The Origin of this Blog and its Authors
Exodus to the VI
Hi, my name is Jennifer Knowles but my friends call me Jen. I was born on the Caribbean island of Montserrat, grew up in Canada and in 1994 moved back to Montserrat. Less than two years after my arrival, 2 major hurricanes had rocked the Caribbean, Montserrat’s volcano had erupted and all kinds of crazy life stuff followed including my exodus to the US Virgin Islands, getting married, having babies and raising kids, adopting pets, buying property, opening a series of business, growing up, growing open and writing this here blog!
You Can’t Make This Stuff Up
So what is this blog supposed to be about??? It’s about the crazy experiences and lessons that I and my fellow Virgin Islanders have had along the way living, surviving and enjoying the Caribbean. The truth is that our stories are not much different from yours with the exception of maybe having “a better view” and a few more “twists and turns in the road”. I have personally seen incredible beauty and witnessed terrible destruction. I have made lifelong friendships and I have watched friendships fade away. I have had great love and experienced great loss. But my story is generally a happy one and being an eternal optimist has allowed me to be grateful for it ALL! Maybe you are too.
Sharing Our Experiences
Along the way, I have been lucky enough to have met some incredibly talented, beautiful, interesting and inspiring characters and I have invited those still alive to share or write some of their stories, experiences and tips on this blog. Most of my posts are done in a Q & A format and so they are loose and genuine, just how I like it. Others are written by those with expertise and specific VI experience but all of us have deep ties and commitments to this community and want to see it thrive and flourish.
I love to meet people, find the common ground and connect with them and so I invite You, dear reader, to share your VI stories, tips or comments with us too. Whether or not you live here, have been here or were born here, your experiences matter!
Please sign up to receive, submit or suggest stories and also, please share them with your friends!
Thanks,
Jen
