Steve Foerster...a question

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussions' started by philosophicalme, Feb 6, 2006.

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  1. philosophicalme

    philosophicalme New Member

    Hi Steve,

    I've noticed under your location you have the West Indies. Do you live there part of the year? Which island do you visit the most? It has been a dream of mine since I was younger to live somewhere in the Caribbean... I'm jealous!!! :p

    Rhonda
     
  2. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    From 2001 to 2003 I lived in the Commonwealth of Dominica, a small Commonwealth (i.e. formerly British) country that is often confused with the larger unrelated Dominican Republic. It's in the Eastern Caribbean between Martinique and Guadeloupe, and it's also close to Antigua, St. Lucia, and Barbados.

    I haven't been there since July, but my wife is from there (which, since it's a civilized country, means I get instant free citizenship there, yay!) and we have a one year old son who spent several weeks there visiting relatives over the summer (hence my trip). We're making a point of staying more connected there than many Caribbean people who emigrate to the U.S.

    We came up to Florida in late 2003 and are now in the D.C. area (which is where I'm from originally). We expect to be here for a good while; I have to finish my master's then do a doctorate, and she would like to get her bachelor's done and then go to law school. After that, however, we would like to return to Dominica so she can practice law there and I can do educational consulting in the region.

    Obviously, we love the place. There are cultural differences between there and the U.S., most of which I prefer. For example, while people are more willing to help out others than here, there's no entitlement mentality like there is here. As a libertarian, I can report that Dominica is a dramatically more free country than the U.S., from big things like taxes, regulation, and immigration, to little things like not having to worry about getting pulled over by cops unless you're actually doing something stupid and dangerous. (What a concept!)

    One nice thing is that there's a strong emphasis on education. People will go to great lengths to ensure that they and their family members go to school. My wife has many relatives who went to Oxford or Cambridge, or more recently to Ivy League schools in the States.

    Note that not everything I say about Dominica necessarily applies to other islands. Many Americans can't tell them apart, but there are surprisingly significant differences in attitude even throughout the Eastern Caribbean, where typically each island is visible from the next. For example, there's very little violent crime in Dominica, but that's definitely not true in Trinidad or Jamaica. And the cost of living is a lot higher in Barbados than Dominica, even though they're a puddle jumper flight apart. And Antigua is known for corruption, something I never saw in Dominica.

    Anyway, I could go on all day, so if you have any specific questions, I'd be happy to answer them. :)

    -=Steve=-
     

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