This spring of 2020 was supposed to be a beautiful moment of reunion for us. It is the ideal season to visit Italy and we were looking forward to hosting our friends with lots of plans in our heads. But no one could foresee the global crisis that would come with Covid. Let alone that Italy would become the most severely affected country in Europe and even that eventually the whole planet would be isolated. Touristic air transport is paralyzed, our friends are not coming. But that’s not all, I too had a trip planned for this spring, in the other direction: towards Canada!
I was planning on being there to support my daughter for the birth of their first baby. She lives in Newfoundland. I knew it wasn't going to be easy, but I was willing to fight to the bone to make it happen even under these difficult circumstances...
Like everyone else seeing that the situation was deteriorating, I decided to move forward my flight to Canada: I would leave a month earlier.
This trip was going to be a real obstacle course, becoming more and more complicated every day as the crisis worsened. First destination: Kingston, Ontario at my eldest daughter's house with her little family for my first confinement.
At that time, the Covid situation was still evolving in Canada (although not as bad as in Italy). Coming from a high-risk area, I was already aware of all the hygiene rules required to protect my family and my grandchildren. It is with great joy, but constantly on the lookout, that I was able to enjoy the presence of my three and five year old grandsons.
Within merely a few days of my arrival, the daycare centers and schools closed, allowing me to see more of them than I could ever have hoped for. During my stay, I was also planning to see my mother, but since she lives in a seniors' residence, restrictions, to preserve their health and well-being, had to be respected. So no visits were allowed.
It really saddened me to be in Canada and yet not be able to spend time with her. However, like everyone else, I got around that by using virtual meetings on Skype. Surprisingly, the technology didn't act as a stopgap, but rather, it was a great way for me to stay in touch and even get closer to my loved ones. This is still not normal life and we all know that. I was hanging in there because I knew there were still obstacles to overcome to get to Newfoundland.
How do I get there? As my stay progresses, the conditions become more and more strict, including for domestic flights. I feared that with the evolution of the outbreak my travel would become impossible, so once again, I moved my next flight to Newfoundland ahead of schedule. Luckily, my spouse was helping me with the complicated logistics of my travels. This was yet another complication and an additional expense! Arriving in Newfoundland: second confinement!
Again, no hugs allowed and distance is mandatory. It's not easy for a mother to give that up, but these are mandatory measures. My daughter was in her last trimester of pregnancy so we are both extra vigilant. No risk should be taken. Once the confinement is over, the only outings my daughter and I allow ourselves are walks in the fresh air.
Baby Benjamin Luc came at 41 weeks of pregnancy. Only the father was allowed alongside his wife for the birth. I could not see the baby until the next day and through the hospital window. Access to the hospital was extremely restricted.
Despite the glass barrier, I finally saw him! What a marvel! How I wish I could have hugged my daughter and held my grandson...
He's so handsome and radiant with health. I couldn’t even be there when he left the hospital. A nurse accompanied my daughter and the baby while her husband had to wait in the car! The imposed distance makes everything strange. Love remains, as if suspended, and finds other ways...
Like with those friendly neighbors who came to congratulate the new parents and welcome the little baby... through the window. Beautiful gestures of friendship and solidarity. During the rest of my stay at my daughter's house, I help her as much as I can by preparing small dishes for her. Then comes departure time. It's always heartbreaking, but as a military wife, I've gotten into the habit of saying "See you next time" to ease the sadness of separation. I was leaving behind my daughter and her firstborn, both healthy, so it makes the departure less painful.
Overall, I will have spent 2 months in Canada. It was time to return and I was very much looking forward to seeing my husband Darrel back in Naples. We both had to be resilient for that bit too. Finding a flight back to Italy was a real military mission. Once again, I am fortunate to share my life with a colonel who knows how to deal with crisis situations. At the height of the pandemic in Canada, there were very few flights to Europe. Flights from Newfoundland were also extremely limited: only one flight from St. John's, Newfoundland to Montreal! My patience was tested throughout that journey, with endless stopovers in deserted airports: St-John's-Montreal (11-hour stopover) Montreal-Frankfort (8-hour stopover) Frankfort-Rome. For this return trip, the pandemic also required bundles of additional documents to enter the country, including my residence permit and the "self-declaration" letter that I presented upon arrival in Frankfurt and Rome. After all these hours of flying and waiting, I get worried: what if I have a fever? But everything goes very well and I breathe a big sigh of relief!
Finally, I arrive in Rome where my husband is waiting for me with open arms and we hit the road for two hours with all the papers in hand. It is almost unimaginable that after all these constraints, I still have one more ordeal left: a third and final confinement at home for 14 days. Nevertheless, I am at home with my husband. Even limited to our four walls, with my garden and my flowers it's already a little lighter. I can say that there is a certain return to normal. As they say in Italy: Andra tutto bene: everything's going to be all right.