rock fever

Well,I might be able to shed some light on that subject.I guess it really depends on where you come from and how much of a city type social life you require:Movies,galleries,large parties,etc.If you are a more laid back kind of person you will have an easier time.Ilive on an island right now with no way off but sea/air transport,and the population where I am is 4,000 people total.The streets roll up at about 7-8pm.Walmart is the social hub of the whole island.It costs 400.00 each for plane tickets/or a big Ferry to go to the mainland.So,the options are VERY sparse,unless you are a day person(outdoors)or homebody.The weather here is cold/rainy,so I will be expanding my horizons soon to the warm beautiful VI.Sometimes the fact that you are hundreds of miles away from the mainland,with no means to leave without extensive planning,gets on a persons nerves if they aren't really home minded.Does that help some? Its like when someone tells you,that you are on an island,all some people can think of is not being able to get off readily.It is scarey to some people and causes anxiousness.I am not much of a socialite so I am lucky in that regard.

I have friends that live in Hawaii and a friend that used to live in St. Croix. One of them has moved back to the mainland. They mainly complained about not being able to drive a far distance. They feel like they drive in circles. Always sourounded by terrain and water. "rock fever" is like "cabin fever" Simply means feeling trapped to one area for a length of time. St. Croix is the largest of the islands and less populated than St. Thomas. Lots of space and no traffic on St. Croix. When I was there last June i drove all around and through the island 3 times in 5 days. Counted about 7 traffic lights. It's so nice not to deal with traffic and idiot drivers. You feel like your the only one on the road there. You can drive as slow or as fast as you want. Remember they drive on the LEFT. Anyway, "rock fever" has an affect on people at different times. Some have been their for a few years, some just weeks. Locals travel troughout the caribbean islands alot so they can shop or just to get away. I suggest you take trips back home to the mainland every so often and don't forget to take "care packages" back with you to St. Croix. Their are some things that you can't get and will miss while on the island. After living in the USVI for a while and visiting the mainland again you come to appreciate the finer things in life that is hard to get on the mainland nowadays. If you don't mind the lack of malls, noise, and big crowded cities and you love the idea of some serious R&R, lots of sunshine and caribbean flare. This is the place. Keep in mind St. Croix is nothing like St. Thomas. Not glamorous or many tourists. Cruise Ships stopped going to St. Croix a few years back.They did a restoration to the Fredericksted pier last June and i think the ships will be coming back there soon. Otherwise Frederiksted is a ghost town. Everyone hangs out in Christansted. If you like to gamble, there is a small casino at the Divi Carina Bay Resort on the east end of the island. This is probably one of the few places on St. Croix that everyone goes to for fun ( besides the local bars). St. Croix isnt developed like St. Thomas so shopping is rare but private beaches and no traffic are the highlights of St. Croix. Hope i answered your question and then some.

Are the places(houses)cheaper to buy on STX due to less populi???

Lora- What island do you live on? Doesn't sound like you live in the Virgin Islands? Curious.

Lora-- STX is the cheapest out of all the USVI to buy real estate or even to rent. St. John and Water Island is ALOT more.(million dollar properties). If you can find any space. St. Croix is growing so if your interested in buying land or homes, now is the time. Realtor told me in a year or two prices are going to go way up.

I live on Kodiak in Alaska.Thanks Aimee,I really appreciate ANY positive input.There are the worlds biggest bears here,but the people here are much worse than any bear.I will welcome the"Island Time" mindset.

Lora-- I see you read my reply to racism. ALASKA! Would have never guessed. Know what you mean about the people. Live in Florida. Love the state but the people need an attitude check. Grew up in the midwest where the people are friendly. Can't wait to move to the USVI and get some solitude.

thanks for all of your advice!! My husband is in the military so we would only be there for three years. I am a small town person and from what you guys have said, it seems like rock fever may not be an issue for me. I rarely go to malls and enjoy being at home and hanging out with my husband. We go fishing and I sew and scrapbook. Sounds boring, but we like to sit back and relax. A great evening for us is dinner at home and a bottle of wine. I think this might work out. By the way Lora, my husband will be in Alaksa in June (Air Natinal Guard). I think he is going to Fairbanks. Is that anywhere near you?

Stacy,No Fairbanks is a far cry from the island I am on,which is 250 miles South of Anchorage.There are a lot of Philipinos here,but have found them to be civil and mostly friendly.It's the whites here(I am white/Cherokee-but look white),that really deserve the:See No Evil,Hear No Evil,and Especially SPEAK NO Evil advice.

Hello,

(2000 census)
St. Croix: 53,234
St. Thomas: 51,181
St. John: 4,197
Water Island: 161

St. Croix doesn't have a smaller population then St. Thomas, however it is a larger island. St. Croix is 84 square miles and St. Thomas about 31 square miles. So a lot more space for a similar sized population.

The real estate on St. Croix has been less expensive then its sister islands. The market has been more active lately.

--Islander

I am not a socialite in any form, but I have only been here for 27 days and I am ready to go home. I am hoping this is a normal emotional "thing" when there's a reasonably large change in lifestyle.

I miss real neighborhoods, affordable air conditioning, affordable groceries, high speed internet (we are in a condo and we can't have anything but dial up). I miss meeting other people. Here we get new neighbors every week, or the people work full time and come home to eat and sleep. There's little networking on the island, so you have to just count on getting lucky. I am an at-home mom and get mighty lonely and stir crazy at times.

I miss having a nice house. What is nice here is different from what is nice in Anytown, USA. It might be a more personal thing for me though, because the condo we are in is so freaking nasty. Sheetrock crumbling off the walls, I can't keep it clean no matter how many times I sweep and Swiffer.

I miss good customer service. The whole "welcome to the island" thing when we aren't satisfied with service just nauseates me. I am sure people are fine with it, but the whole laid-back, we-strive-for-mediocrity attitude we've seen in places here is certainly not a character trait I want to instill in my children.

Other than that, it's gorgeous here. The lush vegetation and beaches are wonderful. I want to be happy here, so I am hoping this is just a phase.

Brandy

"I miss real neighborhoods, affordable air conditioning, affordable groceries, high speed internet...I miss having a nice house. What is nice here is different from what is nice in Anytown, USA...I miss good customer service. The whole "welcome to the island" thing when we aren't satisfied with service just nauseates me. I am sure people are fine with it, but the whole laid-back, we-strive-for-mediocrity attitude we've seen in places here is certainly not a character trait I want to instill in my children."

It sounds to me like you'd be much happier living in "Anytown, USA" and I'm sorry you're stuck living somewhere that doesn't suit you. The islands are expensive; we left an expensive area in the U.S. and bought half the house for twice the money on island but we appreciate all of the idiosyncracies that seem to drive you crazy. I do not find the attitude to be, as you say, a "we-strive-for-mediocrity attitude" but rather a completely different perspective on living than what we are accustomed to in the States. This different perspective permeates all of island life and though it drew us to the islands it can admittedly be frustrating at times. Fortunately those times are small in number and worth the trade-off to us. We relocated to the islands because of an unquantifiable way it makes us feel about ourselves and our lives. Perhaps a less desirable by-product of that island atmosphere is reflected in customer service issues but we would rather strive to find amusement in the tribulations we are subjected to by WAPA, the DMV et al. than trade island atmosphere for improved customer service. Furthermore, we don't worry that our son will adopt undesirable character traits as a result of living on island. His character is not so fragile as to be alterable by individuals who fail to provide our desired level of customer service. As long as we provide examples worth emulating, including the ability to be adaptable to trying circumstances, our son will be provided all of the positive role modeling he needs for healthy development.

Andrea,
Get in touch with Bu-Buh ( Mike or Susan ) on this message board. They have a really nice one bedroom condo for rent. We were the first people to rent it when we were there last week. I believe they will rent it on long term basis. Their next door neighbors on the one side are both retired and very friendly. A young lady lives on the other side.It is in Questa Verde. Mostly people who live there or rent long term. It's on Herman Hill, a very nice neighborhood that is centraly located, with a nice view. Gated, with security at night, although I doubt they really need it compared to other neighborhoods I saw while driving around.

Hello All,

I moved to STT last August. I am a mom of three. I went thru a 'phase' or depression of some sort moving here from the Midwest. It lasted until January. I flew home and visited family over Christmas. I realized that most of my depression was just missing family and friends. I felt better after the visit and coming back I started calling STT home. Now I am really happy and satisfied with living here. I am a social person and it was hard to switch from midwest city to island, but it all worked out. I found that a lot of wives have shared my feelings of new island blues. It usually goes away and you start to find your place. My kids had very few problems adjusting. My husband had none. Good luck to you all and hang in there! Ill be arie (It will be alright). 😉

Teresa

STXHSMom-- What condo do you live in? Did you set this up with a realtor? Did you buy or are you renting? If you plan to move soon, I have some advice that will save you time and alot of driving around the island. There is a whole string of condos along the beach near Christansted. Mill Harbour, Colony Cove aka: Sugar Beach and Club St. Croix are a few that are run down and mostly "shady" people living there. Not a great neighborhood either. Also, stay away from any of the apartments near the Orange Grove Shopping Center (Long Reef, Orange Grove and Bay Gardens Apartments) and anything near Christansted and in the TOWN of Frederiksted. Their are a few scattered condos around that are nice. Mostly the good places to live are all on the East End of the island and a section on the West End called Carambola. Can be expensive though. Most condos are overpriced and on top of that you have to pay nasty fees every month. I found a CUTE place on the East End called Southgate Villas next door to the restaurant Cheeseburgers in Paradise. Price is about $900.00-$1000.00 per month. I suggest staying away from the realtor's, if you can, and reading the classifieds in the three St. Croix papers and finding a private renter. They are willing to negociate a fair price. You will find homes that are split into 2 or sometimes 3 separate levels for this reason and the neighbors are usually permanate. What you are feeling is normal. Your surrondings sound uncomfortable. Don't blame the island. Be patient, do some looking around at other places to live and enjoy the island atmosphere. Don't let your living situation scare you off the island. You can always move. I know, the material things are hard to let go of. It will take some time to adjust. Some parts of the island get better utilities than others. Ask the utility companies where they get better service. They should know. Customer service as we know it, doesnt exist there. Sorry to say that your going to just have to except that. You will have a hard time with the locals if you complain or try to change things there. Hope this is better news for you. Just remember that your ahead of the game. Most of us may envy you just for taking that risk to move out there and wish we were all there right now. Hang in there!

hey i would rather get rock fever and be in a beautiful tropical climate than stuck inside for 3 months cause it is too cold and snowy to go outside. i say make the best of where you are!!

Aimee, thank you!! I live at Mill Harbour right now and I just hate it! The ceiling is falling in in the main bath and the sheetrock is crumbling off the walls. We have bugs galore, despite the pest guy coming once a month and our own using of Terro.

My complaints about the customer service were for our real estate lady, whose response to pretty much everything is "Welcome to the tropics" everything falls apart, rusts, everyone has bugs, etc. She won't let us out of our lease here, but once it's over we are definitely moving away from here!

The other complaint was the head guy at the car rental place. We've been here a whole month and they have switched our vehicle 4 times! The first time some plug was too short to drain water to the under of the vehicle so water (and a bazillion ants) were inside the car all over me. 3 weeks ago they took the car back to "fix" it and we got that car back 4 days ago. Well, it rained and guess what....same old leak. My dh went back to complain and the guy basically said tough poop. Well, what choice do we have, he has to have the vehicle to get to work.

Now we don't complain to the people like a bunch of cry babies, but we take notice of things..like 25 minutes at McD's to get 2 kids meals, waitresses never refilling drinks, etc. Stupid things to people here, I know, but it's little things like that that we take for granted in the states. I know it will take time to get over our seemingly very pampered life where we were.

And I am glad to know some degree of adjustment/depression is normal, LOL!

Brandy,
Hang in there, girl--it's bound to get better!! I felt much the same way when my husband and I lived overseas. Keep your chin up, you'll adjust just fine!

Wow, I havent been to the sight for a while, thanks again for all of your replies! My husband and I decided to move to St. Croix and will be there in July/August. We went to visit and got a really realistic view of life on an island. We found a beautiful house on the east end. Now all I need is a job! 🙂 Thanks again!!

STXHSMOM,
Hang in there girl. It is worth it.

First things first, call the Lt. Governors Office and talk with someone regarding Landlord/Tenant laws. They are very favorable towards the tenant here in the islands. You can arrange to escrow the rent (which you must still pay) until the property is suitable for living. Falling drywayll is not acceptable. If nothing else, you will get your landlord's attention. Another thing would be to contact the owner directly bypassing the Realtor.

As for the bugs, well, there are several remedies that if you search this board I think you will find some help. Bay leaves in your drawers will help with the roach situation, for starters.

Return your rental car and go to another agency. Or at least threaten to do so and see what happens.

My approach to poor customer service is incredulity. If a salesperson can't help me I ask them who can. Who is the boss? Surely you don't want me to walk out of here without what I came in for, do you? Smile. Be friendly but stand your ground. Remember, passive/aggressive is the nature of most of the service staff here. They melt when faced with a persistent cheerfulness and inability to believe that they intend to be rude. I think of it as a game. I can out West Indian the best of them.

McDonalds - sadly nothing to be done about that but tell the kids that happy meals are no longer available anywhere in the free world 🙂

Find a group of like minded friends. Do some volunteer work at your kids school. Plant a garden. Just let go of that (yes) pampered life style and enjoy paradise.

Hope this helps a little.

Pamela