i am on my way

Ann- May I ask what your job will be on the island? We are also looking at re-locating there, and its just out of curiosity.

Hospitality Management- hotel

Ann - a zillion questions - most best answered by showing up here! Lots of us will help.

One thing for sure from your questions - you need to greet islanders with good morning or afternoon, BEFORE asking something of them. It is a courtesy thing that will go a long way to opening good communication.

K-mart is the answer to the one question for many good things at resonable prices.

right now my boss was told to come back to the DMV in a week or two because their camera is broken. so they cant make licenses. haha.

you can use your state side one though. apparently.

Hello Ann,

Discounted everyday stuff: K-mart

Clothes: ehhh if you like cloths & shoe shopping, do it back home before you move. Get your shopping fix in, because you aren't gonna get it here. There are shops but no comparison to typical stateside malls for shoes & cloths. No winter or fall stuff needed... although you might need a sweater/jacket if you are working in an air conditioned office and a light sweat shirt for our cold winter evenings when it gets in the low 70s :-). Think spring/summer. Otherwise you can shop in the Tutu Park Mall for cloths, sneakers and also some of the shops downtown on St. Thomas.

Fun things: Everything watersports!

Good to know shortcuts... What do you mean??

When communicating with locals be sure to say Good Morning or Good Afternoon prior to asking a question or starting 'business'... I usually wait for them to reply with the same and if they don't I say it again, louder. Have a good evening, see you tommorrow... when leaving. Have a good weekend on Friday afternoons. Thank you is always a good idea. 😉

I don't know about bargaining with car dealerships.

If you have a license already you can use if for 90 days. During that time you are suppose to get an application form from the DMV and then apply to take just the written exam. You don't have to take the road test part. You can find some specifics under the Shipping Your Car section of this site (the license part is at the bottom of the page).

Whats late night to you? And also what to you mean people selling their items??

The only 'flea market' that comes to mind is the Humane Society flea market.

All the best with your moving plans. I hope you will use the board once moved to share your experiences and thoughts with other perspective residents who will be in the same position you are currently in (asking lots of questions). 🙂

--Islander

I wonder if you are thinking of Seacliff Villas, the condo I recommended because you are allowed to have *a* cat (no multiples and no dogs for renters)? I doubt you will find anything on-line, you will have to come and make inquiries. Recently they have been "hot" because they are one of the few places that allows cats- Mahogany Run being another.

There is a place in Red Hook called Home Again. They take home furnishings and items in on consignment and resell.

Shortcuts? For driving or for living? (Lots for the former, none for the latter!)

About communicating with the locals. Some of the best advice I received on moving was: Keep your ears and eyes open and your mouth shut. If you arrive with guns blazing about, "Back home we..." , "You all should do..." and "Why don't you do...?", you will get a blank stare. Things are done differently and you personally are not going to change that. Figure out how it is done and don't worry with why. IMHO, of course! 😉 And yes, don't forget a pleasant, "Good morning!", "Good afternoon!" or "Good night!" You will crack up the first time you are in a waiting room and someone walks in and says it and everyone returns the greeting, but you will warm to it. One of the nicest things about Caribbean culture.

so you dont think that we can convince them we have two great small dogs that barely make any noise! ?

I think their condo association voted for one dog for owners only. You will probably have to look for an apartment within a home, which is the more common housing anyway. Good luck!

good afternoon all,

East ender for my sake I hope you are wrong because I really want to get into sea cliff villas. I heard nothing but good things about them!