Lifestyles

St. Kitts and Nevis boasts some of the most attractive historical sites and landmarks worldwide. Grab a camera and good guide and hop on a taxi.  Photograph all of the sights that made you want to come to this country in the first place.  Don’t forget the wildlife here in SKN–monkeys, birds, and free-roaming chicken, sheep, etc.  That is just one day or eve outing while living here.  (See others in ‘Sports & Entertainment’).

Exercise.  Bike, swim, hike and jog 365 days a year with no cold rains or snow and where the pollution index is close to zero.

Drive.  Here you can drive or hike through the Valley of Giants, zip line over the rainforest or climb up to sit yourself in the cradle of Sofa Rock, once the very cap of a now dormant volcano that you can climb to the very edge of, then be guided down 1000 feet to its steaming crater floor.

ROADS  The country has a good system of roads. Following the British way, motorists drive on the left side of the road. Drainage ditches along the side of the roads are called “ghauts.” Drivers must be careful not to go off the road into one of these ditches. The phrase “Watch de ghaut” is a common warning to drivers.

Explore.  St. Kitts, once called the Gibraltar of the West Indies for its domination of 18th century battles, so honors its past with careful restoration that the UN has designated The Brimstone Hill Fortress & National Park, a World Heritage Site and a living museum of historical exploration.

Family Life

Family loyalty is strong. It is not uncommon to find households with extended families including members from two or three generations living together.  Now, St. Kitts and Nevis families are ‘blended.’  This may mean that the person you are speaking to in the coffee shop is related by marriage to the staff that just took your order.  Be careful to whom you speak about the cream being forgotten on your coffee order!

HOUSING Built on piles of stones (to be moved quickly), islander houses were wooden and were often painted in pastel colors and often painted red were their corrugated metal roofs. By the 1990s, most houses were built from concrete blocks and wood with roofing unchanged.

Upward Mobility  It is becoming more common for islanders to own the land on which they live.