Preparing for St. Croix USVI

A Long Time Coming

I can't believe the time has finally come! We leave for St. Croix this week!  We are relocating our family for the next two months to spend time together, homeschool, and experience island life.  This is something that my husband and I dreamed up years ago as we traveled the Caribbean.

It took a lot of preparation long in advance.  We began homeschooling our youngest son in Nov. of 2011, then to our surprise our middle son decided in Feb. of 2012 that he too was ready to come home.  Where we live, the children can only miss a small amount of school during the year and we knew we wanted to do more than the average vacation, we wanted to try a new pace of life!

In April of 2012 I sold my yoga studio allowing more time for the homeschooling process and to enable myself to go somewhere for an extended period of time.  During this time I realized I was truly following my heart by taking action.

St. Croix

We visited many islands in search of the perfect fit finding that what fit for one may not work for all.  In May of 2012 we visited St. Croix and we knew we had found it!

Right off the bat we found that this island had a lot of the comforts of home.  Where I like remoteness and no big business, that lifestyle would be too intense initially for the boys.  St. Croix has Subway, Little Caesars, Kmart, and even a Home Depot!  I knew that they would survive when I saw those.  St. Croix also has a mixed population of different races, cultures, and classes.

We also love the fact that there are other islands we can visit easily like St. Thomas, St. John, Puerto Rico, and the British Virgin Islands.

Other Caribbean Considerations

In March of 2011 we took the whole family including our oldest son who is now in college and my mother-in-law to Jamaica.  We love Jamaica for many reasons and the lessons provided were wonderful, however, when we considered moving there, we had some reservations.  Jamaica is intense and there has to be a lot of care provided to have a year round home there.

Other islands we considered where Eleuthera, Bahamas, my favorite, but too rural and for the little ones at this time.  St. Lucia, my husband and I fell in love again and fell in love with St. Lucia, however, it is quite remote and not as easily accessible from the states or other islands.

Another consideration was Costa Rica, which we have not visited yet.  But you never know what the future holds!

Following Your Heart

What I have learned from this experience is that it is fully possible to live your dream.  It may not be easy and there is always sacrifice involved, but if you take one small step towards what ever you truly want in this life, you can make it happen.

Years ago, I was in a dark place and I started to take the steps necessary to heal myself physically, mentally, and spiritually.  Somewhere along that path I found that the 'things' binding me were often the 'things' that I agreed to, the way I allowed myself to be boxed into what others might see for me or the way our society expresses is the 'right' way. You know, it's just the way it's done so we follow suit.

When I finally began to realize I had to live from my heart it was scary, liberating, and comforting all at the same time.  I'm not finished yet.  I am excited though and can't wait to see more of what I envisioned manifest in front of my eyes.

Comments

  1. If you ever come back, we'd love to show you around!

    http://www.thingstodoinstcroix.com

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