Bugs, sunburns and one chill island

It's been almost two weeks now and I am in love with this place. The people who have lived here for many years are so lucky. Even when things aren't going as planned, when I look out onto the waves of the sea, I remember to make every moment count and everything is well again. So overall, this is one pretty chill island. It's almost therapeutic, especially for people who are very type A and are always on the go and putting out fires. St. Croix slows you down, especially in the supermarkets where the lines can last far longer than seems necessary. But unlike a big city where an impatient customer will make a scene and ask for a manager, here everyone is very calm and even tempered because St. Croix moves slower than a big city and most people here appreciate that. And when the alternative is to move back to the expedient lifestyle that many people who live here have chosen to leave, waiting a few extra minutes isn't really a big deal.

I went to a going away party yesterday for two individuals who have worked in St. Croix for a while and have made a very large impact on this island and are now leaving to pursue other career aspirations in the states. The party itself was at a resort with the most beautiful sea and palm tree backdrop, it was exactly what you see on postcards but here it is the backdrop of every place you go. I have never seen these two individuals before but today I saw them twice in different places on the island and that is exactly what this place is about. Yesterday, the atmosphere was very relaxed and extremely friendly. The residents of St. Croix spoke out with heartfelt emotion for these people who made a difference in their lives and it really does say something about not only the island itself but also about the people who live here. 

Now, there are a lot of bugs on this island. I was actually a little concerned because when I came here back in March for a pre-move visit as they call it, I stayed in a first floor apartment and I had some unplanned meetings with a few small lively small moving critters. When I saw a spider in the shower, I remember thinking that if I wanted to live on an island, I would just have to deal with it so I picked up some toilet paper and took care of the situation. However, this time around I live very high up on a hill on a high floor of a condo building and there are virtually no bugs that are able to climb this high apparently. My apartment has screens covering all the windows including a magnetic screen at the entrance. I have heard people who have salamanders end up in their bathtub but I haven't seen as much as a fly (although now that I wrote that, I am sure there will be a giant lizard in the bathtub to greet me tomorrow morning, but that's all a part of this adventure :)). There, are, however, lots of mosquitoes at night and some during the day. I have a ritual now of putting on sun screen and mosquito repellant every morning and when going out at night. I think if someone invents a sunscreen with mosquito repellent in it, that would be genius.

Speaking of sunscreen, the sun is really strong here and you can now see it in my face as I forgot to put sunscreen on my face when going to the beach this last Sunday. The sun is not as much of an issue on a daily basis but it's ruthless at the beach. But apparently aloe works miracles because my face has stayed intact for the most part with minimal peeling. I will wear lots of sunscreen from now on. Surprisingly, while it does get very hot here, most people don't use air conditioning very much. I turn it on for an hour or so each day at night, but otherwise, I think my body has become used to the heat and now I actually sleep with a comforter and I do get chilly sometimes with the ceiling fan. The only time it gets very hot is when I am trying to clean or do something and then my Chicago roots hit me and I become a mess and the air conditioning goes full blast, but otherwise, it's not really highly utilized.

I love breathing the air here. I rarely had my windows open back in Chicago because it was either too cold or too hot. Here, the windows don't actually close. Most people have paneled windows of thing rectangular glass panels that are able to be repositioned if it rains. So even when the air conditioning is on, the windows are never fully closed. The fresh air is amazing and refreshing. It also makes me less hungry for some reason even though I am walking around a lot more and climbing a lot more stairs than I am used to.

Overall, the last two weeks have been great and I am hoping it continues. I am now looking for a job even though I would love to have some more time off before I actually get one. It's hard to think about but I need a job if I want to stay here and make this my forever home but I also want to enjoy my extended vacation in what really does seem like the land of perfect.