St. John- Maho Bay Campground

Hello Beth,

I definately think you will have the opportunity during the month at Maho in October to look around and secure something like waitressing, maybe sales person or hotel staff... Also you will be in a good position to look for apartments and room-mates during that month.

I hope you will let us know how your Maho experience goes and also your St. John experience as a whole. All the best!!

--Islander

I'm planning on heading down around that same time, and that job at maho bay sounds like it would be perfect. Can you give me more info as to how one can obtain such a job.

Check out the web site, www.maho.org, for details and an application.

Beth, I'm going this October for the program, will fill you in when I get back.

My husband and I were fortunate enough to be taken in to the Maho program after Hurricane Marilyn. We hammered and nailed and cleaned and patched and painted and, well you get the picture. I finally got tired of patching the holes in the screens with little squares so if you see a screen patch that is in the shape of a star or a palm tree - that's mine! You will have a great time. They are wonderful people and it is an incredible adventure. After a month at Maho you will have made friends who can help you find employment, housing,etc. Maho also hires permanent employees!
PAmela.

Thanks for the insight, Pamela. It sounds great, I'm excited to go!

What are the tent units like? I may be going with friends, so some of us might room together. I'm also wondering what bugs and humidity are like, and what kind of work you do while you're there. When were you and your husband there?

Cathy- I look forward to hearing about your trip. Good luck!

-Beth

Beth,
The staff housing is more or less like the rest of the camp - a modifying hut with wood floors, wood up to about your waist and then screening to the roof. The staff housing however is a bit more private as people have hung bamboo blinds, sarongs, etc. over the screening to get a bit more privacy. Humidity - depends on the time of year. I am from North Florida and while the weather man will tell you the humidity is 76% it has never bothered me here as much as it did in Florida. Bugs - well there are bugs. You learn to love the smell of mosquito coils, off and don't forget to pick up one of those great tennis racket things with the wires in them. Some nights zapping mosquitos is a recreational activity you can share with friends. You get used to it.
There are many different jobs. My husband and I were there in late '95 helping to rebuild after Hurricane Marilyn so I doubt my job experience is the norm. I did everything from take apart, clean and reassemble every standing and ceiling fan on the property, sanded furniture and restained, patched screens, re-screened proches, kitchen duty, etc. You will have fun. It is a great group of people!
Pamela.

Maho Bay is awesome! My husband and I were there in May and June and could not have asked for a better experience. If you go as a 4-hour worker you will be housed in the same tents as guests. They try to keep the 4-hour workers together, but you may be next to guests too. The staff area is off limits to 4-hour workers unless invited by staff. So you won't be able to customize your tent like they do. I wouldn't recommend sharing a tent with more than one person. They provide your linens and towels and cooking items including plates, cups, pots, silverware, etc. We called it summer camp for adults! If you are used to only air conditioning and/or low humidity the transition may be tough. If you are the adventurous type, you'll be fine. All showers are cold water on pull chains, which took some getting used to. Pack what you think you need then take about half out. You really don't need much, everything is very casual. Food anywhere on the island is expensive, including at Maho so plan for that. Also, unless you plan on walking a lot, you need to plan for shuttle money ($4 each way) which can add up quickly. The electric bug zappers Pamela mentioned are great and help with the bugs. The mosquitoes and sand fleas can be brutal.

It really depends on their needs at the time as to what you will be doing, but you will have plenty of free time to explore and meet people. Everyone at Maho is wonderful, friendly and very helpful. So don't worry if you go by yourself, you will make friends quickly. The experience is one we would never trade for a minute. Good Luck!

That was one thing I was concerned about, was getting around the island. There will be a group of us college students going, so it is a low-budget outing and I doubt we'll rent jeeps or anything like that. Is the shuttle pretty reliable?

I've also heard that hitch-hiking is acceptable on the island. Is this safe and if so how easy is it to get around this way?

I guess the main question is, aside from renting a car what's the best way to get around on St. John?

-Beth