We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. In this article, I'll discuss the pros and cons of military life overseas and provide my personal tips for balancing them. 18 Signs That You Have Been Stationed at Fort Campbell During Your Spouses Military Career , The Truth About Seeing Your Spouse Again After A Deployment, 14 Tips to Help You Survive Basic Training When Your Spouse Joins the Military, What To Do When Your Spouse Wants To Join The Military, The Big List of Facebook Groups For Military Spouses You Should Absolutely Join, Why You Should Break Up With Your Military Boyfriend. The medical benefits abroad are not the best from my experience, and Ill discuss that in the cons section. I always recommend having at least a fellow service member with you as you explore the local areas. Bonds with students. Obviously there are a lot of great places to travel in Europe. In this case, that person would become a citizen of both countries, unless their home country does not allow dual citizenship. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Nationality and Foreign Military Service. On it she shares her take on health, wellness, and life in Germany. The downsides of being stationed in Hawaii with the military are the high cost of living, long deployments, and limited job opportunities. On top of it all, Hawaii has a rich and beautiful history. The first thing I did not expect was being so jet-lagged. This includes the right to vote and stand in elections, and the right to make donations to political candidates. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. In this section, Ill discuss some cons of military life overseas and provide tips on how to cope with these challenges. With crystal clear turquoise waters, white powdery beaches, and bright blue skies, Hawaii will likely be like nothing you've ever seen before. In our last PCS I was forced to do that, as I started pre-nursing courses almost immediately after arriving at Ft. Bragg. All content Copyright 2011 MilitaryFamily.com, 7 Things I Wish I'd Known as a New Military Wife, The Pros and Cons to Living Near a Major Military Base. However, if you want more support in your OCONUS PCS and adjustment period, come find me on YouTube! Here are tips on responsibly caring for your four-legged family member. Student loan debt in the United States is almost $1.75 trillion. Some countries also offer citizenship based on ancestry. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Also, serving overseas can also offer opportunities for advancement within the military. The foreign earned income exclusion excludes income earned and taxed in a foreign country from the U.S taxable income of American expats. I craved quiet time. If you can't fit in smaller sized clothing, you will be forced to order online. Ah, Hawaii the land of perpetual sunshine and rainbows! For example, if you are a citizen of the U.S. and a country with mandatory military service, you can lose your U.S. citizenship under certain circumstances, such as if you serve as an officer in a foreign military that is engaged in a war against the U.S. "United States - New Zealand Income Tax Convention," Pages 20-21. Is it worth it to you to only see your family once or twice a year? Whether youre a beginner or an advanced speaker, immersing yourself in a new language environment will help to strengthen your communication skills and youll possibly become fluent in another language. There have been fewer wars fought on the continent then at any time since the reign of the Roman Empire over the region. As military families, some of us have the opportunity PCS to Hawaii, living here for years at a time and getting paid for doing so! Early on, island fever (getting sick of living on an island) seemed to be a real thing. Finally, get out and travel, travel, TRAVEL! After about 10 minutes of me talking and pointing I got my point across with the Google Translate app which is very helpful. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. A PCS to Hawaii also means learning and embracing Hawaiian customs, which you can learn more about here. However, there are ways to overcome culture shock and make the most of your time abroad. Just like any other duty station, Hawaii is what you make of it. Introduction In this paper the United States system will be analyzed, the pros and cons for the federation will be explained as well as what a federation is. Balancing work and life can be challenging in any situation, but it can be especially difficult when stationed overseas. After being in the US for a few years I can say that I miss that sense of community that we had over in Germany. Connect with Malori on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook! https://youtu.be/mqFEQIv4IjA You are not alone in your feelings. In Germany, you practically have to hunt your waitress down for your check when you need to go. Below are some of our biggest pros and cons of moving to Germany. A military draft requires people of a certain age to serve in the armed forces even if they don't want to do so. She is the co-founder of PowerZone Trading, a company that has provided programming, consulting, and strategy development services to active traders and investors since 2004. Moving from your current location back "home" works a little differently. Will I Lose That Citizenship If I Become a Canadian? List of the Cons of Lowering the Voting Age 1. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. In this article, Ill discuss the pros and cons of military life overseas and provide my personal tips for balancing them. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". You basically have your Army family to support you and that is it. The work and play mentality. Other things like learning the best places and times to shop, learning the lay of the land, and finding your tribe take time. To help mitigate these financial challenges, its important to budget carefully and make the most of the financial benefits available to military personnel. Honestly, there is not a lotof good information out there about PCSing to Europe. Not every country recognizes dual citizenship, and you may need to renounce your birth citizenship to become a citizen of a new country. If you are close to your family, you may feel disconnected from them being on the other side of the world. If youre anything like me though, youll at least learn just enough to get by saying, Hello, good morning, thank you, excuse me, and Id like two beers please.. Best Air Force Bases Overseas. Our first duty station, Schweinfurt only had about 3000 soldiers. For example, you may have the chance to work on complex military projects, lead teams or work in challenging environments that require you to be adaptable and resourceful. Individual nations within Europe struggle to hold influence on the global stage because of their size. Nationality and Foreign Military Service, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About International Individual Tax Matters, United States - New Zealand Income Tax Convention, IRS Provides Tax Inflation Adjustments for Tax Year 2023, I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status. What Is a Resident Alien? Right in your inbox. Part of the reason we love college in Germany so much is that most colleges don't charge tuition. At a luau, you can find tender kalua pork, pulled straight from the in-ground cooking pit and poi, made from taro root pulled from the ground! In other words, they're going to. In the last six years I have definitively seen differences between being stationed overseas and being stationed in the US. Lowering the voting age could lead to manipulated voting patterns. Another great thing about living in Germany is being around another culture. It is a reasonably affordable place to live. Prioritizing self-care and taking time to rest and recharge can help you stay focused and productive in your work. What Are the Advantages of the EU? 1. Our airline tickets back and forth from the east coast of the US to Japan have ranged from 1400 to 1800 for a single round trip ticket and prices are only going up. Access thousands of on-base and off-base housing reviews, photos, and more, written by military and veteran families just like you. We all were passionate about exercising and helping others get into good shape. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. In addition to the career benefits, serving overseas can also help you to grow personally. For most people, the complicated process of gaining citizenship requires the help of an immigration lawyer. 1. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. If you are seeking a position with the U.S government or your job requires access to information that is considered classified by the U.S. government, having dual citizenship may bar you from gaining the security clearance you need for this type of employment. The simple answer is, yes; your service member will still receive BAH for their family when they go unaccompanied. As someone who spent four years in Germany, I have to recommend that if you have the opportunity to go overseas, do it. Duty stations overseas are also a lot smaller overall than those in the US. Additionally, traveling home on leave will be very expensive. So happy to have Malori from Warrior Life Wellness to tell us all about what it is like to be stationed in Germany! I even have experience with German culture, from doing Bavarian folk dancing and taking over four years of German language courses. However, there are ways to cope with homesickness and maintain a connection with loved ones back home. These experiences can help you to broaden your horizons and develop new interests, leading to a more well-rounded and fulfilling life. It creates a more influential economic block. Its common interests like this that bring people together. For example, you may have the opportunity to learn new hobbies or sports, explore new cities, or meet new people. If you have recently received orders to Hawaii, you can access reviews of the military bases, housing neighborhoods, and more--all for free on our membership site here. Vikki Velasquez is a researcher and writer who has managed, coordinated, and directed various community and nonprofit organizations. As a result, I put together more than two dozen tips that will be more useful for your PCS to Europe so you can be more ready that you ever dreamed possible. For one thing, very few of the people stationed where you are can go home for the weekend. Investopedia requires writers to use primary sources to support their work. Navigating foreign business practices, dealing with language barriers, and communicating with colleagues from different cultures can all be difficult and time-consuming. Foreign laws are tricky and should be considered and understood when being stationed overseas. A dependent is a person who relies on you for their support. Plus, if it happens to be raining on your part of the island, just take a short drive to the other side, where you can usually find sunshine. Get the scoop on discounts, pay, benefits, and our latest award-winning content. For example, in the United States, there are more than a few states where you can't legally pay employees monthly or that limit which employees can be paid monthly. That's why there are generally laws that limit how infrequently a company can pay its employees. Whether youre missing family, friends, or even pets, homesickness can be a major issue for many military personnel. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. A friend of mine who was stationed in Germany PCS'd to Korea and now he travels all over Asia too. With deployments, the time difference is only about 2-3 hours. It does not store any personal data. 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