We finally got the news late February--we'll be PCSing (military talk that means "moving") to the United Kingdom. I can't even express my excitement and also my apprehensions. Immediately I joined a network of like-minded people who are already stationed over there and asked them to tell me what they wished they would have known before they moved overseas. I'd like to post some of those on this blog. I will just cut and paste the responses of a few people who responded to my questions. For confidentiality reasons, I will not disclose their names.
-Just like anywhere, more space is going to be more expensive.
-the garbage bins are small compared to what we're used to and garbage is only collected every other week, the recycling bins are the same size as the garbage bins and they are collected on the weeks that garbage isn't.
-there's no garbage disposals over here
-no screens on windows
-no air conditioning in the houses (though it's not normally too hot, but you can still work up a good sweat)
-many houses don't have dishwashers
-the British washing machines and dryers are small (though that's not an issue if you live in base housing)
-the British ovens are tiny (most of my cookie trays don't fit in it)
-everything is closed on Sundays and in the evenings except for the pubs and on base
-the Air Force will give you 3 big transformers for running your American appliances on. We have one for our computer, one for our TV, and one in the kitchen. If you run American appliances on them, it supposed to be harder on the appliances and they won't last as long, but everybody does it anyway because it doesn't make sense to repurchase every appliance as a British appliance.
-most houses don't have closets, the the Air Force will give 2 or 3 (I forget how many exactly) wardrobes for every person in your family.
-we shipped our 96 Chrysler Town and Country from the states. The first day I drove it to base, the transmission went out. It took a month to have it repaired. We are still glad we brought our van, but parts aren't always as easy to come by as we thought they would be.....
-every year any car that is older than 3 years has to go in for a MOT which is a gov't mandated vehicle safetly check. It costs around 40 or 50 GBP (Great Britain Pounds). If things fail the MOT you have to fix it. This last time our van had a crack in the windshield bigger than what was allowed so we needed to put a whole new windshield in. It took 2 weeks for it to ship from the states. We left our van at Mildenhall Auto (the car repair shop) because if we took it off the premesis, we'd have to pay for the MOT all over again and my husband was deployed so we didn't need it.
-driving over here at first is intimidating, but the sooner you get out and do it the better. Once you make those first few trips it's not so bad, although I did chant to myself for the longest time, "Keep left, look right, keep left, look right......."
-We bought a British vehicle for 1000 GBP when we first moved here from some place in Mildenhall "Low Cost Rentals" is how I think they advertise. A guy at the squadron recommended them to everybody who was new. Turns out lots of people who listened to him got a raw deal from those people. The second day my husband drove the car we discovered it had a cracked head gasket. The car had come with a month guarantee so they gave him a moldy little hatch back to drive while they tried to figure out what to do about the situation. Towards the end of the month guarantee they gave it back to him "fixed." Then he deployed and when he came back gasoline was leaking from underneath the stearing wheel. We junked the car and ate the losses.
-We bought a Ford Expedition EL from AAFES and had it shipped here when we found out we were expecting our 6th child. We ordered it in October and it was supposed to arrive mid Feb or early March. Things got held up in customs and it didn't arrive until mid March. One of our friends in the homeschool group ordered a van at the same time when they found out they were expecting their 3rd. It was supposed to arrive at the same time ours did but it didn't arrive until mid or late April because theirs was in the luxery vehicle category.
-We shipped one American vehicle and bought a British vehicle for our second car when we arrived here. It seems to be a common practice. We wish we would have known that our gas tank had to be less than a quarter full when we shipped it. This was when gas was > $4.00 a gallon. We had a full tank and we had to find a service station to drain it. Not only did we have to PAY to have it drained, but they also got to keep our gas!
-Unfortunately, electronics are a tough call to make since you don’t know until you arrive if you will be in on or off base housing. If you live in base housing, you will have “American” outlets and can use all of your American appliances. Don’t bring your washer, dryer, or refrigerator; they supply those in base housing or if you live on the economy. If you live in economy housing, you will need British/European appliances or transformers. They supply you with a couple transformers, but not enough for your entire house, plus appliances with transformers use more electricity. We live in economy housing and use our transformers for our larger equipment and bought a number of British smaller appliances. You can also purchase additional transformers.
-I felt compelled to advise you to buy shoes for your kids. I’ve lived overseas for 11 years and the one thing that’s been consistently a nuisance is finding shoes for my kids. AAFES has so little to offer and off base is expensive. AAFES does sell name brand shoes, but I’m not in the habit of buying $40 tennis shoes for my 5 year old. And that’s when they have anything at all in her size. It’s always the same. God bless Payless!
-Shopping online usually works well with other stuff, but shoes are one of those “hafta try them on” kinda things. Even having family mail shoes has been frustrating as brands vary so much in sizes. A size ten in one brand will be a 11.5 in another. You know what I mean.
So, if your budget allows, buy several pairs in advance for each kid for when they grow. You won’t regret it!!
-As far as housing, we lived off base for one year until a home on Lakenheath opened up. We have 3 kids also and really needed the 4 bedroom home. We enjoy living on base and love the convenience. However, there are other families that live off base and enjoy the British community. We are involved in tons of activities with the Chapel so for our family it is just better to live on base. The houses off-base are generally small. You will be surprised by the size of the on-base houses.
-Don’t expect a spacious American-style home. Once you see how small the British homes tend to be then you will understand how roomy on-base housing is. I hope that makes sense. It's hard to describe until you really see them for yourself. You should be able to get a 4 bedroom since you have 3 kids. We were only on the waiting list for one year exactly but there are so many houses sitting open now in base housing.
-Bring your small appliances. The base will give you transformers and you can always pick up other’s as you need them - sometimes cheap from the thrift store. The only electronic thing we did not bring was a treadmill because we had heard that big items with a motor can burn out on a transformer.
-We shipped one car and bought a second car here. They are both US side drive. We like knowing where that side of the road is and it hasn’t been a problem.
It looks like we're in for a wonderful adventure!
