We love to hear from you, but we found that many of the questions coming in were along the same lines, so please check this FAQ list before e-mailing us. These are a work in progress, but they are cut and paste from various e-mail responses we have offered to people contacting us with questions. Keep in mind that policies and housing availability, among other things, constantly change here on the island, and it is always best to talk to your hiring contract or sponsor directly. Contracts are all different here, so our experience may not be your own. If you have questions specific to your move, benefit package, or housing, you should deal directly with your sponsor or Human Resources contact.

Time

Kwajalein does not observe Daylight Saving Time, so the time difference depends on the time of year. At the moment (September), we are 16 hours ahead of Eastern Daylight Time, or another way to look at it: 8 hours behind, but a calendar day ahead. When DST is not in effect, we are 17 hours ahead of (or 7 hours behind) Eastern Standard Time. You can also check out our clock page to see how the current time on Kwaj compares with time zones in the U.S.

Jobs

The Wrights have a great Kwaj web site, and the link below connects you directly to their “jobs” page. We read this web site extensively before coming to Kwaj. They no longer live here, so info may not be up to date, but they have the job thing spelled out very well on their site.

http://www.quitewright.com/kwajjobs.shtml

Here is the KRS job link (the biggest contractor on the island):

http://www.krsjv.com/job_ops.html

The “Before the Move” Process

We shipped ahead by barge 6 or so weeks before we left...for the container. We did not mail ourselves anything significant. We then also had a very light air shipment allowance a few days before we moved away. The rest went into storage back in the States.

What to Bring or Not Bring

As for what you should bring, I suggest only two or so favorite furniture items (like a favorite bed/mattress, chair, or a couch you can't live without), besides specialty children items like a crib or toddler bed (good to bring those along) or a child’s play table. Most of the furniture here is sufficient. At least one dehumidifier is a good idea, although you can usually find some here at patio sales. Mold is a major issue here, so dehumidifiers help A LOT.

I think basic electronics and small appliances are a good thing to bring. Everything you daily use from the coffee maker to the alarm clock, of course. At times ice cream can be rather scarce out here, so we brought along our small cuisinart ice cream maker. Coffee is another passion, so I came out with the espresso machine and coffee maker/grinder. Anything you feel might make life more cozy. I brought a bread machine, etc. What they sell here is limited. We came with one tv of our own.

If you find out ahead of time you are in hard housing, area rugs are a good idea. Many of those homes have nothing but linoleum...no wall to wall carpet. 

If you have any water hobbies, fishing poles, boat gear, rafts, and scuba or snorkel equipment are a good idea.

If your kids are in sports, I suggest bringing soccer cleats and shin guards (basic things like that), as the right sizes can be hard to come by when you need them.

If you have any food allergies or pets, shipping ahead any specialized products is a good idea. We do have basic pet needs here. My son has 3 major food allergies, so I order through an online allergy company.

**Bikes...see section on bikes! :)

What Kinds of Stores and Products Are Here

Our grocery store has basics, but is VERY limited. Do not expect lots of kid-oriented items such as “Lunchables,” kid yogurts, snack packs, capri suns, etc. You have to be creative here. They are working toward improving the selection, but it is not entirely consistent. Many groceries come frozen (including some deli items). The convenience store is like a 7-11. The new department and sporting stores haven't opened yet, but in the past they have sold basic clothes, toys, video games, tvs, sporting goods, small kitchen appliances, bed sheets, etc. Don't expect a great selection. We order from drugstore.com, a few online clothing companies, and Amazon.com a lot.

The only other stores are the Micronesian Handicraft store selling Micronesian crafts and a thrift store selling used items. No Walmart, Kmart, Target, etc.

Worries About the Sun

The sun is strong, especially between 11 AM and 4 PM. It is definitely something to prepare for.

They have limited choices in sunscreen here, and it is expensive, so I sent some ahead and also take advantage of drugstore.com free shipping deals. I order sunscreen through them all of the time. Rash guards (swim shirts) are a great idea, as well as at least one set of sunglasses for everyone and some good SPF-protecting hats. Most outdoor/sports stores in the States sell those. Have your skin checked by a dermatologist off-island once a year -- even your kids.

Housing and What Happens When You First Get Here

There is a hospitality kit here as well as furniture for you to use right away in your quarters, and they do include sheets and towels. The sheets are for double and twin beds only. Your sponsor should take care of procuring your housing as well as furniture and the hospitality kit. Your sponsor should also take you on a tour of the island and help you through the badge, school, and any other registrations.

Opportunites for Extracurricular Activities (for Preschool and Elementary Kids)

We do not have high school (7th through 12th) children, so we are not the best source of info on high school programs, but they do offer a nice variety of sports and activities.

The sports program for the preschool and elementary schools tends to be basketball in the fall, flag football in November, then baseball/teeball in the winter, and soccer in the spring. Each school-aged child will need to get into the CDC (Child Development Center) at some point and make sure they have all of the info they need for sport registration. They require a LOT of paperwork, and much of it is redundant, but it's an Army regulation thing. Anyway, it's always a good idea to make sure ahead of time that they have what they need so that when it comes time to sign up for a sport, they don't give you any errands to run to track down medical records, etc. Preschool sports are once a week and require parent participation, but the kindergarten-and-up sports have more of a "team" aspect to them and do not require the parent to be there to participate.

Two weeks of swim classes are taught to every class at the elementary school staggered throughout the year as part of the school day. And the preschool has one morning a week when they take the kids to the pool.

There are tumbling classes for ages 2 and up, ballet/tap classes for ages 4 or 5 and up, street music/funk dance classes, piano lessons, daisy/girl scouts, cub/boy scouts, 4-H club, private swim classes, swim team, etc. I am sure I am missing something. My son was initially disappointed he could not continue his martial arts training, but there is plenty else to do right now. Perhaps a martial arts trainer will come to the island someday.

Bikes and Bike Trailers

The selection of kids' bikes on Kwaj is usually pretty sparse or nonexistent. You may want to send kids' bikes with one of your household shipments.

A LOT of us use a bike "Burley" (trailer) to drag our non-biking kids around, or even just on rainy days or when the 5-year-olds are sick and need a break from biking. You can buy them here for over $250 I think, when they have them in, but they are much cheaper in the States. I found them at Target and Walmart even, but bike shops too, of course. They are also really nice to have for bringing packages home from the post office. Also, some days I didn't have the patience to wait for my training-wheels daughter to bike at a snail's pace, so I just put her and the toddler in the trailer. If you already had the movers come and can't get it, you can buy new here or even check the patio sales for them from time to time. Just don't buy the InStep brand because we bought that for $100, and it fell apart way too easily.

Something you may want to consider, however, is to pick up some aluminum bikes (and perhaps a bike trailer) and have them as part of your shipment. The important thing is to get bikes that are made out of aluminum so the frames won't rust. We usually only get one or two colors in at a time, and you can usually tell how old someone's bike is by its color since the store rotates through its colors slowly. I'm not sure how the new retail store will operate, but I'm guessing it will be similar.

Since bicycles serve a much more utilitarian role on Kwaj, most people (men and women) choose to get women's bikes. We both have women's bikes, which makes trading much easier without having to move trailers back and forth between bikes. Men's bikes are usually rare, and the guys my husband knows at work who have them usually wish they didn't have the high bar. The reason is that most bikes are equipped with baskets, and it's much easier to get on and off a woman's bike without kicking a basket behind the seat. Even riding a woman's bike, it took my husband a while to get used to not swinging his leg over the seat when getting on or off the bike---after kicking the basket on the back of his bike several times and nearly falling over (not much fun in flip-flops).

Bike locks aren't generally needed for outside your quarters but are a good idea whenever you park at the docks or airport. Combination locks are popular. Probably a good idea to bring some along if you do house expensive scuba equipment outside on your patio, etc.

Stores in Hawaii and Online Options from Kwaj

If you buy supplies in Honolulu, there is a Walmart around the corner from the Ala Moana mall (right in Waikiki....a bit of a walk from the hotels in Waikiki, but easily accessed by Bus 8 or car, of course). You can then take your stuff over to the backside of the Ala Moana mall, and there is a post office there. They will ship "space available" if you ask them, and it is VERY FAST and VERY CHEAP. The airport post office will as well. We do that every time we come through, and I send myself diapers in boxes, etc. I recently mailed myself a HUGE box of toiletries for $8, and it was incredibly heavy.

Stores in Honolulu: Kmart, Payless Shoe Source, Walmart, Ross, Costco, no Target yet (but there was talk of building one), Sears but no Kohls, and a Macys.

We brought one plastic bin of clothes per child, but honestly, I've had a lot of success with online shopping deals and catching free shipping deals as well. We order through Lands End, Kohls.com, Children's Place, Old Navy, etc., and catch some decent deals once and a while. I definitely miss catching seasonal 75% clearance at good ole Target, but I have been pleased with my online shopping so far. We will have some clothing choices in the new department store, but I don't think it will be a huge selection. The malls in Honolulu have mostly very expensive clothing stores.

*If your kids are in sports, I suggest bringing soccer cleats and shin guards (basic things like that), as the right sizes can be hard to come by when you need them. Our thrift shop can be good for those kinds of needs, but it's not a reliable supply. If anyone does ballet or tap, also bring those kinds of shoes as well if you plan on taking the classes. Payless Shoes does deliver here, I believe, but it can be a 3-week wait to get orders here.

Places like Drugstore.com and CVS.com are great sources of toiletry needs and sunscreen, etc. When they have free shipping deals, it works out to be cheaper than buying some of that here, plus they sometimes have stuff we don't have here. I use those Web sites semi-regularly for everything from the kids' favorite toothpaste to the only sunscreen on the market that my toddler isn't allergic to.

Phone and Internet Service

Calls out are international. We use a calling card, so our Kwaj phone bill doesn't usually top $45. All off-island calls are 7 cents per minute plus 17 cents per minute long distance if applicable. For example, an 800 call still costs 7 cents per minute, but a direct-dial long distance call to the States will cost 24 cents per minute. Most people have a calling card. If your calling card is 3 cents a minute, the total is really 10 cents per minute with the off-island access charge. You have a $25 per month charge to simply have the phone line. We make about 6 off-island calls a month, to give you an idea of what $45 phone bill and our calling card gets us (which we prepay, so I don't track the amount per month on the calling card, but obviously it leads to the full month total being larger than the $45 I pay the phone company here).

Calls in from the US are domestic. You do not pay for incoming calls. People calling you from the States are charged as if they were calling Santa Barbara, CA, as it is an 805 area code. If they have a flat fee plan, then it might not cost them anything at all. It is only outgoing from Kwaj that is expensive.

Internet is dial-up and very slow. The dial-up access number is local and does not add to your phone bill.

U.S. cell phones do not work here. The Marshallese National Telephone Authority (NTA) has a cell tower on Ebeye that apparently uses the international GSM standard. A cellular call from this system to the U.S. or to Kwajalein is considered an international call.

We don’t use a cell phone on island. Instead we maintain a pre-paid AT&T Go Phone. If you purchase $100 worth of minutes, they remain active for one year, which usually covers what we use on various trips to the States during the year.

Clothes and Shoes

We rarely need a sweatshirt, but I did always pack one for my daughter at preschool because they kept the AC on really strong. The A/C helps reduce mold growth and cockroaches (they hate the cold). And sometimes we needed one to watch an evening movie at the outdoor theater, but mostly it is never lower than 79 degrees any time of day. Usually more like 87 degrees.

Most work attire is “island casual”: Hawaiian or other button-down shirt, shorts, flip-flops or sandals. If you plan to go to neighboring Marshall Islands, ladies should wear a long skirt (covering the knees) and shirts that modestly cover your top and shoulders. The Marshallese dress very conservatively, and it is considered a respect to their culture to dress as they do when visiting other islands besides Kwajalein. Men should wear shirts (not tanks) and long pants, if possible, during these occasions (such as going to nearby Ebeye). I rarely see pants and dress shirts on Kwaj except in church or on special occasions. The chapel is very casual, though. You might have one occasion per year to dress formally.

We only brought very light rain jackets, and that is more than sufficient. If you plan to travel to the States or any other country during their winter, you may want to consider bringing one set of warmer jackets/clothes.

Shoes of choice: flip-flops, sandals, and crocs. The kids all are required to wear tennis shoes/sneakers for gym class and also any sports they participate in.

Rain

There is a lot of rain during the rainy season (May to November?), and there are some days when it rains all day, but in general, the rainy season just involves always carrying your parka and being prepared for a downpour at any minute. The downpours during the day often last only 10 minutes at a time, but during the rainy season, they may happen several times a day instead of just once. At night, the rain tends to just pour down all night long, but amazingly, by 8:15 AM when the kids are headed to school, we seem to have sunny skies and a brief reprieve. Also, the rainy season usually means the end of the winds that bring us relief from the heat. In contrast, when it is not the rainy season, some days see no rain, but it's not uncommon to have one brief shower of sorts. The dry season also brings on many winds, which are very hard to bike in at times ocean-side, but are a big relief from stagnant heat.

Address

Name

P.O, Box  ____

APO, AP 96555

[Most online companies accept it as this (US Postal Service only...we don't have FedEx or UPS), but once and a while, to get an online company to accept the address, you have to fudge it like this:

P.O. Box ___

APO AP, CA 96555   

It will still get here because of the zip, which technically is a CA zip.]

Religious Services

We attend the chapel on Kwaj, as it seems much like our non-demonimational (but conservative) church back home. There is a great Baptist group. There is a Catholic service, Jewish congregation, and somewhere I think I read a Church of Christ group. There are a few Mormon families as well. There are classes for children as well, depending on what services you attend.

Beds

Full beds for parents, or you can request two twin beds and bring your own "KING" mattress to go on top. Twin beds for children. Bunk beds are very rare. There are very few of them on the island. Be sure to ship sheets and towels and a warmer blanket of sorts per bed (A/C can be cold indoors).

Decorations

Just based on my own experience, I came with a few small window treatments (like valances) and really just a few pictures to put on the walls. If you get "hard housing," the inside walls are concrete/brick and very difficult to hang many things from without the special kind of nails. I did also bring my own decorative pillows and bed pillows. Window treatments can *very occasionally* be found in someone's moving or patio sale, and all of the houses seem to come with blinds, but if you want to "perk" things up a bit, maybe bring a curtain or valance for a few windows. I would not bring any knick-knacks you really care about being broken, but just enough to set out and make it feel like home here.

Food/Restaurants

We really have no restaurants any more. Well, I take that back. They just built an AAFES food court with Subway, Burger King, 31 Flavors, and a pizza place. Other than that, there is the cafeteria. That's it.

Saving Money....Good Question!...and Travel Answers Too

It's hard to answer the question about saving, because of course, that is individual. Overall, even the water sports here are pretty reasonable in cost...mostly just the initial investment in a class or scuba suit, etc. Travel can get expensive, but if you are frugal and also save up frequent flyer miles, it can be reasonable as well. Otherwise, I have to say, we find it very easy to save more here than in the States. No gas or oil, for one big reason. :) Several people have come here with debt they intend to pay off, and they are somewhat successful. Some use this time to save for their first house, and others use this to save for college or retirement.

No rent or utility bills (other than phone), no cars or gas expenses. Travel, depending on your contract arrangement, is often provided for once a year to get back to the States. Anyway, savings is a BIG motivation for folks here, as well as the travel opportunities. Many go via Guam to Australia, New Zealand, Bali, Thailand, Japan, Hong Kong, and other areas of Asia while here. The Federated States of Micronesia (just a few hours between here and Guam) offer some fun places, like Kosrae and Pohnpei. Saipan (Mariana Islands, I believe) is another popular resort location.

How Easy Is It to Get to Ebeye

Very easy to get to Ebeye. Just have your badge to go through dock security. The Ebeye ferry is free, last I checked. You just have to make sure you catch it at the right times and have cash with you to get a water taxi if you miss it. It is about a 20 minute ride. Non-Marshallese (us) on Kwaj go all of the time to shop in their grocery store, get their hair cut, go to church, etc. Remember to dress conservatively (see paragraph on clothes).

Medical/Dental

If you have any chronic or serious medical issues in your family, this is definitely NOT the place to be. They can handle the basic check-ups and sprained ankle, but there have been some scares here because they are general practitioners but not specialists. If you are all in good health, you're probably okay. Our biggest concern at the moment personally is a young child with severe food allergies, and we are managing okay here with that so far. The paramedic team responded very well to our only true scare here so far in that regard. The hospital here also saved a very premature baby born here. Just keep in mind that the medical resources here are VERY LIMITED.

Dental services are always here. No orthodontry anymore on the island. You have to handle it while off-island. An optometrist comes for two weeks a few times a year. No other specialists, not even “pediatricians.” We no longer have mammography services either.

Please be aware that medical/dental benefits are not the same for every contract, so we cannot answer questions specific to your contract.

Updated September 11, 2008