Hi, new to the boards :D

[abbeywithaneee]

Hi, I'm Abbey. I am new to message boards AND being an Air Force wife. My hubs and I were married August 11th.

I'm looking for advice, wisdom, etc. about moving overseas. All of my military paperwork for DEERS, medical paperwork, etc has been turned in, I have already gotten my military ID, and I just had my medical phone consultation earlier this week. The only things we are waiting for so that I can head over there are my passport to come back with my married name, having my wisdom teeth out (appointment already set up), and of course for my command sponsorship to be approved. If anyone else has been in this particular instance before, how long did it take for the command sponsorship paperwork to be finalized? Just trying get an idea.

I know that since he was stationed before we were married that none of my moving costs will be covered. My parents are allowing me to keep my personal furniture at their house until we move back to the States, but there are a few keepsake things that I definitely want to bring with me. Any advice on how to pack for a move to another country, overseas flying (I've only been on a plane twice, and only for a few hours each D:), living in Germany (Ramstein AB), learning German, or anything else that you think might apply to my situation, would be greatly appreciated. Let me know if you are in this area, it would definitely be nice to make a friend before I get there.

[piper84]

Hi Abbey, welcome!

I have no advice to offer as I am new myself (H is in the process of joining the AF now). Just wanted to welcome you. Good luck with everything!

[JakJak]

Welcome!

[crimewatcher]

Hey and Welcome. I may be able to help with some AF stuff but nothing about PCSing abroad.

My dream is to live in Germany though!! It's a beautiful country.

[iluvmytxrgr]

Hi and welcome. I don't have any advice for you, just wanted to welcome you to the board.

[audette]

I'm in the process of gaining command sponsorship myself. DH will shortly be receiving orders. (to the other side of the world, though, so my info is not specific to Germany)

From dropping the paperwork to getting the EFMP/overseas clearance interview I took about three months. _but_, I've been away from home for over half of that time due to work and personal travel, so that has hindered the timeline of the process by quite a bit. Now that I have had my interview, I've been told the final approval should be as little as a couple days to a couple weeks.

My situation is different, in that we were married before DH is set to move overseas, so I will be included on the movement orders. So I don't have to worry too much about getting my important items to our new location.

However, one option available for you is to get your husbands APO address and ship some of the items to him before you leave. You'll have to fill out customs forms for these boxes, but the cost to ship them should be similar to the cost of shipping the items inside the US. That's one option for you. Also, when you fly over, you'll get two suitcases for your checked luggage allowance. Each bag can be up to 50 lbs, and something like 61 linear inches (length + width + height). Check with the airline you end up flying with, but that's fairly standard for flying to Europe. Each airline sets rules and costs for excess weight, and for extra bags, so bringing along an extra bag or two might be an option.


I travel to Germany 1 or 2 times a year for work. Many people in the larger centers speak at least some English (some are extremely fluent in english, some not so much, but you can get by without knowing much German), so hopefully language issues won't be too bad. Foods are a bit different - expect food to be mostly be more expensive if you are shopping at a German store vs. the Commissary on base. I'm not sure what savings might be possible at the Commissary, but it's there for a reason, and I'm guessing it's not just for US items that are hard to find in Europe...

Utilities will be more expensive over there, too, so keep that in mind when you are showering, using electronics, etc. (although this might be less critical if you live on base, not sure)

The electric supply (again, at least off base) is different than in the US - 220V. So you may need transformers for your electric items. Many electronics (ie: the laptop I am typing on right now) are rated for 110 or 220 V, and can operate with only a plug adaptor (cheaper than a transformer), but not all, so you will want to check you electronics for that.


The flight over will be long and boring, and generally kinda suck. But, it'll kinda suck for everyone. It'll probably be an overnight flight, so try to sleep during it, if you can (I never get much sleep, but any bit can help). The airlines (assuming commercial airline here, not sure if you will be on a military flight or not) will give you a small blanket and teeny pillow, so I never bother packing those with me. That will save you some space for more personal stuff in your carryon allowance, too.


Sorry for the novel, just trying to hit on some of the points you mentioned...

[abbeywithaneee]

Thanks, everyone, for the warm welcome

Audette, thank you so much for your input. One question, is the phone interview you referred to the one where they call and ask you questions about your medical history and whatnot?

Also, Hubs and I were talking the other day and I got to thinking about the whole me-going-over-there process. He has already found/moved into our apartment (living off base). I just got my passport with my married name in the mail today (Hooray!!!) and I'm having my wisdom teeth out a week from today. Since those were the last two things I had to do on my end before moving, is there any reason why I wouldn't be able to go ahead and move to Germany as soon as I am healed from my wisdom teeth surgery?

[mollz007]

Welcome Abbey and congrats on your marriage! I dont have any advice but just wanted to say hello and good luck.

[NomadicMama]

Hello and greetings from Germany!

We are in Wiesbaden, which is about a ninety minute drive from Ramstein. I am enjoying life in Germany, but I have not gotten out and seen as much as I'd like. I have a three year old (who recently started German kindergarten) and a deployed husband--oh, and a spoiled dog. Since my son will be learning German, I am trying to find a tutor for myself. I know that our USO office offers classes in beginning German, so you might want to check them out. I'm surviving without knowing any German, but it was stressful at first and still can be challenging, but, you get used to it.

As for moving things. Will you be flying over on a military flight? I would check with them to see if you are allowed any additional bags. Otherwise, shipping by USPS is what I would do. I would suggest using Priority mail, so your boxes are sent by plane. If you use regular mail, it'll be put on a boat and can take two months.

I hope this helps. Let me know if you have other questions, or if I didn't answer anything in particular. (I'm fighting a cold, so my attention to detail is a bit lacking.)

[audette]

Oct 4, 2012 16:46:41 GMT -5 abbeywithaneee said:

Thanks, everyone, for the warm welcome

Audette, thank you so much for your input. One question, is the phone interview you referred to the one where they call and ask you questions about your medical history and whatnot?

Also, Hubs and I were talking the other day and I got to thinking about the whole me-going-over-there process. He has already found/moved into our apartment (living off base). I just got my passport with my married name in the mail today (Hooray!!!) and I'm having my wisdom teeth out a week from today. Since those were the last two things I had to do on my end before moving, is there any reason why I wouldn't be able to go ahead and move to Germany as soon as I am healed from my wisdom teeth surgery?

My interview was in person, but I suppose with you not being a new wife you might not be near a base where they could do that in person. They reviewed my medical records, asked me about anything that might require ongoing care or might indicate an issue that the local healthcare where I'd be going could care for.

As for the when of you heading over, I'd like to hope it would be as soon as you are healed up. But, I honestly don't know. I'm in the position of not having anything health-wise that I have to wait on, so I don't know how that works.

[abbeywithaneee]

Sorry it's taken me so long to get back on here. Work has been hectic (trying to find someone to replace me is not as easy as I thought it would be) and I have been crazy loopy from my oral surgery. Thank you audette and NomadicMama for your input.

I will be flying commercially, and I had one question about the "immigration" process (I'm not even sure if that's the correct term for what I'm asking).

My sister made plans to move to England a few years back. She worked for Clinique at the time, and made arrangements to be transferred to a location in London. The plane made a stop in Switzerland, and I am fuzzy on the details here, but basically the Clinique in London didn't hold up their end of the deal so her work visa was null&void and she got deported and put on a no-fly list.

I definitely want to make sure nothing like this happens. Should I be applying for a visa? Or if they ask do I just tell them my husband is in the military and I'm moving to be with him? I just feel like I don't know enough about any of this and it's starting to stress me out a bit =/

[abbeywithaneee]

Okay I just looked on the German visa website thing and answered my own question. I can apply for a visa after I'm in Germany.

My mind just won't slow down and I'm so nervous/excited.

In other news, our apartment is adorable.

In other other news, hubs sent pics and the furniture we are borrowing is absolutely HIDEOUS. Our bedroom looks like a cheap motel and our living room looks like a doctor's office waiting room. Luckily, Ikea is less than an hour away

EDIT: I am very thankful that the military is lending us furniture at all. I look forward to the challenge of making it look fantastic.

[delightcoconuts]

Hello,

I am new here but a seasoned military wife and stationed at Ramstein. Let me know if you have questions.

I also have a blog about our life in Germany.

www.delighfullycoconuts.com

Jamie