Day 23: A Beautiful Ending

Sunday morning I stared out at the crashing waves and couldn’t count my blessings enough. They were beyond my grasp. So many ways this trip could have gone badly. So many ways this trip could’ve been just another trip for tourists. But in so many ways we had been blessed over and over. There could never be enough thanks.

We walked to Jean Pierre’s for a breakfast that people from Jacmel eat every Sunday morning: pumpkin soup. It was hot and hearty and something strange to eat for breakfast but surprisingly filling. Jean Pierre and Mimi continually commented on how comfortable they were with us and how much we felt like family. Our thoughts were completely in-line with theirs; our Haitian foster parents.

One of the neighborhood boys climbed a coconut tree barefoot and threw down enough coconuts for each of us. Coconut milk straight from the shell was our morning coffee and it had never tasted better. I couldn’t wrap my head around how natural it all felt. I couldn’t wrap my head around how I would ever be able to leave.

We said very long goodbyes, promised we wouldn’t forget them and that we would check in often and then headed back to the hotel to enjoy the beach. On our way back we ran into a man working for the UN that we had met the previous night at dinner. He drove us to his friend’s house that was right on the beach. We spent the entire afternoon bouncing between the hammock, swimming in the ocean, laying in the sun, and enjoying beers on the deck with a view I’d give anything for you, dear reader, to see. It is easy to forget that you are in the beautiful Caribbeans when you live in Leogane. The closest beaches are covered in garbage and the waves drop more of it on the shore with each lap. But here on this stranger-turned-friend’s little slice of heaven I remembered where we were. The Caribbeans lived up to their name here.

The guy from the UN was heading to Leogane the following morning at 5am. We had planned on leaving Sunday evening, but it was hard to pass up a ride INSIDE a truck with air conditioning and a CD player. His aunt had a little house on the beach that she rents out. Tonight it was empty so she let us stay for free. It was a tiny hut with two small rooms and a double bed from which we pulled the top mattress off so we had enough spots for the 4 of us to sleep. He apologized for not being able to provide more and we thanked him profusely for his unending generosity.

Once again it was another night of not believing our luck. We fell asleep to the ocean’s lullaby.


Living open to the unexpected has yet to disappoint. The unexpected leaves you available for the extraordinary. It’s unstable and its unreliable, this I know. But it is also full of so much faith. Faith in humanity. Faith in the kindness of strangers. Faith in the beauty of the world and what it has to offer. On occasions it works out for the best, other times not so much but it’s always worth the gamble. Sometimes keeping yourself open for the unexpected leaves you on a park bench in the middle of Naples at night, but awakens you with fresh coffee and warm croissants in the morning. And now and then the unexpected drops you in the arms of strangers who will consider you family for the rest of their life.