Visiting the US: first time since the pandemic started
Change of Plans
April 2020, came and went, and what was supposed to be an eventful spring break, ended up being a total disappointment. We had planned a family vacation, a reunion, on non other than a cruise, the worst place you could be during a world wide health emergency! Of course, everything got canceled and luckily we got our money back, but we were really bummed about not seeing our family, who we hadn’t seen since we left the US, back in June 2019. Not seeing them for 10 months made our move to Italy that much harder. Now it seemed we would have to wait a while until the world sorted this whole thing out.
In the summer of 2020, things here in Europe eased up a bit and travel within the EU was open and going strong. We headed south and visited the Amalfi Coast and the region of Puglia. You can check out our adventures here:
When we started thinking of flying back to the US during these uncertain times, we thought waiting til the holidays would be best. That idea might of not worked, as come October 2020, things in Europe started heating up again, a second wave, with case numbers of the coronavirus increasing again. We booked our trip for the weekend after Thanksgiving and had scheduled to be in the states til after the new year. We asked the girls’ school if remote learning could be an option for us and explained that we hadn’t been back since we moved. Given the circumstances, they luckily understood our situation and agreed. The only problem was that the time difference was not in our favor. Our family who we’d be staying with is in NC, so that means it would be a 6 hour difference. Would our girls have to wake up at 3:00 am to make it to their 9:00 class? We knew this was not feasible for a prolonged period of time, so we compromised; the girls would get up at 6:00. The classes they’d miss, they’d make up at the end of their day, which now would end at 10:00am, 4:00 pm Italy time.
At the same time, my husband’s compromise was to also wake up early to make it to his early, Italian time zone, meetings. To make it to his 9:00 meetings, he would have to be up at 3:00 am. How would he be able to do this?
America, here we come!
We started our American holiday in NC. We moved up our trip by one week, and left right before Thanksgiving. We thought that was a better option, because things started looking grim as case numbers continued to soar. We knew if we waited, we might not be able to leave if we’re in lock down again.
As we made it to the Milan airport, we almost did not make it to the airplane. As new travel restrictions said that travel for leisure was prohibited. When we checked in to the airline, we were given a form to fill out. It was all in Italian, and it was asking our reason for travel. Not knowing any better, we checked off that we were traveling for leisure, which was prohibited at the time. When we turned in our paper work to the police located in the airport, they asked where we have residency and we stated in Italy. The police turned us down and said we were not allowed to leave at this time. Italian residents were not allowed to travel for leisure at the time. Our girls almost started crying, thinking we would not be able to enjoy the Holidays with our family. At that moment, I explained to them that having an American passport and being US citizens, we were allowed to go to our country at any time. The police told us that if we’re traveling for leisure and we’re Italian residents, that was prohibited. He read us the options on the form and said if we work in the US, which my husband technically does, we would be able to go. He asked us if we can prove that and we said yes. He changed the option on our form, checking off traveling for work, and sent us on our way. We were so relieved and elated that we were finally one step closer to see our family after so long!
Did I mention we were also traveling with our dog? She was going on the plane in cabin so we had to make sure to have all her paper work in order, including her European pet passport. Yes, she has her own passport! It really is just a booklet that has her shots with dates all signed by her vet. This also had to be approved by the Italian pet office who had to sign a form verifying that she was seen by her vet and that she is good health to travel.
As we made it to JFK Airport in New York, walking on US soil made us so happy to be home. Took another flight to Raleigh and then an uber to our family’s house. We hadn’t told the family that we moved up our flight, so that it would be a surprise. We were going to all be together for Thanksgiving. Such a special time of the year, and after so long it was going to be that much more amazing.
Holidays in the US
Celebrating Thanksgiving, such an American tradition, in the US with our family was so special this year. Had we have been in Italy, we would’ve done our own Thanksgiving and would’ve invited our Italian friends. Being in the US, giving thanks meant so much more, especially after the year we’ve had.
Thanksgiving came and went. The girls started their home learning, adjusting just fine to the early wakeup and change in time. We were able to catch up with friends and made time to see everyone we hadn’t seen since we left. So many activities were planned and the family and friends were eager to talk about how the pandemic hit our town of Bergamo, the hardest in Italy.
The Holidays was even more special knowing we were that much closer to meeting our new nephew. My sister-in-law was pregnant with her first baby. We brought back to the US some Italian customs like making home made pasta. We bought my in-laws the pasta making machine and had an Italian night! Complete with home made pasta with bolognese sauce (or ragu like it’s called in Italy). Between pig roasting competitions, NFL football watching on Sundays, brunch at our country club with friends, countless dinners hosted by friends and family, our time in NC was so special, but it was time to see our family in Miami.
We drove down to Miami to visit the other part of the family and to spend New Years. We stayed a few days with my brother, my sister-in-law and my nieces. They had just moved in to their beautiful home and we were their first guests. Following the Italian theme, we had an Italian night, cooking, drinking wine, while listening to Italian music. We also rented an airbnb in the Keys, the small islands south of Miami. It was going to be a tropical New Years celebration. Our friends from Miami and Texas met us there and we spent our last few days in the US fishing, eating conch fritters, hanging out by the sea, and enjoying time with our friends and family.
Returning to Italy
Our way back to Italy was much easier than I thought it would be. We had the dog checked by a vet a few days before and we were good to go. We made it to Milan without any problems. Even though we enjoyed our time with family and friends in the USA, it was nice to be home. After a while away, you start to miss your own bed and bathroom.
How were things while we were gone? Read about it here:
