Wo ist eine Kletterwand in der Nähe von Spangdahlem?
December 10, 2010 6:26 AM Subscribe
Mr. chiefthe will soon accept a new job! In Germany! We are both very excited about this, but have a number of questions about the area where the job is located (Spangdahlem) and general moving-over-seas stuff.
After about a year of looking, my husband has received an offer to work at Spangdahlem AFB in Germany. He's a civilian and has worked for a government lab on a base for the past 10 years, so he's not new to that environment. We have traveled to Europe many times and have been to Munich and Garmisch-Partenkirchen and have some friends who have lived in Europe for extended periods, so we are familiar with the differences between living in the US and living in Europe. We have no kids or pets. While there is some great advice here, here and here, which will be a great starting point, we, of course, have some special snowflake questions listed below.
What we'd like some information regarding:
1. The Spangdahlem area---what is is like to live there? We'll probably live on or very near the base for the first 6 months to a year before looking for accommodations in one of the nearby towns.
2. Within the last year we've gotten into indoor rock climbing, which we really love. I have been unable to find any climbing gyms in that area of Germany. Any recommendations?
3. I'll be keeping my job and working from home. This isn't a big deal, as I have been working from home 3 days a week for years, but dealing with being 6 hours ahead is not something I've worked with before for more than a week at a time. Any advice there?
4. What to do about a cell phone? I currently have an iPhone 4 that my work provides me. I’ll need to have a phone in Europe, as I’ll be working with and traveling to our European customers. I really like the iPhone 4. What are my options to get one there? Is it possible to get it unlocked at a reasonable price so I can use it with a pre-paid SIM when I come home? Or should I get an iTouch for apps and get some other smart phone?
5. Is there anything you had wished some one had told you before you made a similar move?
Some notes:
-We've both been taking German classes on and off for a couple years. I currently have a private tutor and am going to try to accelerate my learning.
-The move won't be until the March time-frame
-Moving costs are covered and we will be bringing our car (Honda Fit)
-We will both be paid is USD
After about a year of looking, my husband has received an offer to work at Spangdahlem AFB in Germany. He's a civilian and has worked for a government lab on a base for the past 10 years, so he's not new to that environment. We have traveled to Europe many times and have been to Munich and Garmisch-Partenkirchen and have some friends who have lived in Europe for extended periods, so we are familiar with the differences between living in the US and living in Europe. We have no kids or pets. While there is some great advice here, here and here, which will be a great starting point, we, of course, have some special snowflake questions listed below.
What we'd like some information regarding:
1. The Spangdahlem area---what is is like to live there? We'll probably live on or very near the base for the first 6 months to a year before looking for accommodations in one of the nearby towns.
2. Within the last year we've gotten into indoor rock climbing, which we really love. I have been unable to find any climbing gyms in that area of Germany. Any recommendations?
3. I'll be keeping my job and working from home. This isn't a big deal, as I have been working from home 3 days a week for years, but dealing with being 6 hours ahead is not something I've worked with before for more than a week at a time. Any advice there?
4. What to do about a cell phone? I currently have an iPhone 4 that my work provides me. I’ll need to have a phone in Europe, as I’ll be working with and traveling to our European customers. I really like the iPhone 4. What are my options to get one there? Is it possible to get it unlocked at a reasonable price so I can use it with a pre-paid SIM when I come home? Or should I get an iTouch for apps and get some other smart phone?
5. Is there anything you had wished some one had told you before you made a similar move?
Some notes:
-We've both been taking German classes on and off for a couple years. I currently have a private tutor and am going to try to accelerate my learning.
-The move won't be until the March time-frame
-Moving costs are covered and we will be bringing our car (Honda Fit)
-We will both be paid is USD
There is an indoor kletterwand in Trier, which is a half-hour car drive away.
(You might need to be a DAV (German Alpine Club) member to use it. According to the website of the Trier section, the annual DAV membership fee is 50€ per person or 80€ for a married couple.)
posted by ckemp at 6:42 AM on December 10, 2010
(You might need to be a DAV (German Alpine Club) member to use it. According to the website of the Trier section, the annual DAV membership fee is 50€ per person or 80€ for a married couple.)
posted by ckemp at 6:42 AM on December 10, 2010
- Expect lots of unexpected admin and seemingly silly rules that you will easily fall foul of.
- look into tax regulations now
posted by koahiatamadl at 6:49 AM on December 10, 2010
- look into tax regulations now
posted by koahiatamadl at 6:49 AM on December 10, 2010
A few ideas:
1. If you've had your US phone number long enough that you'd like to keep it, consider moving it ("porting") to a VoIP service. We ported the home number we'd had for 20 years to CallCentric, and it now rings in our home abroad. Our U.S.-based family and friends can continue to call us on a U.S. phone number, and we can make cheap outgoing calls with it. (I got a Siemens IP-phone so that we have a regular phone handset that works with the VOIP line.) Call quality is decent to good.
I ported my cell phone number to a (U.S.) pay-as-you-go phone so I'll be reachable under the same old number when I'm visiting the U.S. It costs $100/year with T-Mobile.
2. Forwarding paper mail. You can ask family to do this, but that can get awkward for a variety of reasons. There are a few commercial mail forwarding services around. The main contenders for me were EarthClassMail (which had some amount of customer complaints) and SBI (St Brandon's Isle). The latter is a bit lower-tech, but has been around for a long time and seems extremely solid. No complaints so far. They scan the envelopes & let you pick online if you want stuff shredded, sent to you, or opened and scanned, so you can reduce your incoming mail a lot by tossing catalogs, solicitations, etc.
3. I'd recommend bringing a few non-surge protector power strips for your U.S. electronics. (The power strip I brought that is also a surge protector trips our breakers as soon as I plug it in; not sure if that's a problem with all surge protectors.)
posted by mvd at 7:10 AM on December 10, 2010
1. If you've had your US phone number long enough that you'd like to keep it, consider moving it ("porting") to a VoIP service. We ported the home number we'd had for 20 years to CallCentric, and it now rings in our home abroad. Our U.S.-based family and friends can continue to call us on a U.S. phone number, and we can make cheap outgoing calls with it. (I got a Siemens IP-phone so that we have a regular phone handset that works with the VOIP line.) Call quality is decent to good.
I ported my cell phone number to a (U.S.) pay-as-you-go phone so I'll be reachable under the same old number when I'm visiting the U.S. It costs $100/year with T-Mobile.
2. Forwarding paper mail. You can ask family to do this, but that can get awkward for a variety of reasons. There are a few commercial mail forwarding services around. The main contenders for me were EarthClassMail (which had some amount of customer complaints) and SBI (St Brandon's Isle). The latter is a bit lower-tech, but has been around for a long time and seems extremely solid. No complaints so far. They scan the envelopes & let you pick online if you want stuff shredded, sent to you, or opened and scanned, so you can reduce your incoming mail a lot by tossing catalogs, solicitations, etc.
3. I'd recommend bringing a few non-surge protector power strips for your U.S. electronics. (The power strip I brought that is also a surge protector trips our breakers as soon as I plug it in; not sure if that's a problem with all surge protectors.)
posted by mvd at 7:10 AM on December 10, 2010
Two things I find enormously useful:
A Vonage subscription with a US phone number. Plug it into your router in Germany and your friends and family in the US can reach you there just by dialing a local US number.
A VPN subscription (such as www.hidemyass.com). A VPN gives you a server location in the US (or in just about any other country) which you need for some content streaming whilst outside the US.
Better to be paid in Euro as all of the things you buy will be priced in Euro. At the present exchange rate you will find everything to be shockingly expensive when you convert to dollars.
Sell the car and buy something in Germany. The hassle of shipping yours, getting it registered (and any modifications such as to lighting) just isn't worth it. Also if you have not owned it for more than 2 years, you might get hit with import duty (17% of the new car value.) None of those latter costs would be covered under the usual relocation packages and once you are there with your car, you don't have too many options other than to pay them.
There are plenty of well-maintained second-hand cars in Germany. Negotiate with your employer for some money for not moving your car and buy something from a local dealer close to where you will be living.
posted by three blind mice at 7:11 AM on December 10, 2010 [2 favorites]
A Vonage subscription with a US phone number. Plug it into your router in Germany and your friends and family in the US can reach you there just by dialing a local US number.
A VPN subscription (such as www.hidemyass.com). A VPN gives you a server location in the US (or in just about any other country) which you need for some content streaming whilst outside the US.
Better to be paid in Euro as all of the things you buy will be priced in Euro. At the present exchange rate you will find everything to be shockingly expensive when you convert to dollars.
Sell the car and buy something in Germany. The hassle of shipping yours, getting it registered (and any modifications such as to lighting) just isn't worth it. Also if you have not owned it for more than 2 years, you might get hit with import duty (17% of the new car value.) None of those latter costs would be covered under the usual relocation packages and once you are there with your car, you don't have too many options other than to pay them.
There are plenty of well-maintained second-hand cars in Germany. Negotiate with your employer for some money for not moving your car and buy something from a local dealer close to where you will be living.
posted by three blind mice at 7:11 AM on December 10, 2010 [2 favorites]
#5 - Don't bring any small household electronics (kitchen appliances, hair dryer, etc.). Each one will require a converter, and they probably won't work well (and will burn out pretty quickly) anyway. Throw lots of stuff away. Then throw away some more. Aaaand some more. The more stuff you have, the more you have to pack and then (augh, the pain) unpack. Set up Skype for any technophobe relatives and friends before you leave. Skyping is totally better with a web cam. Read up on international mailing before you try to send goodies back to the States for the first time. If you can, maintain a U.S. mailing address, even if it's a (trusted) family member or friend's house. This makes it easier to maintain an American checking account and credit card, which in turn make it easier to visit the States. Get a Flickr Pro account and post lots of photos for Americans you know who are curious about daily life in Germany. Keep making travelling and exploring a priority, because it's easy to let it slide.
posted by neushoorn at 7:13 AM on December 10, 2010
posted by neushoorn at 7:13 AM on December 10, 2010
Don't have any specific answers, but get yourselves on ToyTown Germany for future question-asking and general settling-in requirements.
posted by Happy Dave at 7:41 AM on December 10, 2010
posted by Happy Dave at 7:41 AM on December 10, 2010
I lived on Spang... in the early 70s. So not much use directly.
General questions to consider:
(1) Have they told you that base housing would be available to your husband as a civilian? Even if they said that housing accepts civilian employees, have you checked to see if you would realistically be able to live on base if you chose, or whether there's a waiting list that effectively means that only military families will live on base?
(2) You should check whether you will have access to the base exchange and commissary while at Spang. I expect they would represent way serious savings over German prices, and they'll be the place to get your Back Home Stuff when you're really jonesing for American crap.
(3) Have you checked to see whether it would be legal under German law or the Status of Forces Agreement, if applicable, for you to work as you've described?
If your hubby is going to be working directly for the US government on a military installation, a lot of the stuff about standard relocation packages and getting paid in Euro just isn't relevant.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:52 AM on December 10, 2010
General questions to consider:
(1) Have they told you that base housing would be available to your husband as a civilian? Even if they said that housing accepts civilian employees, have you checked to see if you would realistically be able to live on base if you chose, or whether there's a waiting list that effectively means that only military families will live on base?
(2) You should check whether you will have access to the base exchange and commissary while at Spang. I expect they would represent way serious savings over German prices, and they'll be the place to get your Back Home Stuff when you're really jonesing for American crap.
(3) Have you checked to see whether it would be legal under German law or the Status of Forces Agreement, if applicable, for you to work as you've described?
If your hubby is going to be working directly for the US government on a military installation, a lot of the stuff about standard relocation packages and getting paid in Euro just isn't relevant.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:52 AM on December 10, 2010
Response by poster: As ROU_Xenophobe says, yes, Mr. chiefthe will be working directly for the US government, so no chance of being paid in Euros. And good point on #3. We are checking on that now.
posted by chiefthe at 8:07 AM on December 10, 2010
posted by chiefthe at 8:07 AM on December 10, 2010
In re #3 -- Before you leave, settle whether your home office expects you to work to their daily schedule. They may expect you to be working during their 9-5, even if you did six hours of work before they started. You should be ready either to put your foot down or to have them put theirs down about what hours you're expected to be available to them.
posted by Etrigan at 12:23 PM on December 10, 2010
posted by Etrigan at 12:23 PM on December 10, 2010
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The alternative is you could get the iPhone unlocked (voids warranty) and hooked up with a German carrier.
posted by patrad at 6:40 AM on December 10, 2010