We flew back to Austria last week and all went well!
Currently, to enter Austria from the USA, American citizens with a visa must have passed the PCR COVID-19 test or quarantine for 10 days. So the day before we flew, Brian, Ellie and I took the PCR test (only those 7 and up needed to test according to the Austrian Health Department). We were tested outside the hospital, in our car, in Steubenville. I didn't think the test was painful at all. I would best describe it as a "tickle" in my nose. Ellie only teared up briefly at the end, and was fine on the drive home (it helped that we bought her a llama diary as a reward :) So that was a relief. We got our results that evening - we were all negative. That was also a great relief!
In the airports and on the airplanes all adults must wear masks, unless actively eating or drinking. We were given sanitizing wipes to wipe down our seats as we boarded the plane. We're told the planes are being thoroughly cleaned after each flight, so this was just an added precaution. Even Clare was great at wiping down her area :)
Our domestic flight from Pittsburg to Dulles (Washington DC) was nearly full. We had a short layover and then flew to Vienna. Our flight was about 70% full. A lot of families were on our flight. We had an entire row for our family. This meant we were again able to bring Clare's infant carseat on the plane -- which was amazing!!! Because it means she can sleep in it and that I could put her down for meals - which was awesome as it was an overnight flight. And she did indeed sleep a fair amount! After eating dinner and watching some shows, our older three slept as well - with the help of some melatonin :) The two seats were open in front of me, so we moved Francis there and each of our kids had two seats to themselves, so they could spread out and sleep well.
Upon arrival, which was 8am in Vienna (but felt like 2am - the time in Steubenville), we filled out paperwork and got in a line for those who had taken the PCR test. Everything looked good and we were informed that Brian, Ellie and I did not need to quarantine. However, they said our younger three did. The attendant told us he knew this didn't make any sense. And we know that is not what the Austrian Health Department is requiring (Brian had called twice to find out what we needed to do). So we moved on, through the passport/visa check, collected our bags, and were picked up by our neighbor for our two hour drive home.
The older kids pretty much stayed awake all day! We went to the pool and met most of our neighbors/friends there!! That night the older kids all slept through the night! I guess pure exhaustion will do that to you! Clare was up 11:30pm-2:15am, and then slept til morning. The second night - not so great. Ellie and Francis woke up at 1am and could not fall back asleep. Luckily, they're old enough they could play by themselves downstairs without waking the rest of us. Isaac joined them sometime between 4-5am. Clare slept through the night. These first days, Brian and I have taken turns napping/sleeping - so there's normally someone "on duty" while they kids are awake. Today (Sunday), we all went to 10am Mass at the Kartause, and left after Communion as Isaac and Francis were falling asleep. The 3 older kids went down for a nap and woke up a few hours later. Tonight they all went to bed around 10pm. I'm hoping they make it through the night; we'll see!
We definitely miss all our family and friends in the USA, but it's great to be home!
Students are unable to study abroad in Gaming this semester. So we'll see what the future holds!
