Military Nesties
Smudges*Mom
member
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Needing advice. . . (PCS related)
So, it appears that we are going to be PCSing to Ger.many in a few months. This was *never* on our radar screen. We thought we were headed to Central Vir.ginia. Nope. DH has his RFO and we are waiting on his orders, so things can still change, but that doesn't seem likely.
I am equal parts excited and terrified. I am embracing the experience for all it can be, but the truth is that this is entirely outside of my comfort zone. We are working through the things we know about. For those of you who have PCSed overseas, what do I/we need to know that we might not know about?
I am excited for the opportunities that this provide for our family! It is cool to think that after the assignment is complete, LO will have spent half of his life in another country. Now, if only I could click my heels three times and have the move completed already!
I am equal parts excited and terrified. I am embracing the experience for all it can be, but the truth is that this is entirely outside of my comfort zone. We are working through the things we know about. For those of you who have PCSed overseas, what do I/we need to know that we might not know about?
I am excited for the opportunities that this provide for our family! It is cool to think that after the assignment is complete, LO will have spent half of his life in another country. Now, if only I could click my heels three times and have the move completed already!
Warning
No formatter is installed for the format bbhtml
Re: Needing advice. . . (PCS related)
I'm so excited for you! Germany is an awesome opportunity. I hope we have the chance to get there someday.
As for the move, if you don't already have them, apply for passports for all of you, including DS, now.
You have a cat, right? The USDA website should have the information you need about exporting the cat, but you will also need to talk to the German consulate in DC (or NY, but you're in DC) about importing the cat. We had to go to the Egyptian embassy in NY and get paperwork signed by the ambassador before we could import our dog.
When you get your sponsor, ask if your housing will have voltage converters. We didn't know that we were going to have them, so we left all our appliances at home (mostly kitchen stuff and my sewing machine) when we could have brought them. Also ask if your housing is furnished or not.
JPPSO will have info on your weight allowances for what you can ship, which are different for overseas PCSes. We were allowed to bring 3,000lbs of stuff (DH is O-3) and we were authorized long-term storage for the remainder of our stuff. If your place doesn't come furnished you will probably be allowed to bring more stuff. Since our place came furnished we only brought clothes, linens, kitchen stuff, books, etc. No furniture.
Also look into getting an international driver's license through AAA. You may still need to get a German license when you get there (I don't know Germany's regulations) but having the international license will make that easier. You may not even need the German license if you have the international.
They will ship one car for you, so if you have two decide which you want to bring and think about what you'll do with the other one - sell, loan, store, etc.
That's all I can think of right now, but I'm sure more will come to me.
Hey! Congrats. Mel has a ton of good advice. For Germany, though, no worries about Int'l driver's license. You'll go to a class on base/post and they'll issue you a fuel permit that will act as your DL. For us, it was the Third Air Force Driver's License that had the vehicles you owned on the back so that you could get gas on base/post. It's rationed, and you would get gas then go to the window with your money, ID, and fuel card and complete the transaction. PITA, but better than buying on the economy!
Get your med clearance done ASAP so that you can get all your ducks in a row, SOFA stamp, etc needed to move. I *think* that for Germany your SOFA stamp acts as your visa to live & work there and no separate visa is needed (not the case for the UK,) but I could be wrong.
If your animal is not accustomed to a crate, start now. Check airlines for crate size specifications or, if I'm being honest, hire an agency to ship him. It's more expensive but knowing that your animal is cared for, the paperwork is completed properly, and they are responsible for getting him to the airport is invaluable IMO.
Oftentimes when PCSing overseas your "unaccompanied baggage" that is supposed to be available from TMO when you arrive isn't. I would recommend getting the address of your DH's receiving shop and mailing yourself some necessities like sheets. Your receiving post/base should have a loan locker to get some basic kitchen essentials to get you by until your HHG arrive.
Don't worry about leaving appliances behind, transformers exist for a reason. Also, if you have a king sized bed don't freak out and leave it. Most likely you will be able to find housing to fit it, but I would recommend separated box springs instead of one unit. Those European stairwells are often quite narrow and I've seen families borrowing saws on more htan one occasion to cut their box springs.
If you have any specific questions, ask away!
Oh! Just for reference, a list of our favorite APO friendly stores/shippers:
Amazon (make sure you pay for expedited shipping on books & media, parcel post WILL take a minimum of 30 days to reach you, priority will not)
Land's End
LL Bean
JC Penney
Macy's
Gap/ON/BR
Our worst experience with shipping was from Bed, Bath, and Beyond and Drugstore.com. I ordered my lotion for my keratosis pilaris from drugstore and it took 45 days to get to me, 50 for a shelf from BB&B.
I'm not sure what post you'll be at but Ramstein has the KMC which is like a mall and walmart combined and is nice. There's a Macaroni Grill there, Johnny Rocket's, and a Harley store. I enjoyed Ramstein a lot, Germany is pretty. If I think of any more stores that are APO friendly I'll edit.
More good info! We plan on getting our APO Box as soon as we learn who our sponsor is, so we can mail/ship things there. We also plan to ship our vehicle early so that it is there when we arrive. We can get around here much more easily, between ZipCar, Metro and rentals than we will be able to over there. Again, more great info for my list!!! Thank you!!
For normal toiletry items, did you use the same things you did back home, or did you find local items that you like just as well or better? I'm wondering if I should stock up on my favorite products or save the space and money.
oh no! I was wondering what you meant when you commented about your Keurig the other day. sad news
You can't use it with an adapter? sorry if that's a stupid question. I've never lived overseas and know nothing about it.
Thanks! I was able to find all my stuff at the bx/px, but I use Clinique products and they sell that stuff there. Sephora does not ship to APO but Ulta does.
In addition to everyone else's advice, I would HIGHLY recommend you visit the International Nesties board:-) There are a lot of expat ladies on there in various countries. While I don't think very many of them are military, they will be able to tell you a lot about living in a foreign country, how to get around, learn about the culture, where to go on vacation, etc.
I use my Keurig in the UK -- but I have to have it plugged into a power transformer. I was issued two power transformers for my house, and one lives permanently in the kitchen. I normally keep my toaster and my Keurig plugged into it, and if I need to use anything else (blender, mixer) then I just temporarily unplug one of those to plug the new thing in. I'm not sure what current they use in Germany, but you should be issued power transformers so your US small appliances will work.
It sounds like the power transformers have improved since I last used one. (My curling iron melted while visiting London.). I hope that I can use my Keurig. I wonder what k-cup vendors ship to APOs. . .
I am looking forward to getting folks opinions about their "must see" lists and "not worth the time/money" lists as well. While I have a number of places I want to visit, I know that that list is from my limited knowledge base. So, I am open to learn about what is worth it, what isn't and what I've not yet considered.
Our closest BX sells a few brands of K-cups. Otherwise, I can't get them here in the UK. I've ordered some from Amazon.com before (most amazon sellers ship to APO), and I know that BB&B sells K-cups and ships to APO.
If you're an avid Amazon user like I am, I highly recommend getting Amazon Prime. For $79 a year, you get free two-day shipping. Obviously it will take things more than 2 days to get to an overseas APO, but almost everything I've ordered arrived in about a week (even to Afghanistan when I was deployed). I also use Amazon for a lot of my birthday/Christmas shopping to family in the States, so having two-day shipping to the US is really nice. There are lof of other perks that come along with an Amazon Prime membership, so I would recommend you look into it:-) I easily get my money's worth every year.
I lived in Germany for about half a year, and German is extremely easy to pick up (IMO). It's so similar to English that I think you will have no problem, and honestly, everyone speaks English for the most part anyway. I didn't live near a base, but it was my experience, even when I went to xbf's tiny little town in NE Germany, so I think you'll be fine! Maybe baby will even pick some up (how cool would that be?).
I'm excited for you, good luck!
We have completed our overseas medical screenings. If anybody is in the NCR, go to Fort Belvoir to get it done. Ms. Jackson was awesome!!! I can NOT say the same for the other EFMP Coordinator at another local base. She was worse than no help.
How do I find a reputable agent/agency to ship Smudge? How much are we looking at spending to ship a nearly 40 pound dog? (We want to do what is best, but a ballpark figure will help so we can work it into the budget.)
If we elect to leave items here (like our washer and dryer), does the military provide any storage or are we responsible for those costs?
Thank you all for your encouragement and support. While I am excited, there are a lot of details to moving our little family OCONUS--and ADHD-me is not fabulous with details. DH is really good, but I want to be as equal a partner in this process as possible. So, I'm sure that along the way, I may need y'all to remind me that it will work out and that it is a great experience!
And if anybody wants to come visit me/us--you'd better start chattin' me up now so that you will get an invitation! LOL!
I believe they will pay to ship a pet.
They will definitely give you the option to have some of your stuff stored in a military storage unit until you PCS back to the States. Just keep in mind that you will not be able to access this stuff AT ALL until you PCS back, so make sure you know what you want to store. I left my washer and dryer, and some of my furniture in military storage.
I also recommend renting a small personal storage unit on your own, that you CAN access on trips home (or that a family member can access for you). I am renting one in my parents' town, so that if I need/want anything from in there, I can get at it fairly easily. This is mostly sentimental stuff that I didn't want to bring over, but didn't want to risk it getting damaged in an unspecified military storage facility. Also, it's climate controlled, which military storage won't be.
It looks like there's lots of good advice already
I'm so excited for you, but sad that you and your sweet boy are leaving... maybe we'll have to visit you!
This is not true at all.
Signed,
A $2k poorer pet owner. Hope the Queen enjoys all the taxes and fees we paid to get him out of the UK!
Interesting. They offered to ship my cat for me when I PCSed to the UK from NC, but as I had only about 6 weeks notice, he hadn't had a chance to go get microchipped or anything, so I ended up leaving him with my parents in the States.
Perhaps you had a special situation, but everyone I met over there with pets all had to pay OOP. One friend shipped her two labs and by the time it's all said and done they'll be out nearly 10k in shipping fees. At least now they're waiving the quarantine starting 1 Jan provided the pet has had regular immunizations (and proof of that.) They even reiterated several times in our briefings that pet shipment was not covered or reimbursed by the government, though you can write the cost off on your taxes. Which we'll definitely be doing. 1400 GBP is no joke.