What It’s Like to Live on St. John… and Tips for Travelers

What prompted your move to the Virgin Islands?

I moved to St John for a year of leave from my job to focus on writing. I had convinced myself that a year of the islands would be enough to settle my obsession and reel in some realistic expectations of what it is really like to live in the islands. While here, I met a lovely boat captain. At the end of that year, I ran as fast as I could back to my life and career although my heart was begging me to stay. Right after I left, Hurricane Irma struck. My boat captain evacuated into my life in DC for five months. Shortly thereafter, I moved in with him and we have been blissfully together ever since. I live on St Thomas now and work on St John at Freebird Creations.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve encountered?

Besides the roads, the reality check of my first day in the little white cinderblock studio apartment that I found for the steal of $1200 a month. I sat down on the bed and it started wiggling. That was the first time I wrestled an iguana out of my apartment. Yes, there were others. And a scorpion in my laundry. And a palmetto bug the length of my hand. The cost of living was parallel to my former life, but my standard of living was vastly reduced!

What’s the one meal I shouldn’t miss?

My three favorite splurges are the Greek salad with blackened shrimp at Banana Deck, the Caribbean shrimp roll at Longboard and the lasagna from Cafe Roma. For fine dining, Extra Virgin and The Terrace will set all the happy little endorphins in your brain to dancing.

If I could only go to one beach, which one should it be?

My favorite is Cinnamon. It is long for walking and spreading out. The waves roll in a little stronger there compared to more protected bays like Maho. I could listen the waves for days.

What’s the biggest challenge of living on an island?

Number one, hands down, the mosquitoes and noseeums. My body’s histamine reaction is so bad that I finally had to go to the doctor about three months after my move. The doctor told me to go home. He said I couldn’t live here. Well that wasn’t happening. So wear long skirts and pants almost every day. They love to live under bars and restaurant tables. The noseeums come out after the rain at the beach, or otherwise any time after about 4pm.

What have you found to be the most useful item for living on an island?

The shop at Skinny Legs has good-priced, full-sized sarongs in lots of pretty styles and colors. I use them in lieu of beach towels. They are thin and dry out more quickly. The sand shakes off easily. If you have an intolerance for noseeums and mosquitos like me, treat the incessant itching with extra Strength Benadryl Gel, along with a daily allergy pill like Claritin, and Tylenol if its really bad. And vodka. Vodka helps.

What’s on your bucket list?

I would love to own my own home on St. John. My dream house would have a separate unit on the property for me to live in while I rent out the rest. I would like to host friends and family, and offer retreats for those in life transition who need space to sort life out. The hardest part about living here is wanting to share it with people I love, but it’s just so expensive. I can’t afford to be off work or spend money like I’m on vacation every time friends or family come to town.

What’s the strangest question a visitor has ever asked?

While I’m at work: “So do you live here?”

One day, an older gentleman was walking behind me with his family while I was cleaning the exterior door windows to our shop. He said, “I am surprised by ‘these people’ who work here. Did you know that a lot of them have college degrees?” (I hold a 90-hour masters.) I wanted to say, “Most of ‘these people’ left successful careers, retirement plans, health insurance to come down here to work six and seven days a week in retail and the service industry. It’s what happens when the siren song of the islands plays lockjaw with a person’s heart. No matter how grounded and sensible one thinks she is, once the islands have chosen you, there is no escape. I am convinced that the people who move here and make it are among the most resilient and brave people on earth.

What travel advice do you have for visitors?

Shortly after I arrived here I wrote of the pace, “The islands will sit on you until you stop kicking.” Lower your expectations of efficiency and allow plenty of time for everything. Don’t book your boat day for your last day. The weather can turn. Don’t wait to make your last purchases until the last morning. If the power or Internet or phone service goes out, which happens frequently, the shops and restaurants may have to close or may not be able to run your credit card. Carry plenty of cash in small bills. Taxi drivers do not like to make change.

Stephanie Remington is ordained clergy and the recipient of multiple recognitions for her research and leadership toward social justice. She moved to the island of St. John in 2016 for a year of approved leave to focus on rest, renewal and writing. After a year back in the states, she returned to her life in the islands that she loved. Stephanie now lives on St. Thomas and commutes daily to work on St. John. She writes a blog at https://jerushamoon.wordpress.com/ and self-publishes under the pen name Jerusha Moon. “Adventures at Sea with Captain Phil Chalker” is her most recent work, and will be available in paperback soon. It is a collection of adventures and memoirs from St. John’s infamous 82-year-old icon, Captain Phil.