From 2008 to early 2012 my family and I lived on the island of St Croix in the Caribbean. We called it our “Great Adventure“, and indeed, it was a great experience.
…and now you know why this blog is island themed. I started it just before we moved to St Croix.
StX is about 60 miles southeast of Puerto Rico, and 2000 air and “cultural” miles away from Central Ohio where my wife and I grew up.
We are now living in Sarasota Florida.
I mention where we have lived for several reasons:
- It explains this blog’s ocean graphics. I have saltwater in my veins.
- Some people who read this blog think I still live in Ohio, or on St Croix. I don’t!
- It tells you a little bit about my perspectives, range of experience, and willingness to explore change and take a leap of faith.
- The move and island experience taught me a lot about myself, my family, my priorities, about churches, and life in general. That was one of the reasons we decided to move to somewhere totally different, -to challenge us.
- People who google “living on St Croix” occasionally find my blog. I used to have a lot more on this page “about living on St Croix” and if you want to email me questions, feel free. neil@sundayresources.net
While living on St Croix, I served as Parish Assistant at the St Croix Reformed Church, while continuing my work on Sunday Software. If you visit the island and see the 10kw Wind Turbine on La Reine Hill above Northside road, -I helped do that! I was the church’s grant writer and project coordinator.
How does a Presbyterian minister and Ohio-boy end up in St Croix?
It was one of those life dreams that my wife and I decided to make happen, –rather than waking up old or ill one day regretting that we had never done it.
Her job and mine gave us some interesting choices about where we could move. And given our age, and the ages of our children at the time, we realized we had what we called a “window of opportunity” to do something really different for a few years. For us that meant experiencing a different culture, a simpler lifestyle, and doing some serious scuba diving.
We weren’t and aren’t rich. We made a lot of sacrifices to get there, worked full-time while we lived there, and knew it wasn’t going to last. It was a wonderful experience and we miss it and our friends there.
Living on an island in the Caribbean is both wonderful and difficult. I often told people that, “The best part about living on an island is -you’re on an island. And the worst thing about living on an island is -you’re on an island!”
The US Virgin Islands are experiencing a lot of difficult economic problems and social problems. If you’re thinking of moving to the USVI, I would strongly recommend reading the “Relocation” message board at www.vimovingcenter.com It’s a wealth of information about the islands, relocating, what to expect, the good, the bad, and the ugly.
In 2012 we moved our “Great Adventure” to Florida for several reasons. The island hospital where my wife worked had grown increasingly dysfunctional. Our kids were getting older and their needs were changing. And one daughter had some medical needs that couldn’t be met on the island.
We’re enjoying our new adventure in Sarasota, a place my wife and I have been visiting for many years. It definitely meets our need for saltwater and warm weather.
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Check out my Bible videos for kids over at http://sundayresources.net/biblevideos
Neal:
I am researching a similar “adventure” and am eager to learn where to investigate employment listings for STX. My web searches have not been fruitful. If you know of any good sources, I’d greatly appreciate it if you’d pass along.
Cheers!
Hey Matt… go to http://www.vimovingcenter.com and read everything there, including the message boards. Best advice: visit for a month and do the interviewing in person. The folks down say that they don’t respond much to long distance inquiries because so many people inquire but never come. F2F is the way to go. Many of the best jobs will never be advertised anyway. Get down here and network.
hi neal and family i trully enjoy your honesty,i accepted a job with the police department which i am just waiting on a start date.cant wait i am so tired of georgia. please feel free to sent me any additional info…i hope youll be there when i get there…thanks again.
Hi Neal and family,
I’m a Rad Tech student in Texas…at the age of 60. Thinking about going further south when I graduate. Bene to StX with one of our kids who took us their in one of their annual month long Christmas trips.
I was wondering how their Hospital salaries vary from the ave in States?
Thanks and happy kayaking!
20% less than the usual stateside, but no sales tax, no local income tax, and low property tax. The bigger issue is working conditions. This isn’t stateside and some never adjust to that fact.
hi neil, yes, i googled “life in st. croix”. very interesting. i work for the home depot in panama city beach, and am researching st. croix since a new home depot is in the works in christiansted. thanks so much. i am on the research trail. my husband passed away almost 2 yrs. ago, and a move there may be what i need. God bless you.
Hi Neil, hope you are still living the dream i lived on stx from 2001-05 ran the Lost Dog. i live back on Cape Cod now and deeply miss STX everyday. My wife and i still have many life long friends still on STX i am currently in the process of trying to move back if i do i would love to meet you!!!
Wish you were still running the Lost Dog. Last pizza I had there wasn’t so good, and I love me some gooood pizza!