Since Zane is still down on the island and Kelley & Sandwich are gonna be seasonal work each year, maybe you think...I'll go visit.

YOU WILL NEED:

- passport. yes, you do. To get into the Virgin Islands you don't need it but to leave the islands you will. and by leaving I'm not just saying taking a ferry to one of the British Virgin Islands, I'm saying when you are going to get on your plane to return to the mainland. I was VERY suprised when I had to go through customs before boarding my plane out.

- Backback. You'll be walking up steep hills every day. I had two. One Large enough for my laptop. You can get free internet wifi at Pastory Gardens (damn hard putt putt) and the Tap Room (best brewery on St. John) in the Mongoose Junction shopping mall. & my full equiped burner one with headlamp, blinkies and water. Few lights on the road, the blinkies help. In your back back you want small containers of suncreen, bugspray, one of those REI small packable towels (ocean!) and if you are a grrl - grrly things. I found myself staying at someone elses place, a lot. travel size face wash, moisturizer, toothpaste, toothbrush and $6. $1 for the bus when it runs or $5 for the taxi to my house.

- If you do drugs either a cool setup or much better because drugs melt....a vial. I've seen plastic one's intended for pills at walgreens here stateside. It floats, good for boats.

- flipflops - keep in mind rugged terrain. I brought my crocs and they were awesome - stay on while hiking to the closes, secluded beach, easy to clean sand off.

- I got cold when I spent time in a store with air conditioning. a nice lightweight sweater or a rayon or silk scarf.

- If you are helping with rent or staying for a year and getting your own place - travelers checks for the large amount. The landlords are used to cash money but getting large amounts out of the bank if you don't have a local a/c is difficult. Renting your own place or sharing with strangers = 1st, last and deposit and usually One year lease. Travelers checks are great to get a few hundred into a local accoun at the local bank uber fast.

- up to 1.5 months amount of all your personal care products. You can get frufru face, body and hair stuff on the island but it'll be expensive.

- afterbite. you will get eaten alive. this helps with the pain. It's small and can easily fits in your backpack.

- condoms. the players there are bad about having them readily available.

- back up glasses - perscription and sunglasses. Again can get them there but expensive.

- in the fall it rains (hurrican season) I had a small portable umbrella and lost it immediately. don't remember seeing any for sale on island.

- hair dryer. You will be moist every day and night. Your hair will not dry and if you wash your swimsuit, beach towel or some underwear, the hair dryer will be a god send.

- DVDs and Videos. yes, there are still vcrs on island. Video tape takes up a bunch of room in your luggage but if you have homemade tapes , you'll find a new friend to share it with. New things to look at is important. There is a video store at The Marketplace (starfish market) and apparently the inventory is pretty good but EVERYONE uses this resource. I don't know about videos at the library (there is a library on island) but I do know that Netflixs will deliver to St. John. You can have your mail delivered to general delivery and pick it up at the post office for free. Remember to utilize the name on your drivers lisense on all your mail. I don't know if mail is actually delivered to houses/apts on the island. It's often hard to find your address which is why people rent space at Connections. I used them for the month I was there $15 for unlimited mail storage. Otherwise it's $3 to get an envelope sent to your there or $5 for a package. (great raquet, eh!). You won't be able to get a PO box for 6 month or more.

- cell phone. My cell phone had the regular coverage charges so I didn't have to get a new one to use there. Be careful, on the beach, on a boat or in the ocean you may get roaming charges. Texting is all the rage since so many peeps are in a bar most of the time. If you have to chose between minutes or text characters - go with the text characters. Your house won't have a phone, there aren't many (any?) conveniently located when you are looking for a job or a place to live.

- Ipod, walkman, cds. Lots of walking and down time without TV. (most of the apartments are furnished and some have TVs with VCR's but if it's broken...you're screwed.)

- bedsheets and pillow covers. The bed and pillow will be probably be furnished. The sheets you'd have to buy on St. Thomas. We had a king in the room I shared but most apts had twin beds. I slept ontop of a bedsheet and under one. Were you are covered, there is freedom from bug bites. You can get a easy to install air conditioner for $50 in which case you could actually need blankets - get that on St. Thomas.

- boxer shorts. It's the best underwear for those of us who wear it.

STUFF YOU DON'T NEED.

- I never used by hat. It generates heat and can get lost easily.
- pants. maybe for the plane ride in and out but you will NEVER be cold enough to use them there.
- fancy dress clothes or shoes* There are nice restaurants but they are accustomed to the locals. ***If you work as a waiter or in catering you'll need black pants and black shoes and maybe long sleeve dress shirt but that's at just a few of the places to work. Again, crocs work well - the ventilated ones.
- makeup. foundation melts off of you. Not many reasons to be fancy. If you can dye your eyelashes before you come - that would be useful. if you decide to create interesting cacophonist or burner events you would need to bring your own glitter and weird colored makeup stuff. Ben Nye pro waterproof makeup would be the way to do it. You can buy Lorel makeup at the pharmacy (Marketplace). If you really want some. There is the Kmart on St. Thomas as well.

I made it a whole month!!!!!!

there is much that has not been posted but suffice to say drama and subsequent emotional pain has sent me packing. St. John is a very transient place and if circumstances change - hell even next month I would return. It's not my place, this I know before I went but I didn't expect it to hate me sooooo much. Every time I thought I could stick it out and make it work....the universe made it abundantly clear I just had to get the hell off the island.

so back in the Mile High City - looking for a job, trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. The usual programming.

licking my wounds so tred lightly.