From the Frying Pan into the Fire

Three lessons learned from moving continents in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic

During the early hours of March 12, I was awoken from a deep slumber by what sounded like a fire alarm ringing in my ear. It was my sister in Louisiana calling me in Switzerland at 2:30am to inform me that President Trump had just announced a travel ban to the United States from Europe starting at midnight the next day. At first, my sleep-addled brain couldn’t comprehend what she was saying. But then I started to connect the dots and realized that all the plans I had made for my family’s imminent return to the U.S. after 2.5 years on international assignment in Europe were up in the air. We were scheduled to fly from Zürich to Seattle in two days – the day after the new travel ban was supposed to go into effect. We didn’t know at this point whether U.S. citizens would be allowed entry to the country or what to expect once we got there.

I was suddenly wide awake, and the adrenaline kicked in. I quickly called and changed our flights – then the race was on to finish packing up our entire apartment before we departed for the airport that morning. I sent out desperate texts for help, and I will be forever grateful to our dear friends in Zürich who showed up with coffee in hand at first light to send us off and then managed all the moving logistics for us while we flew from Switzerland to our new home in the Pacific Northwest (we owe you big time!).

My husband describes our move as going from the frying pan into the fire. Why? Because we moved from Zürich, which is only 3 hours from the border of northern Italy where COVID-19 had already started its rampage, to King County in Washington state, which is the epicenter of the initial outbreak in the U.S. What were we thinking? In hindsight, I’m grateful that we were able to leave Europe when we did and to move into our new home just before the state-wide lockdown went into place. A day or two later, and we could’ve been stuck in limbo, without a valid visa to stay in Switzerland or the ability to move to the U.S.

This was certainly a unique experience – not life or death like many people on the front lines are going through right now – but something that’s taught me some valuable lessons which cross over into my work life.

1. Agility - Use the best information you have, even if it’s limited, and then trust your instincts to make fast decisions. In an emergency, there’s no time to waste second guessing yourself and waiting for direction. Not knowing whether we would be allowed to return to the U.S. was certainly a shock, but I quickly assessed that trying to change to an earlier flight was our best chance of making it back. I’m lucky that I called the airline right away (the representative wasn’t even aware of the travel ban yet), as getting flights to the U.S. became increasingly difficult for people as things progressed. In our day-to-day business, it’s important to remain agile to enable fast decision making when critical situations arise.
2. Resilience - When the going gets tough, stay positive. The whole experience was unexpected and overwhelming, but I knew I needed to stay focused on our end goal and not to get too distracted by the “what if” questions. Knowing what you’re working towards helps to keep you motivated and put things in perspective when they seem out of control. Focus on what you can control, not the things you can’t.
3. Give yourself a break – During moments of high stress, remember to take care of yourself. As the “planner” in the family, having a wrench thrown into my well-laid plans was extremely stressful. For anyone who’s navigated a major move, you know how many details there are to keep track of and different services and stakeholders to manage. Rather than succumbing to the stress, remind yourself that you’re doing the best you can and take a deep breath. (Let’s just say that my Calm meditation app has gotten an intense workout throughout this transition!)   

I’m thankful for my health and the extra time I’m getting to spend with my family, and I’m incredibly grateful to all the front line medical professionals risking their lives every day to save others. I’m also hopeful for what the future holds in a post-pandemic world. In the words of J.R.R. Tolkien, “From the ashes, a fire shall be woken, a light from the shadows shall spring…”