Tag: pandemic

Flying In A Pandemic

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Flying for the first time in 15 months

As I am writing this, I am sitting on a plane. For the very first time in 15 months, I am sitting on an actual plane. It feels oddly familiar, but at the same time it’s an entirely new experience. Flying in a pandemic looks different. 

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!

 

 

Newlyweds in Quarantine

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Hi everyone!

First and foremost; I hope that everyone who is reading this blog right now is healthy and safe, as well as their loved ones.

A lot of people who will read this will be in The Netherlands, but I also know a lot of people who are not in their home country right now. All of us are facing the same stress: to be away from your family during a pandemic. This blog is not about politics (well, maybe a little), and not about how I think people should feel. Everyone is entitled to their own feelings. It is simply a way for me to share my thoughts and feelings, hoping that for the people out there who feel the same, it will be somewhat reassuring. And one thing is now more true then ever: We are all going through this together.

“I think it’s safe to say to everyone is feeling a little lost these days. As a millennial, I grew up experiencing how small the world can be – what is a 10-hour flight right? But right now, it feels bigger than ever.”

My situation

I am currently in Portland, Oregon, USA. Here on the West Coast, things are not nearly as bad as they are on the East Coast. You may or may not have seen it in the news, but the US is failing in every possible way trying to control this pandemic. There is no ”lockdown” for the USA, there are only lockdowns for specific States. With flights from outside the US blocked, domestic flights are still going. In a city as big and rushed as New York, it took forever to get people to practice social distancing, or even to quarantine them (as in: tell them not to go outside). Restaurants and bars were still open weeks after the first cases of Covid-19 popped up in New York City. Meanwhile, the President himself does not seem to take this seriously, and keeps sending mixed messages to the American people. With a political system that was already (at least in my opinion) on the verge of collapsing, the people do not know who to trust anymore. Looking at the situation in The Netherlands, where the Prime Minister and Royal Family face this crisis head on, trusting on science, naming the facts, keeping people in the loop, and putting themselves in vulnerable positions in order to create that mutual trust between them and the people .. I have to say that I am somewhat proud to be Dutch. Are we doing everything right? Who knows. I sure don’t, so who am I to judge? What I see is that people who are supposed to take care of the nation do so, and that should earn them respect, because that is not an easy job.

 

 

 

My thoughts and feelings

Enough politics, at least for now. Let’s just say that it makes me rethink my move to the US. Sam and I knew that this would be the easiest (and still really hard) way for us to be together, which is why we choose to live here.

I think it’s safe to say to everyone is feeling a little lost these days. As a millennial, I grew up experiencing how small the world can be – what is a 10-hour flight right? But right now, it feels bigger than ever. I knew I was not allowed to leave the US until I had my probation approved, but I also knew that there were still flights going back and forth, and because of that I still had the option to fly back. Now that countries are on lockdown and it is not possible to fly anymore, that physical distance kind of changed into a mental one.

I see how everyone tries to cope in different ways. Some like to think of this time as a learning experience and really believe they are going to get out of this stronger. Personally, I don’t think we should add unnecessary pressure on people by saying things like ”if you don’t do these things now, not having the time was just an excuse and you lack self-discipline.” Well, so what if you lack self-discipline, who doesn’t every now and then?

Some days I wake up on the right side of the bed. I feel energetic, see the good in this quarantine situation, can name plenty of things I am grateful for, and am off to a great start of the day. I work out, journal, study, do the household, cook delicious meals, all the good stuff!

However, there are also days where I wake up and instantly feel anxious, or even depressed. The first thought that crosses my mind that day is ”reality kind of sucks right now!”. It leaves me feeling demotivated, I’ll have a hard time getting out of bed, and it just puts me in this negative mindset. I hate these setbacks, but they are part of life. You are simply not always feeling positive, not always happy, not always energetic.

This quarantine, however big or small it may feel to each and every one of you, has an influence on how we feel. Our lives have changed – the world has changed. This is a major thing we are going through right now, and I know that even the toughest, most stable people, will eventually notice the effects of this new reality.

Mental health is now more important then ever. There are a lot of people who feel lonely, and trust me, it’s not just the old or single people; It can be parents who are quarantined with their kids, it can be students who still live in a dorm with other students, it can be newlyweds (hey, hello, that’s me!).

For us, this situation is kind of ironic. We went through 2 years of on and off long-distance/living together, had to go through a lot of legal shit and immigration stress and struggled to be together. Now however, we are newlyweds in quarantine!

First of all, we are so so lucky and really count our blessings, that we were able to get married (with family and friends flying over!) and enjoy our honeymoon in Hawaii, before this whole quarantine situation happened. If this timeline had shifted just a month, Sam would not be my husband right now, and I might not even be with him right now.

My heart goes out to the people who can’t go through with their wedding or have to do it without their loved ones by their side, to the couples who are quarantined in different countries and can’t be together for a stressfully long period of time, for the exchange students that had to give up their new lives in another country. I have been through all these things, taking it all for granted, but this quarantine makes you think twice about what kind of privilege you’ve had to be able to do these things.

Now we are here – just married, and stuck with each other 24/7. I remember wishing for this moment to come and even dreaming about it. I consider myself very lucky. However, this is a very unusual situation. Is it healthy for a couple to be together all the time (in a 40m2 studio)? I don’t think so. I love our small studio and I love my hubbie, but it can be challenging! I felt guilty (and still do sometimes) for wanting alone time, and for feeling lonely while being quarantined with him. This pandemic makes us feel all sorts of things and I am learning to embrace it all. It’s okay to feel anxious, to be stressed, to feel lonely, to feel unstable and vulnerable. A couple of my friends reported ”feeling things they’ve never felt before”. We have not been in a situation like this before, like ever. So we should cut ourselves some slack and not put all this pressure on ourselves to function a hundred percent all the time.

If you are reading this, let me tell you I am proud of you for just hanging in there. I am proud of the people who try and make the most of it. But I am just as proud of the people who are just making it through the day – and so should you!

A big shoutout to all the people who are still going to work, or have to work from home with screaming kids around them. A huge thank you to the people who are wrecking their brain around this virus to work on vaccines and treatments. A warm and loving virtual hug to each and every one of you! Please be kind to yourself and to others. Together we will make it through.

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