The U.S. Armed Forces in Europe require that U.S. servicemembers and dependents comply with host-nation child safety seat laws. According to the European Commission, member states must enforce child safety seat laws with the minimum requirements.
Congratulations! Your orders are in, and you have one of the military's coveted "good deals": Hawaii, Germany, Japan. Your friends are jealous as you imagine all kinds of travel, food, and new adventures.
Many organizations in the civilian world value your experience, skills, work ethic and training as a servicemember. You'll find that a number of military-friendly employers are committed to hiring veterans.
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 colorful, but military housing is not! Your rental or on-base housing will most likely pair light beige carpeting with white walls to create a 360-degree panorama of ho-hum.
Italian pharmacies, or “farmacie,” is a place you will need to be accustomed to when living in Italy. They are the first stop if you have a cold or an upset stomach. There are no chain pharmacies in Italy, but farmacie are universally recognizable by the green plus-sign.
Having major surgery, an unforeseen illness or debilitating injury can often lead to a hospital stay followed by a lengthy recuperation at home. Often these types of recoveries leave patients homebound or restricted in movement.
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.
Birthing our second child, with the exceptional support of San Bortolo Hospital and our Vicenza Health Community, is an experience we will always cherish. Birthing a child, while navigating living abroad as well as a global pandemic, requires trust in the resources and community around you.
Mentors aren’t just for active-duty members. Having a military spouse mentor can be an incredibly valuable gift. They can help you navigate your way through this unpredictable and sometimes chaotic lifestyle.
Whether you’ve been in Europe for a while now or you’re a newcomer, knowing the drill of keeping up with friends and family in different time zones is tricky. Lining up the perfect time in both locations is hard when you’re on different schedules than each other.
If you are a spouse of a servicemember or DOD employee, moving to an overseas location is commonly thought to mean certain death for your career prospects upon arriving. This grim assumption does not have to be true. Here are a few tips to ease your career transition when you move to Europe.
If you ever moved, you know some items magically go to that dark abyss where only socks from the dryer go, never to be found again. Or maybe you unpack your DVD player and find it in several pieces. Both scenarios mean filing insurance claims for damaged or missing items.
