About


Welcome! My name is Joy. I'm a U.S.-born woman who is currently living in Haiti with my delightful husband. On my blog, I hope to share interesting stories about life in Haiti and other content, which may or may not be interesting.


If you have questions about life in Haiti or want to send feedback, I'll welcome your emails.


joyjoy.smiles@gmail.com

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Popular posts from this blog

What Is It Like to Drive in Haiti?

Okay, I admit it. I don't know what it's like to drive in Haiti. I've never done it. However, I have been a passenger plenty of times, and that is more than enough for me to be glad that my husband is my chauffer. Traffic here is pure chaos, and the roads aren't well maintained. Here are some of my experiences on the road in Jacmel: The Roads Most people here either drive a motorcycle or a vehicle with a significant amount of ground clearance. Once in a while, I see someone driving a regular sedan, and I can't help but wonder how they fare on some Haitian roads. The main road through town, Road 41, is paved in most places. However, it is full of potholes. Even worse, it doesn't have a good drainage system. Back in April, my husband and I attended the Memorial of Jesus Christ's Death at the local Kingdom Hall. During the short program, it started to rain cats and dogs. By the time we left, it was dark out, and roads were practically invisible because they had...
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Reflecting on My First Month in Haiti

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 I arrived in Haiti on February 15, 2022, which means it has been my home for slightly over a month now. How are things going, you may ask? All in all, I'm happy to report that I am enjoying my time here. Let's talk about some of the adjustments I've had to make and some of the awesomeness that Haiti has to offer. The Weather The weather has been the most difficult adjustment for me. I have endured hot weather before — St. Louis summers are brutal — but I have never had to put up with it without having someplace to retreat to. Here, A.C. is extremely rare, and we do not have it in our home. The high temperature is in the mid-80s pretty much every day, and at night, it might dip into the low-70s. It's quite humid, so I'm sweating all the time (I had no idea my upper lip could sweat so much).  I don't quite know when to shower. It's normal for people in Haiti to shower multiple times a day, but I'm afraid of overdoing it and hurting my skin. I'm also a...
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Food and Grocery Shopping in Haiti

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 When I first moved to Haiti, my body was shocked by my new diet — but that's not a bad thing. I went from enjoying a steady stream of comfort foods to consuming a diet that consists mostly of organic, locally grown foods. What exactly are the common foods in Haiti, you might ask?  The Local Produce One of the best things about Haiti is the delightful variety of fruits that are available. There are lots of familiar staples, such as bananas, cherries, mangoes, pineapples, and more. There are also some fruits that aren't so common in the U.S.  For example, there is kachiman , a sweet fruit with a green exterior and white interior that tastes kind of like candy. Corossol , also known as soursop, is also all over the place here — it makes some pretty delicious juice. Then there is bilimbi, starfruit, sour oranges , and more. Mango trees are all over the place, and our friends often bring is tamarind , a kind of sour fruit that has tons of health benefits. Plantains are also ...
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