This was a week of really hard decisions for my husband and I. France went on full lock down to the extent of requiring written self-declaration forms for any movements outside of the home. The EU started talks of closing its borders. The US started talking about closing its borders to flights from the EU. Big decisions needed to be made quickly because each night a new set of international travel policies were being issued and Alex and I only had a few more weeks left on our Schengen Visiting VISA. After talking with the US Consulate for France, there was no assurance that we'd be given any help if we remained in France for the duration of our reserved apartment stay.
The post above was made before the border closures had been announced. We'd booked the hotel as part of a birthday staycation for my husband's birthday. At first it all seemed like it was just going to be localized enforcement. Our first couple days were spent stocking up for what we expected was going to be a longer stay for both of us. I'm glad I captured a sense of my emotions in those first few days, because while I knew we needed to make some decisions about what would happen next, I definitely thought those decisions were going to be further out than what transpired.
That Monday was the last day my husband and I would be together in Paris for who knows how long, but neither of us would know it until later that evening when I decided that I'd definitely be heading to Michigan next and he decided he'd definitely be heading to China. We agreed to try and meet up again in Europe in the Summer, hoping that viral arc for the rest of the world would clear up in a similar timeframe as it did for China.
My reasoning for eventually going back to Michigan was that I guessed things were going to get worse in the USA, and if I felt cut-off from friends and family during that time due to internet issues in China as well as time zone differences, I'd feel really awful if something happened to them and I couldn't be there for them. I also knew that Alex would have enough of a community and support system in China if something happened to him, but that our single moms, especially my own, didn't have enough other support systems. I trusted that Alex and I would see each other healthy after the chaos settled, and perhaps even celebrate our anniversary together in Shanghai or New York.
Alex's decision came down to where he felt like he might have the most freedom to keep working and going out as he wanted since the situation in China was now improving while the rest of the world was not. He knew it was going to require him to undergo 14 days of quarantine in a hotel room alone upon entry, but he felt the freedom in the end would be worth it. So, he took off Tuesday morning to Shanghai by way of Tai Pei, and I spent St. Patrick's Day in Paris alone, trying to figure out how to make the most of the ingredients we'd stocked in the fridge.
After preparing a ton of food from scratch, I started to get cozy inside this Parisian apartment with its big French Door style windows, great kitchen, good washer & dryer, and nice internet connection. I started to feel a sense of sanctuary in the solitude and allowed myself to enjoy it as much as possible.
That Monday was the last day my husband and I would be together in Paris for who knows how long, but neither of us would know it until later that evening when I decided that I'd definitely be heading to Michigan next and he decided he'd definitely be heading to China. We agreed to try and meet up again in Europe in the Summer, hoping that viral arc for the rest of the world would clear up in a similar timeframe as it did for China.
My reasoning for eventually going back to Michigan was that I guessed things were going to get worse in the USA, and if I felt cut-off from friends and family during that time due to internet issues in China as well as time zone differences, I'd feel really awful if something happened to them and I couldn't be there for them. I also knew that Alex would have enough of a community and support system in China if something happened to him, but that our single moms, especially my own, didn't have enough other support systems. I trusted that Alex and I would see each other healthy after the chaos settled, and perhaps even celebrate our anniversary together in Shanghai or New York.
Alex's decision came down to where he felt like he might have the most freedom to keep working and going out as he wanted since the situation in China was now improving while the rest of the world was not. He knew it was going to require him to undergo 14 days of quarantine in a hotel room alone upon entry, but he felt the freedom in the end would be worth it. So, he took off Tuesday morning to Shanghai by way of Tai Pei, and I spent St. Patrick's Day in Paris alone, trying to figure out how to make the most of the ingredients we'd stocked in the fridge.
After preparing a ton of food from scratch, I started to get cozy inside this Parisian apartment with its big French Door style windows, great kitchen, good washer & dryer, and nice internet connection. I started to feel a sense of sanctuary in the solitude and allowed myself to enjoy it as much as possible.
Just as I was starting to feel cozy, word came the very next day of United States border closures on the way for flights coming from the EU. Ugh. Once I made the decision that I'd go to Michigan next, I had already booked a flight out for Sunday, March 22, which was still earlier than the original plan to leave April 12th, but based on actions taken at airports during previous shut down announcements, I knew I'd need to bump even that flight up to the next possible option, which was Friday March 20th.
Thursday was spent checking the status on all flights that had previously been scheduled to DTW from CDG. Several flights with major code shares had already been cancelled in the EU border closing situation. I could only hope that my flight would have accumulated enough stranded travelers that it would make its way from Paris to Detroit without cancellation. Delta was now doing codeshares with KLM, AirFrance, Virgin, and several other major carriers, reducing flights and flying much bigger planes. I lucked out and landed a business class seat that would give me a little more social distance from any symptomatic people on the airplane.
The list of cancelled flights was increasing, but my flight still scheduled. I packed everything up Friday morning, and felt guilty about the amount of food that I had cooked and prepared that would end up going to waste. I still wasn't entirely sure if flight would take off all the way up until it actually lifted off the ground. A few other people on the flight told me that they were part of a group that was trying to get out of Morocco, and they just made it to Paris along with a few other people. Unfortunately, they'd be living at CDG Airport for the last 3 days, largely on wine and convenience store snacks since all of the restaurants and food buffets at the airport were closed. They made it- but I imagine their immune system may have taken a hit before they boarded the plane.
We had someone with more than an occasional cough on our flight, which was alarming for anyone sensitized to symptoms of viral spread. Several people in business class has pulled blankets all the way over their head instead of just up to their necks. I decided to approach it by drinking as much hot tea and water as possible so that my body wouldn't attempt to grab any of its moisture needs from the air. Nine hours later, we all landed safely in Michigan.
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