Home | Customs & Helpful Hints | To Live On or Off base? | Base Housing Information | Base Housing Photos | Off-base Housing Photos | Schools | Phone & Internet | POV Inspection Info | VAT Information | Pet Information | German Holiday's | Q & A's | What Others Have to Say? | Area Photos | Links | Germany Information Message Board, E-mail Group & Chat Room | Currency Exchange Calculator | Have a Question? Ask Here | Site Map Q & A's - Page 4 OLD------page 1 - page 2 - page 3 - page 4 - page 5------NEW   Q: Does the new housing policy (March 1, 2002) of 1 room per child apply to all sectors of the military, in my case Army? A: This policy is applies to the KMC no matter what branch of military you are. This means Ramstein, Vogelweh, Landstuhl, Sembach. I am not sure if it applies to other areas in Germany or for what branches. You will need to contact the base you are going to for further information.Visit the Crossroads website and see if your base is listed there. I belive that there is a link to the site on my links page. Once you find your base, there will be information on housing and ways to contact the housing office. You might be able to email them and get all of your questions answered. Q: Can you tell us about housing at other bases in Germany? A: The only thing that I can offer is that most of the military housing in Germany are pretty much the same, with a few variations. The housing that I have seen has wooden floors and tile. General and Colonel housing has carpet. All of the housing that I have seen is 2 to 4 stories tall. Q: Can we bring yard toys for on base? A: You should be able to bring yard toys, but will have to check on your base as to what the rules are. Some places you might have to store them in the basement. Here on Ramstein, I have seen several little tykes stuff (climbers, swingsets and such.......) that are left out. (they are too big to take down and put away) Q: We want to find a house.......can you suggest how we go about looking before we get over there? A: Realitors charge a huge finders fee of like one months rent, so usually they are the last option. The only thing I can suggest is for you to look at this website under "accomodations" www.ka-ads.de or wait until you get here and get a list from housing of what is available or find the realitors once you are here. Q: What are the average size of the rooms in base housing? A: The small bedroom in our 3 bedroom is about 9x12 then the second bedroom is about 10x14. Then the master bdrm is about 10x18 (we fit our queen bed, lg dresser w mirror, one night stand, and a chest of drawers in it with plenty of walking space on one side of the room, the other side of the room there is tons of space. The living room is about 20x25.......pretty good size, but this also includes your dining area. We will measure soon and post them on the site. The bathrooms are big!! Much bigger than a standard bathroom in the US. Q: I am new to Ramstein and looking for off base recreation. Have tried to find the MarketPlatz twice with no luck (not been given very good directions). Also looking for Ramstein Village...K-Town...just somewhere to get out and walk around. Also any info on how to get involved in the weekend walks would be greatly appreciated. A: The Marketplatz you are referring too is usually called the walkplatz. There is one in every town........so some are bigger than others. The big one around here is in K-town wich you were looking to find also. Very easy!!!................let me try and help you. Do you know B-40? The road that takes you to Vogelweh?? Take that road like you are going to vogelweh from Einsedlerhof..........go past Vogelweh and the next town is downtown k-town (cause technically Einsedlerhof & Vogelweh are in K-town) You will get to a major light by the VW dealer.........turn right and follow your nose (the priority road) until you get downtown further. Once you get down there........you should see a lot of people walking around (it should be to the right of you) so.........find a place to park and follow everybody else.............it is great! It is just a huge sidewalk that goes in all different directions and it is lined with stores! They also have their festivals and Christmas markets right there..... Ramstein village is right outside of Ramstein's west gate (burger king).........so go out the gate to the traffic circle and take the 3:00 (right) this will take you to another traffic circle........you can take the 12:00 or the 9:00..........the 12 will take you right into the village. If you go this way.........you go right in and make your first right after the esso and follow that road down and you will find a great indoor/outdoor pool! If you took the 9:00 that would take you to another traffic circle..........3:00 would be Ramstein Village again.......(which would bring you to the road that the route below would take you to) If you take the 9:00 that would take you to Landstuhl. If you don't make that right (to the pool) but keep going on the priority road..........the road will come to a T make a right and that will take you downtown (if you go left that will take you to Landstuhl direction) A hint...........if you see the church, you are right in the middle of downtown (in any village). The weekend walks or the Volksmarch are listed everywhere..........sometimes they are listed in the ka (but probably once a year). Look for the Kabel magazine (they have them all over base) ........lots of good stuff will be in there......you will want to get your hands on one of those. Also in the community center at Ramstein in the hallway by the bathrooms is a bulliten board with info about the walks (last time we saw). Q: If you live on base do you still pay for your water and power? A: No, you only pay for extras.........phone, cable, internet....etc. Q: Can you bring your own telephone over? A: Yes, but american cordless phones are illegal in Germany. I know there are a lot of people who have them and I am not telling you not to bring it. I don't know what the penalty is if you get caught with one. They run on the same frequency as the Emergency System and they interfere. They do sell German cordless phones here in the Power Zone. (they are expensive, we bought one and it didn't work and the directions were in German so we took it back.) Q:Are the phone jacks the same in germany as they are in the u.s.? A: No, but they sell adapters in the power zone. No problem! Q: How much do you have to pay for car insurance on a 4x4 over in germany? A: We use USAA and the price for insurance is not that bad, Check with them before you come. We pay $100 a month for full coverage on a SUV, min. coverage on a junker, and renters insurance. There are also places here to get insured. Q: I have heard that Landstuhl is the best area for school for the kids. A: In my opinion, I believe that Ramstein has the best schools. Landstuhl schools are good too. I have heard that people don't like K-town or Vogelweh. I am sure they are all good, it just depends on your prefrences. Q: I would like to know how I can contact the schools there in Germany or the records department, so I can obtain a copy of my High School Diploma. A: The only suggestion I have is to go to the links page and look under "schools". You should be able to contact them through their website. Q: My husband wants to buy new furniture when we get there, if we bring our old stuff, how easy is it to get rid of it, either through a dump or garage sale? A: You can get rid of your stuff once you are here. If you live on base, you can have a basement sale. There is also a recycling center on the bases where you can get rid of anything. Off base there are scheduled "junking" days where you can put your bulk trash on the side of the road. It is fun to dig through other people junk Q: And where do you go to buy new furniture for a good price? A: There is an AAFES furniture store at Vogelweh. I am not sure if you would like the German couches..........they are kind of different than what Americans are used to. The Germans do sell nice wood furniture..........tables, chairs, hutches, entertainment centers....and so on. The beds just won't work because they are a different measurement than American beds, and then you won't find sheets to fit. Q: Is there a school near Ramstein AB where they teach people to Read, Write, and Speak the German language? A: Yes, there are tons of different opportunities for you to learn the language. The community centers, colleges, and local germans offer ways for you to learn. People are always putting adds in the paper to teach you also. Q: How is the school year in Germany? Is it year round,traditional or completely different from the states? A: The school year is pretty much on the same cycle as in the states........off for the summer, starts back up at the end of Aug., off for Christmas, Spring Break and then over in June. Q: How would you describe the Medical/Dental Care in Germany? And the facilities? Is it easy enough to get your children in if they are sick or need to be seen? A: Dental care........well, you can only have a cleaning once a year. Ramstein only does over 4 years old. Sembach has the care for under the age of 4. Medical is just fine. There are clinics at the bases and then there is also the Army hospital at Landstuhl. You can choose which clinic you would like your primary care to be at. The hospital is good........there is an ER there and they have all the specialty units, NICU, ICU .......etc. The facilities are nice. You can get your kids in to see the doc with no problem. Sometimes it takes a week or two to get an appointment for routine stuff. But if they are sick, they will try and get you in same day and if they don't have any app. the nurse will asses the child over the phone and if they need to be seen, they squeeze them in, or say if they can wait till the morning. But, you can always go to the ER. The one thing they don't do and I don't agree with it...is they don't do yearly checkups for the kids. Right after we got here, my daughter turned 2.......so I called to make her appointment and they said they don't do yearly checkups unless you have specific problems you want to talk to the doctor about. I don't agree with that at all! Q: What does Tschuß mean? A: Tschuß is pronounced "Cheewsss" Kinda like "Juice" and that is slang for Bye, chow, see-ya, later, adios, and it is used quite frequently! Q: What is the altitude at Ramstein? A: about 700 Ft. Q: Can we bring our cell phones to use there? A: I have never heard of anyone bringing a cell phone with them. Everyone just buys one here.......they are not that much. If you bring yours, and if they do it, you will have to get the chip changed in it. So, bring them and you can just check at the TKS place when you sign up for phone and cable. Q: What are some great places to visit close to the K-town area? A: You can visit the city of Metz in France. It is close and very nice. Go West on A-6 from K-town. Once you get into Metz, just follow the signs for the Centre...........and look for the Cathedral. Park by the Cathedral and then walk around. There is also a flea market in Homburg which is only about 35 min from RAB. It is is open on the first sat. of the month. There are a few months during the winter that it is closed. There is a great Bazaar in Sept. every year in Hangar 1&2 at RAB. They have tons of neat stuff. Must be a ID card holder. There is a WWII museum in Diekirch, Luxombourg. It is only about 1½ hours from RAB. Visit Trier, 1 hour away, the oldest city in Germany. Go on the Rhein River Cruise......look on the map and drive to the town of Bingham/Bruedesheim. You can get on the ferry there. Very nice!!! This is about 1 hour north of RAB. Also, Visit Rothenburg!!! Q: My question is in regards to TV sets. Does AFN broadcast over a NTSC signal, or is it on a PAL. I have a small multi-system TV but like my American big screen! A: My hubby says that AFN broadcast over the NTSC signal. Off base, If you have a multisystem tv you get German channels and like one AFN channel. If you want more, you have to by the satellite and you will get more American channels. Without a multi-system tv off base, we are not sure how that works, probably not too well. On base, you don't need a multisystem. We are pretty sure about this..........I hope it is all right. Q: I am an African-American female and will be moving to Ramstein, from NY in about 3-4 months with my husband who is in the military. My concerns are ....does the "on-base" (or off-base) shops cater to all ethnic group (i.e., hair products/general needs)? A: I have a friend who is African-American and I actually saw her today. I asked her about hair products for you. She said that there is not much at all to offer in the BX here. She said that it is best to have your family ship you what you need or she also gave me a website that will ship right to your APO/FPO mailbox. (you will get one of these mailboxes when you get here. The web address is www.sheldeez.com She also said that there is a salon in K-town, but is very expensive to purchase products from. I have also seen people advertise in our weekly newspaper for various services. Q: Are there any resources/groups that you can suggest that may be helpful to an African-American New Yorker "adjusting" to her newly, very unexpected military life? A: As far as you adjusting, the Family support center offers many opportunities for you, just call them when you get here. Q: Are there jobs (to your knowledge) for non-German speaking civilians, with degrees, that don't necessarily want to work in a "BX" as a cashier? A: You should be able to get a good GS position if you have a degree. Have you resume handy and you can even apply on line before you come. It might take a while, so don't get frustrated. (I am making no guarantees here......just keep your fingers crossed and be open to anything) I have not been able to get a job in my career field, so I have only been able to volunteer. Q: Is is expensive to live off base? And will we get a washer and dryer from the military? A: You should be able to find a nice place to live within your housing allowance. Along with your housing allowance, you also receive a utilities allowance and cost of living. Yes, the military will issue you a W/D along with a microwave, and shrunks (standing closets - German houses do not have closets). Q: The photos on your site of housing are of Air Force housing near Kaiserslatuern(SPELLING?) ? We are Army and I was wondering if you know whether or not all government housing is similar in Germany? A: Yes, they are of MILITARY (not just Air Force, but for any branch) housing in K-town. From what I understand and have seen, most of the government housing is the same throughout Germany. Q: Are there restrictions as far as how many bedrooms you are entitled to off base? And does the military have any regulations over your off base housing? A: There are no restrictions for off base as far as how many bedrooms you can have........you rent from the Germans and that is it. The only thing that that military has to do with you living off base is that the housing office has to approve your contract. Q: How many pets can you ship and how many can you have live with you? A: The amount of pets you can have on base is 2. How many animals you can have off base would be totally up to your landlord. The military will allow you to ship 2 pets. Just recently, there has been a new benefit that will allow you to ship more than two pets through Space available. Just ask your travel people about the rules. If you send the pets Space-A, they must return Space-A also. Q: We have a T.V. in each room in our stateside home we live in now. Do the house's in Germany have the outlets if we choose to bring all the T.V.'s? A: The newly renovated on base housing DOES have cable hookups in each bedroom, and two in the living room. The others only have one cable hookup. I am not sure about off base.       OLD------page 1 - page 2 - page 3 - page 4 - page 5------NEW Home | Customs & Helpful Hints | To Live On or Off base? | Base Housing Information | Base Housing Photos | Off-base Housing Photos | Schools | Phone & Internet | POV Inspection Info | VAT Information | Pet Information | German Holiday's | Q & A's | What Others Have to Say? | Area Photos | Links | Germany Information Message Board, E-mail Group & Chat Room | Currency Exchange Calculator | Have a Question? Ask Here | Site Map