Day 10

Today, I got my ID card to get on the military bases for grocery shopping. We also traded in our rental car for another one. We are still trying to figure out how we are going to manage our car situation since we only get a small daily stipend for a car. Renting cars is too expensive in the long term, so we have to figure out a way to get a long term lease or buy a car. We have no idea how we are going to manage this, so another rental will postpone this process until we have a chance to do a little more research. We are supposed to get our internet access on Friday, so I am hoping that I will get a chance to read up on car options once that happens.

We also got our checking account today! Yeah! Now we can start organizing our life. We can get a cell phone, pay for our utilities, sign up for activities, etc. Everything here requires a direct debit account. Without that, you are stuck paying cash for everything and most of the time that is not acceptable. If we did not have access to military facilities, we would really be stuck. The regular banking system does not allow us to get a bank account until we have 3 months of utility bills and we cannot get three months of utility bills until we have a direct debit set up. Everyone here acknowledges that it is a problem, but no one can offer a solution.