Monday, June 11, 2012

Lajes Field


I've only been here a week now. And I've learned a lot.

I do know that I have to light our oven manually to use it.

I do know that there are a lot of bugs here -- especially centipedes. Although, thank goodness cockroaches are not the norm.

Our toilets have some sort of freshener that goes off automatically I have learned -- good to know since it sounds like someone is taking a picture of you after you use the bathroom.

And those are just things at my house.

We, in fact, are here for a military assignment at Lajes Field. That Base is approximately 10 minutes away from our home. I've never lived off Base. Both at Eglin and in Turkey, we lived on Base. So this is very different for us.

I received a question from an online friend. She indicated she was ignorant in asking this question, but in fact, it was a question I had just asked JB a few days earlier.

Why does Ameica have a Base in the Azores?

It's a great question. The quick answer is, we are a gas station and mechanic shop for airplanes. In other words, we are a place in the Atlantic that planes can stop at on their way to the Middle East, to receive technical support and refuel.

That means that we have to have people here to work on those planes. And we have to have a doctor to help those individuals and their families.

Click here to watch a video explaining why we have a Base on Terceira.

So I wondered, what things do you my readers not know. What questions do you have? I'd love to answer them. I may know the answers or I may need to do some research and answer those questions for you. Nothing is too ignorant. Really. It can be a question about our life or about the town or about the Base.

Anyone?

P.S. Here is a post JB did on the natural side of our new home. You know, climate, plants, rain, etc.

5 comments:

ke2alto said...

Very interesting! Looking forward to hearing more! Thanks for your blogs!

Joy Z said...

My question is why are there so many lavish homes when it seems like the island is still mostly farmed and the tourist population low? Where did the wealth come from to allow people to build such beautiful homes?

Anonymous said...

Is there housing on base? And if so, why did you choose to live off base? I know in Turkey you had a lot of safety concerns. Are there such concerns here? (I'm guessing not since you live off base).

Can't wait to see more pictures!

denise said...

Is English mandatory in schools there or is English speaking locals hard to find?

Anonymous said...

Since you live off base now, do you have to pay for a lot more of your own expenses? I.e.. Do you pay your own rent now and it was paid for before when you lived on turkey, or do you always pay for it yourself? Utilities, phone-Internet, etc.?