Welcome Abbie, i live ‘next door’ so cant really be authorative about st lucia, i think there is someone else here who is on your island.

Generically its a lot different to being a tourist, but nicer, you will know and see things they never can.

Beware being a tourist, be a local, its fine to spend your days on the beach but most well to do locals i know either studiously avoid all tourist things, or partake at different times / sparingly.

Be aware that there are at least 3 prices for things, tourist jcb and local. You dont get to be local everywhere for maybe a decade if you are black, never if lighter / red skinned. You can be a just come back fairly quickly once you figure out how not to be a tourist, and of course your local shop/rum shop will know you quickly to be local. Weird thing - dont expect the little local businesses to be cheap for you. Its the big impersonal supermarkets and businesses that will probably be cheaper for the forseeable future - in general.

Prices will be very different to home, it can be expensive if you choose non local things, you may have a returning nationals concession - use carefully/wisely.

oh - look at the website - women who live on rocks - there is much sense and inspiration there.

Jcb - just come back - a locally born person cone back on holiday, considers themselves a local but the locals disagree usually.