Why I Moved to Haiti

Welcome to my blog! It's going to primarily focus on my adventures as an expat living in Haiti, but I may occasionally throw in some other content.

First things first—you may wonder how I ended up in Haiti. It is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, which means it lacks many of the conveniences that a spoiled white girl like me is used to. There isn't always reliable electricity, the gas stations frequently run out of fuel, the political situation gives rise to violent protests, and the weather is stinkin' hot. At a glance, Haiti seems like an entirely unappealing place to live.

But you know what? I love it here.

How I Ended Up in Haiti

Let's go back in time to September 2019. I was ready to find love, but love was playing hard to get. That was, until I met an impulsive but charming man who offered to introduce me to his friend. Without knowing the first thing about this friend, I agreed. That was how I met the love of my life, a handsome Haitian man who happens to be kind, thoughtful, super intelligent, and just generally wonderful.  Most important of all, we share the same values and religious beliefs.

Of course, I couldn't fully enjoy his company at first because I had doubts about what I was getting myself into. 

 

We dated long distance for about six weeks, during which time I had knots in my stomach and anxiety around my throat. Well-meaning friends were concerned about my new relationship, and the noise of their concerns wasn't easy to bear. Some didn't say anything about the situation, but I could read their minds. They were alarmed.  By the time I was thoroughly convinced that my boyfriend was the real deal, good friends were still convinced that I was headed for ruin. To assuage my own doubts and theirs, I booked a plane ticket to Haiti.

In December of 2019, I boarded a plane to Port au Prince. As I dragged my luggage out of the airport, I searched the crowd for a familiar face—but he found me first. My head swiveled as he called my name, and I was greeted with a sunshine-like smile and a friendly hug. He led me to a rusty old van that was going to take us to his home town. As we settled into the vehicle, put his backpack on the bench between us so he wouldn't accidentally touch me. Yep, he was pretty much perfect.

We got engaged during that trip, after which I returned to the U.S. and filed a petition for him to get a fiancé visa. Shortly afterward, COVID-19 hit, effectively slamming the brakes on the entire U.S. immigration system. Two grueling years later, in November 2021, we thought he would finally get his visa. Nope. The consular officer who interviewed him decided not to issue the visa. (We don't know why. I'm still salty about it. Oh well.)

Anyway... rather than waiting for the U.S. government to accept the facts of our case and issue the visa, we decided to go ahead and get married in Haiti. That's how I ended up moving here, and I will stay here as we start from scratch with all the immigration nonsense again.

How It's Going

I've been in Haiti for about a month now. I'm married to my dear, and things are going well. Adapting to this country is a big change from what I'm used to, but I love it. I always wanted to live in another country . I just never imagined it would be here! It's crazy and unpredictable, but I find that all my worries are smaller and my heart is overflowing with gratitude for everything I have (especially my husband).