Transition to Camp Humphreys, rationing

This morning our in-processing continued at 7:30 with medical, legal, and EO briefs. At 10:15 we were released to check out of the Dragon Hill Lodge and be at the bus stop at 10:45 -- not a lot of reaction time for a family of four, but I knew they wouldn't leave without us.

(In any case, we got there in time.)

On arrival at Camp Humphreys, my sponsor met me at the USO, and took me around. He helped me check in with housing (nothing available -- we'll have to live off-post), took me over to lodging (where we'll stay for our house search), and gave me a tour of the unit. I'm very happy with the quality of the sponsorship we got.

Following that, I took the family to the nearby KATUSA cafeteria lounge for lunch, and then to the commissary for grocery shopping. After dropping things off at the room, I then went for a walk around the post to understand where things are, find a deal on a cell phone, and get a haircut. I also stopped by the PX, the education center, and the library.

Grocery shopping is surprisingly difficult for us right now because -- legally -- I'm the only one who can do it until SY gets a ration card. USFK monitors what you buy from the commissaries and PXs to prevent black market reselling of goods meant for domestic consumption.

For example, a family is limited to 3 fifths of liquor and 8 cases of beer per month (though no limit on wine, strangely enough). Plus, over-the-counter medicines that can be readily abused are also closely monitored. With my CAC (ID card), cashiers can scan the bar code that assigns purchases to my identity, but SY's ID doesn't have that capability -- she has to get a ration card.

This presents a problem right now because -- having just arrived -- we didn't get a chance to go over to the Soldier One-Stop before it closed this afternoon. We'll have to wait until Monday. Even while we were at the Dragon Hill Lodge, SY technically couldn't even buy the kids breakfast items at the hotel shoppette. Thimbs down.