79 degrees, with slight winds, cloudy and overcast. My crystal ball
predicts showers and possible thunder storms across the area, but nothing much
to worry about.
Washed up in an old bottle from
Washington State, USA, was the tear-stained letter
below.
NOTE: The blue writing is from
the letter in the bottle, the pink writing is Dear Miss
Mermaid's comments)
DEAR MISS MERMAID,
I have searched and
searched the Internet to find some speck of reality in the islands, and I came
across your site or blog or whatever.
Reality? Speck of
reality? Sure, a Mermaid in paradise is pure reality!
"Whatever" describes my
writing perfectly...
I
recently returned from Jost Van Dyke, which was the saddest day of my
life.
I can understand that! I am
always sad when I leave Jost Van Dyke too!
I feel like I have left home. I didn't get to see too much of
Tortola other than the ferry dock and the Jolly Roger, but my heart is
homesick. Doesn't make sense I know. I was pulled there by some
unseen force I have felt since I was 12. My best friend at the time used
to live on St. Croix and we would lay camped out on the deck at night
on the weekends, and she would tell me stories of the Islands. Ever since
then, I have wanted to go. I finally made my dream come true and spent a
week in White Bay on JVD. We stayed at White Bay Villas.
OK, I know your problem. You have
"Island Fever". Some call it dreaded Island Fever (don't know why)
most just call it "Island Fever". It strikes about 99% of the people that
ever visit a Caribbean Island.
Symptoms includes, tossing your watch
and clocks out with the garbage, feeling homesick, feeling the need to be
slow, thinking "no problem mon" no matter what is thrown at you, excessive
daydreaming of the islands, inability to concentrate on anything unless island
music is playing, a taste and urge for island delicacies, finding that Rum has
become a mainstay in your home, wearing sarongs to work (when they expected you
in a suit), stringing a hammock up in your yard (even though it's snowing)
everything in you life has to be either Caribbean pastels or Rasta colors, you
ask restaurants for a side of plantains (and get bewildered looks)
etc.
In most cases the Island Fever is gone
in 3-10 days and victims resume their normal life. But for a small handful
of patients, Island Fever can stricken them for weeks, and months and begin to
disrupt their entire life. Sometimes the only cure is to compulsively visit the
island often (expensive, but many do it, some coming as often as once a month!)
or attempting to move here permanently or semi-permanently.
I guess I wonder, how difficult is it, being American, to move to the
BVI? They are different than the US VI. Am assuming you are a
local, or transplant? How do I do it?
Every island is different, but all are
Caribbean. Yes, the USVI and BVI are very different in many ways, Jost Vary Dyke
and Tortola are different and so on. As an American, you can move to the USVI at
any time and work legally. In the BVI is vastly different, you have to be
recruited and go through a lengthy convoluted work permit process,
sponsored by an employer and so on, or start your own business in the BVI, but
approval, IF you get approved, can take a long time.
I am a mermaid, and not originally
from the Caribbean. So I live and work here and have to file for renewals
every year, pay hefty fees and provide a small mountain of paperwork and a
great deal of prayer, to get a new stamp in my passport each year that entitles
me to live and work here year round. 
How could I make it happen? If you could give me some sort of
direction, I would be very grateful. I work now as a medical assistant in
a hospital, do medical transcription from home, which I could also do from there
I suppose, but what else is there? Is it possible to buy a house if you
are a foreigner? How expensive, where is the best place to live on the
island, (hopefully with a view like you have)? Am I just plain
crazy?
You already have a great "at home"
job. Familiarize yourself with Skype.com (the wonderful international phone
company that we in the islands just adore!). Then come here on a six month
"visit" and bring your work with you. With Skype.com, your US employers won't
even know you are elsewhere, since you can buy a number in your home town, that
rings when ever you have a computer hooked up (pretty nifty eh?)
Now technically, as a visitor, you are
only allowed to visit up to six months per year, and you are not allowed to work
locally. But if you are working for your US folks while vacationing here, I
don't see where that is a problem. Many vacationers feel the urge to bring their
laptops and do work while theyvisit here (WHY, I have no
idea!)
At least then, with a lengthy visit
you could find out whether you love living here as mush as you loved vacationing
here. It is two different t'ings, you know!
The current laws don't allow you to
even seek employment while visiting here. But while you are up there and not
here, you can fax and email your resume all over creation, in case anyone wants
to "recruit" you. It does seem all over the Caribbean, they are short on trained
medical staffing, so you might be on to something...
Buying a house as a foreigner can be
done if you are quite wealthy and patient, as closing can take 1-2-3 years from
when you first put up your hefty deposit in escrow and there are no guarantees
you will be approved for a "landholders license". Housing is not affordable for
the vast majority of workers here (VERY SAD but true). This is not true on all
islands, but over the years, has become the norm in the BVI.
Many locals inherit land and therefor are able to build their own homes, but
trying to buy a home and land on existing island salaries can be next to
impossible.
There is NO "best place" to live on
the island. Everything comes with a price. People in West End will swear it's
the best place to be, folks in Carrot Bay wouldn't dare live anywhere else,
those in East End are immensely proud to be East Enders and so on. Rents are all
over the place and many are outrageously ridiculous. My friend ran an ad for a 3
bedroom, 2 bath home for her and her 2 kids to reside in. The first rental offer
came in at $2400/month (about double what she has in her budget!)
So finding an affordable place to
live, may dictate what neighborhood you end up in.
A few neighborhoods are very ethnic,
most are international. Some are noisy, some are quiet, many have great
views or great location, some don't.
If you truly wanted to move here, I
would dispose of 90% of your worldly goods and just show up with a suitcase and
take it from there. Anything you pay to ship or move here, assume it is coming
here one way. Sometimes it's just not worth the cost of shipping to bring
your junk with you. Just show up, rent a fully furnished place and then see if
you can live without the junk.
Islanders aren't compulsive consumers
and shoppers, which is heavily encouraged in America and some other places.
People live a bit simpler here. Many just own their clothes and little else.
They hitchhike, walk or drive old vehicles, they own two pairs of shoes
max, they rent a place fully furnished or furnish it from dumpster diving.
Some strive to collect everything and own everything, but many just live quite
simply.
Some folks spend a fortune getting all
their vast worldly goods here, take a great job and move on the
island. Many just can't take the island life and the lack of conveniences.
Within a year, sadly, many depart, selling off their stuff at a huge loss
and heading for "home" again, now broke and empty handed. Very few transplants
last more than a year or two, then there are folks like me, who never leave and
wouldn't dream of moving/living anywhere else.
By lack of conveniences, you have to
learn to be super patient and flexible. It may take cable TV, two or seven
months, to find your new home. The power might go off all day. You go to
the store for milk, bread and eggs and discover they are out of all that, but
limes and canned corned beef are on special. You see something in a store, that
you think will work perfectly at home but you don't buy it just yet, cause you
want to measure or think about it or wait for the next paycheck. You finally get
back to the store, ready to buy, and it's GONE. The store might
reorder it next week or next year or never.
Now typically if you ask folks here,
how to move and work here, you will receive a great deal
of discouragement and most will convince you it can't be done, SO FORGET
IT. That's because everyone that comes here, wants to be the LAST ONE and they
want to CLOSE THE DOOR and not allow anyone else in paradise.
Thanks in advance for any ideas, I really enjoy
your words.
Thanks again,
Signed,
Homesick
Dear
Homesick,
I think I answered most of your stuff
above.
PS:
YES!
I think you be crazy mon!
But that's a requirement to live here
anyhow, so you might be on the right track
already...
