Positive Is How We Live in the US Virgin Islands

There is a common misconception that many people believe about those of us who are lucky enough to live in the United States Virgin Islands, and we would like to set the record straight once and for all.

Many outsiders assume that living in paradise=100% perfection in life.Yes, living here has many perks and is quite a blessing, but life anywhere is far from perfect. Even in so called paradise. There are real problems on the island such as rising gang activity, a lack of excellent public schools and unemployment. We are just everyday people with common problems. Many of the things we face as individuals or as a community is the reality of life, unless you live in some perfect world the rest of us must have not heard about yet.

The fact is that the US Virgin Islands may be paradise, but there is no correlation between paradise and automatic bliss or lack of problems. If you are thinking about moving here. You may want to consider that point. Your problems will follow you wherever you go and some may even pop up thereafter.

One thing I can attest to is that although problems follow people here, living in paradise can help you live more positively. Who cannot resist the temptation to enjoy the beautiful scenery, the company of wonderful people, a morning swim, or a homemade daiquiri on the deck? Yes, my friends, problems will definitely follow you here, but there are so many things I have seen on the islands that allow you to see LIFE in a POSITIVE light. This attitude will allow you to feel relaxed about whatever it is you are facing. Regardless of how large or small your problems are. That is one thing that Virgin Islanders do have in their favor in the face of adversity.

There is a bumper sticker that is seen on so many cars on the islands, which reads: Positive Is How We Live
And it is true.

More people should live positively instead of getting caught up in the moment in the stresses of work or the demands of having a family. There is really no reason not to. Life is too short to focus on such things, but unfortunately so many people do. If that is how you live your life, then this place is not for you. The simple combination of the idiosyncrasies of the islands and normal issues in life will surely get to you.

But for a lucky few, Positive Is How We Live. Perhaps you will be lucky enough to join us.

Weekend Highlights

Saturday Evening in Fortuna

Fortuna

Sunday Evening in Fortuna

Sea Urchins!!!!

Shark attack at Festival on the Green at UVI

Brewer's Bay

Brewers Bay: Boats, Snorkeling, Plane Landing

Brewer's Bay

Justin deep in thought

Fiesta! On the Beach.

Party on the beach.

Hello Sunshine

Teeny Tiny Hermit Crab!!!!

This is what weekends are about here. Fun, sun and total relaxation. 

It is about working to live here not living to work...

Home Sweet Home

This is our home now.

In warm and sunny St. Thomas.

Nestled in the mountains

amongst mahogany, palm and coconut trees

 

This is our relaxing living room

and our tiny kitchen.

Here is our only hallway, which will lead you to

our bedroom with a view,

our large bathroom,

our cozy guest room that awaits you,

and our sunny porch.

This is where you can watch the boats go by.

See the sun rise and follow it until

the sun sets.

Island Hopping to St. John

One of the reasons we looked forward to moving here was the chance to island hop. On Sunday we finally got the chance to take a ferry and head over to St. John. The trip took about 20 minutes. We enjoyed seeing some beautiful boats, ships and people participating in water sports along the way.

 Parasailing

 Harbor Views

 Harbor views

We arrived safely! Note Justin in the corner.

Once we arrived we ate brunch in a restaurant along the water. We had a lovely view and the weather was perfect for open air dining. I had not been out to eat since the middle of January, because we have been making all of our meals at home. It was a nice treat.

After brunch we decided to take a Safari (a large, open air taxi with no seat-belts that resembles a small bus) all over the island to do some general sightseeing, and get a feel for what we would like to do next time. So off we went on Safari through St. John.

We enjoyed seeing the US National Park the most. The park was pristine and beautiful.We hope to get back there to do some hiking and swimming. Despite the beauty of the park, our safari ride through park grounds ended up being dangerous. Our driver sped wildly along the winding roads and did not slow down in time for a speed bump. All of us went up into the air. You have to remember there are no seat-belts on Safaris. This caused me to get a large cut on the bottom of my foot. Some other passengers hit their legs or knees against the metal seats in front of them, which gave them bruises and some swelling. All of us were lucky not to have hit our heads or to have flown out of the truck. It was a scary experience and I held on to the truck for dear life the rest of the ride.

After the speed bump incident our driver felt bad about what had happened. He stopped often along the way to tell us about local restaurants, schools and the fire department. He even let us stop to take pictures, which was nice of him because we were not actually on any kind of tour. Time is money for the Safari drivers. That is what caused the accident in the first place. Our driver's guilt worked in our favor.

Here is what we saw along the way:

That is me posing in front of a lovely view.

Justin and me.

 Why take the bus when you can take the boat to school?

This is why we moved here...

Overall our trip was a quick and eventful one, and it gave us a nice insight of what we would like to do there on future visits. I can't wait to go there again, but next time I could do without the bumpy and painful safari ride. Sending all of you some sunshine.-S