Home Again: The Time of COVID-19
Updated: Apr 23, 2020
How much can change in the world over a few short weeks. We have been getting a lot of questions from our friends (both abroad and at home) to see how we are doing now that we are back in Canada, so I thought it might be best to sit down and write about it while we self-isolate.
So, to answer the first question we get: Yes, we are a-okay! 🙂
And to answer the second: Yes, the adventure still continues!
Kelly and I returned to Canada on February 19. Thanks to a very lovely and generous friend, we have a fantastic apartment in Metchosin (which isn't very far from Victoria). And we love it out here, so we've been feeling pretty darn lucky!
But I don't think we truly realized just how lucky.
Enter, COVID-19
We were aware that COVID-19 was in Europe while we were there, but we didn't know just HOW CLOSE we were moving ahead of it. Remember we were in the northern Italy having a ton of fun until January 17, 2020; the outbreak started on January 31, 2020.
Somehow, we managed to stay ahead of it (somewhat blissfully unaware) by a mere 2 weeks. During that time we slowly moved from Austria to Germany, to Belgium, and then finally to the Netherlands where we flew back to Canada.
The first confirmed case in the Netherlands was February 27, 2020. And we genuinely feel as though we dodged a bit of a bullet. Especially as we now read daily about the many Canadians across globe who are stranded, most with their travel insurance set to expire.
When we first returned to Canada, we were very aware that COVID-19 was on the rise in the EU. And so, we stayed away from people once returning to Victoria and waited two weeks before we accepted invitations from our friends to reconnect face-to-face.
We were surprised by how many didn't seem concerned about us saying "We stayed home for 2 weeks, and we're not symptomatic so we're good to hang out!". A few weeks ago, I think folks thought we were a little bit crazy.
With so many updates and messages from our friends overseas ("Thank you friends!!!") we knew what was coming for us over hear in Canada. We built up a pantry (slowly) and started buying other goods before the Pandemic was declared on March 11. So we are safe and set for a potential long haul. In a strange way, we feel like our time away has actually prepared us for quarantine and isolation! We're already used to being with each other all day everyday, so no worries there 😉
Right now we're doing the normal everyday things such as, filling our days with hikes with the dogs, or long walks on the beach next to our new home. (Painting will be coming soon, I just need to get my easel out of storage - it's waaaay at the back of the storage unit *sigh*).
But we miss seeing our friends and family very much - I mean, we just got back home, so we've been really looking forward to seeing you all!!
But What About The Truck?
Oh, right. The Truck.
Well, right now the truck is probably moving along through the Panama Canal. We shipped it out of Zeebrugge and, because of the crazy winter storms hitting the English
Channel, it was delayed by about a week or so. However, the truck is actually not sailing back to Canada....It's set to land at the Port of Tacoma in the State of Washington.
This wouldn't usually be any kind of an issue, but you see, with the rapid spread of COVID-19, well....as of tomorrow there are massive boarder restrictions between Canada and the USA.
So, when we say that the adventure continues, we really are telling you the truth!
We are also accepting creative ideas for solving this problem considering the evolving public health situation. You can share these ideas in the comments below, or send us an email
Actually, now that I think about it, it was the truck that was late when we started this adventure too. Oh well, at least the 4Runner is consistent!
[Note: By the way, BIG props to my Mom who has lent us her car for the next 3 months ("Thanks Mom!!" 😍)]
Final Thoughts
For those of you who are under quarantine or under a shelter-in-place order in your homes...
We hope you continue to keep your spirits up! Reach out to us by WhatsApp or Skype or Social Media anytime. We have lots of time to chat these days. Maybe we could even share a glass of wine virtually! 🍷🍷🍷 (Goes for you local Victoria peeps too!)
Remember to wash your hands like you just cut a bunch a jalapenos! Germs suck, so let's remind them who's in charge.
Keep Informed! I know there's a lot of folks out there that never read the news here in Canada, but please keep yourselves in-the-know using credible sources such as the CBC, the Gov't of Canada and/or your Provincial Gov't websites or apps.
My go-to suggestions for Credible Info:
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