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!

Hanging out in Ramstein

Monday morning came fast. Karen and I had train tickets back to Ramstein at 8:30 in the morning.  Mike walked with us to the airport (his flight wasn't until early afternoon) and waited until our train came.  Knowing that it would be a month before we saw each other made this goodbye a little tearful. 

We had to take three different trains and a quick taxi ride to get back on base. Our first train was delayed fifteen minutes and we knew that it would be a rush to catch our second train, even without a delay.  As we rode along, I was tracking our progress on my phone.  As we approached, Karen and I had about five minutes to get from one platform to the next.  We got our stuff ready and, along with about five other people, made the mad dash.  Luckily, we made it, but it wasn't without a struggle.  I only had my huge travel backpack, but Karen had a duffel and rolling backpack and I think her lungs took a hit during the dash.  

We weren't so lucky with our second connection, but luckily, that was a train that came pretty regularly and we were able to catch another one within fifteen minutes.  We made it back to Ramstein in time for Karen to work at three and I ran some errands and unpacked. 

Tuesday and Wednesday we just hung out at the apartment.  I gave Karen a full tour of the base, got a library card and slept a lot! It was so nice to not really have a schedule (besides Karen working) and to be able to catch up on all of the lost sleep. While Karen was working, I planned out the day trips we could do over the course of the rest of Karen's stay.  It was nice and a much needed rest after a crazy couple of weeks!

Also, side note, CNN did a little video about life on a nuclear submarine! How cool! The video is of a Virginia Class submarine, which is the same as the submarine that Mike was on in Hawaii.  I would say the video is pretty close to life on the sub, at least as Mike has described it to me.  If you want to watch the video, click HERE.

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.....