Pandemic 3.0

Published September 12, 2021

Wow, it has been a very long time since I’ve shared what’s going on with me and my adventure doggo, Ozzie. Well, long story short, we’re back in the United States. Actually, as I write this, Ozzie is back, I’m in flight and Ruby Jeep is scheduled for departure.

Last I left you, the old man dog had passed away. I need to admit that was enough for me in a long year of being strong. I know people lost human family but Booker was my most present family for 15 years, human or not.  I didn’t want to do much, I didn’t want to share what I was going through, I just didn’t wanna. So I didn’t. I withdrew further into my isolation, I embraced my Ozzie dog. I mourned for my Bubby dog, I mourned for a year that broke my goals of self-sufficiency, I mourned for the unknown to come. 

I worried about a decision I had made at the end of 2020 to stay at my house in Spain despite being past the 90/180 days allowed as a tourist stay in the Schengen zone. I had made the decision to stay in order to prioritize the health and safety of me and my dogs. I felt confident that, given the extenuating circumstances, it would be accepted by the relevant authorities at a later date, but you still worry that perhaps it won’t be forgiven.

Meanwhile, Spain was vaccinating everyone in their territory regardless of residency status, and doing it for free. I found out what I needed to do in order to be included - be registered with our local town council, get a temporary, limited access National Health Number and then go for my appointments. Spain uses a national health system that is implemented locally so they are able to see the big picture while letting regions adjust per their unique situations . Admittedly the roll out was messy but once they got the bumps worked out it was incredibly simple. I received both appointments  at the same time for my two doses, each a couple weeks apart. They were administered at a local bus depot turned vax center, easy peasy. Then all I had to do was sign into the central health website to access my vaccine certificate which I could then print, download, save to a mobile app, etc. So many great, rational processes that the USA should study and learn from.

I should mention that while I mourned all of the aforementioned, it didn’t keep me down. I’m a fighter, I’m resilient and I’m stubborn. One of the things that gave me comfort was designing for print-on-demand websites. I continued to learn new skills, new technology and techniques. I learned more and more about a world of design I’d never really thought about before, and I fell in love. There is a person, an artist, behind all of the decorative items you buy, from wallpaper and wrapping paper to fabric for home textiles or quilting, and so much more. I could be that person. I will be that person. In a few months time I have taught myself Adobe Illustrator, Procreate for iPad, how to make seamless pattern repeats in standard grid, half drop, brick and hex formats both manually and via design tools. I have found flaws in my workflow and overcome. I have created a portfolio of surface pattern designs that I am really proud of. (You can see it at www.flosaquaedesigns.com) Do I know everything? Heck no! Do I look forward to a new career path that lets me create for a living? Heck yeah! Am I excited to continue to learn and grow? Always!

Spain ultimately cancelled their state of emergency in early May 2021 after six months of internal, regional borders being closed and movement being restricted between provinces where I was in Andalucia. For example, I was unable to travel the short distance to a favorite shopping town because it was in the neighboring province. Once the state of emergency ended, it was a matter of identifying my options on how to reset my visa, which were clear as mud. In one statement a country sounded open for travel, in the next they were deporting people at the border. Fall/Autumn of 2020 in the USA had been a mess with the country being the worst in the world for infections and deaths, however, 2021 was showing promise with vaccinations. I wondered daily, “do I stay or do I go?”

Eventually I decided it was time to go. Weeks had worn on from the end of the state of emergency and I was creeping up on one year of being past my visa expiration. The rule follower in me was freaking out, even fully aware that these were unusual times. Back to the United States it was decided, which would allow me to reset my Schengen days, apply for long term residency in Spain and pick up some work so I could replenish a savings that took a beating having been out of work twice as long as anticipated. But first I needed to get Ozzie back safely and determine the feasibility of shipping Ruby Jeep too.

Early quotes from American companies to ship Ozzie home made the whole venture seem unattainable. The first quote I received was for over $8,000.00. You read that right, eight-freaking-thousand-dollars for one dog. The next was over six thousand, nearly $7,000. Both were for door-to-door service which is what I had used to send the boys to London in early 2018. That shipment cost the same as the second quote but for two dogs, not just one. They layered in extra fees, some weren’t even all that transparent about why their prices were nearly triple pre-pandemic rates. Then I found a Spanish company that specialized in pet relocation and guess what? Their prices were closer to what I expected. I didn’t get the full VIP service and had to manage some bits myself but they did pick up Ozzie, house him at kennels in Madrid for four nights, manage his export from Spain, purchase of flights and transfer in Frankfurt, Germany. All I had to do was take him to the vet to get his health certification for export and make sure my brother could collect him at his final destination in America. They charged me $2,200.00, most of which was the cost of the flight. So I think the evidence points squarely at American companies taking advantage of the situation by as much as $6,000 per contract. Shame on them. And don’t give me b.s. about recouping losses, the pandemic hit globally not uniquely to America and yet this Spanish company maintained fair pricing.

Ruby is also on her way back to the United States. I’m excited for her arrival so we can start a new road trip / overlanding adventure to replace the one abandoned last year. Her shipping drama revolved less around price and more around just getting a response and clear timeline from people. The sea freight industry has been hit especially hard, with fewer routes open and COVID restrictions making things more complex and fluid daily. Eventually though, dates got sorted, she got picked up and now is awaiting her shipping date.

Which brings me to today, September 8, 2021, the day I was finally able to leave the EU and get back on the right side of visa issues. I arrived at the terminal in Madrid unsure of what questions I may get or how severely my overstay would be received. The airport was far emptier for a Wednesday morning than in prior years and I walked up to the passport counter with only a smattering of other passengers around. I handed over my passport to the border agent, told him good morning and received no reply nor a direct look my way. He simply opened my passport to an available page, stamped my exit and sent me on my way without a word. Took all of ten seconds. He didn’t scan my passport, he didn’t check my prior stamps, nope, he just stamped it, handed it back and I was off. After months of worry it was a relief to be through without penalty. (Note: please do not try this in normal times because I highly doubt you’d get the same response. Always respect the laws, conditions and requirements of the country allowing you entry.) My flight to New York was uneventful, the airport experience, however, was night and day to Madrid. JFK airport was bustling with people everywhere. I braced myself for culture shock. The final leg of my journey was NYC to Seattle and again was uneventful. By this time, I had been up for nearly 24 hours and was bone tired. But I made it safe and sound.

Now that I'm back in the States, it's a matter of settling in for the wait for Ruby to arrive. And getting reacclimatized to a country I haven't lived in for nearly four years, I haven't even visited in roughly three years. Running errands the other day felt bizarre. Everything was familiar yet odd, almost as if it weren't real. I'm sure that feeling will wear off soon. In the meantime, I'm masking up as required and taking one day at a time.

Stay safe out there!