Ending our first year in St. Thomas is pretty bittersweet. We have enjoyed our island life this past year and looking forward to one last year before our next relocation. The winter, also known as high season, was by far the best. The weather made it feel like paradise at a perfect, breezy 75-80s. Escaping the summers heat, I enjoyed the cool breeze of sun filled days. This was winters best present to me ever. The hot months here in St. Thomas are still to be enjoyed through stunning views, less crowds, and living in water.
Ted and I have come to a few conclusions:
We are more city people rather than beach bums.
We kind of already knew this about ourselves. In fact, we wanted to branch out and have a new adventure and experiences by moving somewhere different. This is exactly why Hawaii and places like the Virgin Islands were on our list on our last move. We wanted to do something different and learn to relax, take life a little slower, and live a simpler lifestyle. That is exactly what we have experienced during the past year. Although Ted's job is busier here than in Philadelphia, but the rest of our life is lived with so much ease. Weekends are spent on the beach or by the pool as a family or with our island family. We've enjoyed relaxing on our porch overlooking Hans Lollick and taking evening family walks on the beach. We were also able to downsize to live more minimally with household items and it feels right.
We love amenities, because we love to shop.
Online shopping is just not the same as walking into a store and feeling textures or picking up items to observe. We actually feel we could be happy anywhere we go next because at least we will have amenities. Never will be take for granted a good grocery store. Holy Whole Foods, we miss you. I dream of shopping the amazing end cap deals at Target. Is it possible to miss the sound of the climate controlled shopping mall and even the awful smell of high school when you walk past Abercrombie?
The community here is amazing.
It's a small island with a tight knit community. Everywhere we go we run into someone we know. At first this took some getting use to, but it's so fun to see people out. Most people are so warm and friendly. This has been by far the best and easiest part of our move. On facebook, there are several island groups that you can post questions, feedback, and reach out to most islanders. One group estimated 1 in 3 people that live on island are apart of the group. If you have a question or need a referral, people are eager to help.
We learned to be content and live a little more simply.
The first few months we were compiling mental and physical lists of things we missed stateside. The majority of our lists included go to items you will find at any stateside store. The other part of the list included clothing, restaurants, and products that you can't find here. After a few months, the need to have these things wore off and we realized it wasn't as big of a deal to go without. Yes, it's frustrating to have to shop at four different stores on island to possible complete your list but we are swinging with it.
We learned how to drive on the island.
Recently, I was teaching my mom how to drive here. Stay left. There are no street signs. Be patient. Be kind. Don't stop when going up the mountain to make a turn. Let people in. Traffic signs are just a suggestion, sometimes. Don't get lost in the bad areas. Directions are based on going up the mountain or down and based on landmarks. Stay far left especially when locals come driving in the middle of the road. When road is steep - drive slow, breathe, and use 4-wheel drive.
We are still learning to live in the heat of summer.
Winter was a dream, but summer is a whole different story and it's hot. Our recent visitors could tell you about it. We make do with limited a/c use (more use when visitors are here so they don't die), fans, and mostly dips in the pool or beach. I actually freeze now when I'm in central air conditioning.
One year down, one year to go.
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