We had gotten the Moderna shot so now we would have to wait until our second appointment April 28 to get our second shot before we could head north. We had considered going north immediately but we had a few reasons for just hanging around Houston for a month. First, we are not sure about the availability of shots in other states, especially for non-residents. Second, we were applying for a new US health insurance coverage since our international plan excluded the US. It would not be effective until May 1 after which we could schedule a round of health checkups and dental visits. I found that thanks to the new Covid relief acts we would be eligible for a substantial subsidy for Obamacare dropping our health insurance premiums to zero. This greatly affects our ability to stay in the US since the retail cost of the plan would have been over $1,600 a month which is completely unaffordable compared to the $300 a month health insurance overseas. We would actually be saving money on our health insurance premiums by staying in the US which would help a little to offset increased costs in other areas such as eating out and entertainment. Finally, we were frankly exhausted from our fast packing and driving. We had also considered perhaps driving around Texas or even a quick trip to Louisiana for a month before returning to get our shot in Benham but we figured it was enough fun just being back In the US and we just did not feel like spending more time driving around.
We rented a spot for a month at the Highway 6 RV resort which was a very nice place with many amenities such as pool, clubhouse, computer room, pool table, laundry, exercise room and even a private fishing pond. At $645 a month plus electricity charge with full hookups it wasn’t too expensive. We plan to just hang around Houston, enjoying the American life, doing some maintenance on Rover and homeschooling Olivia in preparation for several months of travelling around the US for the rest of the year. We look forward to getting some good American and Chinese food too.
