Location: Holguin, Cuba, Caribbean
Published: Flamingo Magazine

The nerves kick in as my 45-minute flight from Jamaica descends toward the airport in Holguin, Cuba — and not because of the bumps in the clouds or the fact that I’m nearly eight months pregnant. I’m about to finally meet my boyfriend Javier’s mom and brother, whom I’ve greeted just a few times via shoddy video chat. As a travel writer, I’ve built a career on finding adventures in new-to-me places. I’m approaching my 41st birthday full of worldly experiences and at ease almost everywhere I go. But this was no ordinary tourist visit to Cuba…