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HEIDELBERG
Your
Name (if you would like it to appear):
Elizabeth
Patchen
Base
Name:
Patrick
Henry Village, Heidelberg
Base
Location:
Germany
How
long have you been here? (give years please, ex. 2003-present)
We
got
here March 29, 2005 to present
What
is housing like? On-post? (waiting list, conditions, etc.) Off-post?
On
post housing is pretty good. They are stairwell apartments with 6 apts.
in each stairwell. We also got into housing pretty quickly. I think the
average waiting time is about 2-3 weeks. Most of the outlets are 220v
instead of 110v so it is typically easier to get most of your kitchen
appliances over here. You will also have to get a new phone because the
phones over here are different and also your clocks will run slow--even
if
you use a transformer. Off
post I'm not really too sure about.
Rate
the PX & Commissary.
The
commissary is pretty much the same as it is
anywhere, except they also have things from the German economy and they
don't carry a big variety of brands from the states. The PX is pretty
good
although they don't carry a variety of brands so you may have to switch
brands of things or have someone from the states mail you a supply every
once in a while.
Activities
on base?
There
is a lot of things that you can do on base. The
base is split up all over Heidelberg though so you have different things
on each part. Patrick Henry Village (PHV) has bowling, miniature golf,
tennis,
thrift store, TGI Fridays, and a nice new park. Patton Barracks
has a craft shop and the education center.
Active
Spouses Club?
I
am starting to get involved with our unit's FRG,
but I haven't seen anything about the Enlisted Spouses Club or Officer's
Wives Club.
Things
to do in area?
There
is a lot to do around Heidelberg--just
exploring where everything is at is fun. There are castles and old
churches all over. There is also the Hauptstrausse (which is like main
street) which has lots of shops, restaurants, and other things on
it--the
catch is that you don't drive down this street you can only walk.
School
System?
I
don't know much about the school system because both of
my
kids are under 5.
Any
colleges in area?
Through
the Education Center you have the University
of
Maryland, University of Oklahoma, and Texas Technical College.
Jobs?
(on post and off)
There
is always the jobs with the Commissary and
PX. There is also a lot of places to volunteer at. I'm not to sure about
off post jobs.
Favorite
aspect of this base/surrounding city?
The
atmosphere is so
beautiful (we have a view of the mountains from out bedroom window).
There
is so many things to experience with the different shops, foods, and
even
the way people drive.
Least
favorite aspect?
Many
of the soldiers and their families over here
seem to not respect the Germans and their way they do things, which I
think is very wrong. We are here as guests and should act that way
instead
of being rude or impatient when out and about.
Local
websites? (base, chamber, newspaper, schools, etc.) Heidelberg--
http://www.heidelberg.army.mil/sites/local/
Hospital--
http://www.heidelberg.healthcare.hqusareur.army.mil/hmeddac.htm
MWR--
http://www.mwrgermany.com/Flash.htm
Schools--
http://www.eu.dodea.edu/
Any
other tips? If you know you are coming over here--LEARN THE BASICS OF
THE LANGUAGE! You can normally find someone who speaks English when you
are out in Heidelberg, but you should still learn some of the basic
phrases (like thank you and your welcome) and numbers at least to 10.
You
also may want to buy a book about Germany that includes the little
things--like conversion charts from US to Metric. You will also want to
pay attention in the Head Start class as the teacher will usually talk
about
phone rates. In the states you have the 10-10-220 numbers--they have
the same thing over here and we pay less to call back to Kansas from
here
than it was at Fort Knox--for a call to KS that lasts about 2 hours we
pay
about 2 Euro (which is about $2.50). Most places over here also do not
take checks and when you use your bank card to pay for something it
comes
out of your account immediately instead of a day or even two later. My
last
tip would be to travel and see as much as you can while you are here!
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