You know you lived in the VI too long when.....

When taking a COLD " navy shower " is not a big deal anymore ( water running only to clean and rinse )

When it's perfectly normal to have a rooster or chicken walk into a store downtown

When you buy food items you'd never even think of buying stateside only cause it's on sale.

When you're freindly with all the local homeless.

When bad cell phone signal strength is acceptable.

When AC in a car is unheard of and priceless.

When loud music coming from the car driving by still annoys you but you still ignore it.

When you dont' expect to see simpe road signs anymore.

I was thinking of this very, very old thread the other day, and thought it worth updating for post-IrMaria life. It's a little somber, but it's been my reality lately:

When you have developed a 30-second version of your "storm experience" to share with non-islanders, and have stock responses to all their followup questions so you don't get exhausted ("Yeah, it's really just one day at a time." "Life goes on." "We're all doing the best we can with what we have." etc.)

When you no longer ask your island friends "How are you doing?" and instead say "It's great to see you" or "What's new with you?"

When you can't really remember what was such a big deal in your life this time last year, because it's all changed.

When you are hypervigilant about charging your phone because you're subconsciously afraid the power could go out and not come back on.

When you don't have to worry about securing your home or boat during hurricane season because Irma took them.

When you remember to pause and be thankful for all the things that are possible to do today, that you used to mostly take for granted -- buying food and fuel, talking on the phone, going online, power coming back on within a day when it goes out.

What else?

I went back and read them all! A lot are still the same, some have went away. The thing with the words on the windshields, I don't see that much anymore on STJ. How about on STX and STT? I guess I've waited to long coming up with the perfect saying to do it now LOL!

Temperature and environment controlled homes are uncomfortable. They are too cold, lack dirt, bugs, noise, and a breeze that make my house feel like home.

Post storms a 1/2 tank of gas in my car reads as 'empty' in my mind. I now have a 100lb backup propane tank to go with the 50lb backup tank. I now have more cash on hand then I used to ever have. My e-reader always has at least 20 new books on it at all times. I have more solar charges and options than I used to have.

There are two seasons....hurricane season and getting ready for hurricane season

Yep so true. And time is a continuum and those seasons come and go so darned quick.

And fdr and stjohnjulie, yes so true everything you said!

The slogans on the windshields are alive and well on STX, seems that every other vehicle has some dumb saying emblazoned in type at the top of the windshield.

There are two seasons....hurricane season and getting ready for hurricane season

I went back and read them all! A lot are still the same, some have went away. The thing with the words on the windshields, I don't see that much anymore on STJ. How about on STX and STT? I guess I've waited to long coming up with the perfect saying to do it now LOL!

Temperature and environment controlled homes are uncomfortable. They are too cold, lack dirt, bugs, noise, and a breeze that make my house feel like home.

Post storms a 1/2 tank of gas in my car reads as 'empty' in my mind. I now have a 100lb backup propane tank to go with the 50lb backup tank. I now have more cash on hand then I used to ever have. My e-reader always has at least 20 new books on it at all times. I have more solar charges and options than I used to have.

Oh all of these!!! This whole thread is amazing - made my morning.

I miss a lot of the people who posted in the past, and are no longer here!

(tu)

I miss a lot of the people who posted in the past, and are no longer here!

You know you're living in the VI too long when:

You can't wait to go to a grocery store on a stateside trip.

You bring empty bags so you can stock up and mail things back while stateside.

You have stopped counting the number of power outages you experience.

You think of ALL the water being wasted when it rains and no one has cistern when stateside.

You've memorized the location of potholes on roads you use regularly and are absolutely delighted when 1 gets filled in!

You're used to waiting in line.
For anything!

You chat in line while waiting!

You're used to not getting service you pay for or a call back from a message you left regarding that service. (There are a couple of exceptions! BBVI for one.)

You automatically say good morning, afternoon when you enter any business or encounter people and have them acknowledge it with a reply.

You take your garbage on a scenic tour of island, depending on your route.

Scorpions, spiders, and other creepy crawlies don't freak you out. You deal with it.

Lizards are encouraged and welcomed in home.

You can't find everything on your shopping list and don't care!

You appreciate the gorgeous views, every single day.

Flip flops and sandals are your main footwear.

75 degrees and you're dragging out sweaters, blankets and comforters.

You miss the parakeets squawking up a storm in the mornings, all the hummingbirds at your flowers and feeders and the the sounds of coqiues at night.

You don't miss roosters, chickens.

I miss a lot of the people who posted in the past, and are no longer here!

Me three. 🙂

Some more, along the lines of "You think "OK" and "Allright" are greetings" (?? they aren't??):

You no longer "bring" things with you, you "walk with" them: E.g.: "To renew your car inspection at the BMV, you have to walk with your insurance and registration."

When you get there, you "reach" (not "arrive" ).

Once you reach, if you realize you didn't walk with everything you needed, you announce "I gone to come back."

Oh, and it took me years to get used to "good night" as a greeting, but even longer to stop using "good night" as the last thing you say to someone at night. Now it's "Allright, see you later." 😀

I miss a lot of the people who posted in the past, and are no longer here!

Me three. 🙂

Some more, along the lines of "You think "OK" and "Allright" are greetings" (?? they aren't??):

You no longer "bring" things with you, you "walk with" them: E.g.: "To renew your car inspection at the BMV, you have to walk with your insurance and registration."

When you get there, you "reach" (not "arrive" ).

Once you reach, if you realize you didn't walk with everything you needed, you announce "I gone to come back."

Oh, and it took me years to get used to "good night" as a greeting, but even longer to stop using "good night" as the last thing you say to someone at night. Now it's "Allright, see you later." 😀

(tu)

Bring dem.
You reach.
I gone.
You walk wit ting dem.
You gon go look.
Wahya mean.
Buss a lick.
Tain nun u bidness.
Good ting.
Gone to come back.

Miss tania, island sweet potatoes, pumpkin, soursop guava ( Jeeze, especially the guava turnovers from bakery next to Fruuit Bowl), plus lots of other stuuf.
The gorgeous flamboyant trees in bloom.

Been hunting tania up here in FL. Asked at grocery stores (Winn Dixie, Publix) never heard of it.
Asked about getting pumpkin quarters/slices and one lady told me that she has to buy an entire pumpkin, over fall season to cut it up and freeze to make pumpkin pies.

I love making pumpkin soup.
I need my tania and sweet potatoes
(different from yams/orange sweet potatoes) to put in my stews! Not a darned christophine in sight nor dasheen. Damn!
Wouldn't mind some kenips, either!

The hunt shall continue.

Tania I THINK is Taro root

Oh and......

You find your car next morning from Skyline drive upside down on back street ( Hurricane Marilyn '95) STT

You wake up in the morning half awake yawning, look in the mirror , and see a gecko doing the same thing hanging off the mirror edge

KFC reopening is a landmark event (STT)

You have care packages of any fast food imported in

The phrase ' If it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down' becomes mantra about water consumption

The iguanas eat on your wife`s freshly done spa toes because they did red nail polish

You come up with clever responses when working in a store and tourists ask if you live here ( personal best response is that we have a secret highway that link us to Miami, don't laugh some believe it)

Most importantly............

When you can look at what we go through on a day to day, survive what we all did twice last fall, and still have a sense of humor about it !!!

VI Strong !

Alana, check at a 'Spanish' market in FL for tania. That is usually where I find the produce I'm looking for when I go to the states.

There are a ton of sayings, but one of my favorites is 'Rock-Stone'. As in, when you are throwing/using a rock to cause damage, it's a rock-stone.

Fdr, I love the perspective you’ve put on this, enjoyable reading with the morning coffee!

I pretty new here but I do have 2 named lizards in my home

Work flip flops

wear shoes at night for centipedes

very happy to be here on STX
😎

You wake up in the morning half awake yawning, look in the mirror , and see a gecko doing the same thing hanging off the mirror edge

LOL no lie I was just out my driveway this morning and had to pull over because I realized there was a gecko on the hood of my car looking at me like, "WHAAAAA??!!?!" Poor little guy lol

"LOL no lie I was just out my driveway this morning and had to pull over because I realized there was a gecko on the hood of my car looking at me like, "WHAAAAA??!!?!" Poor little guy lol"

Did you drive him back home?

Hee hee I was just at the end of the drive so I put him on a bush and hoped for the best. (Me without enough coffee in the morning: "That's funny - I never noticed before that this truck has a hood ornament... OH WAIT...")

I always imagine the lizards that take a ride on my car hood are thrill seekers. And want to see the world. So I take them to far off lands that they would have a hard time reaching by foot. They have an amazing ability to stay put for the entire ride. I just make an effort to park near a bush when I get where I'm going 😀

Half way to C'sted Thursday, on ME hwy, a tree frog scared me when suddenly appeared on my windshield. He seemed to be enjoying the trip.

Maybe not too long but I do remember the day I felt totally assimilated to island life...

2 years in, I had a early tour and rushed out of the house. Stopped at Nidals for a Red Bull, ice for my cooler and I had a craving for a doughnut. I opened the lid to the doughnut container and there was one single glazed left but it was covered in sugar ants. Without skipping a beat I grabbed it pulled off the ants and down the hatch it went.

I laughed later that day when I realized that I think that meant I was assimilated.

Yep so true. And time is a continuum and those seasons come and go so darned quick.

And fdr and stjohnjulie, yes so true everything you said!

The slogans on the windshields are alive and well on STX, seems that every other vehicle has some dumb saying emblazoned in type at the top of the windshield.

There are two seasons....hurricane season and getting ready for hurricane season

We always be laughs so hard at the windshield in STX that says “don’t trust no Bitchz” for sure some funny ones there!