Category Archives: PCS

The dreaded closet clean out

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So over the holiday weekend I decided to FINALLY delve into my horrible closets and start cleaning them out. I am a hider-of-things-in-the-closet. The house may be picked up but that is because I just toss it all behind closed doors.

Also pulled out all the kiddos summer clothes and packed up the winter stuff. We have way too many winter coats, hoodies and sweaters, especially since the kids may not ever wear this stuff again.

Now I have a giant pile of crap in the middle of the living room that I am trying to get rid of. It’s getting smaller but pretty soon the rest of it is going to go right to the thrift store.  Hopefully. I kind of have a hard time finishing projects that I start. I wouldn’t be surprised if a week or two from now my husband is tripping over stacks of old DVDs, outgrown clothing and baby toys wondering when the hell I am going to get rid of the rest of it…

So feeling a bit more ready house-wise. Of course there are still hurdles to jump through. I am the last one to get all my medical screening stuff signed off. Dental is tomorrow and then I should be done. Of course I’ll probably have a cavity, my teeth are the worst!

Also, took my dog back to the vet today. He has been acting funky for a couple of weeks. Vomiting, not himself. The first visit didn’t take care of the problem, so back he went for a blood draw and I have to drop him off tomorrow so he can do a contrast x-ray in case he decided to eat another pair of my underwear and they are stuck somewhere.

I feel like with every box I check off I have another and the stress level is never ending! I am just ready to be LIVING in Hawaii! The packing/moving/hotel part I could skip over! Done complaining. For now.

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Driving in Spain

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If you are moving here you may have a few questions about bringing/buying a car and getting a license.

I was very stressed out before we came to Rota, trying to figure out if we needed to get an international license or if we could get a Spanish license or WHAT we needed to do! I had zero luck finding any information on blogs, or anywhere on the internet.

Thankfully you get walked through the steps when you get here.

Upon arrival, all newcomers are advised to attend the Fleet and Family Support Center’s ICR class. It is basically a week long introduction to Spain, the culture, the food, everything you need to know about living on base (or off). It also is where you will take the test for your Spanish driver’s license. Your American license is good for 30 days (I think!) so you can drive on  that while waiting for your Spanish one.

The test is fairly easy, you are given study materials, and the majority of the questions concern traffic signs which are a little different over here. I believe that our licenses were ready a week or so later.

As far as cars go, I would recommend shipping a vehicle as soon as possible. Cars can take 45-60 days to get here and rental cars are expensive over here! Ideally if you have two cars you can ship one early and rely on one car for awhile before you move. You are authorized one car per family but once you get here you can also purchase a Spanish spec vehicle aka Rota Beater.  They tend to be crazy overpriced for what you are getting (usually 10-15 years old, still costing a few thousand dollars) but you can also find some for a   few hundred euro that will get you from point A to point B.

Another issue that concerns everyone is whether or not they should bring their SUV/truck/minivan over. Will it even be driveable in Spain? Everyone pictures those narrow one lane streets in European cities! Luckily driving on base isn’t an issue, plenty of parking and wide roads. Driving from town to town, going to the stores, malls, etc., there is usually ample parking. The only times you may have an issue is driving in older sections of towns. We have had moments where we’ve been in a tight fit with our Altima! Having to make a 3 point turn just to turn onto another street is very stressful! We try to avoid those sections of towns! Park and walk!

We were a one car family for the first two years we were here. I was a SAHM and didn’t NEED a car most days. If I did I would just drive my husband to work. Once I started working we picked up a 1996 BMW for 3K. It ran great for us and we were very happy with it. We then decided to purchase a Volvo from one of the dealers that sells to military personnel overseas.  We got a GREAT deal and are shipping it to Hawaii through Volvo so we can ship our other car through the military.

There a a couple of new car dealers you can purchase a car through; Volvo, BMW/Mini and Exchange New Car Sales. Exchange New Car Sales sells Chrysler, Ford and Harley brands.  Volvo and BMW generally have some floor models if you are looking for something immediately or you can custom order and get it in a few months.  Do some research because if we had owned our Volvo for less than a year and then moved back to Virginia, they would have made us pay taxes on it!  Some states waive this, some you need to own your car for six months before registering it, some require at least a year.

Got any car or driving related questions? Let me know!

 

Moving is slowly killing me

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Moving from Spain to Hawaii is a pain in the ass. I know I shouldn’t be complaining, that yes we are  moving from one dream vacation spot to another, but I still get to complain!

First off is the dog, my baby. We still aren’t 100% sure we are going to be able to fly with him in July. Many airlines have a summer heat embargo that prevents pets from flying in the cargo hold. On top of that, he is a snub-nosed dog which has a further set of restrictions.  We have some papers we received from the travel place on base that say that the heat embargo is waived with PCS orders. But I am not believing anything anyone tells me right now with out confirmation from the airline. I don’t want to get to Madrid and have someone tell me I can’t put my dog on the airplane. What the hell would we do then???

Second, finding temporary lodging. We only get a set amount reimbursed from the military for a hotel each day and finding one under that is almost impossible. Add in parking and wifi and taxes and pet fees and we are coming out of pocket for quite a bit.  I am looking for someone on the island who pet sits so we can have the dog stay there instead of in a hotel.  (Okay while we *could* find a cheaper hotel, I don’t want to stay in a shady area. If I am going to be in a hotel for 4+ weeks I want it to be in an area where the kids and I can walk to things, so I am focusing on Waikiki.)

Thirdly: HOUSING! Holy crap is the base housing wait list long! 2-4 months! I am looking for something off base, preferably in Mililani, preferably 4 bedroom, and is pet friendly. Oh and is under $2500/month. Pretty much dreaming the impossible dream over here.

Adding onto that the kids will be starting school when we still be in temporary housing so how the heck do I decide where to enroll them? I am REALLY looking forward to living in Hawaii and I know I am going to LOVE it. I am not, however, looking forward to the transition period of the next few months. It’s going to suck.

Stressful week so I am venting. My dog acted like he was dying, impromptu girls sleepover tonight, went to see a slightly disappointing Mirror, Mirror at the drive in, and I’ve spent too many hours today researching hotels.

Let me go to sleep so I am not a zombie in the morning!

Ending the day on a low note…

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This morning I started out positively sad about our pending move. I am ready to dig my heels in and just stay here a little while longer. It didn’t help that it got up to a gorgeous 85 degrees today, nice and sunny with summer right around the corner.

Then…

I have to listen to yet ANOTHER person complaining about how much they hate this base. I am so over it. While we chose to move here there are those people who didn’t have a choice. Or maybe this base just wasn’t what they had in mind. But to LOUDLY complain about practically every aspect of the base, not a good enough selection at the commissary/exchange, not enough for kids to do, not enough child care options, it just annoyed the crap out of me!

We don’t live in America, we live in Spain. There might possibly come a point where you have to pull up your big girl panties and step off base! Amazingly there are stores in Spain that sell food and clothing! Cute clothing in fact! And the complaints you have about having to pay for it in euro? What the hell do you think that COLA is for??? It was just super annoying and I took it personally as I feel like I am a representative of the child care on base and that she was picking on me personally.  Even though she wasn’t, and at this point in time I really don’t care. I think it sad that instead of spending your time enjoying a place that some people save up and vacation to, all you can complain about is how horrible everything is.

And the other day someone told me they hated it here because there was no WalMart. I. Just. Don’t. Get. It. You would rather shop at a trashy big box store (that has a twin here in Spain called Carrefour!!!!) than live here? Is buying stuff, random stuff that you don’t need and are only buying because you are bored, really THAT important to you?

Ending rant now, just had to get that out there. If you are moving to Spain, please be aware that it is a totally different country because apparently there are some people who think it should be ‘little America’. I swear if I hear the phrase “…at our LAST base…” one more time…

Working in Spain

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The work situation here in Spain isn’t the best.  If you need two incomes to survive you may have some trouble once you get here.

Every country that has a U.S. Military presence also has a SOFA agreement put into place.  A SOFA agreement is the Status of Forces Agreement and pretty much outlines how the military is allowed to function in that community.  One important part of the SOFA agreement states that NO Americans can work off base and that there must be seven Spanish employees for every three American employees on base.

This SOFA agreement impacts the job availability on the base and reduces the job opportunities.  There are pretty much only three options for working on base; the commissary, the Navy exchange and MWR. Oh wait, four, also the elementary/high school.

The first two years we lived here I didn’t work.  I stayed busy with little O and volunteering at my daughter’s school.  I had a great group of friends and enjoyed staying home and living here.  When I did finally go back to work I applied at the commissary (which is the military grocery store) and was hired as a teller – basically a front end supervisor.  The commissary employs Americans as tellers, stockers, and upper management.  I believe all of the jobs are GS jobs which come with benefits and get you in on the GS job ladder.  All cashiers are Spanish.  Upper management is hired from the states (at least all the people that were working there when I did had worked at other commissaries stateside and then transferred here).  I LOVED working there. It was my first opportunity to really get to know some of the locals really well and they were all so. much. fun.  I would still be working there except for the hours. It’s retail and the hours reflect that. ALL my shifts were closing shifts and I hated working weekends.  Other than that I really enjoyed it and loved chatting with everyone coming in to shop. I felt like I got to talk to everybody on base every day! Bagging is also a popular job, but it is working for tips so if you are counting on the money that can be iffy.

The exchange is the same situation, retail hours.  Americans run register, stock and are in management.

When I left the commissary I applied at the Child Development Center or CDC.  It is the daycare on base and is under the umbrella of Morale, Welfare and Recreation.  I used to nanny so I had experience.  I met some more great people here, there is a pretty good mix of Americans and Spanish working here.  There are both GS and NAF positions.  NAF positions don’t have the same benefits as GS but are easier to get hired into.  There are a number of different classrooms and the center is open from 6:30-5:30 and closed on weekends so the hours are pretty good.  I worked in the classroom for a few months before getting hired for the front desk position.  I’ve really been enjoying it and once again, love getting the chance to talk to everyone coming in. MWR is also in charge of the movie theaters, restaurants, the library, bowling alley, the gym, ITT and Liberty.  They post available job positions online in case you want to see just what is available – Rota MWR Job Listings.

The elementary and high school also employ spouses, kindergarten aide positions, lunch monitors, and substitute teachers are the most common.  There aren’t a ton of positions open but if you have teaching experience you may be able to get hired.

One issue is that soon there will be American ships stationed here, something that will increase the population on the base but won’t really create more jobs.  So there will probably be much more competition for the jobs that are currently available.

If you have a degree and want to use it you probably won’t be able to.  And if you don’t have a degree this is the perfect time to finish it! It seems like EVERYONE is attending college here, from Associate’s to Graduate degree programs.

So that is the job situation on base.  I’m really looking forward to moving somewhere where I will actually be able to do something that is in my actual degree/career field. Hawaii is just perfect for that!

Baby steps toward Hawaii!

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And I mean really baby steps, nothing big.

Last week I took the dog to get his second rabies vaccine so we don’t have to quarantine him when we get to Hawaii.  Next month he’ll have to go back and get blood drawn so it can be sent off and tested, making sure he is totally rabies free. Yay!

Although he had me rethinking taking him this weekend.  I noticed him acting a little funny so I let him outside and walked with him… What does this dummy do? Hork up a pair of my underwear and one of my son’s socks.  And yes barfing them is preferable to an intestinal blockage but dang it, stop eating everything!

 

The next thing isn’t REALLY even a step, but I had ordered a copy of Oahu Revealed (by Andrew Doughty) I have been having so much fun paging through and planning all of the awesome stuff I am going to be doing soon!

We have a book here in Rota that pretty much everyone uses, it’s called 40 Day Trips from Rota. It is wonderful.  While it doesn’t have as much information, it is so helpful on navigating some of the crazy Spanish roads, towns and customs.  I received my copy when a friend moved but I don’t know if I’ll be able to pay it forward, I want to keep it as a souvenir!