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hi everyone, i know when i decided to move to st thomas in feb. i lived off of this board for the months leading up to out our move and liked reading about people who had already made the move, so now i am going to tell how our move went. i moved here with my girlfriend and we are both 23, college graduates and just wanted 'something different'...and st thomas is definitely that. we had a room reserved at the villa fairview, so we had a place to stay when we got here. we were VERY overwhemled with the idea of being so far away from home (ohio) and not knowing anybody, but when you stuck in that situation, you find your way. we thought the best way to find out about things was to tak to people who were in our shoes, so we went around town and asked anybody who looked like they were in our shoes what the deal was. everybody was sooo helpful, they all had been in our situation and actually seemed excited to help, which was great. we spent the first few days just trying to figure out the island, where things were, it was hard sometimes finding things b/c areas are designated by names which really make no sense i.e. sub base, anna's retreat, peterborg...if someone says something is in sub base, they just assumed that you knew where that was, but that was something that we learned quick, it kinda forces you too! finding jobs was accually really easy, my girlfriend simply went to the offices of a jewerly store in town and got an interview. after a few interviews she was offered a job...without any sales experience and i got a job as a mate on a boat. jobs are easy to find, the trick is finding one that pays enough to live. the villa fairview is right in town, and that really wasn't were we wanted to be, so we looked for an apartment right away, which was also pretty easy due to the island trader (a newspaper that is mostly classifieds). we found a great apartment and were out of villa fairview within 2 weeks. but the catch 22 about moving is that we needed to get a car. again we went to the trader and with a little persistence and quite a few dollars spent in cab fares to look at cars, we had bought a 95 mazda protege for only $1700, we actually got a pretty good deal. so in 4 weeks we accomplished a lot, i am actually pretty amazed.
i guess some advice is to not get discouraged if you have a setback, and you will, be persistent when trying to get a job, it seemed that if you really seemed interested, people were eager to interview with you. and most of all, ASK QUESTIONS, i know i heard a lot about how local islanders were very standofish to people from the states, but that cannot be farther from the truth, if you are polite and say good morning, good afternoon, they are more than grateful to help you. also be patient and relaxed...you are living the island life now and things really slow down, i never ever thought i would wait in line at a k-mart for a half hour, but i have done it twice now. things are much different here than in the states...but that is the exact reason why we came here, and after a month, it is the best decision i have ever made!
-cliff
Posted : December 18, 2003 1:01 am
Hello Cliff, Thanks for sharing your story, it is appreciated!! Congrats! on the move and how everything is working out for you both.
Can I include your story in the "what to expect" section so others can read it ? That is a section of the moving guide on this site with a few other stories from new residents.
http://www.vinow.com/move/expect/
Thanks again.
--Islander
Posted : December 18, 2003 1:33 am
Topic starter
islander, go ahead and use it if you want, i always wanted to get something i wrote published!
-cliff
Posted : December 18, 2003 12:12 pm
Cliff
just the man I need. We are coming in Dec 25...
My son 21 and I are looking for a fishing trip.. Would like a 1/2 day or maby even a day.
Not looking for a Charter for just but not looking for a 25 man boat.
Looking for mabe a 8 or 10 person deal.
You know of any and how much will this cost me.
Dave
Tenn
email me rave@usit.net for other question
Posted : December 18, 2003 1:52 pm
Islander I just saw your reply listing the Fishing Charter fees.
Dang $500 for a 1/2 day.. jerk my gown I don't have that kind of money..
Chris look around a bit.... Chris ya want to make a little money??
email me rave@usit.net
Dave
Posted : December 18, 2003 5:44 pm
Its good to read of your movie to St.Thomas., I too am from OHIO and I have been to STT 4 times. Once for a week, the other times were on Ships for a day.
I would like also to move there, but the apartments, I understand, are very $, is that so?
Jobs are another issue.
Other than your comments in the above, are there any jobs for the Drafter/Machine Designer (industrial type) there - I also have alot of experience with Hydraulics - is this something that could be used there?
Chuck
Posted : December 18, 2003 6:15 pm
Topic starter
dave, fishing charters are expensive, i really like to fish too and looked into getting on a charter just for fun, but i couldn't afford it. i'll tell you whay though, fishing of beaches is pretty good, i went with a friend on dorothea bay and he caught a couple 20 lb red snapper and another day by with someone else, they caught a 4 ft nurse shark. i bet if you looked and asked around though you could get a better deal on a charter.
chuck, i dont know much about your field nor have i looked into it, sorry. but housing is not that expensive at all, don[t get me wrong, you can find sweet places that will cost you an arm and a leg, but you can also find really good deals, average 1 bedroom funished with utilities is around $650-$900, depending on where it is.
Posted : December 18, 2003 9:03 pm
Hello Dave,
The $500 is for the whole charter... depending on the type of fishing trip, nighttime, marlin, inshore... it affects the number of people that can go out. In general it seems the charters take 2-6 people... what you might try and do is call the charters and see if they have other singles or doubles who want to go out on a charter on the same day as you - that way the 3 or 4 of you can split the 500 price... Otherwise you might bring some fishing gear and do some shore fishing with your son.
--Islander
Posted : December 19, 2003 6:15 pm
Preach on my island brother! I moved here about 2 years ago and had a heck of a time getting started, but things did work out. My only advise to people is bring enough money. It will take at least $5000 to get started down here comfortablely. Then after that, you are good because there is not too much to spend your money on. Congratulations, it takes a special type of person to make it here. In my opinion, if you can make it on St. Thomas, you can make it anywhere.
Posted : December 22, 2003 2:10 pm
Hello John,
Could you share what you had difficultly with when first starting out?? work, apartments, driving??? Thanks!!
--Islander
Posted : December 22, 2003 5:39 pm
