Our journey, Chapter 11: Homecoming
In ”The Wizard of Oz”, Dorothy famously said, “There’s no place like home.” She may have been on to something.
If you now live, or have ever lived in a community with a strict homeowners’ association, you have at one time or another probably deeply resented having to ask “Mother, may I” before painting your home, making a change to the exterior or modifying landscaping. Why should you have to ask someone else for permission? Afterall, you have great taste. What business do those people have passing judgement on your project? They’re not paying for the updates, so they should just mind their own business and let you do what you want. Right?
Well, that was my mindset before returning from the USVIs and seeing “home” through a different lens. Unlike St. Thomas and St. John, there are actual zoning requirements. (If those exist in the USVIs, I saw absolutely no evidence of them.) The natural beauty of the islands, which is spectacular, is marred by structures of incongruent architectural styles and designs placed haphazardly. Commercial buildings that appear to have been at least partially destroyed in a past storm or simply dilapidated are commonly juxtaposed next to residential properties. I found myself wishing I could see the islands before they were “improved”.
When we arrived back in Georgia, we drove on roads that easily allowed two or more vehicles, including trucks, to pass each other without a need to pull to the side of the road and hold our breath while hoping the oncoming traffic could maneuver past us without a scratch, or worse. And, the potholes here are relatively few and far between with none appearing to have been created by an IED.
Remember the money allotted to the USVIs by congress after hurricane Irma? If those dollars had gone into significantly upgrading the infrastructure and zoning requirements implemented along with establishing local community planning entities to ensure complimentary architectural aesthetics, developers would have presumably been attracted and encouraged to purchase large tracts, especially if granted tax incentives to do so.
Speaking of taxes, I looked online at a St. John home. It was beautiful. It was also well outside of our budget at six million dollars. However, the real estate tax on that home was – wait for it, $1,500 annually. I am the very last person to want to see higher taxes, but the real estate taxes in the USVIs seem absurdly low. No wonder they lack the funds to improve the infrastructure. (I can only assume most of the twenty-two billion granted by congress after Irma went into the pockets of local politicians.) Maybe St. John could actually have a legitimate hospital if real estate taxes were increased a bit. Of course, improving the infrastructure would increase the attractiveness of the islands for those looking for a home in paradise, the value of real estate and subsequently the tax base. But, who would want anything like that?
I’m not sure where infrastructure, zoning requirements and architectural restrictions fit into Maslow’s hierarchy, but they certainly fit into ours. Who knew? Perhaps another life lesson.
In addition to seeing friends and family, coming home reminded us of the wonders around us here.
Our dear friend, Barb, keeps sending us coastal pictures of Florida and asking what’s wrong with them, pointing out we don’t necessarily have to move to the islands to enjoy the salt life. She makes a good argument. It took returning from almost six weeks in paradise to recognize we are all blessed to live in the US, a paradise of its own.
Still, we’re determined. We’re headed to St. Kitts in a few weeks and we’re anxious to compare that beautiful island with the USVIs. Having been there on several occasions, we know we love St. Kitts. Yet, we will also try to make a fair assessment of the pros and cons of life in the islands with that in the US, itself.
So, Barb, keep sending those pics to us to keep us from being swept away by the romance of the Caribbean.
As I said before, more to come.