The Ever-Changing Advice of a Military Wife

So I have attempted to write this post several times. To the point where it has become more like a college essay than a blog post. I mean, how do you attempt to give advice on something so big? How do you try to sound positive about a place you like usually when at the current moment, the weather just makes you want to go home? How do you, an Air Force wife in Germany, give advice to an Army wife moving to Italy? Man.

So anyways, here is my attempt. The best advice for moving overseas. Denise and Allison, since you guys are Army and/or in Italy, please feel free to add some advice!

*Be prepared to go with the flow. This is necessary for military wifeness in general.
*Unless you have a ton of stuff, bring it all with you. This is going to be your home. If you have stuff you can put in storage, do you really need it in the first place? Have a garage sale.
*Use your entire weight allowance for unaccompanied baggage. In this you will need to put enough to live on for a month. Sheets, plates, pots, etc. The movers are slower over here, and you (especially if you move in the summer) may not get your baggage for awhile. We sent ours in May, it arrived in July, and was delivered in mid-August.
*Purchase all your must have items prior to coming. Do not rely on them to be in the BX here. My make-up, a jacket, and wrinkle release were all things I was glad I had purchased first.
*Get your sponsor to give you an APO box as soon as possible. You will be able to forward mail and mail things to yourself. If you don't go over your weight allowance, the military will reimburse you for mailing things to yourself.
*Seriously consider only bringing one car, and buying a junker when you get here. Especially if you have a big here. 1, you will stick out like a sore thumb. 2, a big car won't fit in anywhere!
*The military will loan you a fridge, washer/dryer, microwave, transformers, and shrunks. (closets aren't built in here, none, 0, no storage space outside of the kitchen)
*Buy any 220 voltage items you will need from people who are PCSing. Check your base paper. We bought transformers, a phone, fans, toaster, hair dryer, AFN boxes, etc. at about half of the price.
*Oooo AFN. Yuck. When you get here you will need to get an AFN box and a dish so you can watch your 7 channels of American TV. Watch all the TV and commercials you want before you come.
*Consider living off-base. On-base is nice, but being off-base, you really get to experience the culture.
*If you do live off-base, decide on some things you want, but be open. Don't judge a house by the outside. For instance, we have a GREAT place on top of an antique store. The outside is baby blue. Lovely. The inside is great though! Also, look for a house that has all but one utility included in the rent. Then you get rent and utility allowance, and you can use the rest of your utility allowance to pay for internet, etc.
*Buy a GPS. You will need one for house-hunting and life in general. It's a must.
*STUDY STUDY STUDY for your driving test. You can get a temp one for 30 days when you get here, but then you have to pass the test. Most men fail the first time because they thought they didn't have to study.
*Get out and travel! You would think this goes with out saying, but there really are some people who are too afraid. They stay cooped up in their house for 3 years. It's unreal.
*Your clocks (digital) and your phone (home) will not work here. Leave them (or sell em) in the states.
*Get a pay-as-you-go cell phone plan at first. See if you are using enough to justify getting a plan. They lock you into an auto-renewing plan if you sign up. Cell phones are difficult to use here, since you can't use them while driving. And since you won't have family around to call from the cell, you might not use it all that much. I have not used mine since June. Ha!
*You can get a very good plan for calling back to the states. Even cheaper than Vonage. Check with your phone company.
*Be ready to WAIT! For everything! It took 3 1/2 months for our internet to be hooked up!
*You can bring pets, just plan far in advance. Get all their paperwork together. Although, no one has ever looked at ours :)
*Don't assume you will get a job right away. It took me 6 months to find a part time job. It took 8 months to be able to sub in the schools. I took a year to get a teaching job! That being said, being here is a great time NOT to work. You can travel, volunteer, and go to school. The military offers assistance to spouses overseas. The spouses clubs are very active here. They can become your family. I love love love mine, and don't know what I would do without the friends I met there.
*Be prepared to get pregnant. I may be the only one on base that is not/does not have children.
*The convenience of the states is just not over here. You have to get used to it. There is no Super Target to get everything you need. There is no 24 hour pharmacy when you get sick. There is not last minute purchase before you go to work. You learn to plan ahead, shop online, or do without.
*Get a good sponsor. If yours is bad, get a new one. We met ours in November, we moved here in July. Yeah. Lovely.
*Don't be afraid to ask! We all did!
*Learn the language. Get some CDs and start brushing up on the basics. A few words will get you a long way. The CDs will help more than you think. I can understand a lot more because of them!


Whoa! That's all I can think of for now. I hope that is helpful to someone. Remember though, this is just my experience. It may differ based on branch, location, or even rank.

Do you have a specific question? I will do my best to answer it, and I am sure my fellow overseas buddies will do the same!