Notifications
Clear all
Topic starter
My husband was offered a great career opportunity in the US VI. We have never even thought of moving to the USVI or even out of NJ (where we live) He wasn't looking for a new job, a recruiter called my husband & now we are thinking about moving to St. Thomas. The job would be located in St. Thomas for 2 years. Our main concern about relocating is our 2 young daughters ages 2 1/2 and 6. Is the island safe? Are there a lot of young families with children from the mainland? Is so, where do they live? Do they live in a community together? Do the private schools provide the same level of education? I haven't spoken to anyone from the private schools yet but have reviewed the websites. After reviewing the Antilles website ( private school in St. Thomas) I felt the curriculum in 2nd grade is what my daughter has already learned in Kindergarten. I could be wrong though. My daughter is going into first grade. We will definitely be coming back after 2 years and would not want her to be considered behind in school when we come back. What school is the best private school? Would my older daughter have a difficult time making new friends? She is very outgoing. I'm just worried how the children are treated from the mainland. Do the children have play dates? Would she have a lot in common with the children? For example, practically, every 6 year old here loves high school musical, Webkinz (LOVE webkinz) stores can not keep them on the shelves. TV shows ( Zach & Cody) Do they have gymnastics? I have so many more questions but my most important question is safety and how young children are treated. I really appreciate the time anyone can put in to help me. Thank you so very much.
Posted : July 18, 2007 6:34 pm
Good to see you over here Hawaii. Now, hopefully you will get some good answers! Antilles has a state of the art gym as well as gymnastics, yes. There are oodles of mainland children here. No need to worry.
RL
Posted : July 18, 2007 7:55 pm
hawaii: Re schools: Look also at Montessori and All Saints.
I want to make one comment on your question about living in a community together. Except maybe for a couple of the gated communities, the layout of St Thomas is much more heterogeneous than you are probably used to. You can live in a lovely single family home and have a house next door that has a couple of apartments, a pit bull tied up and a junker car in the road way. The zoning laws are pretty lax. One of the things you would need to do is figure out what sort of housing meets your needs. This is part of the pre-move visit everyone is pushing.
Posted : July 18, 2007 9:06 pm
The best advice anyone can give you is that before making any decision you and your husband should make a pre move visit (PMV) as a way of finding out if island life is for you. Think about it you wouldn't move to some other city or town "back home" without first checking things out so why would you contemplate moving to a whole different cultural area without seeing it first hand. Plan to spend at least 10 days on the island. Stay in an efficieny apartment rather than a resort. The idea is to expeience everyday life rather than take a vacation. Do grocery shopping, laundry and other routine daily chores. Drive around during rush hours so you get a feel for what traffic is like during a comute. Check out housing costs and different neighborhoods. Check out the schools first hand and yes, you'll probably want your children to attend private school.
If your daughter has no trouble making friends at home she probably won't have trouble making friends on St. Thomas. There are lots of families with children the same age as yours. Meeting people and making new friends is not much different on St. Thomas as it is in any populated area. You'll have to make the effort as you'll be the new person in town.
I have no idea what a Webkinz is but as far as what's available in the stores there are many of the same products on STT that you'll find "back home" and there are many things you won't find. That's just a fact of island life. You can learn more about this when you look though the stores during your PMV. By the way, you'd be wise to leave the kids home during your PMV so you can devote your time to learning about island life without having to entertain the kids.
Lastly, read everything you can on this forum and use the links at the top of the page to find more information about living and working in the USVI.
Remember island life is not necessarily better or worse than where you are now it's just different. Good luck in making your decision.
Posted : July 18, 2007 9:45 pm
Antilles is an excellent school. I would seriously doubt your daughters would be behind when they return to the States & could possibly be ahead of their grade if they attend Antilles.
This is part of the US & most who come here & adapt well learn to mix with "born heres" as well as former continentals. It could be a really good learning experience for all of you but the pre-move visit in your case is important. You might hate it. Only you can decide. Good luck.
Posted : July 18, 2007 10:55 pm
Its a different culture and a different way of life then stateside. Please do a pmv to see if it will be a good fit for your family. It may be a us territory but its not like stateside at all. May be a good thing for you or it may be a bad thing.
There are not many if any suburbs like back home. The islands are broken up into areas by their old estate names. In one estate you can have million dollar houses with the projects next door. Its not uncommon at all. You have to take it street by street. Will his job provide housing or schooling for your kids? It's steep here compared to most of the US but NJ is a fairly expensive state so maybe that won't be a big change for you.
I've never seen children being treated badly but sometimes adults do have trouble fitting in this culture.
Remember you can always trade your favorite store and gymnastics in for the beach.....all year round, long as you don't have to work two jobs to afford to live here.
Posted : July 19, 2007 12:28 am
Topic starter
I want to THANK everyone for their valuable information. It is amazing to me the kindness & that you would take the time to respond to help a stranger. We decided to stay here in NJ. Enjoy PARADISE & I will be thinking of all you in the winter!!
Posted : July 19, 2007 12:27 pm
