Evacuation Complete

I like to think we're good people.  We try to do the right thing.  We try to help others when in need.  We do things that merit good karma.  Well, somewhere along the line, we must have done something terrible because our karma on this move has just not been so great. While this week wasn't as bad as being stuck in Turkey during a coup, there were concerns that we were going to be stuck outside of Frankfurt.

We flew to Frankfurt on Monday night after spending the entire last week unpacking (I'll do another post on that once our house is presentable and I can take pictures) and took the train outside the city to Wiesbaden, where our hotel was.  There is an Army base there (where some people from Izmir went during the evacuation), as well as our car that had arrived from Turkey! It was the last step in completing our evacuation.  We had our household goods, an apartment and, soon, our car. Our plan was to pick up the car on Tuesday and head to see some fellow Olmsteders in Freiburg, Germany on Wednesday and Thursday, as well as stopping in Leichtenstein (checking off countries!) and some other German towns along the way home.  We were excited to have the car and make our own schedule as we headed back to Berlin.

 We knew we would have to get our driver's licenses, register the car and get temporary military plates in order to be issued our car.  Luckily, the office is right next door and all of our research (okay, just Mike's...I leave the military stuff up to him) told us that they only took walk-ins.  There was no need for appointments.  We got up early on Tuesday with the thought that it might be crowded and we might have to wait.

As we were walking to the building, Mike and I were joking and saying "what do you think the new rule is going to be?"  It seems like whenever we try and do anything related to the move, there is a new rule that makes things infinitely more difficult.  Sure enough, when we arrived at the building to register and take the driving test, there was a sign that stated, "Beginning September 1st, we will not be accepting walk-ins.  Appointments only."  We just laughed because there it was.  The new rule that was going to make things difficult.  We walked in and asked if we could make an appointment to take our driving test and register the car. Since it was 8:00am, we had missed the driving test by a half an hour and the next one wasn't being issued until Wednesday.  On top of that, the next appointment they had to register the car was Friday at 12:30.

In complete shock and despair, we went back to the hotel to reevaluate our plan.  At this point, we had three options.  First, we could stay in Wiesbaden all week, which was not something we wanted to do (there's nothing there except an Army base). Second, we could rent a car for the week and head down to Freiburg before coming back on Friday, which would have been fine, but we weren't expecting to pay for a rental car and we would have to sacrifice the rest of our trip.  Third, we could fly back to Berlin and just try again another week, which would have been expensive and accomplish nothing.  We opted for the second option after finding a cheap rental car and were out of Wiesbaden before you could say "Appointments only."

After two nights in Freiburg with great friends (I'll do a separate post on that!), we headed back to Wiesbaden.  The testing center for the licenses offered a 7:30 test time and we had made an appointment for a 12:30 registration.  The test was actually really hard because a lot of the signs are different and there are all sorts of rules like "If your car breaks down, you have to put the warning cone 200 meters behind your car" and only Mike ended up passing.  Luckily, I can retake it online (which would have been nice to know before because we could have just taken it at home, but alas...) and then I just have to go to a base to get the actual license.  I was really hoping that was going to be the worst part of the day, but I guess that just wasn't bad enough karma.

After the test, we headed to the registration office.  We had an appointment at 12:30, but it was an hour early and we wanted to see if they were available so we could get things rolling.   They did, in fact have an opening for us (makes me wonder if they had appointments earlier in the week and we didn't have to wait until Friday, but I don't like to think about that!).   Let me just preface this next part by saying that I understand working in customer service has to be hard.  You answer the same questions a million times and deal with people who have no clue what is going on.  That being said, you should give everyone at least one chance before treating them poorly and should probably be a little understanding when they get frustrated over things that are justified.  When we got to the guy's desk, we were prepared.  We had all the documents needed to register the car and had filled out the proper forms.  Our next hurdle came when he realized that our military mailing address was based in Berlin, not Wiesbaden.  He made a call and came back with some bad news.  We had to go to Sembach where the head of car registration for all military serving in Germany is.  Sembach is an hour away.  It was 12:30.  The latest we could pick up our car was 4:00.  If we didn't have any traffic or any issues at Sembach, we would be able to make it back in time, but that was a big if.

This is where the guy could have shown a little sympathy for our frustration.  We had been waiting all week for this appointment.  Unlike the people stationed at Wiesbaden, we couldn't just walk home and try again later. Without the car, we would be stuck in Wiesbaden all weekend until we could try again on Monday.  Mike was visibly frustrated and instead of just saying the simple words of "I understand how frustrating this is.  I'm sorry there isn't anything we could do," he just said "I don't know what you want me to do."  I thought Mike was going to lose it.  In fact, he kind of did, but luckily it was as we were walking out.

We went next door where the car was and explained the situation to them and luckily, the lady in charge was extremely friendly and sympathetic.  She gave us her cell phone number and told us to call her if we didn't think we'd make it back by four and she'd probably be able to hang around until we got there, barring it wasn't too late.  Thank God.   With that, we hopped in the car and headed to Sembach.

Side note: I was starving at this point, but there was NO WAY that I was going to ask to stop for lunch.  I probably would have been left on the side of the road. :)

We made it to Sembach in record time (probably thanks to Germany's lack of speed limits on the Autobahn) and got our name on the list.  Luckily, we only had to wait about ten minutes before Mike met with someone who was able to get the car registered quickly.  While Mike was doing that, I got to sit in the waiting room and watch the Today Show.  Oh, the joys of being on an American base!   Thankfully, the registration process isn't actually that long and Mike was done only ten minutes after his name was called.  We stopped at another office to quickly get a gas card (gets us gas without having to pay German taxes....aka cheap gas) and I stocked up on Cheez Its and Peanut Butter M&Ms.  Y'all, it was a stressful day.  I don't normally eat a lot of junk food, but this was the only way I was going to keep my sanity.  Plus, if there's one way to Mike's heart, it's peanut butter m&ms. I figured we deserved it at this point.

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We hit the road back to Wiesbaden and, once again, thanked the good Lord above for the lack of speed limits on the Autobahn. When we bounded into the office where we could pick up the car with huge grins on our face, I'm sure we looked like we had just won a race.  In fact, we did.  We won the race against the clock.  The lady who we spoke to before looked so surprised to see us back so soon, but quickly showed us to our car where we checked for damage, put the plates on the car that we got when we registered it, and signed the paperwork to make her all ours again!  I don't know if Mike and I have ever been so happy to have a car.   I thought about giving a hug to the lady, Cristal, who handed us the keys, but figured I should save any shred of sanity she thought we might have and went with a handshake and smile instead.

Oh Anya, we didn't realize quite how much trouble you would cause, but we're glad to have you back.  Hope your trip from Turkey was enjoyable.

After we got the car, we had to return the rental car.  We knew it would be a few hours late and were willing to just accept the fine.  When Mike ran in to turn in the keys, there was a distraction and the guy didn't even notice that it was four hours late! Hallelujah! I guess we've earned some good karma somewhere along the way. 

Our last stop was completely for me and Mike probably would have just skipped it completely if doing so wouldn't have warranted a complete meltdown by me. Mike had promised me a trip to the commissary before he knew how this week was going to turn out and I wasn't going to let him forget it.  I figured after the week we had, we deserved American brand food and some of our favorite things. Plus, at this point, it was almost five, so we were going to be getting home late anyways, so we might as well just add an extra half an hour to our trip. Amiright?  Guys, I was like a little kid in a candy shop.  I was SO HAPPY to be at the commissary.  I went a little crazy, buying all sorts of things, like peanut butter, Wheat Thins and four cans of canned pumpkin to make all sorts of things fall-ish.  It's a good thing we didn't have a way to take home any perishable goods because our grocery bill would have been double the $103 it already was.  I didn't even care.  I was so happy.  Like a kid in a candy shop, I tell ya.  Don't worry, Mike stocked up on his favorite things too. That ramen is all for him.  Now you know, if you ever are in need of a gift to send us, American food is the way to our hearts and will not go unappreciated.

We made one last stop at the food court on base for our first meal in way too long before hitting the road at 6:30pm, six and half hours after we expected to.  We arrived home around midnight and didn't even unload the car.  We just walked upstairs in a daze, sat down on the couch, and were grateful that we can officially say the last part of the evacuation is officially over.  At one point on the drive home, we were reflecting on this little tidbit of information and talking about all of the easy and difficult things that came out of it.  It's funny because, while the military took great care of me while I was at Ramstein and I'll be forever grateful for that, it's been the military stuff that has been so hard to deal with.  We've encountered red tape almost every step of the way after I was evacuated that made everything so much more difficult.  Funny how that works out, isn't it? You would think moving to a foreign country would have problems dealing with foreign things and, while there have been a slew of those, they've paled in comparison to the issues we've run into with the American side of all of this.  It's a learning experience, y'all and a humbling one at that!

After our tumultuous week in Wiesbaden, traveling was just not in the cards for us this weekend.  Instead, we are enjoying a quiet weekend at home.  I ordered groceries online (judge away because I'm judging myself), hung the last of our pictures, and are excited to watch some American football tonight.  The calm AFTER the storm. 

Bustin' Outta This Joint

Mike and I joke that we're never actually going to move somewhere together. Last year, Mike left for Izmir about two weeks before I got there.   This time around, we didn't end up leaving at the same time either, but that was more by choice....kind of.

Let's back up though.  Thursday was crazy although not quite as stressful.  We packed everything up and tried to breath after holding our breath for a week, but the most exciting part of the day was when the Navy sent Mike a ticket for a flight out of Turkey for the next day!! I wanted to cry I was so happy.  We broke out of the hotel for one last stroll along the kordon and one last glass of tea to celebrate

Alright Izmir, you aren't terrible....

 Normally, the Navy would buy both of our flights for a move, but since I had already been evacuated and moved out by the Navy, they only purchased a flight for Mike.  That was one risk we knew we were taking when I decided to come back for the move.  We began looking for flights for me around the same time as Mike's, but they all had a layover in Istanbul.  I really wanted to avoid that, just in case something happened, especially since I wasn't going to be with Mike.  I didn't think anything would happen, but it was a risk I wasn't willing to take.

Instead, I opted for a flight a few hours later than Mike.  I wasn't pleased to be leaving without Mike and I definitely didn't like to be the last one out of the country, but it was the best option.  I headed to the airport with a duffel bag and another carry on, a suitcase to check and two beach chairs.  In Europe, they have these stands in the airports where you can get your luggage wrapped with plastic.  I never understood why anyone would do that, but we needed to package the beach chairs together and we couldn't find a box big enough.  This plastic wrap was the perfect solution! The guy kind of laughed at me when I asked him to wrap the chairs, but he did and I was happy as a clam.

Those green things? They're beach chairs!

I've never been afraid of flying or being in an airport, but that morning, I definitely had a heightened sense of awareness that morning.  Like I said, I didn't think anything was going to happen, but I also didn't think a coup was going to happen.  Add in a language barrier and I was a nervous nelly. I got a text from Mike while I was waiting to check in (of course, there was no organization to the check in line because...Turkey) to say that he had landed in Berlin and I let out a sigh of relief.  One Hogan down, one to go.  After finally checking in, making it past customs and grabbing something to eat, I boarded the plane and said Gorusuruz to Izmir one final time.

 Needless to say, for so many reasons, I was happy to have wheels on the ground when my flight landed in Berlin.

We made it!

The Moving Saga Continues....

Wednesday was supposed to be a big day.  We had to load all of our stuff we were planning to drive with into the car, have the Air Force guys come and pick up some furniture, check out of our apartment with the land lord, get the temporary plates to drive with, catch the car ferry to Athens, and be on our way to Berlin.  It was going to be a big day.

We woke up early and loaded the car full of our stuff.  Surprisingly, all of it fit and there was room to spare!  Things were looking up.  Around eight, the guys came to get the furniture and were gone by nine.  Mike had to go meet with some people on base about the car so he left and I hung out at the apartment. All along, we knew we would have to deregister the car in Turkey and get temporary plates to drive out.  When Mike got to the base, the guy asked for his Turkish ID number that he had used to register the car. It was soon discovered that he didn't have an ID number and had somehow managed to register the car (and get a cell phone) without one.  Welcome to the bureaucratic mess that is Turkey!

The only way to get temporary plates for the car was to go down to the social security office and get an ID number. We did this for me and it took 4-5 weeks and was a huge head ache! Add in the fact that, earlier that week, thousands of government employees had been arrested and fired because of the coup.  Plus, Mike is an American and Erdogan isn't thinking too highly of America because we're housing the guy he feels responsible for the coup. All of that being said, going to the social security office sounded like maybe the worst idea possible.  So, we were stuck.

Mike called me and we quickly decided that it wasn't worth the head ache of trying to get temporary plates.  Instead, we would just fly out. We could still deregister the car and ship it, so we'd still be able to get it to Germany, but it would take longer.  At this point, though, anything that would get our car and us out of Turkey was worth it.  The only issue with this plan was that the movers had already come and shipped all of our household goods, so all of the stuff that we had planned to take in the car had to somehow make it on the plane with us.   We tabled that issue for a few hours and focused on the other issue at hand....

We weren't allowed to leave Turkey.  Yup, that's right.  We were stuck.  Because we were still on FPCON Delta (aka house arrest), nobody was allowed to fly or drive out of Turkey, including people who were trying to move out.   Even if we had still planned on driving, we wouldn't have been able to do so until after Delta was lifted. So, once the landlord came and checked us out, we drove our car full of stuff over to a hotel that the Navy booked for us and tried to consolidate all of our stuff, hoping that we wouldn't be in a hotel for too long, but knowing that it could be a while.

We figured that if we could get our stuff into four checked bags and four carry-ons, we'd be good and wouldn't have to pay anything extra.  Our biggest issue was the two beach chairs that we had.  We also had a lot of cooking supplies, such as flour and spices, that we wanted to bring with us. We were kicking ourselves as we were packing because 1. If we had known we were going to fly, we could have sent all of this stuff in an express shipment via the movers to have waiting for us when we got there and 2.  The movers would have given us boxes that would have been useful to put things like beach chairs in.  Apparently, Turks never move and therefore there is no such thing as a moving or shipping supply store in Izmir.

After lots of consolidation and sitting on suitcases, we managed to get almost everything except for the food into suitcases.  The two beach chairs would get wrapped in plastic at the airport the next morning (Europeans are big on getting their suitcases wrapped in plastic. I don't get it, but it was perfect for this!).  We did manage to get a box from the commissary to put things like Mike's scuba gear and some other random stuff in.  We had to sacrifice a lot of our food, although I managed to stick a lot of the spices and stuff in random pockets, but that was the least of our worries at this point.

Once that crisis was managed, Mike called the car shipment place and made an appointment to meet with them later that day.  When they were going over the documents they needed to ship the car, we realized that somehow, the title to the car had been packed and shipped with all of our furniture.  In Turkey, they tell you not to keep your title in your car so that if your car gets stolen, you have proof that it's yours.  So, when they were packing up Mike's desk, off went the title.  At this point, I thought Mike was going to lose it.  Luckily, about a half hour later, they called back and said that they had our title in the system since we had used them to ship our car in to Turkey.  HALLELUJAH!!

Mike left quickly to ship the car before some other crisis arose.  At this point, it was around 4:00 and Delta still hadn't been lifted, so we knew that we would be hanging out in Turkey at least one more day (probably two).  So, we made our way down to the free happy hour of our hotel and settled in for the night because if anyone deserved a happy hour, it was Mike.

To sum up, we (mainly Mike) dealt with the following all in one day...
1. Realized that we couldn't drive our car out because we couldn't get temporary plates.
2. Because of this, we had to consolidate a car full of stuff into four checked bags and four carry ons.
3. Checked into a hotel indefinitely because we weren't allowed to leave Turkey
4.  Shipped our car after thinking we might not be able to.

Moving Days

On July 18th, three months after I was evacuated, we finally moved out of our house.  We had hoped to do it at the beginning of June, but orders didn't arrive in time, so we pushed it back a few weeks, only to find out the movers couldn't come because it was Ramadan.  So, here we were, in the middle of July, finally moving out of our house.

The only good thing about being stuck in your house and not being allowed to leave is that you have plenty of time to move.  Since we were planning on driving, we had set aside everything we wanted to bring with us in one room and just told the movers to not worry about that room.  When we moved to Izmir, we were flying (obviously), so we sent an express shipment of stuff, like pots and pans, an air mattress and some other essentials that arrived when we did to help survive until we got our furniture.  This time, since we were planning to drive, we basically put everything in our car that we would have sent in the express shipment.

The movers came around 8:30 on Monday and were quick.  We don't pack anything up beforehand as a liability rule.  If it breaks, we want them to have packed it.  That being said, there was a lot of stuff to pack, but they worked quickly and were out by 2:30.  They took a break for lunch around 1:00 and I was extremely jealous that they were allowed outside.  Oh the joys of house arrest....

Question of the day: Can all of that stuff (minus the lamp, bed and dryer) fit into a VW Golf?

Goodbye bedroom...

Monday and Tuesday night were spent sleeping on an air mattress under the air conditioning unit.  It was less than comfortable....

Tuesday morning came early.  The movers were back at 8:00am ready to get all of our stuff out and into the shipping crates.  When we moved in, they sent everything up in the tiny elevator or carried it up eight flights of spiral staircases.  This time, they were smart and brought the lift.

How it works: There is a truck down on the ground that has a remote control.  It controls the lift that goes up to our balcony.  The movers then put boxes on the lift and the guy down at the bottom lowers it back down.  Meanwhile, I say a prayer that nothing falls off because there aren't sides to this contraption and I'm envisioning our china or our bed frame falling eight floors.  NBD.  Welcome to Turkey.

That sofa just didn't want to fit through the door.  They had to unwrap it, take it apart, and then reassemble it down at the bottom.

Goodbye stuff. Please don't fall. 

And by 11:00am, it was all out.  I didn't think I would be sad to leave.  I never LOVED Izmir (although Turkey is something special) and it's been a tumultuous few months to say the least, but as I was standing in our empty living room, I did get a little nostalgic.  It's been an adventure.

Tuesday night, we spent sleeping on our air mattress and sitting in our beach chairs, just like we did when we first moved in.  To say I was less than pleased would be an understatement.  The air force guys were coming the next day to get our refrigerator, washer/dryer and some other furniture and the land lord would come and check us out before we planned to head out on the ferry the next night and make our way up north to Berlin.

My thoughts on moving at this point....

Reunited and It Feels SO SO SO Good!

On Saturday, this happened and I was so happy!

I don't think the guy behind us understands the circumstances otherwise he'd be smiling as much as I am! 

After a few days of solo travel in Split, I was ready to have some social interaction.  And after six weeks of being apart from Mike, I was ready for some Mike interactions.  It finally happened on Saturday and I honestly thought I might cry.  I know we have many many many times in our future where we'll be apart for longer, but this was still a much-awaited reunion.  We met up at the bus station on Saturday morning and headed out to our hotel, which was outside of the city.

Since this was the end of phase one of the evacuation (after our time in Croatia, I'm heading home to the states eeeeeee!!!), we decided to splurge and treat ourselves to a nice hotel at Le Meridien Lav using our points and SPG membership.  We usually go for cheap since we usually don't spend a lot of time in the hotel room and instead spend our days out sight seeing.  This time, though, we went all out! It was like a second honeymoon and it was wonderful.  We got free welcome drinks, an infinity pool to swim in, and a spa!! I was in heaven!  I may have muttered the words " Don't mind me as I kiss the ground" once or twice...

We spent the next two days hanging out at the pool, drinking our free welcome drinks and enjoying each other's company.  We got massages and pedicures (it was Mike's first and I think he's hooked!) at the spa, which felt so good!  We did venture into the old town of Split Saturday night so that Mike could check it out, but other than that, we hung out at the hotel.  Splurging on a hotel every once and while is definitely worth it.

Both Mike and I agreed that we wished we had another day or two at the hotel, but we had to catch our bus to Dubrovnik to meet up with some honeymooners!

Ramstein and the Evacuation

I'm  currently sitting in the basement of a hotel by the Cologne airport on the eve of the 2016 Olmsted Ladies Trip.  Apparently, the hotel I booked a room with overbooked and this was what they offered me.  For $25 instead of the original $70, it's not too shabby.  And since I have to leave at 4am, it really didn't matter where I slept, as long as I had a bed.  So, as I sit in this basement hotel room, I have time to do a little reflecting.

basement living.  Not too shabby for $25

After Karen left, I had about ten days to wrap things up in Ramstein before heading out for good.  After a month of non stop travel and entertaining, a few days of nothing sounded pretty nice.  I ended up moving to a new room (definite downgrade) where there was no kitchen and it was essentially a bedroom, living room and bathroom, but I spent a couple of days unpacking.  I also watched A LOT of Netflix.  If you haven't watched Making a Murderer or Grace and Frankie, do so right now.  Making a Murderer will have you on the edge of your seat with your blood boiling and Grace and Frankie will have you literally laughing out loud.

Between episodes, I ventured out to the gym and to get things to eat, but other than that, I pretty much hung by myself.  That meant a lot of thinking time.  It's crazy to think that six weeks has passed since I arrived in Germany.  When we first got the word that I would be leaving, it was surreal.  My adrenaline kicked in and all I could think about was doing laundry, packing and planning for the evacuation.  Oh and recovering from the LASIK procedure that I thought was a good idea on the day of an evacuation notice.  Once I arrived at Ramstein, I went through MAJOR culture shock.  Hearing so much English was surprising and, after living in a country where rules are merely suggestions for 10 months, living on a military base with so much order and regulations left me feeling overwhelmed.  I spent the first week just trying to adjust back to the lifestyle that I missed so much in Turkey and found myself only venturing out for short trips before scurrying back to my apartment where things were quiet and calm.  If there is one word to sum up that first week at Ramstein, it would be overwhelmed.

Karen arrived the next week and was the perfect distraction.  I spent my time at Ramstein planning our next adventure.  We spent a week in Italy and a weekend in Munich, as well as day trips around Germany, Luxembourg and France.  I slowly came out of my shell on base and felt much more adjusted to life back in America. I didn't turn my head every time someone spoke English or check to make sure I wasn't breaking a rule as I crossed the street. If there is one word to describe that month, it would be adjusting.

After Karen left, I had ten days left at Ramstein and I think that is when I truly grasped what was going on.  It hit me that I'm not going to go back to Turkey. I'll never hear "Inshallah" or "Hamdullah" from a Turk (although I'll never stop saying them!) again and I'll never get those fresh strawberries from the market that I waited ten months for.  I won't get to say goodbye to my students and to my classmates. I won't be hearing the call to prayer any time soon and I won't be offered tea the next time I walk into a shop.  My life that had become very Turkish has changed. If there was one word to describe those ten days, it would be realization.

While I struggled a lot with adapting to life in Izmir, I now realize how much I love about Turkey.  I don't think I'll ever LOVE Izmir, but I can definitely say that I love Turkey.  Izmir felt very business like, with very little to do outside of summer. There weren't a lot of weekend activities (museums, concerts, etc) and it was hard to meet people, which made living there as an expat difficult.  That being said, the Turkish culture really grew on me. I love their dedication to their family and to their religion (Hamdullah = thanks be to God/Inshallah= God willing).  Their ability to take time to slow things down and really appreciate life drove me crazy at times because punctuality was not a strong point of theirs, but I love that they encourage you to slow down, drink a cup of tea and be in the moment.   Even though Izmir is the third largest city in Turkey and is bigger than Los Angeles, it still had that old time feel.  There were markets every Sunday and everyone had a "guy."  If you needed a new carpet, you just had to run downstairs and ask the person on the street to take you to their brother/cousin/uncle's carpet shop.  It was almost guaranteed they knew someone.  Oh and the Turks' love for children? HUGE! It wasn't uncommon for a family with a baby to walk into a restaurant and get preferential seating.  Then, the baby would be passed around for all of the wait staff to hold and play with. Children are so valued and it's so refreshing.  There is also a great sense of community in Turkey.  Parents have no problem with their child being passed around a restaurant and, as the child grows older, they have no problem letting them roam around the neighborhood with a gang of friends. There is a trust in Turkey that everyone is looking out for everyone and it is what holds the Turkish culture together.  My eyes were opened, my horizons were broadened and my appreciation for other cultures deepened during my time in Turkey.  I became a more loving, accepting and a better person.

Leaving Turkey came before I planned, which made it shocking.   While the transition out of Turkey and the evacuation wasn't easy, it would have been a million times harder without the people at Ramstein.  Talk about community! Considering this was only my second real military move (the first being to Turkey, which I don't even really count because it was not a normal military move), I was pretty clueless. From the minute we met them at the airport, I felt welcome and taken care of.  They made sure we didn't have to think about anything, from transferring our health insurance to finding lodging.  I don't know how they did it for 700 families, but they did and they never once made us seem like a burden.  All I had to do was say "Sorry, I'm in the group from Turkey and need help with...." and before I could even finish, someone had jumped in ready to assist me.  For that, I'll be forever grateful.

So, as my time as an evacuee comes to a close, I can't help but think about how grateful I am for my time in Turkey and for the people who made the abrupt transition out so much easier.  I am thankful that I had a group of people helping me each step of the way.  There are so many people around the world who must leave their country out of fear of safety who don't have an entire military base to help and support them.  I only made it through this as smoothly as I did because of the hundreds of people who stepped in to help me and check on me throughout the entire process. So, if you're one of those people (in Turkey, Ramstein or back home....looking at you Russo fam!), thank you.  You have not gone unnoticed and us Turkey evacuees appreciate everything you've done.

As for what's next, you ask?  I'm leaving tomorrow for a weekend with the Olmsted ladies in Croatia. Then, I'm meeting up with Mike and friends who are on their honeymoon and so kindly let us crash the tail end of it.  Thanks Heberts!  After Croatia, I'll head home to the UNITED STATES for a few weeks.  My brother is graduating high school (!!!) and I have a god daughter to meet!  Plus, I know I've basically been living in the United States for the last six weeks, but there wasn't Chick fil a or Target, so I need to get my fix.  I'm well overdue.  The big question is what happens after that.  We've got something in the works and hopefully it will be solidified in the next week or two.  You know I'll keep you posted!

Melissa came to Visit!

The Olmsted network never ceases to amaze me.  Over the course of 50 years, there have been approximately 600 scholars and families to study around the world.  When Mike was accepted, we went to an orientation where previous scholars raved about the connections they made and the experiences they had.  This blog has been a great way to share the experiences we've had, but I hope that it provides a little insight into the friendships we've made as well.  I never feel awkward or strange staying at another scholar's house, even if we've never met them! I think that says a lot about the scholars and families in the program.

One of the amazing scholars we met in the program is Melissa.  She's in Mike's class and is currently studying in Rabat, Morocco.  We visited her and her husband, Ryan, in Rabat last February, despite not really knowing them.  We had a BLAST!  We stayed up late hanging out and got up early to go sight seeing with them in their new home.

So, when the evacuation happened and Melissa heard I was headed to Ramstein, she messaged me to say that she had to come to Ramstein to do her flight physical (she has to do one each year to keep her pilot's license).  After some calendar comparing, we figured out that she could come the first week in May and come and stay for a few days while getting all of her stuff done.   At first, I felt a little bad about having her come for Karen's last week, but it worked out well because Karen was swamped with work.

Monday afternoon, I headed to Frankfurt to pick up Melissa from the airport.  I was so excited to see her! After the drive back, we stopped to get German food on base before heading "home" and introduced her to Karen.  I felt bad because, since their schedules were opposite and Karen was swamped with work, they didn't have a ton of time to hang out. I had so much fun, though because I had someone to hang out with all the time! It was awesome.  It was so great to catch up with Melissa and hear about her Master's program (she just started this semester) and, of course, it was so great hanging out with my favorite Kare Bear. Melissa and I spent one night out and got Indian food while Karen worked.  The next night, we stayed in and made fajitas and Melissa worked on some homework, while I blogged and Karen worked.

We didn't do anything too crazy, but it was just so nice to have friends to hang out with.  I'm so thankful for friends like Karen and Melissa who make this crazy evacuation a little bit easier.

Evacuation Playlist

It's funny, the playlist started out as a joke. Mike started singing "Leaving on a Jet Plane" and "Evacuate the Dance Floor" as a joke when we found out this was happening.  I included it and asked for suggestions at the end of an email I sent to my family and friends explaining the news because I thought it would help lighten the mood. The response was insane! I would get emails that were like "Glad you're safe.  Here are TEN songs I've spent the last hour brainstorming." HA!  I see where the priorities are.  Just kidding! Mike and I had so much fun hearing everyone's suggestions.  Even though I never actually made a playlist to listen to, I figured I would compile the complete list so everyone could enjoy!  If you have any more to add, leave suggestions in the comments box or send them my way!

1. Evacuate the Dance Floor
2. Leaving on a Jet Plane
3. Bye Bye Bye
4.  When I'm Gone (the cup song)
5. I'll be Missing You -Puff Daddy
6. See You Again- Wiz Khalifa
7.  So Long, Farewell- Sound of Music
8. Never Can Say Goodbye- Gloria Gaynor
9. Hello Goodbye- The Beatles
10. Closing Time- Semi Sonic
11. Ticket to Ride- The Beatles
12. Let It Be- The Beatles
13. All You Need is Love- The Beatles
14. I Will Remember You
15. 1000 Miles Away
16. Homeward Bound
17. On the Road Again
18. Born to Run
19. Should I Stay or Should I Go – The Clash
20. The Letter – the Box Tops 
21. Never Can Say Goodbye- Jackson Five
22. School's Out Forever- Alice Cooper (hopefully not for Mike's sake!)
23. If it's Tuesday, This Must be Belgium
24. Nah Nah Nah Nah Hey Hey Hey Goodbye 
25. Ch Ch Changes by David Bowie
26. Bye Bye Birdie 
27. Rambling Man- The Allman Brothers
28. Switzerland- The Last Bison (not Germany, but close by)
29. My Wish- Rascal Flatts
30. We Gotta Get Out of this Place- The Animals

The 50 and older crowd was definitely the main contributor to this list, but I love it and Mike and I definitely got a good kick out of some of the oldies but goodies!! Thanks for all the contributions! Keep them coming!

Guten Tag Ramstein!

Guys, I made it.  It's been a wild and emotional few days, but I'm here and slowly but surely getting settled.

After we had the confirmation that I wouldn't be leaving until Monday, we quickly made plans to enjoy our last weekend together and my last weekend in Turkey.  There was another American couple who had just moved to Turkey last month (can you imagine...moving to a foreign country and then finding out a month later you're getting kicked out?!?!?!)  and we had really enjoyed hanging out with them through these meetings.  Guys, we finally had friends!  Anyways, Mike and I offered to take them wine tasting so they could enjoy wine country before Jessica had to leave.  We had so much fun with them and are definitely sad that we won't get to spend more time with them.

#dangerzone

Sunday, we enjoyed one last day together and ran some last minute errands.  I found an article about the emotions people go through before deployment and I definitely could identify with almost every single one. This whole thing has been crazy, but the closest thing I can relate it to is a last minute deployment.  This time, though, I'm the one leaving! I don't think what was happening really hit me until Thursday or Friday. Before that, I was kind of in shock/robot mode of doing laundry, trying to pack and figure out what I needed to bring.  Once it hit me though, it was a complete emotional roller coaster. I'm a crier, so these situations where my emotions are heighten just lead to a lot more crying.  I stubbed my toe, which made my eyes water and before I knew it, I was crying about leaving Mike! It was crazy.  Overall, I feel like we've been pretty positive about this whole situation and there are definitely some perks (the world's biggest commissary!), but it's not ideal and my emotions have gone haywire. Mike was pretty sad as well, so between the two of us, it was a sad Hogan household on Sunday.

Monday morning was also super emotional, at least for me, but luckily there was last minute packing to do, so I was running around until it was time to leave for the airport.  When we got to the airport, we had an emotional goodbye before I crossed through customs.  I found my gate and, eventually, found the other family that was being evacuated.  They're another navy family who was living about 3 hours south of us.  They have two children under three and the husband had been out to sea until Saturday.  When I say I'm lucky, I'm  not kidding.  Can you imagine what that poor wife has been dealing with? God bless her! Anyways, I found them and it was so nice to have people to travel with throughout all of this.

The flight was pretty turbulent towards the end.  At one point, it dropped and people screamed. My stomach always struggles with landings and this was not helping.  I just kept thinking, "they evacuate me from Turkey for my safety, but the end of me is going to be on this plane."  When we landed, the Turkish people on the flight clapped (they do this every single time, regardless of how smooth it is) and the Germans all sat stoic. So stereotypical. After going through customs and grabbing our baggage, we eventually met up with the people picking us up.  Luckily, we had time to grab some sandwiches before leaving because it's over an hour drive from the airport to the base and it was 3:00 in the afternoon.  I was so impressed with the kids because they were so carefree.  

When we got to the base, they had a whole team waiting for us there to help check us in.  They went over what we needed to do in order to get on and off base, the numbers for medical assistance, the things that we would be able to get reimbursed and a million other things.  Luckily, they had it all written down for us as well because, by that point, I was so tired that not a lot of information was actually being retained.  It was kind of emotional because at that point, I realized that I was doing all of this without Mike.  They kept saying "Since your sponsor (the active duty service member) will be in Turkey, you need to do this, this and this."  I felt so bad for the kids too because they had reached their limit.  One of them was crying because he wanted to live in the conference room instead of getting in the van to go to our apartment.  At that point, I was ready to do the same and probably could have slept on a conference room table. I'm glad I didn't, though, because our lodging is incredible. I have a full kitchen with pots, pans, and silverware, a living room and dining room table, two bathrooms and three bedrooms.  It's enough room for full families and more than enough room for little, old me!

My bathroom...the shower is behind the door

The entry way to my bedroom!

My room.  

After we got settled (the other family is right across the building from me!), I decided to walk around a little and get some dinner at Chili's. I had heard so much about it that I knew it had to be my first stop.  I treated myself to a large margarita and burger.  Calories don't count on days like this one, so I enjoyed it with no regrets. My only regret was that I didn't get another!

 Now that I've put Chili's in my map, Google tells me how far I am from it at all times.  I guess it's useful information!  Also, I clicked on ONE article about The Donald and now it's showing me all sorts of articles about him because I've "shown interest in Donald Trump." I guess I need some entertainment and something to laugh about while I'm here.

Overall, everyone here has been extremely welcoming and helpful.  People are always so gracious whenever I tell them that I'm from Turkey. I think they think I lived in a war zone.  Whatever. The other family from Izmir that I came with is so nice and I'm so glad they're right down the hall.  The other wife from Izmir, who has been here for a few weeks while her husband was working (they couldn't even go back to Izmir to get their stuff!!) took me out to lunch today and showed me around, so overall, it's been as easy of a transition as it could be.  I'm so thankful for everyone who has helped me get settled and made sure that I have everything I need. I miss Mike a ton, especially since everything is so overwhelming, but I'm so glad to have this part of the evacuation done.  Now if only we could figure out where we're going next.....

Gule Gule Turkey!

WOW! What a week it has been.  It seems like Easter was years ago because so much has happened.  I'm sure that most of you have already heard the big news because it seems like every major news source knows more than we do, but in case you haven't heard, I'm leaving Turkey!  Tuesday (the same day as my LASIK eye surgery), we found out that there was a mandatory dependents recall for all dependents living in southern Turkey, Izmir and Mugla.  Surprisingly, Istanbul and Ankara were not included.

It all started Monday night when Mike got a phone call saying there was a mandatory meeting for military members the next morning at the NATO base.  Mike was less than thrilled to have to miss class, but was out the door the next morning.  I went to Turkish class, figuring it was just another meeting about safety and nothing of importance.  During class, I texted Mike to say that I was going to go to lunch with my classmates and he replied with "That's not a good idea, you need to come home."  That's when I knew it was serious. After class, I rushed home to find out the big news.  All we knew was that there was a mandatory dependents (spouses and children) recall, so that I would be leaving and most likely heading to Germany where there are a few large military bases.  We didn't really have a timeline of any sort, but it was just enough news to send us into chaos mode.  Despite knowing this, we still chose to go ahead with LASIK.  We knew that I wouldn't be leaving before Thursday and many people are able to travel within a couple of days of doing it.  I guess it was a big risk, but we knew we'd be spending Tuesday just sitting around waiting for news, so we might as well sit around and get my eyes done.

All the while, we had been told that we must wait to tell people until after it was made public.  We kept checking the embassy website and waiting for word from people that we could let our friends and family know what was happening.  Somehow, though, the media got a hold of the information and, within hours, all major American news sources were reporting on the recall.  I got so many different texts, Facebook messages and emails about this, it was insane.  You guys really know how to make us feel loved! It wasn't exactly how I wanted to break the news to people, but that's what happened.

Wednesday, we headed to the base for a meeting, hoping to get more clarity on a timeline.  Unfortunately, there wasn't much new information.  The colonel at the base is filing an exception memo for all of the families with children so they can finish out the school year at the DoD school in Germany together.  He's also filling one out for me and another wife so that we can stay in Germany while we figure out what our husbands are going to do.  The goal for Mike is to finish the semester here and then move somewhere in Europe so that he can write his thesis next year and still continue to travel and finish the program.  If this ends up working out, I will stay in Germany until the end of the semester and then move wherever we end up with him this summer.   Because of these exceptions, we were unable to get a timeline since we have to wait for them to be approved.  When we were at the meeting, we were able to do all sorts of other things, like provide passport numbers and banking information so we can get things like airline tickets and per diem when the time comes.  It was chaotic, but productive.

Thursday was a day of waiting.  We thought the exceptions might get approved that day, but no news came in.

Today, we attended a meeting and were able to get more definite details.  I was booked on a flight for Monday and will arrive in Ramstein that afternoon.  There is already one family from Izmir there (they were on vacation when the official notice was given and weren't allowed to come back to Turkey! I can't even imagine! They have two kids!) and I've been in contact with them.  The base has arranged for someone to come and pick me and the other family up and escort us to living arrangements on base.  We are provided with a small, fully furnished apartment with a kitchenette. The base is one of the largest in the world and has all sorts of amenities, so I think it will be an easier transition than some other places.  Everyone keeps reminding me that there is a Chili's and a movie theater on base! I'm not sure how much I'll be eating at Chili's but I know that I will take advantage of the Chipotle in Frankfurt at least once while I'm in Germany!

Unfortunately, we were not as surprised as some might think when we found out the news.  We've been hearing things for the past few months that have lead us to think this was a possibility.  We were a little surprised at the timing, but ultimately, were not that surprised.  It's not the best timing (my best friend Karen is coming next weekend for a month!) but it's also not the worst.  Mike will still be able to finish his semester and hopefully his program.  We're also extremely grateful that we don't have kids that have to go through this.  My heart breaks thinking of the children who are going to go to their second school in one school year and then will be moved and start a third school at the beginning of next year.  I also feel sad for the Turkish people who are unable to leave the country, even if they felt unsafe.  Getting a visa as a Turkish citizen is extremely difficult and moving is expensive. All in all, we're lucky.  This will be a little stressful, but not nearly as stressful as it could be.  Plus, I'll get to explore Germany a little more!  I'm welcoming any and all visitors!

When we found out the big news, Mike immediately started singing "Leaving on a Jet Plane," which inspired us to make a whole Evacuation Playlist for me.  We'll take any and all suggestions!  Here's what we've got so far.

1. Evacuate the Dance Floor
2. Leaving on a Jet Plane
3. Bye Bye Bye
4.  When I'm Gone (the cup song)
5. I'll be Missing You -Puff Daddy
6. See You Again- Wiz Khalifa
7.  So Long, Farewell- Sound of Music
8. Never Can Say Goodbye- Gloria Gaynor
9. Hello Goodbye- The Beatles
10. Closing Time- Semi Sonic
11. Ticket to Ride- The Beatles
12. Let It Be- The Beatles
13. All You Need is Love- The Beatles
14. I Will Remember You
15. 1000 Miles Away
16. Homeward Bound
17. On the Road Again
18. Born to Run

Thank you again to everyone who reached out to check on us and make sure we're okay.  We feel completely safe in Turkey and were not planning on this, but we're trying to make the most of it.  If anyone wants to take a spontaneous trip to Germany, I'll be there waiting!