Rookie Navy Wife Seeking Advice

vallysue

I just got married last summer and my husband and I were transferred from DC to Monterey, California.  My job in DC was nothing short of demanding and stressful, so I welcomed the thought of moving west and slowing down a little bit.  Now we've been here for three weeks and I'm going stir crazy.  I've been anxiously applying for jobs and nothing has come through yet.  We don't have any children or a pet, so I spend most of the day alone in our apartment.  What's funny is I figured that my husband's deployments would be the hardest part of the military lifestyle.  Now I'm thinking that being jobless and friendless is possibly worse, or at least a really close second.  

Any suggestions from more veteran military wives as to how I can fill my abundant free time?  There are only so many meals I can cook for myself in the middle of the day.

kyrgyzstan

When I graduated college and couldn't find a job straightaway, I was losing my mind, so I started dedicating a lot to my fitness. It helped fill some of the boredom until I found a couple jobs, and Monterey is a beautiful place. Have you explored near the area? I'd take day trips to all the awesome state parks around you (while you still can, since some are likely closing, which is so sad).

AF_EOD_wife

Volunteer! On base, out in the community, wherever. If you have some sort of skill (accounting, legal, teaching, etc) see if there are services that help low income people receive assistance at low or no cost to them from volunteers. I volunteered a ton when I couldn't find a job (I totally feel your pain, I spent months unemployed when we were stationed in England) and it helped a ton that I didn't have a huge gap in my resume. Yes, it wasn't a salaried/paying job, but it was me going out a few days a week and being with the human race.

Good luck, we've just moved ourselves and it's super hard to find a job and make friends. Also, I talked to a counselor to sort through my feelings. I started resenting DH a little because he was able to go right into his shop and meet loads of people who shared his interests and had similar experiences while I was stuck at home with the dog, hugely pregnant, and no household goods. It wasn't pretty. Know that you are not alone! 

Kendraish

 I agree with the other posts.  Start exploring the area, you live in a beautiful area, try getting out of the house and to the gym and that will help motivate you to start doing lots of other things.  You can always try classes so you can meet people while you work out.  Try volunteering in the field (or close to it) that you want to work in, it will help you meet people and find out about jobs!! Good luck.

Britt&Allan

I actually just live across the bay from you! It's hard to find a job around here, but the area is so gorgeous and you can never go wrong just exploring. And definitely look into volunteering. There are so many volunteer programs around here.

Beachy730

Other than work, what other things did you do in DC that you miss?  Before moving here I played in all different sports leagues, and really missed that.  I started looking on Craigslist and found a soccer team to join, and it made me a feel so much better having something to do every week that I looked forward to.

Also you could try looking on meetup.com for people with similar interests to you that you could meet.  I know people on different boards have found book clubs, supper clubs, and kitting groups on there to join, among other things.  

Like PPs said, I would really just try and get out and explore the area.  You'll be surprised at where and when you can meet people.  I met my first really  close friend here when we were both out walking our dogs and bumped into each other.