QUESTIONS ABOUT GERMANY, HELP!!!
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QUESTIONS ABOUT GERMANY, HELP!!!
Posted by: ARMYWIFE02
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Wednesday, August 24th, 2011 @ 16:40
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HELLO LADIES, WELL MY HUSBAND IS ENDING HIS RECRUITING DUTY SOON AND HE HEARD THAT MORE THAT LIKELY WE WILL BE GOING TO GERMANY. FROM GERMANY THEY MIGHT SEND US SOMEWHERE ELSE IN EUROPE. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT SEVERAL THINGS, THE SCHOOLS, THE SORROUNDINGS AND ESPECIALLY MY PETS... I HAVE 2 SMALL DOGS AND 1 CAT, WE HAVE TWO VEHICLES AND ONE MOTORCYCLE. CAN WE TAKE IT ALL? WHAT IS THE PROCEDURE FOR TAKING PETS AND HOW IS IT LIVING OVERTHERE????? THANK YOU.
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RE: QUESTIONS ABOUT GERMANY, HELP!!!
Posted by: MJ
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Wednesday, August 24th, 2011 @ 19:51
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Seriously doubt they will ship you to Germany and then elsewhere in Europe. The costs of getting you and the things there is high. He will go to the command he is needed at and assigned to. To go with him you will need to pass a EFMP (medical & dental) screening first, gain command sponsorship, apply for a Government Issued No Fee Passport for all of you. You should also get a Tourist Passport if you plan to travel while there.
Military will only ship 1 car/truck, if you wish to do the other one it will be out of pocket. You can get used vehicles over there so you might consider getting rid of one. For motorcycles it can be included in your Household Goods/Personal Property shipment as a good, but you will have to meet all the standards of having it there in Germany. You can have 3 shipments. #1 is things you want in storage, it is done for free while you are gone. #2 is Express Shipment, limit of around 250 lbs per person and things you will need right away. #3 will be the remainder of your things. You might want to consider downsizing some. You don't have to take a washer/dryer it will be provided for you.
The cost of getting the animals there is out of pocket, the military doesn't pay for it. I can tell you most overseas housing limits it to 2 pets not 3. Out in town can be harder.
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RE: QUESTIONS ABOUT GERMANY, HELP!!!
Posted by: Jenny
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Sunday, November 6th, 2011 @ 14:25
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Depends wehre you are in Germany...Ramstein is the hub, and it's in the boonies...Little small towns all around, and you live in villages...Kaiserslautern is the CITY, but it's WAY TOO SMALL for it to be considered a "city", as compared to say, New York, or Phoenix, or etc...Population is about 200 000, here, with Americans being 40 000, we overcrowd this place, and NOt ALL GERMANS love us being here...They dont smile, they are not friendly at all...They know Americans and Germans behaving different in so many matters, they kindda dont want us here I think..We live in a village near Sembach, my neighbors are great! But other people dont have same experience...We dont have kids, but I can tell you, DAYCARE is a nightmare here...Schools they go on base...or Kaiserslautern high school, buses take them from base, or off base...It's very medieval here, ROADS ARE EXTREMELY NARROW, AND you can see horses, and cow trucks, etc if you live off base! Very rude drivers, they cut you off in circles, and signs, highways are ALWAYS in construction...It's an hour from Frankfurt, which is a nightmare with TRAFFIC to get to airport...You need A CAR, AND A GPS HERE, it's NOT CONVENIENT TO GET AROUND....There's no more shuttle between Ramstein, and Vogelweh, which is another little base, wehre there's housing...Sembach is being turned to the Army and Cops...Used to be AF Weather there...but they are moving out in March....
Only POSITIVE HERE IS TRAVELLING TO nearby countries...Again, driving to nearby town ,in France, or Luxembourg is fine, but once you want to go to Italy, Spain, you are looking at prices...Cheap airlines, Ryanair, allow, a small baggage, if you have kids, that might be a nightmare...Euro - Dollar exchange depending ON GLOBAL ISSUES, might fluctuate...LIving off base, EXPENSIVE, if you work , you can afford some good quality living....Our fiends with kids, and a sit home mom, feel safe and secure here, but they havent been anywhere else in Germany which I think is a pity..You are in Europe, you want to make the best of it! Depends on where you are from States, boony, small town person, or big city person....I hear alot of people liking it ehre, but they are just saying that, cuz yeah , you get the wine, you CAN TRAVEL (if you can afford it, ) but really, it's very very LOW KEY HERE...Forget Munich like atmosphere, wehre Oktoberfest is held every year, or lively cities like Barcelona where people dine and eat, after 8 pm! :) On holidays and weekends, it's very very BORING HERE!!! yOu need to get out of this area, or hang out on Base withe watever they offer..... Again these are the things I heard, and saw, and experienced, but I'd never ever want to come here again!
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RE: QUESTIONS ABOUT GERMANY, HELP!!!
Posted by: Jenny2
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Sunday, November 6th, 2011 @ 14:32
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Pets...Yes they love their DOGS HERE in Germany, they even take them TO RESTAURANTS here, which I think is disgusting....If you live on base, no problem, off base, depends on your landlord...Some dont like it...But I doubt there are any landlords like taht...Ramstein lodging is pet friendly, but not Vogelweh..If you cant get a room at Ramstein, you need to find a kennel to put your pets while you stay at Vogelweh...Number of kennels are available on website...
WINTER! Extremely COLD, AND SNOWS ALOT!!! You need your winter tires for your car, and prepare for some - degrees! and Shoveling snow at 4 am in the morning to get to work ON TIME:?!? They dont clean the village areas well, so if you live off base, good luck getting out of your driveway! Seriously, I cant wait to leave this place....TRAVELLING WAS AWESOME, and for men, they love their beer!!!!
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RE: QUESTIONS ABOUT GERMANY, HELP!!!
Posted by: Jenny
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Sunday, November 6th, 2011 @ 14:38
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If you need to read about Germany and PCS'ing, simply go to www.ramstein.af.mil you can find alot on there...Again that's for Ramstein / Kaiserlautern area...There are many bases here ...gOOD LUck!
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RE: QUESTIONS ABOUT GERMANY, HELP!!!
Posted by: Gene
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Wednesday, November 16th, 2011 @ 22:40
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Enjoy your tour of duty Overseas.
We enjoyed all our tours in USA and overseas.
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RE: QUESTIONS ABOUT GERMANY, HELP!!!
Posted by: windy
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Sunday, December 11th, 2011 @ 03:45
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well first off congrats on going overseas! and yes they can move you as soon as you get there.. happened to so many friends that we had that lived there. for instance they lived in a base for 3 months and moved some where.. or 1 year... ex, but anywhere over there is awesome! they just changed the policy on bringing two cars if I remember right. our neighbor brought both their cars from over seas. don't know about the motorcycle.. transportation could answer those questions though. about schools, they have good schools. when you are overseas.. you become real close with friends and the base itself. everyone will be your friend. haha. one thing to know... they have recycle centers there so you can get free stuff all the time! it's like a thrift shop but all is free! you'll be surprpised what to find there. and go on.. www.bookoo.com. it's like a crigslist. when you move there you might have to buy german things... you'll love it if you can deal with a big change! bookoo.com! gotta go on it!!
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RE: QUESTIONS ABOUT GERMANY, HELP!!!
Posted by: windy
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Sunday, December 11th, 2011 @ 03:47
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also, forgot. I lived in heidelberg. they are closing a lot of bases which is why people have to move.. and btw.. pray and pray hard to get a washer in dryer in your home!
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