Three Decisions from St. Croix

After visiting St. Croix in December of 2011, I decided three things:

1) Every single part of St. Croix is beautiful.  Every part.  The white-sand beaches, the busy streets, the cheap, touristy jewelry, and even the back alleys with graffiti.  Beautiful, all of it.  The fact that those are all normal, everyday parts to a culture so different than mine is what makes it all beautiful in my eyes.  Something new, something fresh, something different. I like that.

2) The chickens of St. Croix compare to the squirrels of Michigan.  What do I mean by that?  I mean that everywhere you look in Michigan, there is a squirrel. Similarly  in St. Croix, there is a chicken.  A chicken on the side of the road, a chicken on a hill, chicken on the sidewalk, and even a chicken on top of the table next to you at a cute sandwich shop.  Not that I minded it, I enjoyed the comedy and interest that they brought (see point #1). The three that hung around my feet while I ate became so dear to me that I even named them.

Say hello to Frank, Paula, and Jim. 

 3) Grocery store starfruit has nothing on the real deal straight from the tree.  Being able to pick the fruit yourself and then indulge in the juicy, sweetness of it is an entirely different experience than sorting through the dozens of old, bruised fruits, placing it in your cart and then watching it slowly slide down the checkout line.  It's way better, let me tell you.

By the way, that last picture is proof that my grandpa after strongly stating that "he didn't eat fruit," ate the entire thing.  See, I told you.  There's just something about fresh St. Croix starfruit that really changes a person's mind.