Thanksgiving in the VI

I made it to Thanksgiving! This actually marks my six months of living in the Virgin Islands and was the amount of time I gave myself to figure out if I wanted to stay here or go back home. My apartment lease expires in a few days and this is also the amount of time that most people take to figure out that island life is not for them. If you've been following my blog, you know that island life right now is definitely for me so I am not going back just yet.

It has been really strange to be in 80-90 F degree weather during the winter holidays but I love it! I've been wearing shorts and skirts and flip flops everyday and I can't imagine being in a winter jacket and boots right now. I also just had my first major holiday in the VI. I realized that while St. Croix is a small island that gears itself towards a close knit community, when it comes to family, most people don't have their actual family relatives here and you can't travel home all the time even though you may want to (or maybe not, if home has snow and subzero temperatures). Family on the islands is the family you create here and that makes for a new and fun time on St. Croix just like a lot of other experiences here.

I spent Thanksgiving weekend with my friends and with my boyfriend and his dog and I'm not going to lie, it was pretty laid back and perfect. It did make me realize that it rains a lot here during the fall but I'll take the rain over cold and snow and sleet any day. I also realized that I can't eat any more rice. I went to Ireland a few years ago and after about 10 days of eating potato morning, day and night, I couldn't look at another hash or mashed anything for about 6 months. St. Croix loves their rice. Rice is a staple and a ration and is in absolutely every dish you have here. While I love most things on St. Croix but right now, rice is not one of those things. Other than the rice though, everything is pretty good so far.

So this year I am very thankful that my little island experiment/gamble/crazy idea hasn't made me commit to a psychiatric facility in a lovely suburb of Chicago just yet. I met a lot of cool people here and I've had so many great new experiences. I even met a somewhat larger dog that I really like. I've always been a really small toy dog kind of girl but my boyfriend has a dog and we've bonded and she's just a big baby with puppy dog eyes that makes you want to hug her, and I forget sometimes that she's actually almost my size. And even though she may chase chickens and try to eat them, at the end of the day, if someone ever tried to hurt her, I would protect her and I know she would protect me as well, and that pretty much sums up how most people in the VI feel about their island and each other.

This Thanksgiving has given me really high hopes for the rest of the year and for this whole experience. I hope that everyone who reads this blog is having a great holiday and I wish only the best for all of you and your families and friends.

Restaurant Review:

Acai Bowls

This week, I don't have a restaurant review but this is definitely a place you should visit so you can try an acai bowl. One of my new island friends introduced me to this place when I first arrived on island back in June and I just revisited and it was even better than the first time! The actual location is in the back of a video store next to Plaza East on St. Croix. In the back, they do spinning classes and what better way to cool down after a spin class, than an Acai Bowl?

Acai berry is a reddish purple fruit and here, they top it off with yogurt and chocolate and all kinds of fresh fruit to deliver an amazing flavor and yummy desert, even if you didn't just exercise. Price ranges from $6 to $9 and you can customize your bowl just how you like. It's one of my favorite island desserts.