Moving

Many students have goals to be "just like their parents" - and, unfortunately, in so many cases, that is to have babies, live in government housing and be taken care of by the government.

I feel that the government provides too much for the people of the islands. There is a lack of motivation to change the lifestyle that they have adapted to. Who wouldn't want to live in government housing with a view of the ocean? many people living in housing projects funded by tax dollars.

I can't understand that either.......The projects on Florda are the same way. Where I teach it is the same families over and over again. This grandma said " I've been living here for 38 years"...so have her kids, her grand kids and now her great grand kids....shouldn't his be illegal?
Limits on public housing?
This really bothers me as a hard working American teacher.

wow if the economy turns around things might get better

Unfortunately I suspect,this will continue & may even get worse.
We are a welfare island as is Puerto Rico.
I know,the old story where the lady with a shopping cart of goodies pays with food stamps,has huge gold chains & gets into a new SUV...but I`ve seen it, really makes it hard to sign that IRB check each year!
I have herd of a Boston tea party of sorts in the US which has more to do with responsible homeowners bailing out irresponsible homeowners.
I guess there are many who are getting sick of those who are unwilling,rather than unable to do their part in supporting themselves & leeching off the rest of us.
Of all the socialist laws that are passing lately, the core of socialism of you get what you work for is sadly missing.
Lets hope for real change here!

wow i am really reconsidering moving there, i grew up in the caribbean so i wanted my fam to have the values but like V.I. not doing too well seem like B.V.I. doing better do hope it gets better

bvi had their first murder of the year 2 days ago over something as stupid as not being allowed into a nightclub,it's the same all over

Also, the BVI is much more a closed society. Getting a work permit, buying property, etc is all very difficult.

janapril: Have you been to the US Virgin Islands? I would really suggest a long visit in order to see the lay of the land. If you are a US citizen, living in the Caymans or BVI is going to be a whole bunch of hoops.

i never visited but would like too , lol i wont just move without visiting , or securing a job moves like this are big so i need alot of info before i commit

Nothing wrong with kicking the tires!
We have the same problems all locations face & added welfare leeches.
But trust me,the beaches far out weigh the leeches!
Also, we are more tolerant than most US locals,so there's a certain sense of higher freedom.
I can guarantee if you stay a year or more, you will meet the best & worse people you have ever met.
Again, the best out weigh the worse(I`m biting my tongue) seriously, even the rude ones (sometimes) wake up eventually.

Ever since our first visit to St Croix about 5 years ago, it's been an obsession to find a way to move there. And now the time has come and we start our island life in April.

We're not blind, we do see the dark side that is apparent, but like Dun said, the beauty, setting, environment, and good people you meet far outweigh the negatives.

We feel we have more family on the island now than we do in CT, where we both grew up. And yet none are related. Most certainly a different part of the planet!

is true the cayman islands are the best islands that are comparable in lifestyle to the US. They have low crime rates first rate roads and infrastructure but i do not recommend at this moment to move outside the US or its territories to another one this is simply that the economic situation outside the US is deteriorating super fast even faster than the US. The capacity of those island economies and territories belonging to france and the UK are getting into real social problems. For example dominican republic in certain areas there is social unrest islands like Antigua, St maarten, curacao are seeing strikes and crime rate double of what it was last year. The cayman island have always been consider the switzerland of the Caribbean but the Obama administration is going after all offshore tax heavens and that includes the biggest in the Americas the Cayman Islands. Right now the US Justice is obligating Switzerland and its biggest bank UBS to give them a list of all americans that have accounts with that bank is switzerland pretty much crushing 200 years of Law and constitution of bank secrecy laws. Cayman islands standard of living depends on the same principals as Switzerland with more than 500 banks Cayman islands boost the largest monetary bank reserves outside of the US And Switzerland. If this was to change the economy of the Cayman islands will received a crushing blow that will create great social problems specially when more than half of the islands is compose of expats, and blue collar immigrant workers . Even thou the cayman islands are a Brittish territory the Brittish government handle its issues very much like an outside country unlike the US that is pouring resources money into its territory the brits don;t do the same also they don't have the same capacity as the US. The USVI and Puerto rico are not consider third world countries but they are not also consider first world countries they are consider US territories of speciall assistant under development. Right now i will stay in the US because of is future capacity to resolve its problems versus the rest and the social and politicalstability the us giives over the others.

yea thats true