Coping with COVID-19 on Separate Continents

It’s just after Easter and COVID-19 is supposedly near its peak in the United States (fingers crossed). I’m in Portugal. Mickelle and the kids are in the Seattle area. Curious to find out how this happened and what we’re doing during our respective lockdowns? Keep reading.

Late last year we decided that we wanted to spend the bulk of 2020 in Portugal. We had spent about 2 months exploring the country in 2019 and fell in love with the Southern Coast, a region called the Algarve.

Enjoying a Portugal beach in July 2019

By default, Americans are only allowed to stay in Portugal for a total of 90 days within a 180 day time period. We wanted the ability to stay longer. To do this we needed to apply for Portuguese residency. The process is quite involved (ideally we’d explain more in a future blog post but no promises). That said, Portugal is one of the easier European countries for Americans to get a residency permit. We did a lot of research, talked to friends who had already done it, and decided to go for it.

In addition to requesting copies of official documents, filling out loads of paperwork, obtaining a Portuguese bank account and more, you are required to apply in person in the US city with a Portuguese Consulate that is nearest to your tax residency. In our case, the designated city was  San Francisco, California.

To summarize, in order to apply for a long-term visa in Portugal, the four of us needed to fly from Europe (we were actually in Portugal at the time) to San Francisco for an in-person meeting that would only last about an hour. 

In early January, before few had predicted what would become the global pandemic we bought plane tickets to go to San Francisco. Since this is one of our favorite cities, we decided to stay a week and introduce it to the kids. At the end of the week, I would return to Portugal in order to get back to working in a European time zone while Mickelle and the kids would pop up to Seattle to visit family for another week. After a week in Seattle, they would return to Portugal where we’d officially set-up a home base for a year.

That was our plan in early January. It seemed pretty solid at the time, but the universe had other plans…

San Francisco

We arrived in San Fran just after the mayor declared a State of Emergency due to the Coronavirus. This was before the first case of the virus had even been detected in the city so everything was still open. It was business as usual for the city.

Our residency appointment went fine. It was uneventful and lasted about an hour.

While in the city we hit all the sites. Painted Ladies, Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman’s Wharf, Ghirardelli Square, etc. 

Family cable car ride. No one fell off….bonus!

Mick and Ela at the Painted Ladies

Tag chillin near the Golden Gate Bridge

The hands-down favorite site for Mick and I was Alcatraz. After the tour wrapped, Ela asked the Park Ranger a question. The Ranger thought it would be better to show us the answer instead of simply telling it to us. To do this, he took us to the original cell block of Alcatraz. It’s normally not open to the public. The volunteer ranger went above all expectations and made the event that much more meaningful for us and the kids. He even took our picture in the cell. This proves it always pays to ask questions. 

Photo from inside a cell in A-Block of Alcatraz

The kids’ favorite attraction was Pier 39, also known as the Sea Lion pier.

The kids watching the sea lions at Pier 39. They loved watching them fight and play.

After an amazing week in San Francisco, it was time to move on. By this time, the Coronavirus had picked up a little steam. A few people had died in the Seattle area but there was still not a whole lot known. Social distancing was not even a thing yet.

Mick and I decided that she and the kids would still go to Seattle. We recognized that things could escalate quickly but in the absence of more information we decided we would stick to our original plan. Plus canceling a trip to see family and friends is heartbreaking. She and the kids jumped on their flight to Seattle, and I jumped on mine to Portugal.

Six days later, on the eve of their flights back to Portugal, the US announced they were suspending all European travel into the US. Things had clearly escalated! 

Even though technically they could have rejoined me in Portugal it was clear we needed to rethink it. They would be flying out of Seattle (which at the time was the epicenter for the virus in the US), Ela had a slight cold, and the first leg of their flight had been canceled. I’m sure we could have pulled it off and rebooked their flights, but it was clear the risks were higher and the whole trip would have been quite the ordeal. We were also concerned that they might get stuck in either San Fran or London on the way back to Portugal. 

It was not a fun decision to make. We knew when we made it that it would result in at least 2 months before we’d see each other again. However, it was an easy decision. We were (and still are) healthy and safe. I had a place to stay in Portugal and they would be surrounded by family. It simply was not worth the risk.

So what have we been doing for the past 6+ weeks in lockdown?

Portugal

I returned to Portugal and began to set up our new apartment. We rented it before we left for San Francisco. Having a lease is actually a prerequisite for the visa application. Our new apartment is in an incredible community in the Algarve. 

Initially, when I arrived the family was going to join me in a week so my first order of business was to stock an empty pantry for a family of four. The run on toilet paper was not really a thing here but if it had been I’d be well-positioned. We have bidets in our new apartment.

I’m set if I run out of toilet paper

My unknown excess buying later proved fruitful since a week later Portugal would announce its own State of Emergency as well as social distancing guidelines. Like the rest of Europe and later the US, all non-essential businesses were ordered to stay closed until further notice. 

As of this writing, the ban has proven effective for most of Portugal. The majority of the cases have been in the Northern part of the country. All and all I’m impressed with how the country has responded to the pandemic up to this point.

So have I been bored being by myself in a new country during a State of Emergency? Surprisingly no.

Lonely yes (I miss Mick and the kids a ton and we talk daily), but I’ve not been bored. 

I’ve been working during the day and that keeps me plenty busy. In the evenings and on the weekends I’ve been doing things around our new apartment to spruce it up, reading, running, and exploring new hobbies. 

The community we live in sits right on the Atlantic Ocean and has an incredible beach that I walk or run daily. The community is filled with over a thousand vacation homes and has very few full-time residents. I’d guess the entire community is maybe 10% occupied right now and because of the State of Emergency people are not supposed to come here for a weekend getaway. As a result, I frequently have the beach to myself. 

There’s also a 36 hole golf course that is perfectly manicured and 100% closed to golfers. It’s surreal to jog the golf cart paths and not have to worry about being hit by a ball or sharing the path with a cart. 

For hobbies, I’ve recently taken up studying the tides, moon, stars, and weather here. It’s fascinating to have the time to explore and learn more about the environment with such isolation. 

Next up is to study a bit about the geology of the rocks and seashells I’ve been collecting from my walks along the beach. I’ve come across some interesting ones and my natural curiosity is drawing me in to learn more. 

A sampling of my latest finds

I’ll probably start studying the Portuguese language at some point. There are incredible resources online and I’m looking forward to checking them out.

In addition to having friends nearby, we have a thoughtful landlord that’s been checking in with me weekly via email, and a nice neighbor who told me about an organic fruit, veggie, and meat company that delivers to the apartment weekly.

This bounty was recently delivered to me. Score!

While I’d rather be enjoying the Algarve with the family, I’m not miserable or bored. I consider myself fortunate in that I have strong internet, wide-open beautiful land to explore, healthy food and plenty of side projects.

Seattle (written by Mickelle)

I miss my husband. A lot. However, we’re not miserable either. The kids and I are at my mother’s house. She traveled with us through Morocco and Egypt for three months last year so we already know we get along in small spaces through potentially stressful situations. My mother is one of my best friends and traveling makes me deeply appreciate the times we get to be together. This is no different. 

There’s no shortage of things for us to do either. Now that we’re establishing a home base in Europe, I’m going through our stored items finding our favorite kitchen gadgets, games, toys and clothing that can be taken by plane to Portugal. Yes, to Ken’s chagrin, I’m willing to pay for lots of extra luggage! Oh, the benefits of a home base. 

Additionally, Tag and I are visiting our rental home and taking care of overdue tasks. He’s helped me clean the roof and gutters. Not necessarily fun, but not horrible either, especially when there isn’t a whole lot else going on. 

As for homeschooling, we’re kind of doing that. Ela hasn’t had a break all year. Her online Biology class keeps her busy for multiple hours each week. That week in San Fran. Yeah, she had to make up everything she missed. As for Tag, I didn’t bring anything with us. In fact, all we brought were half-filled carry-on bags. Tag did take a class on the Coronavirus, has been working through different Khan Academy modules sponsored by Pixar, reads several hours a day and has been watching lots of documentaries at night. Everything counts in my book. 

Luckily the weather has been fantastic. I found the good ole croquet set and have been playing with the kids. My sister loaned us her bocce ball set. I discovered the kids know almost nothing about baseball (#kenfail) so we are teaching them to throw the ball and catch it in a mit. Homer, my mom’s dog, has never walked so much! Tag briefly helped me mow the lawn.

Ela working on her croquet skills #needsmorepractice

A classic game of rummikub with my Mom and the kids

On a nature walk with my mom

We’ve been traveling for almost 6 years. It’s nice to take a rest at our original home and hang out with the family, even when it has to be from 6 feet away. Grandma always has batches of our favorite cookies. Grandpa fixed up my bike and it’s ready to go. Aside from being apart from Ken, it’s nice being here. I don’t regret it. 

We were only 48 hours away from starting our year in one place. That’s the hard piece to swallow. 

What about our Residency Permit?

We don’t know the exact status of our residency permit. We know our application is in the Portuguese Embassy in San Francisco and that the city is currently under a Shelter in Place order until at least May 3rd. Our assumption is that our applications are sitting on a desk in the embassy waiting for people to be able to return to work. Until then we are in a state of limbo but we have high hopes. We promise a blog post announcing the outcome once we know the status with certainty.

Stay Safe

Mickelle, the kids and I are hopeful we’ll be reunited in 4-6 weeks but we’ll see. As we’ve seen, a lot can change in a short period of time. We feel it’s important to be conservative with our travel plans in order to be respectful of others and honor government guidelines (as well as to stay healthy).

We are surrounded (albeit virtually for me) by our friends and family and wish everyone reading this the same. Stay safe!