Domestically International | An Interview with Cheryl Joseph

This is a BattlePlan Virtual  digital content, research,  copywriting, interview and travel  writing sample. It was originally featured in The Caribbean Village Insider CULTURE-ZINE.

Here’s a new oxymoron for you – Domestically International.

Travel to the United States Virgin islands from the US Mainland is Domestically International for US citizens.

This is an informative interview about the United States Virgin Islands with Cheryl Joseph, a delightful Educator. I believe you will come away from this interview feeling as though you have visited or re-visited the U.S.V.I., while also, perhaps, having learned some little known or unsung or undiscovered information.

An Interview with EDUCATOR, Cheryl Joseph

CARIBBEAN VILLAGE is honored to share our interview with Crucian EDUCATOR [by way of Antigua], CHERYL JOSEPH.

As always, we remind our readers, that the goal of the interviews presented in The CARIBBEAN VILLAGE Insider CULTURE-ZINE is three faceted: 

• We aim to edify our readers with informative, useful, little known and perhaps, unsung or undiscovered information about the U.S.V.I. 
• We aim to delight our readers from the U.S. Virgin Islands and bring pleasant memories of HOME.
• We aim to imbue a curiosity in the reader – to want to learn more about the United States Virgin Islands

Legend: CV = CARIBBEAN VILLAGE’S Question

CJ = Cheryl Joseph’s Answer

Now, let’s move on to our interview…..

CV: What is the population of the U.S. V.I.?

CJ: The population of the United States Virgin Islands forms a complex society with multiple diverse ethnic groups: Virgin Islanders, Eastern Caribbean Islanders, Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, French, Americans (locally known as “continentals”), Arabs and Asians.   As of June 16, 2022, the population of the U.S.V.I. is 104,125. 

CV: What is the official language of the United States Virgin Islands?

CJ: The official and most widely spoken language in the Virgin Islands is English. The literacy rate in the Virgin Islands is around 90-95%. It is common to hear French Creole and Spanish spoken, particularly on St. Thomas and St. Croix. Spanish is spoken in the Virgin Islands by immigrants of Puerto Rico and Santo Domingo. 

CV: What languages do you hear on the streets?

CJ: Mostly English. Remember the islands are a melting pot with different ethnicities’, so you might hear different languages that some people use amongst themselves. But for the most part, it is English. 

CV: What is the national costume of the Virgin Islands?

CJ: The national costume is the madras fabric which is colorful plaid. The women costume is usually madras fabric long skirt, top is usually the same plaid, with white eyelid trimming around the neck and arms. The females also wear a headdress from the same madras fabric, which is usually tied in a certain way, traditionally, depending on how the head is tied, depicts whether they are married, single, or widowed. The male usually wears black pants with the madras fabric shirt.

CV: What are the special customs or traditions?

CJ: Colorfully costumed dancers on stilts, called mocko jumbies, are prominently featured in many US Virgin Islands holidays, from one of the world’s liveliest Valentine’s Day celebrations to the traditional Caribbean Carnival festivities. In contemporary Virgin Islands society, there are various dance traditions, given its history of migration. The dances most commonly associated with indigenous Virgin Islander culture are the quadrille, which is also performed in many other Caribbean islands, and the bamboula.

CV: What are the most celebrated festivals holidays?

CJ: Carnival on St. Thomas, Three Kings’ Day in January on St. Croix, Independence Day in July on St. John’s are the most popular events but you shouldn’t miss the following events when you visit the islands. Arts and Crafts festivals, music festivals, and yacht races are just some of the other kinds of US Virgin Islands festivals that visitors can consider taking part in. For those who like food festivals, the Taste of St Croix festival is one of the St Croix events to add to your list of possibilities.

CV: Are there playful nicknames or terms of endearment for the U.S. Virgin Islands?

CJ: Twin City is a nickname used for St. Croix, in reference to the two towns, Frederiksted, and Christiansted. Rock City is the nickname used for St. Thomas, and Love City. Water Island, is usually called the “fourth Virgin Islands.

CV: What is the political system in the virgin islands?

CJ: The Governor is the head of the local government, and of a multi-party system. United States Virgin Islands are an unincorporated and organized territory of the United States, administered by the Office of Insular Affairs of the United States Department of the Interior. Executive power is exercised by the local government of the Virgin Islands. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature..

CV: How have the islands been impacted by the Covid pandemic?

CJ: A lot of businesses were forced to close down. It had a negative impact on tourism. Little to no tourist ships came to the island. The islands depend on tourism as the main industry, and speaking from an academic level, many students’ reading levels dropped. 

CV: What are the principal economic activities of the Virgin Islands?  

CJ: The country’s economy is dominated by the areas of tourism, trade and other services. Most of the territory’s food is imported. Most prevalent export is the rum that is distilled  on the island of St.Croix. 

CV: Is there taxation in the Virgin Islands?

CJ: The U.S. Virgin Islands uses a mirror system of taxation, also known as the “Mirror Code,” meaning that USVI taxpayers pay taxes to the Virgin Islands Bureau of Internal Revenue (“BIR”) generally to the same extent as U.S. taxpayers would under the Code to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.

CV: What is the most popular sport?

CJ: Americanization in the U.S. Virgin Islands has led to the preponderance of American sports such as baseball, American football and basketball, while sports more popular in the English-speaking Caribbean, such as cricket and association football, are also played. 

CV: Is the weather very different on the islands?

CJ: The Virgin Islands climate is basically tropical all year round. For the most part, our weather is sunny, barring hurricanes. Sometimes it would rain on one island and not on the others. 

CV: Can you describe the seasons?

CJ: The best times to visit the U.S. Virgin Islands are December through April during the dry season. The warmer months of March and April are even better. The worst times to visit St. Thomas and the U.S. Virgin Islands are September through November. These months fall inside the heart of the Virgin Islands hurricane season, also known as the rainy season. 

CV: What are the most popular tourist destinations in the U.S. Virgin Islands?

CJ: Tamarind Reef Resort and Spa, Sand Castle Beach Hotel, Carambola Beach Resort and Spa, The Buccaneer Hotel and Beach, St. Croix). (Marriott French man’s Reef, Secret Harbor Beach Resort and Spa, The Ritz Carlton Club, Elysian Beach Resort, St. Thomas) Westin St. John Resort, (St. John).

CV: What are some of the interesting architectures on the islands?

CJ: Government House, both on St. Croix and St. Thomas, Whim Great House on St. Croix, Fort Christianvaern, Fort Fredericks, on St. Croix, St. Thomas also has a Fort Christian, Victorian Building on St. Croix.

CV: Who are the notable artists on the islands?

CJ: I am familiar with veteran musician, Bulley Petersen. Sculptor, Waldemar Brodhurst, I know personally. There are also, Reggae artists – Dezarie, Junior P, Pressure, Niyorah, Mada Nile, Queen Imah, General, Ras Attitude, Express Band, Stanley and the Ten Sleepless Nights, just to name a few. There are several others. Come VISIT to experience their talents.