I guess I'm moving to Rota!

[valsmom]

My daughter will be stationed in Rota as of May 2013 and I plan to move there from Seattle in July. Is there any truth to the rumor that I can fly in on military transport? ANYONE with ANY helpful information or advice, please respond. Thanks,

April

[Angie]

You are not in the military nor a dependent of the a military member so no you can not fly on military transport.

Keep in mind sense you are not a military member, nor a dependent of one, you need to find your own place to live, and work  while there.  Also you are not entitled to go on the base and use their stores.  You will also need a Visa to move over there. 

ok..I will be the one to ask...why do you feel you have to move to Spain just 'cause your daughter got stationed there?

[Anti M]

Pretty much the same questions from me... are you going to become your daughter's dependent?   Even if you are going to do so, having her prove she provides more than 50% of your support, her orders are unlikely to have been cut as accompanied.  You will not have command sponsorship to go live in Spain as a dependent, which is what you need in order to have the proper residency visa, or for her to get permission to have a dependent overseas and draw the housing and cost of living allowances, to allow you access to base facilities, or even to work.   She must be an E-4 or above to bring a command sponsored dependent overseas.

Have you researched what it takes as an American civilian who simply wants to move to Spain?  Work visas, etc.?  They have immigration laws just as we do.  

It can take a year or more to prove parental dependency:

DEPENDENT PARENTS REQUEST
If you are applying for enrollment or an ID card for a dependent parent, you must complete and return the following forms which are available at the Commissioned Corps Management Information System (CCMIS) Web site http://dcp.psc.gov/DCPForms.asp:
1. Form PHS-1637-1, “Public Health Service Commissioned Officer’s Request for Dependency
Determination;”
2. DD Form 137-3, “Dependency Statement - Parent;” and
3. DD Form 1172, “Application for Uniformed Services Identification Card/DEERS
Enrollment.”
4. Parent’s proof of income;
5. A copy of their tax return; and
6. Supporting documentation for ALL claimed expenses.
You must complete the request and your parent must complete the dependent statement. Please ensure that all items on the parent’s statement are completed and that the form is notarized before returning it to this office. To qualify as a dependent, the parent must meet the following four eligibility requirements:
1. The parent’s income, not counting the member’s contribution, must be less than one-half of the parent’s monthly living expenses;
2. The member’s contribution must be more than the parent’s income from all sources;
3. The member’s contribution must be more than one-half the parent’s monthly living expenses; and
4. The parent must reside in the sponsor’s household or a household maintained for or by the sponsor.

You have the burden of proving that your parent is a bona fide dependent. This is accomplished by providing documentation of your parent’s expenses, i.e., copies of receipts, and by documenting your contributions, e.g., copies of canceled checks/money orders which are either made payable to your parent, or which specifically state that they were written to pay for expenses incurred by your parent. Stating that you gave cash is not acceptable in determining the amount you contributed to his/her support. You should also document (where appropriate) the method used to determine fair rental value of that portion of your home that your parent occupies. Poor record keeping, by either you or your parent, may be reason for your dependency request to be disapproved. Incomplete packets without supporting documentation will be returned to the sponsor without action.

[BunkerQB]

Before quiting your job, selling your home, giving away all your worldly goods please have a discussion with your daughter regarding your intentions. You will have to make a life for yourself in a foreign country. Do you speak Spanish fluently enough to function adequately on your own in Spain? Unless you daughter is on shore duty, she will be out with her boat during deployment. Why not go for an extended vacation when you know she will be on shore duty?  Perhaps she would rather come home to WA to see friends and familiy when she has leave. 

Do you plan to find work?

Please think this one thru.

[Calebs Mom ship13 div033]

i underdstand you as a mother wanting to be with your child. it is hard to let go. but they do have to spread there wings and fly. im sure your a wonderful motherr and have taught her well. give her a little freedom and see how things go. trust what you have taught her. your a great mom i can tell. good luck.

[lemonelephant]

Some people see "families" or "family members" in military sites and documents and mistakenly think that includes parents. "Families" and "family members" usually should be interpreted "military dependents." See http://www.military.com/Travel/Content1/0,,SAF_overview,00.html to see why someone might believe that a parent might be able to fly Space A. By clicking on "eligible passengers" in the first paragraph or the FQA link (http://spacea.net/mediawiki/index.php?title=Space-A_Travel_FAQ-2) though, it is clear that parents would not be eligible for Space A flights.

Don't get me wrong, there are times when "families" does include parents, such as this site--but this is not a military site--and in the sites for family readiness groups

When you were a young adult and started out on your own, did your mom move to be near you??? Did you want her to??? We raise our children to grow up and be independent young adults and though we do enjoy time with them and will always have a special connection with them, once they are adults, we need to let them go out by themselves and pursue their dreams and be the wonderful independent young adults we raised them to be.

[valsmom]

My initial comment might sound like I'm jumping over to be with my daughter out of desperation or need and that is not the case. She is 27, has lived away from home for almost 10 years and neither of us is dependent upon each other. We do enjoy each other's company and miss living close enough to see one another more often. She has been in the Navy for a year now and we would both like to spend time together. 

I am losing the family home in a few months so moving somewhere is inevitable and I will definitely be downsizing and getting rid of many of the things I have accumulated living here for 27 years. I am accepting of letting this home go and don't intend to live the rest of my life where I have lived the past 57 years and have nothing to keep me here. My other daughter has been in Peru for the past 15 months, is coming to live with me for 6 months before moving to Austria with her British boyfriend. 

I am not tied to a job or partner here and I'm free to go and do whatever I choose, wherever I choose. When Val was waiting to hear her assignment she suggested I come live near by, wherever it turned out to be. We both want that but neither of us needs it. My other daughter had invited me to come live in Peru but the timing didn't work for me. 

I am not a helicopter mom. I made sure my girls get out and live big lives. They are up to big things and I am not interfering. We do discuss this at length. We have for years. We have great relationships and we all love being together whenever possible. If I move to Spain, we will all have our separate lives and yet be in the same time zone and use the same currency. We can all be independent and still live near each other. 

I did not post this discussion here to be encouraged or discouraged. I am trying to learn from other moms or parents who have lived in Rota or near other bases, based on their own experience. What did you wish you had known earlier? What are things particular to Rota that I should know (other than the employment rate)? What was it like for you? What are some "don't miss" sights and experiences? Where should we visit and eat? What are some tricks of the trade you can share?

[lemonelephant]

There is a group, Rota Spain (clickable link), but it is not very active and I really doubt you will find any moms who have moved there on this site, but you have put it out there now, so you can see what comes up. You can do a search of the site as well and see if anyone has posted about visits. I have seen posts indicating Sailors loved being there. What you just posted presents a much different picture than what I read into your initial post. If you have the finances to make the move and will pursue your own life and interests as well, living in the same area might be appropriate for you and your Sailor.

[valsmom]

Thank you!

[lemonelephant]

What is her rating (job/specialty)?  There may be a group on here for it.

[valsmom]

I think its Communication Specialist and I think she will be E4 when she gets there. 

[lemonelephant]

Rating is job and rate is rank.  That's why I posted the way I did since those terms are often confused.  Knowing her rate as well though means that it is possible that she could live out in the community away from BEQ (Bachelor Enlisted Quarters). E-4's are able to do that in some commands.  Is she a Mass Communication Specialist (MC)?  That rating has "A" School at Fort George G. Meade, MD.  If that is it, join the group, Mass Communication Specialist (clickable link).  If not, if you know where her "A" School was, I can figure it out.

[valsmom]

Thank you. She will finish "A" School at Ft. Meade on January 25th. She is flying me out from Seattle and flying her sister up from Peru on the 20th!!! So excited to see them both!! AND Inauguration!!!!

We thought the 3 of us would all come back home for a week and a half together but Val found out that her "C" School starts the very next Wednesday (again at Ft. Meade) so she'll only have a few days. We'll all hang out in DC through the weekend and then she may come home in May. After a couple weeks she's off to Rota. I did join the Rota group and I will join the Mass Communication Specialist group too. Thank you so much for the connections.