Cruise Ship Day

Today is cruise ship day which is a big day around here on St. Croix. In the summer, the cruise ship schedule is very sparse, so it's a big deal when a cruise ship is in town. The cruise ship port is on the other side of the island in Frederiksted which on a regular day isn't really a place to hang out except at some of the beautiful beaches on that side of the island. So when a cruise ship is in town, vendors put up tents and it becomes a really lively town. I went out there and there were a lot of vendors and it had a craft fair type of feel to it as vendors put out there products to sell to tourists. It was fun walking around knowing I was not a tourist and that I got to stay here even after the cruise ship left port. The Fort Frederik beach was very nice and I walked down the coast line feeling extremely relaxed.

I also had a chance to go to Fort Frederik as it was right next to the beach. This was very similar to the fort at Christiansted but there were more exhibits inside of this fort like the sea shell exhibit put on by the St. Croix Sea Shell Society. I am amazed at how much history this island has and it will probably take me a lot longer to tour all the sites.

After my trip to the west side, I came back to the east side and went to Tamarind Reef Resort to have lunch. A lot of the locals were there and I sat out on the beach in a Tiki hut for a little bit watching the snorkelers in the water.  As I was laying on the lounge chair half asleep as the sun was still shining down, I realized that I was in living mode. Usually on a vacation, I'm in tourist mode. For me, tourist mode is half relaxed and half trying to make sure I fit everything I want to do and see into the time I have at my vacation spot. Last time I was here on vacation, I also had to keep checking my email and messages because that was my life for a long time. This time, I was just in living mode. I was enjoying the moment and I wasn't checking email and I wasn't trying to fit everything in before I left. If I didn't see something today or this week, I still have time to do it because here, the temperature is constant and the scenery doesn't change. I want to live the rest of my life in living mode and I think I can do it here. I followed up lunch with a trip to the grocery store and got a bunch of mini chocolate cupcakes. For some reason cupcakes taste better here than anywhere I have ever been (might be because the fresh air makes you forget how hungry you are) and now I can't stop eating these cupcakes!

Even though I am really enjoying my time here just hanging out and relaxing on the beach as any good beach bum would, I do need a job if I want to stay here. Starting tomorrow, I am going to put the job search into gear. I spent the first two weeks getting settled and seeing the sites and now I am going to get more serious about applying to places. I think I may also join some clubs in order to meet more people as well.  I'm feeling really positive and now that I know what living mode is, I am going to try really hard to not forget how to enjoy life while also making a living.