Updates Just for You

- Our things will most likely not be here for another month. The irony is a part of it is held up due to a mistake on the part of Jordan's old squadron. Thanks guys! (WAIT- I don't think I told you guys! We did get one crate. Guess what it was? All my teaching stuff! Not a single other item. Ah, Turkey.)

- We start Turkish language classes Tuesday. I can already count to five. Phonetically- beer, icky, ooch, dirt, besh. It still feels silly to say :)

- I have signed up to be on the board of the spouses club here. Yeah! I will be the welfare chair, which fits well with my OCD personality.

- Zumba starts back up this week! Yeah! I'm excited to go back to Europe to get certified in September. I think being a Zumba teacher will be so fun!

- As a thank you to all 500+ of you for reading even when my posts are boring and commenting even when I don't comment back, look for a giveaway this week!

- Need a blog makeover? My waiting list is open. Current turnaround time is less than a week! Makeovers start at just $30, and a portion of the proceeds go to military charities (Usually USO or WWP). Email me- bluestarblogs (at) gmail (dot) com for more info! Here is my latest design...

Getting Better

First, thank you to all of you who responded to my post about MyCAA. Whether you agreed or not, MOST of you were able to state your case civilly. Thank you for sticking to the issues and sharing your thoughts. I am interested to see what happens with the program in the coming months.

In other news, I am continuing to adjust to life in Turkey. The constant sunshine is a welcome change, and we have been able to take 2 fun day trips. We still don't have our things. Wait, I take that back, we do have one crate, which contained only my teaching things. Lovely. Some of our baggage has been here almost 3 weeks and has yet to clear customs. Our car is waiting on the same thing. Luckily our trips to Adana and Kizkalesi have made me feel better.

Last weekend we went into the closest big town. (They even have a mall- with a Gap!) We took the Turkish bus (Dolmus, pronounced dole-moosh), which is more like a van, into town and did some walking around.

Yummy meat market. J said it was pretty gross.

One of the oldest Mosques in Turkey.

The big Mosque in town. Isn't it beautiful? I can't wait to go inside!

This past weekend we went on a boat trip on the Mediterranean. We started in a town about 1.5 hrs away, and stopped in little coves along the coast. It was really fun! If you come visit, we will take you on one of these!

Our cute boat for the day.

Jumped off the top of the boat and enjoyed a swim.

Glad I ordered the chicken!

 Last stop, back in Kizkalesi (aka Castle in the Sea, appropriately)

Legend has it that this castle was built for the daughter of the owner of the castle on land. He was told his daughter would die from a snake bite, so he put her in the middle of the water. Too bad a snake was in a food delivery that came. She was bitten and died. So they say...

 Inside the castle. The mosaic tiles are still there!

Us on the castle wall. The tan is coming back!

So that's what has been happening with us. If only we could get our things...

Testy Thursday- MyCAA

As you may have seen in a previous post on paying for school, MyCAA is/was a program for military spouses looking for portable careers. I applied to this program, submitted my career plan, and started receiving funding. In the spring they halted new applicants until the program could be restructured, but still paid for those of us already in the program.

Now, it looks like the program is changing in a BIG way. The available funding is decreasing by $2,000, now offering only $4,000 with a cap of 2K per year. They are also limiting the eligibility to spouses of junior enlisted and officers, and limiting the programs funded to Associate's degrees and certifications. In my (not so) humble opinion, to enforce these new regulations on those already approved for funding is unfair, and the changes themselves are altogether unfortunate.

First, the program was designed to help spouses obtain careers (not vocations) that could be continued despite frequent moves with our service members. With the unemployment rate at an all time high, job competition is fierce. As mil spouses we already have a strike against us when applying for positions since the employer knows it is likely that we will move in the new future. Our resumes are cut into 2-3 year chunks of experience, and our positions are not always similar in nature, leading to a jumble of jobs to present to a prospective employer. And now you are telling us all we need to compete in the market is an Associate's degree or a certification? If your purpose is truly to help mil spouses be competitive, than we should be encouraged to seek the higher education necessary to compete in today's economy.

Second, many of us have been counting on this funding to finish our current course of study. While I personally have been lucky enough to have scholarship funding the last few semesters, I have planned for MyCAA to cover the last year of my studies. Even as an employed teacher married to a service member, paying for school is difficult, and the funding was the only thing that made it possible (no, I don't qualify for any federal aid, and we plan to use the GI Bill for our children). You have approved myself (and many others) for funding, and now, with a 3 month window of warning, you are taking it away. What about the Major's wife who needs to reenter the work force after having children? Is she not worthy of receiving funding just as much as I am? Those already approved for career plans should be able to finish out the remainder of their funding before being removed from the program.

I'm truly saddened that the powers that be have made this decision, and I hope as more outrage is expressed, the plan is altered to meet the needs of spouses, and not just the needs of a budget. It seems as if our government is spending billions on other handout programs while cutting a program that enables spouses of those who serve to find employment.

What are your thoughts?

The Truth According To Casey

Here are things I have learned in the last week:

1. The Turkish way is half-ass while being very nice. Get used to it.

2. One can never have too many carpets.

 My new rugs! Woo hoo!

3. Everyone on base will know me and all my business, maybe even before I will. 

4. It is HOT! 

5. Military wives make fast friends. 

6. Not having a job is AWESOME. Anyone who tells you it sucks to take naps and go to the pool is a liar.

7. Coupons can save you lots of money, particularly if you have extra time (see above).

8. Having a gardener is super cool. Especially one that comes every day.

9. It is possible to get used to hearing the call to prayer 5 times a day.

10. Uniform purses, dogs, hugs, old people, and homeschool get on my nerves no matter what country I live in. (Sorry Mallory, Don't Hate Me!)

And as a bonus, one more of the new haircut since Sarah thinks my other pic was bad...

The House

Here are some new videos to keep you entertained while you wait for an update about this lovely place :) Still waiting on our stuff to get in, and trying to get settled. At least we have internet now. Yeah! While you watch these, keep in mind that this was by far the best house we saw, and has carpet down that we added. Yes, this is "nice" compared to how we started. Also, there will be no saying, "that's what she said" at any point while you watch. And yes, I know I talk about the borrowed furniture 100 times, it's the PTHD (post traumatic house disorder).

Blog Design

So in the midst of the craziness of the last few months a few VERY patient people have been waiting on me to finish their blog designs. I finished Stefanie's (at Household Sapper) yesterday and I loved it. She has some great information about Army life over there, so for those of you who speak that language, check it out! :) (Don't worry Jen and Jane, you are next!)

As for me, I'm still trying to get settled. Thank you guys so much for your encouraging words. Thank you for letting me throw a fit and not be all sunshine and roses. Sometimes you just needs friends that listen and don't tell you positive stuff to try and make you feel better. Sometimes you just want someone to say, "Wow, that totally sucks."

Anyway, I haven't seen my house in 3 days, and that's a good thing. We get the keys tomorrow and I will try to do some cleaning before they come lay carpet down. I found someone out in the alley to do wall to wall carpet, and I'm hoping that makes things a little better. I will also apply to paint the house, although it might take 2 years to get approved.

I have found a few good things the gym, library, and beauty shop all seem to be great. I got a manicure and pedicure for $20 yesterday, which is about 1/4 of the price of the same thing in Germany. I can get a (very good) blowout for $11. THAT is what I call a positive. I've also had several friends of friends Facebook me and offer to hang out, which is very nice. One wife took me around base and the alley on Friday, and I was very thankful for that. The other good news is that it looks like the Zumba teacher here is leaving in December, and they will need a replacement. I'm signing up for a certification class in Belgium in September so that means a trip to Germany to see friends and a fun job. Yeah!

And now for some more pictures...

The newer nicer housing, which we will not be in...

The neighborhood we are in...

The BX and Food Court...

Sarah and I before we moved (She's SUPER fun and NOT a loser!)..

And the new hair cut...

That's all for now. Pics of the lovely house tomorrow!

The New Place

Let me start off by saying I am not (typically) a negative Nancy. I try to find the positives, tend to be optimistic even when I shouldn't be, and enjoy finding solutions to problems or process issues. This post does not fit with that description. You have been warned.

We made it to Turkey at 4am on Wednesday. (After a flight in which I was elbowed and kicked by a tubby Turkish/German kid for 4 hours and touched by people I didn't know. I HAVE A BUBBLE!) Since I wasn't on the NATO orders, we had a bit of a hassle getting me in the country, but they let me stay. Luckily someone from J's work was there to pick us up, and we headed to the base. Our hotel room was already set up and stocked with food. Little did I know that would be the only bright spot to my day. Let me give you the short version of what happened next-

- Lots of paperwork. Passport taken for 6 weeks. Lots of fees to pay.
- Found out there are less than 15 CGOs on base, friend prospects in same situation will be low.
- Sun came out, saw the village, not so hot.
- Looked like rain all day. Realized it's just pollution. 
- Asked lots of people how the liked the base, got the answer, "Uhhhh. Well..."
- Went to BX. Can see everything in BX from front door. Everything.
- Went to housing. Before we looked at houses we were told that dead bugs were a positive sign, mold happens, and too bad so sad.
- Looked at house. Cried. Could (and still can't) believe the AF would allow families to live in this condition.
- Was told by Airmen driving us around, "I didn't realize officer housing was this bad." Punched him in the arm.
- Looked at 3 more places, picked the one with the least amount of roaches. No joke.

(I will add inside pics later, but this is the outside of a house like ours. Our part will be just the side. Where it gets taller is another house. You will just have to trust me when I say the inside will make you sick.)

- Signed up for $80/month internet.
- Cried and cried and cried about my house, missing my friends, missing my family, and pretty much everything.

Let's just say that this move isn't as easy as I thought it would be...

Living Out of Boxes

We are now out of our house. Tear. After 3 years it really did feel like our house. For us, it was the first one we considered ours, as the first place we lived was a tiny apartment for a year before J commissioned. But THIS place, this place we painted, we decorated, we had people over- it was ours. I loved seeing the castle from our top balcony, I loved seeing my cat sitting in the window when I drove up, and I loved our town. (Excuse the oldness of the pics.)

One person I won't miss is the Doner man and his scary come-ons and rubby hand shakes. Oh wait, I'm moving to the land of doner! Oh crap!

Tomorrow we are squeezing in one more trip. Only 5 more wake-ups in Germany. Tear.

Thanks for sticking with me through my once a week boring posts. Can't wait to post more from Turkey. I'll do my best to be more interesting. :)