Farsighted Fly Girl

I'm a huge music fan so although I don't follow them every week, I can never resist even scholocky music reality shows like X-Factor. But I was totally thrown off guard last week not by the music but by front runner Melanie Amaro's accent. After two months in the competition, intense emotions finally unleashed her true Virgin Islands accent, which she had covered with a proper American drawl.  Fans watched amazed as a heavy Caribbean patois poured out of Melanie's mouth. "This is the real Melanie," she explained when asked about her suddenly transformed speech pattern.  The singer had learned to adopt an American accent when people complained that they couldn't understand her.  So, like so many immigrants to this country, she felt compelled to blend in and "cater" to American sensibilities. I watched with tears in my eyes because I know the emotional and psychological toll that this embeds on someone's spirit.  It's not simply a matter ...

When I mention that I love Twin City, I'm not talking about Minneapolis and St.Paul although I'm sure they're lovely in their own way . Twin City is the nickname for the U.S. Virgin Islands' St.Croix and it's one of my favorite Caribbean islands. It's called Twin City because of it's two major towns, Christiansted and Frederiksted. Brimming with quaint, jewel-colored houses and fragrant bougainvillea, ixora and hibiscus everywhere you turn, St. Croix is packed with charm and culture. The capitol of Christiansted sits serenely on a waterfront square surrounded by butter-colored, neo-classic buildings dating from the 1700s. The city also boasts rows of art galleries, which I'll explore in my next post. What I love about St.Croix is that it offers the beauty and lush environment that you'd expect from an island but it also supplies lots of culture and history. Cruzans are a laid-back, brainy bunch and there's nothing better than hanging out in a ...