Long time no blog! I’m using this quarantine period to get back into journaling and blogging. It’s a fun way to keep both you and me entertained. You might feel like you’ve missed a whole season of updates, but I’ll do my best to catch you up. In the meantime, stay safe and wash your hands.
It’s Day 3. Yesterday was a bit stressful because there were rumors going around the campground that we might get kicked out and it would close completely this week. We already had to move from one of the three campgrounds available to military families in San Diego because it closed. The other two belong to the same base, so if one closes, the other probably will too, which means we could end up on the streets.
I’ve been thinking about our options. Right now, we’re on beautiful Coronado Island, and the campground has its own beach on the bay. The front beach on the ocean is used for Navy SEAL training, so it can be odd hearing choppers and gunfire. But other than that, it’s the best place we could be during this time.
Our RV is perfect for self-quarantine. The gate is closed and can only be accessed with FOBs. All the families here are friendly, and there are just 48 of us compared to over 200 in big RV parks. The cost is $40 a night, which adds up to $1,200 a month with no discounts. While that might seem steep, a similar civilian place would charge much more, plus extra for electricity and other utilities. And we’d be crammed in with hundreds of people.
If this campground closes, we’ve checked out another, bigger civilian campground by Sea World. It’s around $1,400 a month, and they have additional fees for dogs and other extras that can quickly inflate the bill. However, it has a nice bay area with plenty of room for the dogs to roam.
Northern California has already closed recreational RV parks to new arrivals and those not staying for at least 30 nights. So, I’m worried that if our current place closes, this option might not be available in time. Another potential option is a rundown trailer park by the highway. It’s noisy, isolated, and lacks any greenery, but it’s only $850 a month and just a 10-minute drive to David’s work.
We’ve also talked about renting a furnished apartment during the virus outbreak, which would cost around $2,300 or more, based on David’s previous experience with apartment rentals in San Diego. But moving to an apartment could complicate things. Some friends in Europe are on lockdown in apartments, and life is much harder when you can’t enjoy outdoor spaces like a garden or a beach we currently have.
Another idea is to take the RV a couple of hours out of town to park on national forest land or public land for free. I’d stay there with the dogs while David rents a place in town. This plan has its own set of issues, like my safety and accessibility. David’s base has a $40/night hotel, but they’re not accepting guests now. Plus, we couldn’t stay there together because of the dogs.
I’ve asked David to keep his leave days available in case we need to spend a few weeks out of town together. I can’t go to my houses in Guatemala because the country is on lockdown, and locals are becoming increasingly hostile toward foreigners. My house in Colorado is also not a viable option as it’s snowed-in and lacks windows, making it unsafe and impractical.
As a French citizen, there’s an option to be repatriated to France and stay at my grandparents’ empty apartment. I’d quarantine for 14 days and then see my family if I’m okay. But this option could affect my green card petition, which has already cost me a lot of money and headaches. Plus, leaving the dogs with David might be risky if he gets posted somewhere and can’t take care of them.
As you can imagine, it’s quite stressful not feeling secure about where we’ll live, but we do have options. Financial independence gives us choices, even if they aren’t easy. So while our housing situation during this crisis is uncertain, it’s not fragile.