First of all, there weren’t that many people at the airport. Since the borders are still closed, you have to be a Dutch citizen or resident to be allowed into the country. They were very strict in making sure you had your paperwork; there was someone checking in before me who wasn’t allowed to fly because he didn’t have an English version of his work contract, so they weren’t able to verify his reason for flying. Another person wasn’t allowed to board because he didn’t take a Covid test before coming to the airport.

A negative Covid test before departure is required. I was able to get one within the 24-hour mark, otherwise I had to have two negative tests. They checked the test result not only when I checked in, but also when I was waiting at the gate. They called everyone over and put a yellow sticker on your passport once they verified your negative Covid test. Everyone on my plane also needed to fill out this Health Declaration that might get checked when landing.
Masks are required and they are enforcing this regulation very well. The second someone takes off their mask a flight attendant is already on their way to tell them they have to put it back on. Luckily, no one is really fighting this regulation, even though I know I’m gonna be pretty done wearing one for 9+ hours.
Social distancing on the other hand makes flying a lot more comfortable than it used to be. The middle seats are blocked, and in the left and right rows they only allow parties or individuals. In the beginning of the flight, people were switching seats a lot, since the plane is maybe at 60 percent capacity right now. I was able to move from a middle aisle seat to a window seat, and a lot of people have been able to spread out and sleep, including me.

I realize this is a privilege, to be flying in a pandemic. There are still a lot of people getting sick, and I think we all need to do our part in keeping each other safe. While I feel like my reason for flying is totally legit, I am very happy I am now fully vaccinated and will be able to hug my mom at the airport.

The only thing that threw me off a little bit in this whole ‘’flying in a pandemic’’ thing, is that when I was boarding the plane the US Customs and Border Control stopped me (and everyone else) to ‘verify your citizenship’ and ask some other questions. Because this is the very first time I’m leaving the US since my Adjustment of Status, I do get nervous when people want to see my documentation. Even though I have a green card now, which means I hold Dutch citizenship ànd permanent residency in the US.

Also, I want to note that I don’t feel unsafe on this plane at all. The flight attendants are very thorough in their service; they bring hand sanitizer, wear gloves, don’t touch anything that doesn’t need to be touched and enforce the rule of wearing masks and social distancing. They are very professional about it, while I’m sure it must be stressful for them as well. 

I am somewhat nervous to return back home. Talking about home, I have noticed I refer to both The Netherlands and the US as my home. The other day I said, ‘’I’m excited to go home, but I’m also excited to go home.’’ Such a funny thing. Will I have a reverse culture shock? Will I feel different now that I am not longer a resident? Out of place, maybe? Am I Americanized and will people notice I haven’t been to The Netherlands in a long time? Will three weeks feel awfully short, or kind of long? It feels like it could go either way. Even though I am absolutely ecstatic about seeing my family again, I have to leave my other family behind.
Since I obtained my work permit and green card, I have been able to really establish my life in the US. I love working for the Dutch school, my tutoring business is taking off, I got job applications going, and Sam and I are enjoying our apartment and our puppy Abbony. It almost feels like I don’t want to leave that life behind, now that I finally have it. Does that make sense?

Some of you may have noticed that I didn’t say anything about my other family members yet. My mom picked me up from the airport. She was waiting in the parking garage, because only passengers are allowed to enter Schiphol Airport. Usually, when you walk by the baggage claim and enter through the sliding doors, you see a bunch of people all happy and excited to see whoever they are waiting for. Now, I walked through these doors by myself, and saw no one. Even the lights were off, and the restaurants were all closed off with tape. Kind of a depressing entrance.
I didn’t tell my sisters or my dad that I was coming back. I wanted to keep it a surprise, but that was insanely hard to do. My mom and I almost let it slip several times, and I wanted to tell my dad so badly that he should be happy and excited because I was going to see him soon. I hope that the surprise was worth it though. I just walked right into the living room to and said ”Hi dad”. That moment you’re finally able to see each other and hold each other, it’s such an emotional release. These next couple of weeks I want to spend as much time as possible with my family and friends, while enjoying everything I’ve missed so much about The Netherlands.

Stay tuned for my next blog that will be about what those things are, and subscribe below!