“Patience is waiting. Not passively waiting. That is laziness. But to keep going when the going is hard and slow - that is patience.”
The first challenges of this PCS may qualify as the hardest. It's not about being friendly and making friends easily. It's not about being flexible and rolling with the punches. It's not even about keeping an open mind. It's about patience.
Right now it's a mixture of being patient during the silence and "in-between" time and being patient while being forced to rely on others for help and complete lack over control. The independence we had in the states almost seems like a luxury at this stage.
While our little room is pretty, clean, neat and well lit it's still a very tiny box. We're endlessly pouring over the rental listings for the Landstuhl, Einselderhof and Vogelweh communities. MrD is fidgeting hardcore and wants out of this cell like a starving man drooling over a scrap of moldy bread. Last night was the first night that we severely loitered at a local eatery and giggled laughed and flirted. He's practically short circuiting whenever he gets near our room and is coping by sheer will and his iPhone apps.
It could be anywhere from 2 to 8 weeks before we get out of here. MrD has has to make the appointments to look at housing due to our lack of transportation and his access to "carpool." I send him tips and he tries and gets at least one successful contract. This is normally my side of the house and it's a little trying at times for the reversal of roles on both our parts.
Challenge: Lack of transportation.
Having your own vehicle and drivers license is almost taken for granted in the states. Right now it's a huge feat of humility for MrD to have to rely on one of the teenage airman in his shop to drive him around. He hates that he has to put someone out to pick him up, take him to their shop, take him to housing appointments to view possible rentals and return him to the hotel.
Due to my independent and enabling nature I am deliberately walking either to and/or from the nearby BX and Commissary to get what we need... which is not where he is working. This area is a mecca of bases and a serpentine of communities and although resources are plentiful it's a bit hard to understand an unknown language at times. I also refuse to be a wife that makes life more difficult on her spouse than necessary so I'll figure it out one way or another.
The other complication is that in Europe/Germany you are required to have a USAFE license to drive an auto. We won't be able to test for ours until the 8th and 10th respectively. Both fingers crossed that one of us passes the first time. It's a 154+ questions and a good chunk is understanding a variety of road signs. Our car won't arrive until at least the 13th and if need be will pay the 169euro/week to rent something.
Challenge: Spouse employment.
I am itching at the bit to have a purpose for the 9 hours a day I'm at home without MrD. Right now I'm in a bit of a conundrum. A management position has been offered to me as well as a fast paced high energy position at the BX. The problem I'm facing is stepping into a position as high stress and high responsibility as my last job right off the bat. I feel a bit uncomfortable taking on a position that would take a good 6 months to get attuned too while facing a huge language barrier, lack of home base and lack of transportation. It's one thing taking on a huge challenged while you feel centered and another thing entirely while hanging in the wind. I'm debating between taking an entry level low stress position immediately or holding off for two weeks either way while waiting for at least lodging/transportation to sort itself out.
Challenge: Language barrier.
It's all fun and games until you feel like an idiot saying please and thank you. In the past 10 days we've somewhat successfully mastered the art of paying with euros, ordering tapwater or 'wassel', food, please 'bitte' and thank you 'danka' and good day 'guten tag.' You still feel like a complete floundering guppy when you sit at a diner to hear layer upon layer of German floudering around you like an unknown music that sounds ever so enticing but is just out of your reach of decoding. If I'm not working in the next few weeks I'm going to start pouring my way through the Rosetta Stone German course as well as seeing what type of classroom course they have on base.
“Do or do not... there is no try.” Yoda
The first challenges of this PCS may qualify as the hardest. It's not about being friendly and making friends easily. It's not about being flexible and rolling with the punches. It's not even about keeping an open mind. It's about patience.
Right now it's a mixture of being patient during the silence and "in-between" time and being patient while being forced to rely on others for help and complete lack over control. The independence we had in the states almost seems like a luxury at this stage.
While our little room is pretty, clean, neat and well lit it's still a very tiny box. We're endlessly pouring over the rental listings for the Landstuhl, Einselderhof and Vogelweh communities. MrD is fidgeting hardcore and wants out of this cell like a starving man drooling over a scrap of moldy bread. Last night was the first night that we severely loitered at a local eatery and giggled laughed and flirted. He's practically short circuiting whenever he gets near our room and is coping by sheer will and his iPhone apps.
It could be anywhere from 2 to 8 weeks before we get out of here. MrD has has to make the appointments to look at housing due to our lack of transportation and his access to "carpool." I send him tips and he tries and gets at least one successful contract. This is normally my side of the house and it's a little trying at times for the reversal of roles on both our parts.
Challenge: Lack of transportation.
Having your own vehicle and drivers license is almost taken for granted in the states. Right now it's a huge feat of humility for MrD to have to rely on one of the teenage airman in his shop to drive him around. He hates that he has to put someone out to pick him up, take him to their shop, take him to housing appointments to view possible rentals and return him to the hotel.
Due to my independent and enabling nature I am deliberately walking either to and/or from the nearby BX and Commissary to get what we need... which is not where he is working. This area is a mecca of bases and a serpentine of communities and although resources are plentiful it's a bit hard to understand an unknown language at times. I also refuse to be a wife that makes life more difficult on her spouse than necessary so I'll figure it out one way or another.
The other complication is that in Europe/Germany you are required to have a USAFE license to drive an auto. We won't be able to test for ours until the 8th and 10th respectively. Both fingers crossed that one of us passes the first time. It's a 154+ questions and a good chunk is understanding a variety of road signs. Our car won't arrive until at least the 13th and if need be will pay the 169euro/week to rent something.
Challenge: Spouse employment.
I am itching at the bit to have a purpose for the 9 hours a day I'm at home without MrD. Right now I'm in a bit of a conundrum. A management position has been offered to me as well as a fast paced high energy position at the BX. The problem I'm facing is stepping into a position as high stress and high responsibility as my last job right off the bat. I feel a bit uncomfortable taking on a position that would take a good 6 months to get attuned too while facing a huge language barrier, lack of home base and lack of transportation. It's one thing taking on a huge challenged while you feel centered and another thing entirely while hanging in the wind. I'm debating between taking an entry level low stress position immediately or holding off for two weeks either way while waiting for at least lodging/transportation to sort itself out.
Challenge: Language barrier.
It's all fun and games until you feel like an idiot saying please and thank you. In the past 10 days we've somewhat successfully mastered the art of paying with euros, ordering tapwater or 'wassel', food, please 'bitte' and thank you 'danka' and good day 'guten tag.' You still feel like a complete floundering guppy when you sit at a diner to hear layer upon layer of German floudering around you like an unknown music that sounds ever so enticing but is just out of your reach of decoding. If I'm not working in the next few weeks I'm going to start pouring my way through the Rosetta Stone German course as well as seeing what type of classroom course they have on base.
“Do or do not... there is no try.” Yoda
