flip flop diaries: changes

We had some new (sailing) friends over for dinner last Saturday night. One couple originally from L.A. - and another from New York. We started out the evening sitting outside (in a heavy fog of citronella candles and OFF) - and heard some more interesting relocation stories and perspectives on life on this island. Some similar themes - with different interpretations.

How does one end up here? How long do you stay? What do you enjoy and what drives you crazy?

When I think back to the conversations that Mark and I had - usually when we were away on holidays - we kept returning to the same question. Why don't we live somewhere warm? And because we kept asking this same question over-and-over - we finally said, "let's do it."

Some of the people we've met - like the couple from New York came down here with jobs - John is an architect. Our lawyer in St. Thomas also had the same situation and moved down here with an offer. Others have retired here or made a move more gradually. But the common theme was a desire for change.

There's no doubt that our lives have been transformed. And if I review the past five months - the only thing that has remained a constant for me is Mark and the boys. We have virtually changed every aspect of our lives.

And so far - it's a change that seems to be tailor-made for us.

Some of the changes have been fun - requiring no adjustment period. Wearing "summer clothing" 12-months a year - no suits, no ties. Having a pool and being outside more. Greeting everyone with a "good morning" or a "good afternoon". Duty free booze. Sitting outside in the morning and having a cup of coffee. Being on the water and watching boats. Never having cold hands.

Some of the changes have taken greater concentration. Driving on the left and through some questionable intersections. Remembering to take our garbage with us in the morning for "drop-off". Finding lizards and their droppings in our bedroom (always in exactly the same spot)and the occasional frog in the house. Keeping a cooler in the back of my vehicle - so that cold or frozen groceries can arrive home with some memory of having originated in a freezer. Slowing our pace and expectations of when things will get done. Learning to live with power outages and other challenged infrastructure.

There are also the things we've had to change related to our new geography. We carry social security cards and USVI driver's licences. We have US medical insurance including an air evacuation policy that will fly us anywhere in case of emergency. We buy things called "mosquito magnets" to keep our flying friends to a minimum. We are extremely careful with electricity consumption and even more carfeul with water usage. When it rains - it's a good thing. The cisterns fill up and we know that we are getting some more water. In fact, I can say we all have a better appreciation of these resources and laughed when Julian explained he hadn't washed his hands because he was saving water. And while power outages are an annoyance - they do, in fact generate business for us.

We spend a lot of our time differently - and that has a lot to do with the pace here and our situation. We are working hard - but have greater flexibility. Some days we meet after work at the beach and go for a swim. Most of the time, however, it is a "normal" work week with school, work and home time. We are, however a 24/7 emergency operation and that does mean the occasional "my generator didn't start" call resulting in some quick dispatch solutions.

When it comes to the daily routine - some things are different and other things don't alter too dramatically. We wake up at 6:00 when the sun rises and pours into our rooms. The daylight hours are the same all year round with about 12.5-13 hours of daylight a day. The boys go to school in shorts and sandals and we put freezer packs in their lunch kits to keep their food from spoiling. Mark and I get to the office quite early - sometimes I go for a run first and guzzle two large bottles of water immediately following. I'm still getting used to running in the heat.

Surprisingly, our commute isn't that much shorter. The distance is less, however, I frequently sit in traffic. I drive to school and work with all the windows down avoiding iguanas and large potholes on the roads while listening to 96.1 Pirate Radio. I slow down in town and buy the local Daily News from an older lady sitting by the road who hands it to me in exchange for a dollar. As I enter town - there are white-gloved "traffic cops" guiding traffic with their authoritative whistles. I am pleased to say - there isn't a single Starbucks in the Virgin Islands, however, I've discovered a couple of good local places that make a great latte.< / It is a small enough community that you get to know people much faster and they quickly realise we are the "new generator people". Mind you, with our new and improved and larger-than-life Import Supply decals (pronounced DEE-cals) on our vehicles - it isn't too difficult to figure out. And speaking of advertising - we ran an advertisement this week in the Daily News as well as an advertorial. Marketing efforts are slowly advancing.