Has anybody gone to Germany with the army?

Question

Im going to go live in the military base with my fiance. We are going to be there for three years and I just want to know if its hard getting used to the things around there since neither of us know German. Was its hard learning the currency? or is it just hard to get around? Thanks! : )

Answer 1

In my experience, adults tend to think it's an awesome opportunity, and children hate it with a fiery passion.

I mean, when you live on the economy, there aren't any americans for miles around. It does kind of suck.

Answer 2

My sister is over there with her husband who is in the Army right now. She says it's great. She was never very social when she lived at home but now she's made friends with quite a few people on base and she's the happiest I think I've ever seen her...

Answer 3

i dont know why TBUGS says there are toll roads?the trucks only have to pay.ull never have to pay.there r websites from the army were u get information on everything.if u tell me the base ull go to i can tell u everything about it,im in friedberg post,i know allmost all of them here.oh and u dont have to learn german,alot of german people speak english anyway.sell taxes here will be 18%.gas will be cheaper since u will pay no taxes if u get coupans from the PX.some germans dont like americans too much.oh and the prices in stores have the taxes in it allready.

Answer 4

If you don't hang out on the base all day you will LOVE it. It takes about 3 months of immersion to get used to the language, more if you are around english speakers a lot. Curency isn't a big issue. The area around Ramstien is fantastic. Make use of the train system it can get you literally anywhere seamlessly.  Have a blast!

Answer 5

It's going to be great...I'm in the AF and I loved Ramstein...travel...get out and see the culture before it all goes away...

Answer 6

It is great there it will be a nice experience for you and your fiance.

you can travel all over Europe the army offers little trips all over Europe or you just get in your car and explore yourself.

its not hard to get around Germany most people speak English of course it can happen that you ask for direction and that somebody does not speak English then you just go to the next one and ask.

The army offers German language classes for you and your fiance.

It would be fun if you like to learn a new language.

you can go on the website for your post you going to go and they have some info about the post the city etc.

you did not write which post you going to go otherwise i could see if i can find the link to the post website and the city.

it doesn`t matter where you go its always what you make out of it.

Have fun!!!

Answer 7

Its tons of fun. get out and see the sites. the culture and currency and language issues are nothing to worry about as long as you have a little common sense. You will be just fine.

Answer 8

My son has been stationed in Germany for the past four years and he is now in Iraq till next June. He is married to a German girl. We have visited 7 time during the past 26 months and will leave on September 29th for a six week visit. Flying into Frankfurt is easy and you can catch a train right at the airport to anywhere in Germany. It is a good idea to get a discount rail card because the more you use it the more money you will save. Most Germans speak some English or will get someone to help you who does. If you are near a military base you will find friendly people in most of the shops within a mile or two of the base. They deal with American all the time so it will be easy to converse. Almost all Germans live in apartments and they tend to be pretty nice. The food is good and the grocery stores are usually smaller than here in the states. Sundays are pretty dead in Germany because almost everything is closed. The currency is easy to learn but you should realize that costs one Euro is about a dollar thirty. The prices include tax so the price you see is what you pay. When you pay for a meal the tip is included but it is customary to round up the bill to the next Euro. Since you are not married you might think about how you are going to get health care and perscription drugs. I have my medical supplies sent to me by my daughter. I do not know what you would do if you had to go to the hospital for an illness. The Germans have pretty much free health care but I do not know how they handle Americans. Also any type of medicine is pretty expensive. Germans who have a perscription pay little or nothing. I have several health problems so I feel that I am always taking a chance being there for so long. I am sure they would treat you but the cost might be pretty high. If you were married that would solve all the medical care issues. Also you will have to live off base and you will have to go through some red tape to get on the base. You will not be able to get on base unless you are with your boyfriend and that means he will have to do all the shopping.  The only annoying thing about German life is that the refrigerators are very small and most washers and dryers are small and the dryers take forever to dry. The winters are colder that most of the USA unless you live north of New York. It usually is about 25--35 everyday from November thru March. The summers are cool and I never saw an airconditioner in a German apartment. Do not be surprised that hotels often are not airconditioned. We stay at the only airconditioned hotel in Schweinfurt and it is a city of over 80,000. Do not get me wrong, I could easily live there. Also in the summer it stays light very late in the winter the days are short. We visit Schweinfurt which is about two hours south of Frankfurt. I am sure that different areas of Germany have climates that are a little cooler or warmer. They do seem to get rain fairly often.

Answer 9

Living in a foreign country can be the most wonderful experience you will ever have.

I would suggest learning German right away.  Take the Rosetta Stone course.  It is guaranteed to be successful or your money back.

Learning the money system is easy.  Your husband's salary is in US Dollars and you direct deposit it.  Germany is now using the Euro for their currency.  $1 = about .75 Euro.  You will have to watch your spending somewhat but should do fine if your husband is an E-5 or higher.

Driving is expensive since gasoline is expensive and so are the toll roads.  

Good system of trains that are not expensive.

Do not be one of those people who stay on the military base and hang out only with military people.  Learn to speak German quickly.

Of course, there is always the very good possibility your husband will be shipped to Iraq to fight in George Weasel Bush's war.  He very well might get wounded by an improvised explosive device and unfortunately become a cripple due to amputated limbs.  Have him get out of the military as quickly as possible.  WAR IS NOT THE ANSWER.

Answer 10

No its not hard, only the language. But you can see CNN over there and you'll find most commercials in Germany are in English. The country site is beautiful, shopping is great, you're close to the Rhine and France, Switzerland, Austria, the currency is the same 100 cents make 1 Euro. The army has great outings to Bavaria. My son was there and didn't want to come back and he said he would get back there in a flash.

Answer 11

Learning the currency is no problem at all. Not knowing Germany isn't that much of a problem especially in the towns surrounding the american military bases.  Don't be afraid to venture out.  Most Germans speak at least a little German.  I would recommend doing a lot of research before you go.  Research the train system, research the towns that you are going to be living near etc.  Also, you can listen to German radio online on the web.  There are lots of them.  Also, see if you can find some department stores online and check out the prices and what things are called etc.  I like Karstadt and Galleria Kaufhof.  Buy a phrase book and snoop through it here and there.  Get a german cookbook and see what people eat over there, etc.  And some language software or tapes would be a good investment too.  That way, when you get there you'll at least have a starting idea of what you are getting into.  Give it some time to adjust, be flexible and go with the flow and you'll like it for sure.