(no subject)
The latest update...
Chris went down to the recruiting office yesterday after all, to speak to someone in person about all these issues. The answers we got: If we get legally married before he goes, they will not pay his half of the rent or pay for us to move or store our stuff (if I were to move home); however, they won't charge him for the room and board expenses, so he'll be able to keep all the money he earns once the normal government deductions for pensions and taxes and so on are taken off. Which will be about $1200 or so each month, apparently. Doesn't make much sense to me why they would refuse to pay for those things and then let him keep his earnings, but I guess it means more money for us in the long run, so it's a good thing. I likely will be able to live with him once his 45-week-long course training begins -- which looks like it will be this summer some time. So, that's good and bad. Longer than we wanted or expected, but not as bad as a year and a half at least. The big kicker is that he was told this was all dependent on how well he did in everything until that point, and that he would have to put in a request for me to come live with him and it would be at the discretion of his commanding officer! How outrageous is that?!? Argghhhh!! It's so stupid, but... whatever. What can we do? Oh, and one woman got a little bitchy with him for asking so many questions -- hello? This is your job, to answer the questions of new recruits. YOU keep bugging us to make decision, and we need to know the answers to our questions in order to make those decisions. From YOU. So, screw off! Grrr. Can you see why *I* am not joining this ridiculous thing called the Armed Forces?
So, now the big question is: do I stay here and keep working at the expense of my sanity, or move home to spend some time with my family, work on wedding things, maybe work part-time, learn to drive (finally), and get a break from my current job, but lose a lot of independence and the chance to get unemployment insurance when I do finally move to live with him? In the end, I think the money I would have to pay expenses for both options would work out to be the same. So, what to do? Well.... I'm gonna try to figure that out this weekend. Wish me luck.
Chris went down to the recruiting office yesterday after all, to speak to someone in person about all these issues. The answers we got: If we get legally married before he goes, they will not pay his half of the rent or pay for us to move or store our stuff (if I were to move home); however, they won't charge him for the room and board expenses, so he'll be able to keep all the money he earns once the normal government deductions for pensions and taxes and so on are taken off. Which will be about $1200 or so each month, apparently. Doesn't make much sense to me why they would refuse to pay for those things and then let him keep his earnings, but I guess it means more money for us in the long run, so it's a good thing. I likely will be able to live with him once his 45-week-long course training begins -- which looks like it will be this summer some time. So, that's good and bad. Longer than we wanted or expected, but not as bad as a year and a half at least. The big kicker is that he was told this was all dependent on how well he did in everything until that point, and that he would have to put in a request for me to come live with him and it would be at the discretion of his commanding officer! How outrageous is that?!? Argghhhh!! It's so stupid, but... whatever. What can we do? Oh, and one woman got a little bitchy with him for asking so many questions -- hello? This is your job, to answer the questions of new recruits. YOU keep bugging us to make decision, and we need to know the answers to our questions in order to make those decisions. From YOU. So, screw off! Grrr. Can you see why *I* am not joining this ridiculous thing called the Armed Forces?
So, now the big question is: do I stay here and keep working at the expense of my sanity, or move home to spend some time with my family, work on wedding things, maybe work part-time, learn to drive (finally), and get a break from my current job, but lose a lot of independence and the chance to get unemployment insurance when I do finally move to live with him? In the end, I think the money I would have to pay expenses for both options would work out to be the same. So, what to do? Well.... I'm gonna try to figure that out this weekend. Wish me luck.