Fresh off the boat

The writing on this blog is beautiful - congrats on your move and thanks for taking the time to record your impressions.

Quite the 'word tailor' , very much enjoyed your blog and will continue to follow . I had hoped to be there by November but you know how plans go . Still have some loose ends , not even sure between St.Thomas and St. Johns , but I have some time it seems . My ultimate destination is Dominica but I want to go down for some short stays first to make sure .

Good read. I love it! And I can completely relate.... I came to st Croix about a year ago and I still have a hard time believing I live in this amazing place. I open my door every morning to the sound and view of the sea. I have done this hundreds of times and it still takes my breath away.
Welcome and thanks for the blog, really enjoyed it. Refreshing perspective of the island life.

From what I hear, you don't want to do St Thomas..There's a lot more crime and hustle bustle.

Thank you SO much for the kind words. I just put a new post up. If you click "follow," you will get an email each time I post 🙂

From what I hear, you don't want to do St Thomas..

)

This is where it starts to get tricky when you 1st move here -- the "what I hear" part vs. actually finding out for yourself.

Welcome. Inter sting blog. But as Exit says. Please find out for yourself. No need to pass on 'from what I hear'. Enjoy.

I LOVE STT!

From your blog -- "the locals who make the wheels turn on this island are mostly transplants"

Whoa!! Please remember to keep your mind, eyes, and ears open. That statement may be your impression from inside the restaurant world after two weeks living on island, but it's not the truth. Keep soaking up experience before making blanket statements about "life on St John" (or hearsay about other islands) in a public forum.

Also, please do keep posting when paradise doesn't go the way you expect. I wish I had a dollar for everyone I've met who's moved to STJ and said "This is heaven, why would I ever leave?", then was gone within a year. Keep telling the whole story as it unfolds for you. Good luck!

Also: "90% of people between the ages of 20 and 40 residing on the island work in the service industry". Again, that's your impression after two weeks of ... surprise, working in the service industry -- but it's an unscientific one and not true.

Mountaingurl has so much to learn. Suggestion - your blog should focus on your experiences. So far, almost each of your assessments are factually incorrect.

nice writing

Whoa, whoa, whoa...No need to get hasty here. There is a sense of pretentiousness going on here that I have yet to experience in my day to day interactions...Additionally, I'm just calling it as I see it, as I feel it. I'm not trying to be a reporter and don't need watch dogs. I'm just a girl, new to the island and loving it. I have no problem with contructive criticism, but geez....

A) Everyone I have met on this island thus far, including people who live on STT have said they prefer STJ of the two. I said "from what I hear" because that is the majority vote right now and I have yet to experience myself. Not denying that fact, but thanks for pointing it out.

B) When I say "service industry," please don't jump to conclusions about that "blanket statement." Service industry jobs include not just restaurants and bars, but hotels, villa rentals, snorkel, charter, scuba, house cleaning, etc. Please don't assume that just because I am in a restaurant, that I include only that aspect of the service industry in my statement...I actually broaden my horizons a little farther than that.

C) I DO have a lot to learn. And my blog is a documentation of this journey. Changing and growing and learning are some of the reasons that I am here. If I already knew everything about everything, as some of you apparently do, I wouldn't have felt the need to make this move.

Hope you have a great Sunday.

Cool the jets, girl. All you've been offered is constructive criticism although you may not care for the perceived tone of the delivery. And, by the way, we DO know that the "service industry" encompasses much more than restaurants ...

I think what you're being gently told is that the, "what I hear" comments are rather a red flag to those of us for whom this is home. I've no doubt at all that you've heard from a handful of people those exact comments relative to their feelings about the differences between St Thomas and St John but it's best to sit on those comments and not throw them out publicly in writing until you've had time to come to your own educated opinion. Contrary to what you've "heard" or may "hear", most of us who live on STT and STJ appreciate each other's homes precisely for their differences. We choose one or the other island to live on for a variety of different reasons but enjoy visiting and spending time on the other.

Hope that helps to put things into a better perspective. Cheers!

There is a lot to learn from experienced islanders who can offer good advice but I also know several longtimers and locals who could learn from newcomers. Read the blog, enjoy it (or not) for what it is. Feel free to start your own.

I don't see anyone here being pretentious or jumping to conclusions. Old Tart summed it up pretty well. Just keep in mind, people who have never lived on St John will read your blog and could easily mistake some of what you've written for fact, instead of your impressions as a newcomer. Words like "It seems to me" go a long way in this department. It's wonderful to be learning and sharing; it's just not so cool to portray assumptions as the way things are.

I'd love to read more balanced perspectives on moving to the islands from people who write well. Often, such blogs are abandoned when a newcomer's dreams stop going as planned. On the other hand, sometimes bloggers discover that if island life really is for them, the need to post about it on the Internet goes away. In any event, please take my earlier remarks as encouraging criticism, not negativity. Keep writing, learning, sharing.

Definitely harness that creative energy and use it for good things!

There is a lot to learn from experienced islanders who can offer good advice but I also know several longtimers and locals who could learn from newcomers. Read the blog, enjoy it (or not) for what it is. Feel free to start your own.

Thank you sheiba..And FDR. Agreed, that the tone of the delivery sent an icy chill down my back much more than the message being sent from the critics above. I'm fully aware that there are many people around me, both online and in the physical world, who have a multitude of experiences and knowledge that far surpass my own. For those people I am grateful, because without outside information, we are all stuck in a bubble of our own universe and intentions.

As forementioned, I fully accept constuctrive criticism, but when it presents itself as an attack, I will defend myself and my OPINIONS. That's all this is...opinions, thoughts, ramblings. As far as continuing my blog, I will do so. I aspire to be a writer and this is a great outlet for getting my writing into the eyes and minds of people all over the world. Thanks again.

Oh look a new person on the island/board and they're wielding enthusiasm. Get um! lol

EXACTLY Jameson!!! HAHA.

No offense to anyone but its a BLOG and seen from HER point of view and HER opinions. You are not editing you own writings here. Sheese!

Mountain girl: Go YOU! With the negativity on the board scaring away future islanders, I applaud you for following through! FWIW I think Its a VERY different tude on the forum vs. actuality. Have a Blast, great blog, keep it up!

Sheiba's got the right idea here!

well said AandA

Now I'm feelin the virtual love that I've been feeling here from all the new faces 🙂 Thanks guys!

I didn't read anything above as an attack at all. I read "be careful what you present as fact." Advise for anyone, anytime, anywhere. I then read the blog. There were a couple of statements that probably needed a disclaimer of "it seems to me" or "my impression is", that's all. The enthusiasm is precious, makes me want to bounce ya' on my knee and pinch your lil cheeks! 😉 Can't wait to hear your impressions of Leinster or Denis if Hawksnest blew your mind! I've made exploring St John my hobby while I've been living on St Thomas. And there's a lot out there to see. Welcome to the Islands. Don't be so sensitive, please.

Oh look a new person on the island/board and they're wielding enthusiasm. Get um! lol

Don't miss the point. Nobody was offering criticism of the blog per se but one comment made on there which was posited as "fact" rather than "opinion" and a comment made on this forum about the perception of St Johnian's feelings about St Thomas based on talking to a handful of people in a two week period.

To live here happily you need to develop a bit of a thick skin and not be so fragile that a couple of little comments which you perceive as "attacks" give you the chills. The nasty cranky old timers who post on here are nowhere near as nasty and cranky as some newbies suppose them to be but simply take the time to contribute their knowledge borne of long experience to try and make the settling-in experience easier. If you're ruffled by what you perceive as the negative delivery then you surely realize that this isn't an intentional "attack" but a writing style with which you're not familiar. Likewise if you present opinions as facts which are totally unsupportable as such, take the time to do some research and stop nastily arguing your point out of sheer bloody-mindedness and reluctance to do your homework.

If my delivery appears antagonistic then ignore what I have to say, but don't expect me to sit back and read bovine excrement with any sort of equanimity or acceptance. Cheese 'n' bread. 😀

I love the blog, you need to keep writing go girl. Its good to see and hear from a fresh face and hear about there experiences. Please don't take exceptions to some of the posters negativity. The oldsters know not every thing is rosy in paradise. Living in the VI is not exactly like home some better some worse. Folks come to paradise for many reasons and many not prepared for every day life and don't stay long which is ok also. The oldsters experience help guide us new folks and make the transition easy er. Lots of valuable information talked about here from some great people.

I guess that I missed the part where she was writing the "Book of definitions re. STJ " to be published into a hard cover for all to believe and follow as FACT. I think it's really crappy to make a newbie feel bad about what she thinks or feels about her experiences and observations so far. Fact or not. Thats all I will say about this.