Home sweet home... on lock down

Hi Everyone,

We didn't forget you, we just didn't take the time to write on our website in the last few months. The main reason why : we were in deny after coming back to Belgium... Bu also, the big comeback we were so excited about was not at all as we expected... We were actually quite lucky in all this worldwide mess : the lock down happened on the exact date just after the end of our trip.

The last three days at Miami were a little stressful because we knew that the whole Covid situation could have a impact on our return flights. On the day of our departure, the hostel we were staying in closed, and so did many other local places. The authorities had started to close a lot of places and attractions, for example, the parks of Universal studios and Disney World. Worried about the delays and the lines at the airport in Miami, we arrived four hours before the takeoff and we were not the only one to come so early. Good thing we are both patient and had many activities to keep us busy !

Our first flight was Miami – Lisbon and it was wonderful : the plane was only half full so we had a lot of space (at least two seats per person). When we landed in Lisbon, it was more of a mess. We should have had only two hours between the two flights so we were in a rush. But after landing, I saw on the screens that our flight to Brussels was canceled. After one hour chasing the flight attendants, we finally were told that we only have a flight six hours later. So we found a quiet place in the airport and both took a nap (I was actually sleeping on the floor) before boarding our final plane (which was also only half full).

Finally we arrived at Brussels !! Home sweet home !! Eli's parents picked us up at the airport (big hug and happy times) to go to my parents house for a big Tartiflette with a lot of good cheeses (wonderful, we had missed the taste of real cheese !).

We spend such a great evening together, eating, drinking and celebrating our return ! ... and our engagement !

The next day, right before the major lock down in Belgium, we were also lucky to spend some time with Eli's friends around a delicious brunch !!

And now, what are we doing ? That's a good question...

For my part, I knew I was going to have to look for a job, but first, I took two weeks off, to rest, relax and enjoy myself ! Now, i'm actively search for a job... and it's not very easy during these hard times but I'm already in at least 8 interim agencies so I hope all my dedication will work. Other than that, I have worked a lot in Eli's mom's garden, I spend a lot of time outside and I ride my bike as often as possible !

For Eli, even before starting the trip, she was unsure about what career path she wanted to pursue. But when we were in Nova Scotia she found out that maybe Web development could be a good idea. While we were staying at Nashville, Tn, she applied for a school in web development in Brussels and she got the job... eh the class :)

Now she follows what they called a bootcamp : a 9 weeks super intensive training course to become a full-stack web developer. So she has long long days (usually between 9 and 11 hours of coding/day) and is sometimes a bit overwhelmed by the code and the process. But in less than three weeks, she will be done and hopes to find a job quite fast... She'll be my sugar mommy.

We also grow some vegetables, go biking together, play board games and spend time enjoying ourselves on our beautiful balcony :)

That was a recap of our lives since we've been back...

But to be honest, our feelings are a bit more complex.

Of course, we are really happy to be back. But the lock down made it harder for us to feel like home : we haven't had the chance to see our friends and families, nor to celebrate our return and our engagement. Plus, we're in between houses right now (staying at Eli's parents, but without our stuff packed in my parents' basement...

And often, when we skype and call, the major topic of the conversations is the Covid... and we sometimes feel like we don't have the opportunity to share our amazing experiences... It's a pity, but it's nobody's fault but that darn virus, stealing the spotlight !!! We just have to be patient and hope we'll have the chance to chat about our beautiful adventure more when everyone's lives are back to normal... Fingers crossed !! :D