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Q: We just found out we have orders. I am wondering what is the worst housing area? It seems the Sembach housing has the shortest wait time according to the info we have. A: There are four bases to which you could live on. Ramstein, Vogelweh, Sembach, and Landstuhl. It is not likely that you would get Landstuhl. They are doing a lot of remodeling there and it is on an Army base. They try to put hospital personnel there. Out of the others, Sembach is kind of far out from everything but I have heard it is nice. It is about 20 min away from Ramstein. Some people prefer living out there and it is secluded. Vogelweh is about 10 to 15 min from Ramstein and the new housing is really nice. I like the Ramstein are the best. And so I guess that would leave Vogelweh to be the last of the three, not counting Landstuhl if you have a choice. Q: I was also wondering do we really need to get rid of our microwave or will it work in base housing? A: Your microwave will not work properly over here. The electricity runs on 50 cycles instead of 60 as it does in the states. So, FMO will issue you a microwave. Q: I was wondering about the car seat law are they really that strict that you have to ride in a booster until 11yrs old or 79lbs? I have a 7yr old, 2yr old and 1yr old so my back seat will be crowded if so. A: I think you will be ok with the 7yro not in a car seat. That is my opinion, don't hold me liable! I see lots of people that don't follow the rule. Sometimes we go without for our 6yo son when we have another person riding in the car. I don't think it will be that big a deal. You might want to just have one for the 7yo for school outings........they might require a seat. Q: Do you need lawnmowers? A: No, not on base. And off base, usually the landlord does the yard and they do not mind if you plant flowers. Q: Do any of the housing units have a little bit of yard to plant flowers? A: You are welcome to plant flowers in the front of the buildings and or have flower boxes but that is about it. Some people put nice flower pots on the front steps also. Q: Another question, do they normally house you quickly or do most people have to live on the economy for a while? A: You should be able to get housing very quickly...........you just never know what you are going to get. Q: What is the fear factor like over there since Sept. 11? My husband and I were mostly excited to go to Germany for the opportunity to travel and see all of Europe and expose our kids to another culture. Now I am concerned about how safe we would be to travel around to the different countries over there. What is your take on this? A: We feel fine here. We actually feel safer here than in the US. We still intend on traveling. We are going to Paris at Christmas, and on a 3 countries tour in Feb. Security is tighter than normal, but that is to be expected. Q: Could you please tell me if a King Size bed would fit in the master bedroom of Military housing?? A: Yes, a king size bed will definately fit in housing. We were told the rooms were small and so when we bought our new bed, we acutually returned it for a Queen size............and we are MAD! So, yes, a King size bed will fit. Q: Should I bring my own couch or just borrow one when I get there? A: I reccomend bringing your furniture. Your going to be here a while, don't you want to feel at home as much as you can? Q: Is it hard to find a veterinary clinic on base? A: There is a vet on Ramstein AB, Baumholder, and Pulaski. Appointments are required and there are no Emergency services available. There are several vets off base too. Q: Do you have any information on auto dealers in the area? We would be interested in purchasing a European auto that is U.S. spec so I could bring it back to the states. A: There are dealers here that you can buy from and save a lot of money! I know of people who have bought BMW, Volkswagon, and Volvo. If you are moving here and plan to do that when you are here, you should have no problem. There are several car dealerships all around and some reall close by in Einsedlerhof, which is right between Ramstein and Vogelweh. Q: What type of housing do they have for Colonels? A: Colonel housing is usually a 4 plex. And dedpending on how many children you have is how they determine how many bedrooms you will get. Q: What is included in the utilities for on base housing (ELECTRIC, CABLE, ETC.)? A: The same as in the states, the only thing you have to pay for is cable, phone, and any other extras you may want, like internet service. The military provides the electric, water, heat, trash pickup. Q: Did you sell your cars before you moved? A: We kept our good car and brought it with us. The military will only allow you to ship one car. Q:Do people have pets in base housing? A: Yes they do, but please remember to be courtious if you bring your pet. I have lived in two different stairwells and in both, there were annoying dogs that barked ALL THE TIME! Q: Do they have state farm in Germany? A: No, not that I know of. Q:Who do you go through for your banking/checking? auto insurance in germany? A: We use our bank in Florida and then we have a local account here on base. Q: Are there extra fees for using your account in the states? A: The only charges for a withdrawl are the charges your bank would normally charge you. Our bank in the states charges us $.60 for a withdrawl from an atm other than theirs.......so that is anywhere you take money from, even overseas. But, we usually don't withdraw money from there. Our ATM card is a check card also, so if you use it in the store, you just use it as a credit card and it comes right from your checking account and there are no extra fees. Q: Can you get foriegn money out of the ATM's? A: Yes, you can get EURO or dollars out of the ATM's here on base. Off base, you can get the money for that country (which is now EURO in most places) out of the ATM's and all that I have seen, even in Paris, have an English option. Q: Do places except checks from your bank in the states? A: As far as writting checks, the only place you write checks is on base, and they will accept a check from any bank. Off base you just deal in cash. Q: Can you buy cars in Germany and what kind can you get? A: You can get any kind of car here that you want to buy. You can buy cars at the dealers off base, or you can buy from AAFES on base. They have suv's, minivan's, and just and just about anything else you want......and if you buy it here (on base, you will get it tax free the whole time you are here. So if you are on a three year tour, when you leave you will pay taxes on a three year old vehicle instead of a brand new one. There are also severl "lemmon lots" where you can buy used! Q: Should we stock up on things before we come? A: As far as stocking up on things, it just all depends on what you want. The bx's are crazy, sometimes you will find exactly what you are looking for, or they have nothing even close to it. So if you do see something that you are going to want or need in the future at the bx, then you should buy it then because next time you go back, chances are it will be gone.....say for instance a bathing suit for your little ones....So really there is no way to tell you what to stock up on....just bring what you need. Q: Is there a place to buy movies or video games? A: There is a huge store on Vogelweh called the power zone and it is like a circuit city or somehting. They have tv, vcr, sound systems, dvd, movies, cd's, computers, sports/camping equiptment, pc programs.......and other stuff. There are also smaller versions of the store at other locations, but Vogelweh is the big one. Q: Do people have pets on base? A: Believe it or not, people still have pets on base. They seem to not care if their dog barks all the time! It is awful. If your pet is quiet and you don't mind taking it out all the time to do it's business, then great! But, if you have a loud dog, please be considerate of others and find a new home for it. Q: How did you get from the airport to the base? A: Our sponser came and picked us up from the airport. But there is also a shuttle that will take you to base. If you get an international drivers liscense while you are in the states, you can rent a car at the airport. To get an international drivers liscence, you just go to your wherever they issue them and pay the money and they give you one. There is no test. (this may be different in your area) Q: My husband and I are moving to Germany in April and I would like to find a job. Are there any webs sites out there for base jobs for spouses? A: I did find some and they are posted on the links page of this site. Q: How are the TV stations over there. I mean can you catch alot of football, hockey, etc on TV overthere? A: Yes, you can get all kinds of sports if you have cable, which includes the AFN sports channel, and Eurosport channel. You can get some kind of sports all the time.   Click on the page you want to visit next! OLD------page 1 - page 2 - page 3 - page 4 - page 5------NEW

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