' it here. I guess I do though.

Okay, I can't stop typing, but another thing. In my experience on island, when I said 'Good morning, good afternoon, etc', most of the time I received a good response and a good morning back to me. I think it has to do with your attitude. People can tell when you are not sincere or if you rush thru the greeting. You really have to take a breath and slow down. Say good morning as if you mean it and follow up with a nice "how are you" if it is one person you are greeting. I notice that when someone walks in to a room full of people, such as a waiting room, they say Good morning to the group. It reminds me of school when the teacher came in. I find it comforting, but it also helps the islanders to recognize a newbie. They just walk into the room and sit down without saying anything and wonder why everyone gives them a glance. It is kind of funny actually.

Okay one more thing. About the 'culture' and 'ways' of the island. There are many different people here with different customs. It is really hard for me to describe, but I really want to stress that you can not generalize people here (or anywhere, but that makes my point longer). Yes, there are some island ways you learn, but you have to realize that not every person of color on this island has the same customs, manners, background, etc same with caucasian people. I don't think I can make my point on this post, but maybe it helps to remind people to come here with truly an open mind or more simply don't assume anything and just get to know people individually. It is easier that way anyway. I came from the midwest, where I could totally hang out with people who looked and acted just like me and not have to familiarize myself with people different than myself if I wanted too. I think a lot of people come here with that type of background. You tend to take comfort in being with people you know a lot about. What is great and difficult about the Virgin Islands is that you have to interact with people from every type of background, religion, color, etc.

Anyway, once again my point or opinion is probably lost in a huge paragraph that is not understandable, but feel free to ask me questions. I only know my point of view and every once in a while write it where others can understand. 🙂 Just call me quirky and crazy in training.

Teresa

Teresa, you said it well.

Aaron, I gather from your post that you've lived in the U.S. Virgin Islands for just two years and you're grappling with dealing with the differences between living in Colorado and living on STX.

The differences are indeed vast. As a 21 year resident of St Thomas I do understand your angst and certainly empathize with your viewpoint - you have no idea how much, since you don't know me and have no idea of the trials and tribulations I've gone through here!

However, positive change can be made depending on your own attitude.

Have you registered to vote here?

Enough for now!

Okay, here are a few ways things are different:
1. No Sunday newspaper, i.e. no funny papers. Okay, the Avis has a Sunday/Monday edition, but it is hard to find on St Thomas.
2. No home delivery of newspaper. There are vendors who stand by the side of the street blocking traffic or supplying you with your print fix, depending on your view.
3. No live TV news. If there is a fire or something, they may have film later, but nothing live. I think they only broadcast Monday through Friday. (TV2 and Channel 8)
4. The news radio station doesn't have local news on the weekends. (WVWI)
5. Talk radio is really big. You can listen to it on line- wvwi.net if you want to get an idea about the hot topics. Monday- Friday 7 am to noon AST.
6. That reminds me. In the winter all the prime time TV shows come on an hour later- so things start at 10 pm. zzzzzz.
7. The newspaper, cable company, telephone company (am I leaving anyone out?) are all owned by the same guy.
8. Rumors run rampant. It is difficult to find out what really happened sometimes.
9. We do have NPR now. Didn't have national news except briefs at the top of the hour for a long time.
10. Many of the radio stations are from Puerto Rico, in Spanish. An example is the classical station.
11. Sometimes you learn things on the internet before you hear them locally.

Okay, those are just some of the ways life is different. Someone can correct me on the TV stuff, as I rarely watch it.

There is a great deal of domestic violence.

STTresident, Yes I have registered to vote here. I have a VI driverslicense,and I own a house. I also have gone through the process of gaining a permit to own a firearm for home protection. Where I am from you can just buy a firearm in 30 minutes. Almost everyone has one. It is legal to carry one if it is not concealed, and there is almost no gun crime. It took me 3 months and $500 to exercise my constitutional right to bear arms here. I also believe that your right to free speach is also walked all over here. This forum is one of the few places to exercise it. I guess that this is not the US at all. We do have the right to vote here, but the constituants are easily swayed by lies from most of the polititions. Don't take this as me bi**hing about life here in the VI. That is just the way it is here. I'm not going anyplace soon. This is still better than having 10 feet of snow and sub zero temperatures most of the year. We can exercise our constitutional rights here. We just have to pay for them(again)or struggle to recieve them. As a matter of fact I'm being called for jury duty and am going to do my dutyfor the people of the USVI.

Aaron: I have heard that about the only way you can get a license is if you have to carry large amounts of money. Shows you what gun control is like, huh? 😉 You were called to jury duty? Wow! I am surprised! I've been told they toss out the statesider names...

About the constitution... I think it is interpreted differently here. For example, the Freedom of Religion part. In the states, people feel it means you can't even MENTION religion. Here it is a given that all governmental gatherings open with a prayer. Not one of those politically correct "To whom it may concern" prayers, but a flat out Christian prayer. The radio show put on by the police department (the COP Show on Radio One) always starts with a long prayer. I would bet they do so in the schools also. I am interested in your statement about Freedom of Speech... Can you explain?

Teresa: Re: "Yes, there are some island ways you learn, but you have to realize that not every person of color on this island has the same customs, manners, background, etc same with caucasian people." Amen. I gave a ride to a woman from Dominica who told me she doesn't like to ride on the safaris with the high school kids. If she speaks, they know where she is from and give her *heck*. There is a lot of "Us" and "Them" that goes on across all racial and class lines.

Hello Crystal,

Teresa & East Ender brought up a good point. There is a good article at http://www.saintmarys.edu/~jmcelroy/Race%20Ethnicity.htm, entitled Correlates of Race, Ethnicity and National Origin In the United States Virgin Islands, that discusses the population in the VI – its worth reading.

I don't think you'd have a problem finding a job in your field because you are female. You might find the pay is less, which is the case with many jobs in general as a matter of fact, rather than gender related. You also might find some job related issues along the lines of not being from here (more in the government related jobs).

Hope that helps.

--Islander