Living at an OCONUS duty station is probably one of the most exciting parts of being a military family. Not everyone gets the chance, but if you ever do, seize that opportunity with both hands, even if it scares you.
There are so many wonderful things to experience, from the extensive history, to food, to traditions, and more. If you’ve ever lived at an OCONUS location, then you may know how easy it is to leave a part of yourself there.
My husband and I have been living with our family at a very small installation in southern Germany for the past two years. We are in our final year here, which made me start thinking about all the things I’ll miss when we leave. While there are plenty of things we’ll be happy to return home to in America (you can read that here), we will miss plenty about our time in Germany. This is not an exhaustive list and it may not be true for every OCONUS location, but it’s at least true for my experience. Hopefully it helps you look forward to your own OCONUS move.
Here’s all I’ll miss from my time here:
1. The focus on waste reduction.
The only thing that should go in the trash here is trash. Unlike the U.S. where there isn’t a market everywhere for all recyclables, there is a huge focus on recycling here. It’s a little tough to figure out at first, but once you do, it’s amazing how much waste you save. We can recycle all plastics, metals, cardboard, paper, electronics, yard waste, and more. You can even choose to compost and have it picked up just like trash. Your trash bin only goes out twice per month. Just imagine trying to do that in the states!
2. No plastic bags.
I had this listed on my previous list, but as mentioned then, it’s always good to reduce dependency on plastic bags. If stores here even have plastic bags, you have to pay to get one. Most stores offer reusable vinyl or canvas bags instead, so they’re sturdy and you can keep reusing them. Some stores even offer bags you can roll into a tiny ball and keep in your purse, pocket, or glove compartment of your car so you always have them with you.
3. The variety of currency.
While it can be cumbersome to dig through a combination of currencies, it’s fun to open my wallet to get what I need. I have to dig through Czech Koruna, American Dollars, Euros, Polish Złoty, Danish Krones, British Pounds, and more. It’s a brief reminder of all the fun places we’ve been.
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