Was it fate, magic, or good planning? Find out how a stressful come down from Hurricane Beryl led to the serenity of peace in the Caribbean ocean. From chaos to calm, we turned powerless mornings into an unforgettable escape.

Part 1: Caveman coffee awakening

Part 2: Heat and Havoc

Part 3: Manifestation Destination

Part 4: Turning Tides

Today I was making it my mission to have a normal day. So far we had been through; solo travelling for 9 hours on a plane, facing extreme heat which then abruptly turned into a catastrophic hurricane and then the days that had followed were no power, barely any water and getting eaten alive by mosquitoes. But, with that said- I signed up for a challenge, a push in my character and strength in my mindset, and the universe handed me exactly that- just in a way I didn’t expect.

Us five girls had made it from strangers to great friends who survived a destructive hurricane without a scratch- and we were in the mood for a celebration. We had done the whole food deprivation, eating an unhealthy amount of Oreos and pottering in the house type thing for a few days and wanted to get out and properly explore the beautiful scenes of Jamaica. While after the events, my entire brain was as fried as a McDonalds chip, I was determined to enjoy the day. Yes, I was tired, I was melting, and to be honest- I needed a rather large cocktail. So, let me begin by setting the scene for you.

I sprung out of my little bunk bed where the girls were still sleeping beside me. I walked past a little Gecko in my shoe and strolled through to the kitchen with my fingers and toes crossed hoping we’d have power and the lights would work. But to my surprise, my life was not a chick flick with the perfect morning instead- we were going another day without power. All I wanted was a coffee, so I decided to design my perfect day.

Caveman coffee awakening

I reached for a little pan in our minimal kitchen supplies and filled it with water from one of our large bottles. I turned the dial on our huge gas bottle, lit the cooker, a quick bubble, bubble, toil and trouble later followed by mini milk there was coffee. The perfect caveman coffee was the beginning of my success today. I marched to the couch, sat with my coffee in hand, took a deep breath and began what I like to call a brain dump. Now let me talk you through.

You sit (or stand this part isn’t crucial), you get a pen (again a pencil is fine), and you write. All the many things that are floating around in your head. You write and get it all out. Now as we had been through a lot. There was a few pages worth of content to get out. No one was awake yet- so I had time to process and trauma dump to myself! For the perfect day- I would need a clear head. What followed was a shift from stress to delusion. I began envisioning envisioning my perfect day. Jade would be confidently grinning- walking through the door telling us we had the power back. That a new AC unit was being fitted and a platter of sushi and wine was on its way for our lunch. We’d head into town, I’d meet a handsome stranger and the five of us girls would finally get a dip in the ocean.

Ok, that was a tad unrealistic, but it was fun to imagine. So I’m sitting here smiling, looking out the window feeling rather motivated while sipping my caveman coffee when Phoebe walks in.

“Morning!”, she said. “Oh, morning!”, I replied. “Evie. What are you doing?”, she said with a slight high-pitched tone. “I’m manifesting the perfect day for us”, I replied. “Ooo, can I join?”, she says excitedly. That’s what I love about these girls- they don’t judge- they just contribute to my madness! “Of course you may”, I said grinning once more. She sits beside me, with her curly hair and baggy top and looks at me. “What have you been thinking,” she says. “Well…” I say with a dramatic pause. “let me talk you through”. I tell her all about my ideals of the day- swimming, wifi, drinks on the glistening white sand- the whole lot. She begins to add in shopping, fruit, bikinis and martinis. We’re giggling and begin planning a whole day. By this point anything’s fair game- we’re so delusional that it somehow helps. I see her go from sleepy and tired to cheery and giggly.

About 10 minutes into this giggle fest, there’s a knock at our front door. Me and Phoebe look at each other- wide-eyed. “Is this part one?”, I said with a smirk. Phoebe giggles quietly. Behind the door is Jade. She immediately walks in. “Hi girls, good news”.

The way my whole body filled with shock. Did we make something happen here? I began thinking to myself. “Do you want to charge your phones in my car?” she says grinning. Mine and Phoebe’s eyes light up in shock. “Yes, yes we do!”, we say excitedly. We immediately rush to the others to tell them the good news. Our flat phones are quickly handed over to Jade in hopes of using our phones again.

“We did that” me and Phoebe said giggling proudly. At this point the others just kind of looked at us confused. “We’re manifesting our perfect day” Phoebe explains. The girls look at us intrigued. “Come take a seat,” we say ushering them through the corridor onto the couch.

“Right so this is the perfect day…” we explain building up the tension.

“Picture this: We’re in bikinis, we’re all sipping martinis -we’ve got a gentle breeze and a topical tease where we’re surrounded by palm trees.”

Yes, I know I had accidentally written a line in a song- but the girl's faces lit up. “I do have a specific request”- Cynthia asks. “Yes caller what is your request?”, I say starting to feel like I’m teleshopping. “I need to book my flight home today, meaning I will need Wifi”, she explains. “Of course, it's done”. I say confidently. “I would love to get some mangos” Sam says smiling. “Done” I say now feeling like a stressed genie granting wishes. But, everyone seemed in such high spirits- like I’d make all of this possible. “Girls. Let’s make this all happen,” I said standing up trying to be motivational.

Next thing I know, we’re gathering all of our stuff in a bag, getting prepped and ready for our day outdoors. Fast-forward, and we’re waving off our local contact, Jade, and her Disney baby after grabbing our fully charged phones. We head down our leafy runway to the front gates. A taxi pulls up in swift timing, and we prepare ourselves for a hellish journey through the rubble and aftermath of Hurricane Beryl.

Heat and Havoc

It was our first time in the town since the hurricane. The roads were rough and uneven from the hurricane debris. The humid air in the little taxi grew heavier with each second passing. Each minute of the journey was weighed down by the sweltering heat which began seeping through the windows. The perfect day required the arc of the story which was the transport. I looked outside the window for a distraction. The scenes reminded me of all we’d been through. The sights of Beryl were displayed in the forms of rubble and branches all in the wrong places. The traffic was lengthy and I was reminded of the reality of everything we had gone through that was right outside the window. It was a long journey. One that led us to gradually make it through blocked roads and uneven ground.

After sweating out half our body weight, feeling a stone lighter- we got out of the taxi and walked into Ocho Rios. We planned to gather supplies from the supermarket, find a place with Wifi and then go into the ocean. You’ll find that the supermarket is always stop one. Mainly because it’s the only way we can regulate our body temperature as it's our only access to AC. This trip we do have to work with what we have. And what we’ve got is a place I can take a minute, inhale the crisp air and grab a cheeky drink. So I did just that. I stepped inside, felt the cool breeze and handed over my bag to the staff in the shop. Don’t worry, not in the form of mugging but following standard procedures. You give your bag in, they hand you a ticket and you walk through the shop with a little basket.

I love these little rules in Jamaica. It’s so nice shopping without a heavy bag on your back. Instead, I’ve got a little cutesy basket. Once I got to the drinks aisle, I had to pick the perfect drink. I wanted to try something traditional but also enjoy it. You know how a new drink is always a gamble. It’s like, do you stick with what you know and be comforted or do you take a risk and potentially end up hating it? Luckily, I had some help. A local Jamaican guy, tall, rather handsome with a patterned shirt and sunglasses saw my deliberation. He reaches for the rum punch, hands it to me and says with a big smile- “The Jamaican way, you must try”. I stare at him for a moment. “Yer, why not! Thank you,” I tell him with a grin. Sam comes asking if I’m ready when I’m then ushered out to continue our quest.

We follow the crowd where the heat quickly wraps around us once more we wander through the town. The buzz of life rising. We pass an alleyway of fruit markets where I immediately nudge Sam. I began to see the vision I had on my Pinterest board and it was right in front of me. The warmth of the sun, the lively market, the vibrancy- it was all here in real life before my eyes. The overflow of vibrant colours, scents of ripe mangos and the sound of chatter added scents to my narrative. Each stall overflowed with colour which reflected the island’s energy. We all picked up some fruit and made our way past locals with offers to braid our hair. Their fingers weaved stories into every strand. We then saw what was our manifestation right before us. The beaming sun shone onto the glistening clear water. The palm trees cradled the open space and the white sand lay so perfectly. THIS was the place.

However, we still had a task to complete- the cafe. So we continued. The relaxed way of Jamaican life gave me confidence. We then came to what was a built-up, modern and tourist area. The colours we 10 more dramatic and there was a little clear watered moat that ran the whole way around this separate area. The entrance was gated and two security guards welcomed us with huge smiles and friendly charm. With no hesitation, we walked through.

It was like a movie set. Everything was so perfectly in place. It was so clean. But what came next astounded me. It made me gasp for air as I was in such shock. It was like the universe completely, utterly and entirely had my back. It was like I said universe, show me a sign and it did. What was it I hear you ask?

A Starbucks followed with a vibrant beach hut named Margaritaville.

You might be thinking, ‘Of course, a tourist would be excited about finding a Starbucks in Jamaica.’ But it wasn’t about the brand—it was what Starbucks symbolized: Wi-Fi and relief after the chaos of a Category 5 hurricane that left most of the country without power. Racing toward the café, Cynthia’s face lit up with hope as it was a place where she could book her flight. To tell you I was relieved was an understatement. Starbucks wasn’t just a coffee shop—it was a lifeline. It was hope that Cynthia could find her peace. We walked in where the air conditioning hit us like a blessing, a moment of gratitude and calm amidst the unpredictability. Cynthia then informed us she would join us once she got her flight to safety. We lingered for a while, using the limited Wifi to reach out to loved ones back home. Each call and message was a brief attempt, to sum up the whirlwind of experiences we’d had so far, capturing moments of awe, resilience, and connection in just a few words before heading off to our serenity.

Manifestation Destination

As Cynthia remained, the rest of us set off towards the embodiment of our manifestation. Back to our sightings of a tranquil beach lined with swaying palm trees. We walked through where we all lit up with happiness. With rum punches in hand, recommended by a friendly local, we settled into the moment. We secured a bench and we immediately began laughing and taking pictures with our charged-up phones. I finally got to sit and enjoy the calm moment we had been waiting for since arriving. Phoebe quickly pulls my arm as we go first into the ocean. Now not to be dramatic, but this was a core memory. The kind of memory that you feel yourself missing even when you're actually in the moment. The universe is aligned and the entire struggle, heartache and pain were all worth it. It was worth all the stress, planning and financial constraints to get to this moment.

I felt the warmth of the ocean for the first time and it was blissful. The gentle waves wrapped around me, warm and inviting, as if the ocean itself had been waiting for us. This was our manifestation brought to life—a tranquil escape framed by swaying palm trees and the laughter of the girls nearby. It was a moment to breathe, to soak in the beauty we’d dreamed of, and to feel utterly present in our perfect destination. This was our moment. As we settled into our little slice of paradise I could feel the gentle waves wrapped around me, warm and inviting, as if the ocean itself had been waiting for us. This was our manifestation brought to life—a tranquil escape framed by swaying palm trees and the laughter of my friends nearby. It was a moment to breathe, to soak in the beauty we’d dreamed of, and to feel utterly present in our perfect destination.

Turning Tides

I began floating with Phoebe in the calmness of the Caribbean sea where I couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief as we had almost done a full week in Jamaica. We had pushed through the toughest part, and now it was time to enjoy the experience, savour the beauty, and reset. I was filled with hope, ready to embrace what was next. I felt at peace with myself, proud of myself and ready to take on more. I had found inner strength and inner peace during this stressful week and was ready for more adventure.

The day of manifesting and keeping the girls in high spirits while having fun with it made me feel like the day had shifted from panic to peace, from uncertainty to strength. But then there was a shift. It seemed that the attitude I had engrossed myself in may not be what everyone else was feeling. The excitement and bliss I was feeling was about to be disrupted. It seemed that my and Phoebe’s energies were in different places. I felt so in sync with Phoebe all day. Glowing together like the lines of a well-crafted painting. But as the evening grew, the strokes started to blur, the harmony shifted, and our paths no longer ran parallel. The art of our day had been beautiful, but now, the colours were not blending the way they once did. I interrupted all the events as a fresh start but for her it was closure. It was then that she dropped the bomb.

“Evie, I think I’m ready to go home”, she said sadly. My heart sank a little here. “Really? Oh no why”. She explained that she missed home and felt as though she had gotten as far as she wanted to. We spoke through how the placement was looking to be back in a day or so and then we could have a week of our volunteering as planned. But her mind was pretty made up. She outlined that she would keep me in the loop and that she was sorry as we planned to fly home to Heathrow Airport together.

While our first week in Jamaica left us all slightly fragile, it didn’t occur to me that our girl group would be split up. I started to understand how different each of us would deal with such situations. Where I saw the ending of the chaos as a new start, Phoebe saw it as an ending to her chapter in Jamaica. She was now in a different mindset to me, and that was okay, upsetting but okay.

After a lengthy chat, we decided to make the most of our time with her before she left. This day taught me the value of being present and how everything—big or small—contributes to the bigger picture. The manifestation process isn’t always about controlling the outcome, but more about trusting the journey and being open to what unfolds. Tomorrow was a new day where we would get up, get ready and stay at Margaritaville for the entire next day and relax fully. We would be present and enjoy all that the following day would bring us.

But little did we know that the following day would bring us two strangers that we would meet and would completely shift the course of our journey. What started as a tense, uneasy encounter soon turned into an unexpected turn of fate.

Stay tuned to find out how a day in Margaritaville made this all possible,

Muahs,

Evie

xoxo