Willkommen in Deutschland! Welcome to Germany! If you’ve recently arrived, your head may be spinning from a combination of jetlag and the sheer amount of information coming your way. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Moving overseas is a big change with a lot of moving pieces.
Shopping on the economy can be exciting for many, but it can also leave you feeling pretty lost trying to navigate through the foreign language and different customs.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders arrive and the flurry of moving begins. It’s a time of excitement, anticipation and preparations. One of the best investments you can make is to plan ahead of time for the costs associated with a move.
On our first morning after arriving in Germany, my sleep-deprived husband and I stumbled into the commissary to buy some much-needed coffee. With our bag in hand, we went to the register unaware that our purchase would soon be declined. Why? Not because we lacked funding, but a ration card.
Living in England has its perks — stunning castles and palaces, rolling green hills and beautiful countryside, only being a stone’s throw from London, and of course, not having to learn a completely new language as an adult.
Turn your permanent change of station into a trip full of memories by making sure you hand carry important items. Keep those irreplaceable items with you — not with the mover. Don't forget anything. Double-check it, and then check it again.
In America, breaking a mirror is said to bring seven years of bad luck, while knocking on wood prevents such luck. Curious to know what superstitions Europeans believe in? Check out this list and see if you see the locals adhere to these rules during your travels!
When military life takes you away from home, you and your family can use an absentee ballot and ensure your voices are heard on Election Day. It only takes a few quick steps to cast your vote no matter where you are in the world:
Getting Started with Absentee Voting
When space-available health services at MTFs are not available for U.S. citizens living in Germany, patients may be referred to host-nation providers. Or, if you are a DOD civilian or contractor, receiving treatment at a MTF may not be an option and you must seek treatment on the economy.
When you first move to Germany, you are completely overwhelmed with the new place, new culture and new language. It’s a bit intimidating to say the least.
Military life is such a transient one. We move every three to five years, which sometimes leaves spouses looking for a new job just as often. This can be extremely challenging!
When you think of Italy, it’s easy for the mind to wander first to images of rolling hills in Tuscany, romantic canals in Venice and the summery seascapes of the Amalfi Coast.
I walked through the rooms of our Texas home as if in a daze. My husband had presented me with orders to an OCONUS duty station a few days before, and I was trying to imagine what our furnishings might look like in European house.
Between the jetlag, sleep-deprived family members and for some, anxious pets, the journey to your new overseas duty station is perhaps not as organized as it ought to be. Ideally, this would never happen, but let’s be real. PCSing to another country is stressful and often times difficult.
