So, as you know, I came to STX to work for the Superior Court of the U. S. Virgin Islands. Too lazy to write about my life at the moment. So here are some pictures! Not hard to guess what these are pictures of. Driving to work, my office, the parking lot, and the view from the parking lot.
So, I am resurrecting this blog, and using it as a venue through which I plan to discuss my experiences, both good and bad, on St. Croix over the next year. My friends know that the past year has been incredibly difficult for me. After going to college, grad school, and then working so hard to be either unemployed or underemployed, it has been psychologically taxing, and emotionally draining. When I was offered the opportunity to spend a year on St. Croix, well it was obviously too good to pass up. Not only because it was a chance to have a unique and exciting experience, but also because it was a chance to do something that isn’t completely Vanilla. I’ve never really felt good about my experiences. Westchester --> the right university --> the best law school in Brooklyn…Where’s the stories? The drama? The achievement? I didn’t work so hard so that I could be so unsatisfied. I definitely needed a journey, a place to find some stories, some danger, a (mis)adventure. After living on STX for almost a week, I’m pretty sure I’ll find at least some of that here. This is a very interesting place. Over the next few weeks I’ll write about my opinions of work, race relations on the island, driving, shopping, partying, my first experience as an American living in what is essentially a “colony” (I shudder at that word).
Let’s start my story at the beginning, day one, arrival day, a.k.a. September 5th 2010 at 7:00 a.m. Atlantic Time. I left New York the night before, at 11:25 Jet Blue flight to Puerto Rico. The plane was basically empty, maybe 35 people in a plane with 150 open seats. I got my own row to myself, and tried to sleep. Naturally, I ended up having a nice long conversation with the flight attendants about my new job/Freakanomics/the airline industry/how awesome that slide opening flight attendant was. But you know me, I never shut up. I then arrived at San Juan Puerto Rico at 315 a.m. Apparently, airports are closed in the middle of the night. I walked around a completely empty airport for a while, chatted it up with this lady for a while, and eventually at 6 a.m. the airport opened back up and I could start the second leg of my journey to STX. So I check in at the counter and the lady asks me how much I weigh, and then weighs my carry-ons. The plane was about as big as two minivans. A ten-seater, and there were only two other passengers. The pilot was cool, I got a little tour of the islands around Puerto Rico, and St. Thomas. Very beautiful; unless you live here, it is a once in a lifetime experience. I regret that I didn’t have any of my cameras with me, but visit me and experience it yourself!
Shortly after my arrival to STX, I went to a BBQ at the friend I’m staying with mom’s house, and met some of my new coworkers, and grilled up some veggie burgers. J. This is one of the nicest houses I’ve ever seen, I think they could charge admission to tourists if they wanted to. (see videos).
And that is the story all about how I came to STX.
