Trying to adjust

O.K....

I have been researching for a very looooog time and read as much as I can about STT, and have NEVER heard anything this scary! Is this an isolated incident or do most people have these feelings? I am still planning my move for October, just a little freaked out over this post. Thanks in advance for any input on this subject.

Pink

I understand why you feel you have alot of adjusting to do. It IS different. Alot of your fear can be based on where you live on the island and where you came from in the states. I lived In Oklahoma and have relocated to St. Croix. It took about a month to adjust, now I'm comfortable and have learned that the island life is just different. It's slower, not as concerned with money and once you get to know the locals, it's friendly. At least it is in St. Croix. I've heard St. Thomas is much more crowded.

Outside the resorts the island is pretty much a sh1t hole. Piles of garbage on the roadside, governent inneficiancy, racism, rudeness, expensive cost of living, and lack of airconditiong to name a few issues. If you don't own a boat on St Thomas or live for the beaches you might as well live in Miami. It's nicer there.

Regards
JET

Hi Littleblueworld,

My husband and I are fairly new to St. Thomas ourselves (just shy of 6 weeks), but we visited here many times before we made the decision to move. We like St. Thomas quite a lot and our impressions thus far cannot be more different from yours. I can offer you a bit of advice based on my own limited experience.

How familiar are you with St. Thomas? Did you visit before you moved here?

I can't say that I agree with Jetpilot's assessment that St. Thomas is a "sh*%#t hole" (sorry Jet, we will just have to agree to disagree on that one :)) That said, just like any other highly urbanized area, there are good places and bad places and pretty areas and very ugly areas.

Do you have a car now? If not, you might want to try to get one or at the very least rent one until you figure out exactly what you want to do. I am not familiar with the area where you are living now, but it sounds fairly undesirable and perhaps you should find another place to live A.S.A.P.

My best advice to you is to explore the island thoroughly. You will find many lovely areas, but you need to do some exploring -- and not just on the main roads. Drive around and explore the side streets and residential neighborhoods as well. Do a lot of driving around and exploring. This island is incredibly varied and I think you will be pleasantly surprised to find out how many lovely areas there are.

Talk to people, as many as possible, get information and opinions. You will find that the people here are very forthcoming and helpful.

Things do move more slowly down here, so you have to be patient. But thus far, everything that we needed to have done has been done without any horrendously long wait.

Lastly, Littlebleuworld, even though we are part of the U.S. you need to realize that the islands have their own separate and distinct culture. Recognizing that you are living in a different culture, keeping an open mind, and trying to learn the norms and customs here should help quite a bit.

Good luck :)!

Are these trolls posting thesee ngative messages? Littlebleu sounds like a somewhat valid post but JETPILOT sounds like a troll. Just my .02

Hmmmm Matt,

Now you have me wondering about Littlebleuworld. I mean if Littlebleauworld just got here last week, why is he (she) worrying about their tax return, which wouldn't have to be filed in the VI until next year?

Littlebleuworld if you are for real, I apologize for being suspicious. But as I said before just get out from wherever you are and explore the island. We might be on the same island, but you might as well be describing another planet, as I don't even recognize your St. Thomas.

Well, we keep saying that the vast majority of people stay 3-6 months. Good luck.

Posted by: JETPILOT (IP Logged)
Date: April 5, 2006 04:52AM

Outside the resorts the island is pretty much a sh1t hole. Piles of garbage on the roadside, governent inneficiancy, racism, rudeness, expensive cost of living, and lack of airconditiong to name a few issues. If you don't own a boat on St Thomas or live for the beaches you might as well live in Miami. It's nicer there.

Regards
JET

Nice try, TROLL...

your troll score is .0000000000000001/10

...and please learn to spell, it makes for more effective trolls and higher troll scores 🙂

Posted by: LittleBleuWorld (IP Logged)
Date: April 4, 2006 10:46PM

Hey guys. I moved to St Thomas last week and boy oh boy is it hard adjusting here. The locals scare me. I live in the ghetto up on Garden street and yesterday I saw a crack deal go down right as i was walking down the street here. Im warned never to walk alone after dark and that just gives me a big red flag of why the heck am I here? I thought it would be paradise, I didnt think it was going to be so bad. Back in my hometown i could walk anywhere any time day or night. Not that i needed to because i owned a car. But why is it so bad here in St Thomas? Why is evrything so run down and old and poverty ridden? Why does the cable take 2 months to turn on, why does the power go out for no reason. Why does the government take so long to return a tax return that I can get back in 10 days or less in the states? Im just having a hard time dealing with how evrything is so outdated compared to the mainland. This is the united states so you'd think evrything would be the same. How is ST Croix compared to St Thomas? Is it the same dangerous poverty ridden crack dealer city? Or what? I visited St John the other day and i really liked it. Small, friendly, safe. So can anyone give me any advice on how to try and deal with the big adjustment? I really love the weather and beaches here but the local culture and overall quality of life is quite scarry. Hope no one is ofended i had to be honest though to try and get honest opponions. Well, thanks for listening.

I call TROLL.

Why would you move to St. Thomas and immediately move into a "ghetto", and why would you need to file taxes already, hmmmmm?

Why do the locals scare you? Was it the mocko-jumbies? LOL!!

Sorry, but everything will NOT be "the same as the United States."
We can have a Heineken while driving, for example.

I give this troll .00005/10 for effort. He did a lot of typing, after all.

My impression: you did not do your homework before moving to STT.

Maybe, if you are not happy where you are on-island, you should look for a different apartment in another section on the island.

It's your own fault that you moved to a "bad" neighborhood. You should've checked it out and asked around first. I lived in Salem, MA for many years. There are bad neighborhoods in Salem where the rent is pretty darn cheap but the crack flows freely.

I didn't rent in those neighborhoods. Pretty simple.

Whenever you move from one corner of the world to another, there will be cultural differences. The ball is in your court to first become familiar with those differences and then try to fit in.

Don not blame the island for your mistake.

A word of advice from one who has lived here forever:

The Virgin Islands is not for people who cannot afford. You will not be happy trying to live here as a person with limited means. It is not all sun and sandy beaches, there are harsh realities of life here too. You have to have a thick skin, because we locals can be rude and obtrusive at times. We will test you, but once we get to know you we will be your best buddy.

You need to be able to turn off the day. You do this by having a nice, zen-like space that you can retire to after dealing with WAPA, Cable TV, store-clerks, traffic, taxi drivers, etc. If you cannot turn off the day by retiring to your zen-like space, you will be very unhappy.

Your space will NOT come cheap. The people who move here and live comfortably can generally afford. Do not try to squeeze into some efficiency apartment in the middle of nowhere with the noise of the day still all around you...if you cannot switch it off, you will not be happy.

There are people who can throw themselves into the fray, anywhere in the world, at any given time, and be able to deal. If you are one of these people, you may ignore the above advice. If you are one who has to have the creature comforts available on demand, you will be unhappy here.

The ideal relocator:

Arrives here with a good idea of what to expect.
Can afford decent housing (extremely important.)
Is self-employed, or has a great job lined up ( extremely, extremely important.)
Patiently endures the wait for phone, cable, power, license.
Is comfortable around minorities ( very important. )
Rapidly integrates into the local social scene.
Has a space that he/she can retire to and turn off the day (most important.)

Remember, if you call someplace Paradise, kiss it goodbye. This place has been called Paradise.

if she is not a troll, i can understand her anxiety. i moved into the "ghetto" on garden street b/c it happens to be the location of a certain short term rental place that is highly advertised on this board. i too was nervous moving into that area b/c i felt like the short term rental place was misrepresnted and i also was told not to walk outside after dark. hearing that when you move to a new place, know no one and are totally out of your element is intimidating. i understand that a lot of my anxiety was due to where i was living, so as soon as i had the means (i.e. car, extra money) i moved out of town and my standard of living was greatly improved. i get her point, but the whole tax thing is a little wierd. troll or no troll, she has some valid concerns. just my $.02.

by the way, what is a troll? i'm new to the whole message board thing.

I don't know if LittleBlueWorld is serious or a troll but his/her post is a perfect example of why it is so important to make a pre-move visit and to thoroughly research island life BEFORE making any decision to relocate to any island. Many of those contemplating a move to the islands mistakenly believe that it's all sunshine, palm trees & pina coladas. They convince themselves, well before they've made any real efforts at research, that they will be happy living a spartan lifestyle in a smaller apartment simply because they think the island will be a paradise. Unfortunately for them soon after arriving on island reality sets in that they still have to get up each morning and go to work in order to earn a living. You are slated with the same daily chores and routines that make up daily life. You have to pay bills, do grocery shopping, cook, clean house, do laundry, etc., etc. To express dismay that it takes 2 months to get cable TV or that there are sporadic power outages is just plain naive. All one has to do is read a few "relocation" posts on this forum to figure out that life in the islands is far different that it is "back home". It never ceases to amaze me how many people contemplating a move to the islands put aside all common sense - if they were making a move to a new town or city back home they'll readily spend lots time and effort deciding if the move is right but because of the mystique of island life they throw caution to the wind. Unfortunately for them they turn a deaf ear to the very people that try to help them simply because they don't like the message.

a troll is someone who comes around to spread discontenment & ruffle feathers..usually with false alarms...or over dramatizing a situation.

wouldnt you be scared walking at night in any unfamiliar territory?

Quote:
"The ideal relocator:

Arrives here with a good idea of what to expect.
Can afford decent housing (extremely important.)
Is self-employed, or has a great job lined up ( extremely, extremely important.)
Patiently endures the wait for phone, cable, power, license.
Is comfortable around minorities ( very important. )
Rapidly integrates into the local social scene.
Has a space that he/she can retire to and turn off the day (most important.)"

Good thing I can and will be able to check all those off the list!

Matt T said:

"Good thing I can and will be able to check all those off the list! "

Glad you found the list helpful 🙂

Hopefully you won't be whining about how "WAPA turned off the power AND raised the rates, my neighbors make too much noise, my phone doesn't work, the job sucks, there are no available single women, and my pina colada didn't have an umbrella sticking out of it...waaaaahhhhhh."

LOL

Jetpilot's opinion surely must be belied by his post of the same day on the vacation forum when he reports on just having found a quite inexpensive flight down here for two. However, since his post on this forum expresses his opinion of the island outside the confines of a resort, one can only assume that he plans on remaining at the resort of his choice and not venturing outside. And, jetpilot, if Miami is nicer in your opinion, why do you even waste time coming here? I've been to Florida many times and if my memory serves me well I think they have quite a bit of sun, sandy beaches and large resorts.

Does anyone else believe that the way you treat others or speak of "their" home will have a direct correlation on how you are accepted or treated?
You know..if you look at everything in a negative light it will be reflected back to you as such?

Amen, amen, amen....Native Son, you have hit the nail squarely on the head, particularly with regard to patience and comfort levels, but most importantly, employment. Unless you are in the hospitality industry, I would no more advise you to move here without a job than I would advise you to try to fly off my gallery. All of that being said, I've seen people on the island for months who haven't gotten the all-important callback, and those who hit the bricks and had a job inside of two days. If you can't be content with a job that is below your expectations for a while and don't have a bucket of money, wait until your expectations lower or your bucket fills up some more. Just because the island may "need" your services does NOT mean you're ready for prime time. There is a definite waiting period here for those who come down without a job...sort of like "if you're still here in 6 months, we'll talk to you then". The islanders CAN be standoffish - they've seen folks come and go on a regular basis. Once they know you have staying power, the whole picture changes.

For those who think Native Son is being high drama...well, I thought a lot of stuff I read was extreme. It's not...and Native Son, I appreciate your candid approach and your willingness to give of your knowledge. Thank you for hanging in there!

I too think jetpilot is a troll. S/he began posting on this board yesterday, 04-04-06, and so far has contributed nothing more than, "The schools in the USVI suck" and "Outside the resorts the island is pretty much a sh1t hole." Jetpilot doesn't live here -- he/she posted on the vacation board about inexpensive tickets to the island for his/her vacation. Since jetpilot has no basis for his/her opinions about VI schools and life on island, jetpilots opinions are of no value to anyone trying to use this board to make relocation decisions. Fly away jetpilot.

I live on the northside overlooking the ocean in a $1200 a month 2 bedroom apt, the owners have lived here for 15 years and they have NEVER had any problems. I've lived here for a year and I've left my keys in my front door many a night, don't ask why, and never a problem. The owner, who is a little feeble minded, left his car RUNNING in the driveway for 5 HOURS, I kid you not, and not a problem. If you move to the ghetto you live in the ghetto.

I call troll too, because he would be filing his taxes in the states anyway since he just moved here and never had any island income.

Thanks, Becky R...I really enjoy reading your posts too 🙂

Native Son: I would shorten one of your items to:

Patiently endures.
🙂

HERE IS YOUR PROBLEM: YOU LIVE ON GARDEN STREET. Its a horrible street. I used to work nearby, and I lived nearby, but in a safer enclave.
And I am going to assume you live at the Vista. I have not met anybody yet who enjoyed their time there.

GET OUT OF THERE. The place sucks. A few weeks back somebody was shot in face. Do not walk around after Dark and do not go to the bars on that street.

ST. Thomas can be pleasent but not on Garden Street.

Email me for further details