Notifications
Clear all
Topic starter
Greetings. I hope that you are all enjoying the holiday season.
After living here for almost a year, I noticed that a lot of the posts are still in regard to what one might expect if they move to the US Virgin Islands. Most responses encourage people to participate in a Pre-move Visit (PMV), and they eliminate individual subjectivity or opinion. I know that I found that very helpful when deciding whether to move here.
While most of what you can expect to find in the VI’s are addressed in posts, and then further addressed during a PMV, there are several situations you will encounter once living here that you cannot possibly experience in a PMV. So, the reason for my post is to address SOME of the issues that a PMV does not and cannot tell you about living in the Virgin Islands. Remember, this is from my experience and each individual will experience something different. Think of this as food for thought! 😉
A personal note: If you are frustrated by what you find during a PMV (such as grocery shopping, prices, driving, social settings, housing, slow paces, etc.), you may be doubly frustrated by what lurks beyond. This is not to say you won’t eventually get used to it, but moving here is worth every consideration, isn’t it?
Government Agencies, Post Office, Police Departments, Business Licensing, etc.: When you are trying to obtain a PO box, auto registration, driver’s licenses, business licenses, etc., you may find that these agencies do not have clear directions, instructions, or information for you. In one case, a post office in C’sted had different rules for shipping than a post office in Gallows Bay. These agencies are supposed to have set rules and regulations, right? Here, they can sometimes be loosely enforced, and it often depends on who the clerk is at the time you arrive. You might get a different story from a different employee. If you can find the police department where you register your automobile (there are no signs to direct you in STX), you may have to “pull” information from a clerk in order to know what the next step is, whether you are getting a license or shipping a vehicle. Communication is not only poor in some agencies, it is confusing. Ask plenty of questions as written procedures are often vague and unclear. I can attest to this when I was shuffled from one government agency to another because written directions were incorrect. (And I doubt they’ll correct them.)
I don’t care to address the government corruption except to say that, because there is a smaller population here and the US territories are so far removed from the government on the mainland, it is easier for the government to be less than, oh, lawful in their dealings. (In my experience, this goes for almost any US territory, e.g. Guam.) Also, because the population is small, you may more easily see and hear about the corruption than you would in a city in the states. It’s sort of a “hot topic,” amongst people in the VI. If you are a politically minded person, this may bother you. Hard to say. It’s just something that, again, you may not be fully apprised of during a PMV.
Other Businesses, Insurance companies, banks, apartment rental agencies, WAPA, Innovative, etc: You have probably heard that you may wait quite a long time in lines before conducting business, or wait longer than you are used to for paperwork to be issued. However, what you may not realize is that you cannot get an insurance quote from most insurance companies for your vehicle until said vehicle is on island and registered; you cannot open an account at most banks online; you must be employed on the island (or have a hefty bank account) in order to rent a fairly decent place. As for WAPA and Innovative, I’m sure they’re not much more or less of a hassle than what you may experience in the states, however, because we lose power here more often (depending on the season, sometimes several times a day), the frustration lies in getting power back on so that we can enjoy our daily conveniences. I’ve gone 18 days without my phone or DSL and have had to fight Innovative to get them to understand it was their problem, not mine. These inconveniences may not be true in all cases, but just be prepared. (BTW, always have cash with you in the event the power is down and ATM’s or credit card machines are inoperable.)
Another aspect of frustration that you may or may not find during a PMV is the lack of technical knowledge in the Virgin Islands. If you are a highly technical person, you might find your dealings with a non-technical island almost intolerable.
Employees can be another source of frustration, and forgive me for sounding like a broken record as I’ve discussed this issue before, but good help is hard to find. If you find yourself in a management position, or are a very conscientious worker, you may find working with employees here more difficult. This is from my experience only, so please take it with a grain of salt, but let’s face it, there is a very small pool of employees from which to choose here. It’s very difficult to fire inadequate employees, and even more difficult to find people to replace them, so we often put up with shenanigans we might not put up with in the states. That’s all I’m saying!
This is certainly not an exhaustive list of things you may want to investigate, but my only intent was to give you something more to think about than what you’ll find during a PMV. Oh, not all PMV's are created equally...some of you have delved into the hard-hitting questions about registering automobiles, getting bank accounts, and so on. For those who have not, try to think of everything you’re accustomed to in the states; the conveniences, the technology, and the simplicity of those things that may not be in your day-to-day repertoire. Think of the types of businesses or agencies you will likely deal with in order to set up a life here, and start asking the hard-hitting questions. (I would have never thought of those things.) And remember, just because the letters “US” precedes “Virgin Islands,” doesn’t mean it works the same as the US.
Best wishes!
Posted : December 21, 2005 3:59 pm
I enjoyed reading this and found it to be very informative.
I have a question about power outages: I was wondering if anyone knows of one island having more problems with power outages than another. Or do power outages seem to occur with equal frequency (more or less) on STX, STT and STJ?
Would anyone be willing to speculate as to how often one might expect to have significant (lasting more than a few hours) power outage problems on STT?
Posted : December 21, 2005 5:09 pm
Bou'ya: I completely agree that a visit to check out the VI cannot tell you everything. That is why I always say, plan to stay for some period of time- 6 months, a year and then rethink your plans. I think setting a minimum time makes you prioritize your activities. If you want to go home after that period, you can always say, "Hey, at least I tried it!" I also think you should tough it out, if it isn't working out the way you think it should. Just make that time period a commitment.(My other mantra: Don't burn your bridges.)
BTW, I know of people who had never been to any island in the Caribbean, walked off the plane and have been here 20 years. I also know people who couldn't make it through a weekend! It is difficult to tell how an individual will take to life here.
Mell: It seems that WAPA goes through phases. For awhile, things were pretty good- maybe an outage every couple of months? Then we went through a period of outages once a week. We had an island-wide outage last week from 12:30 am to 4:30am. I would say that the average is a couple of hours. The power plant on St Thomas is old and seriously in need of updating.
Posted : December 21, 2005 8:44 pm
Good advise!
Another thing that you can't learn on a PMV is the quality/availability of healthcare. Anyone with health concerns should seriously look into this matter before making a move to usvi. Oftentimes for complicated situations, one needs to be med-evaquated to Florida or Puerto Rico. The availability of medicines that one might be taking should also be looked into. Check out the pharmacies and talk with a pharmacist - he or she might have some pointers.
Posted : December 21, 2005 10:48 pm
Excellent post.
Another point. Moving here and staying here works for some and not for others. If you get here and decide after a few months it's not for you, that's fine. At least you had an adventure.
Posted : December 22, 2005 10:14 am
Sheesh, mell! Okay, there was an hour and 20 minute outage this afternoon. Let's see when the next one strikes!
Posted : December 22, 2005 7:12 pm
East Ender,
Thanks for the great feedback regarding power outages 🙂 🙂 🙂
Posted : December 23, 2005 1:04 pm
Powers Back On!!
Posted : December 23, 2005 3:21 pm
Well, mell, you really put some obeah on us! Today, the power was out for 7 1/2 hours here. No word on why, but it just came back in time for Happy Hour! 😉
Posted : December 23, 2005 7:46 pm
Luckily, where I work we have a generator and free wi-fi. I decided to sit here for a while until the island (STT) has power again even though my shift is over. It's way more fun to have generator power and cold beer than to go sit in my dark apartment which won't have water because the pump runs on electricity. As long as the generator has fuel and the beer stays cold I'll be happy. By the way, the power has been out for most of the day and the weather is absolutely perfect.
Posted : December 23, 2005 8:27 pm
You can go home, kateastrophee! Current is back on!!
Finally on the evening news (aside to people looking for info, you can listen to the news and talk at wvwi.net) they said that the east end outage yesterday forced them to put us on another cable or something which then tripped and sent everyone into darkness. (Except those with generators!)
Posted : December 23, 2005 9:36 pm
Knock wood, no outages of STX for several weeks.
Posted : December 23, 2005 11:55 pm
Oooooohhhhh, LINDA!!! Now you've gone and done it for sure!!! We'll probably have a 12 hour outage on Xmas day and we'll have to cook on the BBQ!
Actually that happened to us in Seattle two Christmases before I moved to STX. A 5 hour power outage right in the middle of trying to cook a prime rib and put together dinner for 18. Somehow we survived. At least here, we wouldn't freeze to death cooking outside on the grill. 🙂
Merry Xmas to All!
Posted : December 24, 2005 3:34 am
GREAT post, thank you. I'm making my long-awaited move on January 3rd. I've been to th VI several times, the last time my PMV to prepare for this January. I am coming with an open mind and heart, flexibility and tough skin to weather the surprises (ggod and bad) I may encounter. Though I don't post as much as I read, I love this forum--most seem fair, honest, and friendly. It's refreshing. Thanks again.
Posted : December 24, 2005 5:18 am
bou'ya
thank you for your very insightful comments regarrding pmv's. so many times i read about people coming down to check out the island and it sounds as if they are coming down to see how fun it is or how many friends they can make in a weekend, or how many cool events they can check out while they are here. in my opinion, and my opinion only this can be a very untrue slice of island life.
with that said, i consider myself very fortunate to have had six months to check out the island(we put 1000 miles on a rental car in two weeks) and we got a real good cross section of what we were getting ourselve into, and if our business idea would work. anyhow i know everybody can not afford to this either time wise or financialy. but it made our move and starting our business much easier than if we had only spent a week or two, and believe me there were still plenty of surprises.
now seven years later we find ourselves moving back to the states due to child custody issues, and we our selling our business, and i must say that seven years later there are still many horrifying surprises, and many wonderful happennings in our lives and our business. we hate the idea of selling our business because we have
put our lives into this business and it is unique to stx, and the next five years were going to be the real big dollar years for our business, somebody is going to get a goldmine, anyhow i digrerss(?).
i guess i'm trying to say something, and that is that know matter how long you live here some new lifes issue is going to come up from time to time that you will just havce to deal with, the same as if you were living in the states.
mark
p.s. all you folks with power problems need to get generators, i have one for sale. last xmas we had no power problems at all and had cable all day long(because of the generator)
Posted : December 24, 2005 11:23 am
I am so glad I bought my husband a new grill for christmas lol. I think power outages I can deal with loosing my DSL however 🙁
Iris
Posted : December 24, 2005 1:30 pm
Hi Everyone,
Happy Holidays :)!!!
Thank you for the updates on the power situation. I guess I didn't realize how often the power went on and off, but I am now starting to get the idea.....................
Well, I guess this is something that I will just have to be prepared for.
East Ender, my husband and I will be living on the East end too. We will look forward to hopefully meeting you sometime once we arrive!
Posted : December 29, 2005 5:01 am
It was out on Christmas day for about 3 hours. At least on the North Side where I live. I'm not sure about anywhere else on the island.
Posted : December 29, 2005 7:24 pm
This is a very healthy dose of reality. I'm really glad to read it, despite all the "me too posts" about power outages. My biggest concern in moving down and realizing that I have thrown away a significant amount of time, money, and psychic energy in a relocation that makes me miserable. This really gets to a question of priorities and what motivates you. Having grown up in a vacation spot/island I can attest to this. If the things that are important to you are more important than irritating conveniences of life in USVI, you can brush it off. But if USVI is just an escape from a pre-existing miserable situation, I doubt it will improve the situation.
Posted : December 30, 2005 12:10 am
