It’s been a while since my last blog! During this quarantine, I’ve decided to revisit my habit of journaling and blogging, speaking directly to you through a first-person narrative to keep both of us entertained. It might seem like you’ve missed a few updates—or perhaps a whole season! I’ll try to catch you up along the way. In the meantime, stay safe and remember to wash your hands.
Today marks day 45 of quarantine. It feels like this has been dragging on forever. Yes, we’re lucky to be on a sunny beach in San Diego, with my spouse and our two Great Danes, but it still feels tough.
I’ve hit a serious case of cabin fever. While walking on the beach today, managing both dogs on a leash, they suddenly bolted towards another dog that wasn’t on a leash. I couldn’t hold them and ended up dropping the leashes, which terrified the other dog’s owners. I apologized repeatedly as they scolded me while walking away.
When we got back home, all the built-up frustration from the past weeks came bubbling up. I’m annoyed that I have to leash the dogs because of U.S. regulations. The same daily walk routine where others let their dogs roam freely while I struggle to control mine is irritating. Being stuck in 300 square feet during a stay-at-home order is exhausting. Additionally, my visa has expired, and without travel authorization from my green card, I can’t leave the country.
I hate being told what to do, especially when it feels like a restriction on my freedom. Since 2003, I’ve been able to travel freely around the world, and now it feels so restrictive.
After getting married, I applied for a green card to extend my stay beyond the six-month tourism visa (B1/B2). Unfortunately, USCIS closed just two days before my first green card interview. By now, I should have had a travel authorization and work permit. That work permit would have given me a social security number, enabling me to build credit instead of piggybacking on my husband’s card.
One idea was to get a job in the U.S. to access credit and potentially invest in real estate. Now, I’m a tax resident, and it’s frustrating that the IRS can easily find and tax me on my worldwide income, yet immigration can’t issue a green card.
I recently checked my USCIS account and saw that a letter sent to our P.O. box couldn’t be delivered three weeks ago. I worry that missing this correspondence might affect my application. We can’t receive mail at the RV park, and the base post office was closed due to a COVID outbreak among staff.
I have an online profile requesting email notifications for any updates, but it seems I missed the email. The internet in the RV is painfully slow, which doesn’t help.
Part of reaching financial independence was to avoid dealing with institutions and people imposing rules I disagree with. The bright side is that I can afford not to work. I can’t imagine how others who need their work permits are coping, especially since they might not get chances to visit family for a long time after they get their permits.
Before COVID, marriage-based green card applications took about a year to process. If I’ve lost 3-4 months due to closures, it might be next summer before I can visit France. That would mean almost three years without seeing family and friends since I didn’t visit last summer.
My last trip was in late 2018. In 2019, I had a flight to Paris but chose to stay in Guatemala and Colorado for the summer, avoiding winter travel due to the bad weather. Now France seems like it won’t reopen borders for several more months.
Although I could technically return to France since they can’t deny entry to their citizens, I would need a travel authorization to guarantee re-entry into the U.S., which is risky.
It’s like the story of Bluebeard, where the princess is given all keys but obsessively wants to open the forbidden door. Getting away sounds like a perfect escape from my husband’s work drama, neighborhood issues, and adult responsibilities. I’m eyeing nearby national parks for a short escape soon. It’s better than nothing.