I showed up at the right place at the right time, and everyone was surprised to see me.  Not as in, I didn't know you were coming today, but as in, what are you doing here?  at all?

My paperwork is in limbo someplace in the legal system and it was kindly and gently suggested that I wait til further notice before planning another day.  I stopped at ( Read more... )

Back at work again today.   The Volunteer Coordinator actually approved all the paperwork submitted by the department and forwarded it on to JAG.  So we're waiting....

Today I spent 8 hours at the office, wrote a second newspaper article about energy conservation, watched a presentation for newly arriving soldiers, reviewed a fascinating journal for ( Read more... )

I showed up at the office, prepared to hear that they were sorry but couldn't make the arrangements.  What I heard was, of COURSE we want you!  We're very excited to have you!  We'll deal with this pesky paperwork problem, no worries!  and they showed me to an empty desk and said please write a job description for what you want to do.

I suppose ( Read more... )

I have just been told that there are serious obstacles to my volunteering at the Department of Public Works.  Not only does the Army prevent me from getting a job (I have no official status, you see) but now they tell me that I can't even F'ing DONATE my time!

Today the volunteer coordinator told me that they really only accept volunteers for work ( Read more... )

First day on the (volunteer) job and boy did I learn a lot of new stuff.  Things like: 

• The Army and Air Force hate each other big time ("but we have different mission statements, that's why".... really?). 
• Germany has no operating landfills for municipal waste, it all gets incinerated. 
• Since 1993, Germany has reduced its waste stream by 78% (um, ( Read more... )

By order of the Kaiserslautern Military Community (KMC) commander, all US military personnel, assigned to, on temporary duty with, or otherwise present in the KMC, are ordered to observe a curfew from 2300 hrs, 1 OCT 10, until 0500 hrs, 2 OCT 10 ( Read more... )

I received an email from the US embassy in Budapest:  apparently someone turned in my wallet including "drivers license, military ID and some other cards" [unspecified].  The embassy is sending it to me via diplomatic pouch - it should take about 3 weeks, I guess pouches belonging to diplomats move pretty slowly.  Or maybe it has to go back to the ( Read more... )

We wait our turn in the department for lost or stolen ID cards, tubes of fluorescent lighting overhead, gray institutional carpet underfoot.  21 people are waiting to be called. We read and re-read posters titled:  Have You Ever Wondered Why Is The Wait So Long?, fingers curled around handles of umbrellas or clutching paper cups of coffee, now ( Read more... )

From 2004-2006, we lived in Germany, courtesy of the US DOD (as civilian contractor and dependent).  In 2006, we moved to the Seattle area, shipping 2 cars formerly registered in Germany to the US.  We sold both of those cars in 2008 when we moved back to Germany.  Once here, we bought a new car, registered it and began to tootle around the ( Read more... )

After my trip to Wiesbaden last month, I filled out an on-line resume form for a position that seems to suit.  It's complicated, though.  First of all, I can't even SEE the job announcement unless I lie and say that I'm a veteran or married to an active duty service person or a widow of a soldier killed in battle or a few other things that I'm not ( Read more... )