Expat Tech

Life for the average expat affiliated with the USG is pretty sweet in 2012.  Not only are you provided for (rent & utilities are paid up for the next three years) and given privileges like VAT refunds, Armed Forces Network (AFN) and commissary shopping privileges at military bases, but there are other perks today that just 15 years ago were not available.

Let's look at these separately....

Telephone

There was a time about 15 years ago and beyond when the only way to reach your loved ones was via snail mail (beginning of civilization), long distance phone call (1876 - present) and email (1990's- present). That all changed with the internet.  On our first post to Warsaw in 2006, we brought with us Vonage VOIP Phone Services.  For the same cost of a landline (about $35/month), we could now call and receive calls at no additional cost from caller to recipient and vice versa.  Vonage gives you an US phone number so that no matter where you place the call, your US phone number will show up on the recipient's caller ID as if you lived a few houses down from them.  Other than having to keep track of the time difference, keeping in touch was never that easy.  To further advance this technology, Skype came along and with the new Skype app for iPhone and iPad, you can now receive or make calls wherever you have a wi-fi connection.  You can even see who you are talking to with video chat. Forget Back to the Future - we're living it now!

The Internet

Email has been around since the 1990's for the general public.  While it was a great phenomena at the time, Facebook is what has revolutionized social contact in the information age.  While it emerged in 2006, I did not join that bandwagon until early 2008 after trying MySpace and not enjoying it much. It has changed how you keep in touch with people and has helped us reconnect with people from our past that would otherwise have been lost to the passing of time.

The internet keeps you abreast of everything that is going on the world via news media sites and online newspapers.  It's how I figure out what is going on in Austria and the USA at the same time. 

It also makes purchasing US items so much easier.  Most places don't ship internationally and if they do, it cost you an arm and a leg.  However, if you're with the USG there is a US based address that is associated with your post.  This is also available to expats from other countries now as well via Access USA (this one may cost more shipping wise).  So you basically use your personal or USG provided US address as your "ship to" address.  If you shop online, you can order whatever you want (except liquids) and have it shipped to that address.  It usually arrives in 7-10 business days.  We use Netgrocer to purchase items not available to us in Europe (except frozen/liquid products) and Amazon.com (with Prime) for everything else. It's easier to order this way than to have to go to a military base every few months to stock up. 

Television

AFN has been providing radio and TV broadcasts since World War II.  TV started to expand in the 1970's and today there are about 8 channels providing programming to those of us overseas.  While nice to have, it is limited programming that is usually behind the US schedule (with the exception of the news channels).  When you are living overseas, you cannot "legally" view television programs from the United States.  If you try to pull something up from ABC, NBC, HBO or Netflix, etc or if you tried to download content from iTunes, we would get a message saying that programming is not available outside the USA. 

While in Warsaw, we got around this by using a software that gave us a ghost IP address, meaning that it would make other sites think that we were accessing it from San Fransisco.  But internet access in Poland was very slow and downloading a show could take hours.  Flash forward to today...

The virtual private network (VPN) makes home entertainment ever so easy.  Like the ghost IP address, you log on to the network, choose what US city you wish to serve as your IP address, and voila!  Instant programming from all the above mentioned networks and more on computer, iPad or iPhone! Obviously, you sometimes need accounts to view Netflix or premium cable, but with the help of family who generously provided their usernames and passwords for certain cable networks, we will never lack for programming.  Further, if you have a TV with HDMI, you can hook up your computer to the TV and watch whatever program that is on your screen on the big screen.  The best thing about it is that you watch when you want to watch and you don't have to worry about having a DVR because everything is available on cyberspace.

So while some things still remain difficult (i.e. language barrier), life for the expat is far easier in these times and it can only get easier.

For more on how much technology has changed just in the three years from arriving/departing the US, see this older post.

Medical Care in Vienna

Today we completed the medical office orientation. Every Embassy has a medical unit staffed with either a doctor, nurse practitioner, nurse and psychiatrist or any combination of these professionals. At our post, there is a doctor, NP, two RN's and a regional psychiatrist that covers several other posts in addition to Vienna.

The Austrian version of 911 is 144 (ambulance) 122 (fire department) and 133 (police). It is not an all in one number. Further our telephone numbers are unlisted so we were taught that if we call in an emergency to any of these numbers, our number will not show up on caller id. Therefore, when personnel answer the phone, the first thing they will ask is for your address. Ambulance teams include a doctor and a paramedic and depending on your emergency, they will stabilize you and take you to the nearest hospital with available beds. Therefore, you don't get to choose which hospital you go to.

We were given these pink cards in English and German and were told that should we end up at the hospital over a weekend, we are to present those cards to the registration people who are instructed to coordinate through the Embassy for care and payment. Unlike our hospital tour in Poland, there is no organized tour of hospitals here because when they tried to organize one, they had very poor attendance. I remember our Warsaw tour and the van was full.

The nearest hospital to us is Allgemeines Krankenhaus (hospital). I love the names for some of the places here. I guess hospitalized people are "cranky". Within this hospital, there are departments just like in the States. The website offers some information in English.  I was quite pleased to learn that the neuro ophthalmologist Thing 1 was referred to for treatment of his intracranial hypertension is fluent in English and has a neuro ophthalmology (neuroophthalmologische) clinic Monday through Friday from 8am-3pm.  The hospital is a university hospital which mean a teaching/research hospital.  I like this only because teaching/research hospitals usually are involved in cutting edge research and are up to date on the latest technologies and procedures. The neuro-ophthalmologist we were referred to is part of the hospital's attending staff and a professor at the Medical University of Vienna. The reason I know all this without having stepped foot into the doctor's office is that their website is in English and German. Two blocks from the main hospital is the Sankt Anna Kinderspital which is part of the main hospital. Their website is in German, but thanks to Google Translate I can have the entire thing translated into English. 

In addition to his need for a neuro-ophthalmologist, Thing 1 needs to start orthodontic treatment ASAP.  For this, we were referred to an orthodontist who is fluent in English and even has an English version of her website. The booklet provided by the medical office also listed specialists from cardiologists to veterinarians with a notation of their fluency in English.  The majority of these physicians trained either in the US or UK so about 80% are fluent or native English speakers. 

Before leaving the States, we had to obtain medical clearances.  Thing 1's condition had been diagnosed 2 months prior and we were put through the wringer to obtain clearances.  They expressed concern about treatment not being available and being subpar.  They questioned what we would do if he needed medivac.  Meanwhile, our neuro-ophthalmologist in the States did not understand the hoopla over this and had to send multiple letters to these people stating that he just needs monitoring.  Well, that medical clearance team was, how should I put it....full of shit! We were told today that they actually medivac people from other posts in Africa/Asia because the medical care is excellent. 

We received our first of three tick borne encephalitis (TBE) vaccines today.  Because of our proximity to the Wienerwald (Vienna Woods) and since we have a dog, it was recommended. We were also given flouride tablets to use sparingly with the kids because the water (which is potable and tastes great compared to the Polish tap water and Orlando, Florida water, per Thing 1) does not contain flouride. 

We were encouraged to visit the hospital just to become familiar with it just in case, which I plan to do when I feel the need for Starbucks - one is located within the hospital:-) Needless to say, I hope we never need to use the facility.

Living in Vienna

In writing over the last few weeks, I noted that there are lots of things I am leaving out mostly because living in Europe is no longer new to us.  I was looking over our posts from our early days in Warsaw and noticed that I had completely forgotten to share what it was like the first time around.  You can read about it yourself if you wish, but what follows is a bit about what is similar and/or different between Vienna and Warsaw (in case anyone is looking for a follow on post).

Around the House

From 2006, Warsaw...

"Some interesting differences we noted right away had to do with the light switches and doors. The light switch is on the outside of the bathroom and other common areas, rather than inside, yet they are located inside for the bedrooms. When you think about it, that makes more sense than having them inside a room. Further, some doors open out while others open in. That was not as bad as the light switches. I have spent the last few days confused reaching for a light switch inside the bathroom.

Toilets are also different. For one, they have flush control so that you don't use up as much water. They also seem to not have much water in them as a rule. Only when you flush does the bowl fill up."

No changes in the above.

One thing I never mentioned that people sometimes ask about is US appliances.  We left our major appliances in our house in Virginia, but we did bring some minor appliances/items like our television sets, Blu-Ray/DVD players,  the Wii, our computers, iPads and iPhones.  We run these items off transformers that are provided to us.  I want to say that if your appliance runs at 2000+watts you use a transformer.  This is not to be confused with a converter plug.  Converter plugs work with a hair dryer for example, but don't try to plug up a 110v appliance (coffeemakers, conventional ovens, etc) because you will blow it up.  This happened to me with a conventional oven when I was in Warsaw. The Wii runs off a wall transformer just fine.  The computers are an interesting comparison.  We own PCs and Macs.  The PCs usually require a transformer or a wall transformer. But it was the Macs that impressed me.  Apple sells converter plugs for their Macs.  If you take your Mac (or iPhone) charger, you will note that you can remove the 110v plug and replace it with a 220v.  That has by far been the easiest appliance conversion ever! This was news to me because I didn't have a Mac back in 2006.

Language

In Polish, one greets others by saying "dzien dobry" which means good day or good morning.  In German, most people think "guten tag" works, but that is not how people greet each other here.  And if you greet someone with guten tag, they will know you are a tourist.  The proper greeting here is "grüß gott" (pronounced gruss gott).  It literally mean "greet God" which makes no sense, but very well then.  

Most people under 40 (like in Poland) speak English quite well.  But I would say it is more true here than it was in Poland.  We have been able to find an English speaking person everywhere we have been (even at the grocery store).  

However, like in Poland, I am certain that German will be helpful once we venture out of Vienna into other areas of Austria. 

One of the things that I find happening to me when I try to say "yes" or "no" or I try to ask for a number of items is that I find my mind automatically shifting into Polish and I will respond in Polish.  I don't know why it happens, but I remember the same thing happening when we returned to the States in 2008. I can only to compare it to how I can speak Spanglish without giving it much thought while non native speakers stare and say "huh?" On the plus side, it confirms that I really did learn Polish:-)

German classes start in September and I can't wait to add German to my list of spoken languages. 

Shopping

No major difference in shopping between the two countries except for the fact that everything is closed on Sundays and Vienna is still primarily a cash based society.  It really is hit or miss.  For example, we went to the grocery store for the first time and were able to pay with our US debit/credit card.  But this past weekend, at the same store, the transaction was denied.  We just went to the ATM where the card worked just fine and withdrew cash to pay.  But places like the U-Bahn or the movie theater, you can pay with your card just fine. I don't particularly like this because I rarely carry cash and now I have to have some on me at all times just in case.  

Another common aspect at grocery stores is the that cashiers sit at the register and all they do is scan your items.  You have to pack them yourself (quickly) and you better bring bags because they do not supply plastic or paper bags (see my Recycling post).   At the stores here, there is a staging area past the register.  You basically dump all your purchases back in the cart and then you can take your time to pack things in that area.

VAT or Value Added Tax is alive and well in Austria as it was in Poland.  It is what makes things more expensive here.  The Embassy reimburses us for VAT like they did in Poland, but a change here is that you can either itemize or take a lump sum of 330 Euro per quarter.  To itemize, you need every receipt. So far we have not been keeping track, but even with a lump sum, we get about $400 per quarter. The quarter ends in September so I will start keeping track then to see what's best. 

Banking

We never had a Polish bank account when we lived in Warsaw. Looking back, we probably should have gotten one because I'm sure we paid lots in foreign transaction fees. In Austria, we need to open an account. The bank account in Europe is how you pay your bills. You don't send a check. Whenever you get a bill here, a bank account number for the biller is provided. You basically have to do a wire transfer from your account to the biller not unlike many of the web bill pay programs at US banks. Many people just go to the bank and fill out their little forms to have the bank transfer funds from their account to the biller's account. You can pay online, but you still need the biller's account information. Without a bank account, we are unable to get mobile phones. To get a bank account, you need your legitimacy card (like a residency card). So three weeks into this we don't have mobile service on our phones. Luckily, the Embassy gave the Cat an ancient Nokia phone which we carry around for emergencies only because they do little else.

Driving

This is what I wrote about Warsaw:

"Driving here is scary. The roads here are awful and I hear that in Warsaw it is better than driving in other more rural areas. Some roads are still dirt roads. Cars squeeze tightly next to each other. They tailgate and cut in front of cars kind of like they do in the USA only the driving resembles that of a NYC cab driver. If driving is scary, walking is even more daunting. You have to be very careful when you turn a corner because cars turn very fast and may not notice you are standing at the curb or walking up the street. Other than this, it is pretty safe to walk around the city."

No change here either except that I find the Austrians to be even more aggressive than their Polish counterparts. You also have to look out for the Straßenbahn (street car/tram) that do not stop. We were told that a teach at the American school was killed by a street car 2 years ago because she looked one way to cross but failed to see the street car coming.

The police here ticket you for everything. I have heard that since there is virtually not major crime (with the exception of non-violent break ins), they have an exorbitant amount of time on their hands. Yet even with all that time, they won't pull you over. There are cameras everywhere. Your ticket(s) get sent to you at home. The Embassy is going to be sponsoring a "driving" seminar in September that I plan to attend.

Gas is quite expensive. Last week, I saw 1.43 Euro per liter or 5.72 Euro per gallon. In USD terms, that's $6.97 per gallon! And you thought prices were bad in the States! So to fill my 15 gallon tank, it will run me $104.55 in USD. We are given a gas card here that give us a nice discount on gas. Gas gets charged to card and the Embassy sends us a bill.

To break that down into real life terms, when I was in Virginia, I filled up every week and at the highest prices, I paid about $52 per week or $208 per month. If I purchase the annual transportation pass at 365 Euro/$444.50, I can travel on the bus, streetcar, or U-Bahn, unlimited for no more than $37 USD PER MONTH.

Quite frankly, in Poland, you needed to drive most places because transportation was sketchy. Here, I would not mind using public transportation for the next three years and using the car for the autobahns out of town.

The Expat Community

This is where Warsaw and Vienna appear to be at opposite ends of the spectrum. Vienna, unlike Warsaw, is a Tri-Mission, meaning, there are three separate Embassies here with three different ambassadors. There is our main Embassy, the UNVIE (UN Mission), and the OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operaiton in Europe). The community here is extra large and not as tight knit as Warsaw. Last week, there were three 4th of July parties here and everyone from each mission was invited to each. Personally, as of right now, I enjoyed the community in Warsaw because it was much easier to get to know people. This posting is impersonal which can be a blessing and a curse at the same time. In Warsaw, socialization happened in people's home over food, coffee and/or several bottles of wine and/or beer. Here, there is so much to see and do that you are pretty much on your own. The Embassy does plan certain events and tours, but, from what I hear, they are poorly attended because there is so much more going on elsewhere. I think the school may be a better place to meet people.

Overall, things are looking up around here. Even the temperatures have dropped into the 60's for daytime highs and 50's for nighttime lows. I don't have any sweaters, but I'll take it over the summer heat any day.

Recycling: An Austrian Past Time (so it seems)

Today was a ho-hum day and in the aftermath of yesterday's air freight hoopla, I decided to continue unpacking, cleaning and tidying up around the house.  Things 1 and 2 were on their best behavior thoroughly enjoying the fruits of their airfreight.  No sibling fighting today.

I put in a load of laundry and set about to create boxes for recycling.  Back in the States (Virginia), we received a toter for recycling.  We could fill it with any item that could be recycled and the recycling company would sort out the mess at their facility.

This is so NOT true in Austria!  Austrian's are obsessed about their recycling.  They have 6 different types of recycling totes that are color coded either outside your home or in the case of bottles and trash on what seems to be every other street corner.  There is a container for paper that has a red lid, one for plastic wrap/packaging with a yellow lid, one for clear glass with a gray lid, one for colored glass with a green lid, one for metal/tin/aluminum with a blue lid and one for biodegradable waste with a brown lid. 

On the off set, this is no big deal and it is good for the environment.  However, from what I hear, if you but a recyclable item in regular waste by mistake and the trash collectors find it, they will try to figure out where it came from and they could fine you for improper recycling.  Crazy!

I took some of the cardboard boxes that I shipped to myself and labeled them for all the different types of waste so we can then take them to the recycling totes when they are full.  Now I must supervise the Things so they don't mess with my system!

Learning the ropes

It's been one week and I feel.... like breaking into a Barenaked Ladies song!  But really, this week has been largely uneventful with the exception of Wednesdays trip to the Schönbrunn Tiergarten (Zoo) and today's trip to the Donauturm (Danube Tower).

I actually preferred visiting this country as a tourist 5 years ago because someone made my bed, washed our linens and towels, cleaned our hotel room and I had no laundry to do.  Here I have to do it myself (until I find a maid).  I tried to get most of these things out of the way during the week so that our weekends are free to do whatever we want.  The nice thing is that the kids stay out of my hair because they know that if they start fighting or driving me nuts, they will be put to work. 

I also restarted my workouts this week which has been painful.  I was only able to pull of 3 days even though I did spend another too walking for hours.  I'll call it an even 4 days.  Moral of the story: It's much harder to get back on track than it was to derail.  I'm shooting for 4-5 days next week.

I feel like we spent the week trying to figure out things and observing.  So far, I have learned:

• It's really hot in July in Vienna. People smell and some people smell more than others.
  
• Newer trams and buses do have air conditioning.  You just need to find them.
  
• Transportation tickets are on the honor system.  Plain clothes police do check tickets but they are few and far between.  Tickets can be purchased on the tram for about 20 cents (Euro) extra than if you buy them from a ticket machine at the UBahn.  You can also buy them at any Tabak (tobacco) store.  These are everywhere, but they are closed Saturday and Sunday.  You stamp your ticket when you start a journey.  There are no turnstiles keeping you from transport if you don't stamp it, but it you get caught you have to pay a hefty fine. If you need to stop and there is no one waiting at the bus stop, press the stop button or the driver will skip your stop.
  
• Everything seems to be on the honor system.  Newspapers are left out for sale outside shops at the request of 2 euro and people deposit their coins and take their paper.
  
• Dogs can ride the buses, trams and the U-bahn, but need to be leashed and muzzled.  They are allowed in most places that do not sell food or do not have other live animals (i.e. the zoo).  Perhaps zoo staff think that free dogs will upset the caged animals.  Outdoor cafe's are ok.  They seem to love their dogs more than they like children.
  
• Most businesses close early and/or are closed on Saturdays and Sundays.  Starbucks closes at 7pm every night.  As we walked to the store today, many businesses were already closed with many closing at noon on Saturdays.  I hate to think what it will be like when the holidays hit.
  
• Having a car is really helpful.  We walked about 7/10 of a mile to the store with our empty shopping bags which was fine, but coming back was a royal pain.
  
• German is helpful, but rather unnecessary.  Even the old woman on the bus today spoke English.  I think it helps to try to speak it, but most service industry personnel speak it quite well.
  
• Austrians are quite xenophobic and their current target group are the Turkish.  There is a history there with the Habsburgs trying to stop the threat of the Ottoman Empire, but I don't know if these old wounds continue to stir this pot. The Turkish actually provide great customer service as one of our friends theorized because they are treated so poorly by other Austrians.  They go out of their way to be kind, are quite friendly and the Döner kebabs are the bomb!
  
• Austria is a neutral country due to a post WWII agreement they signed in order to have Allied Forces turn their country back over to them.  They cannot take sides in any conflict.
  
• Vienna is not Warsaw.  People do not park on the sidewalk here and while they seem to drive recklessly, rules are followed and they yield to pedestrians even if there is no crosswalk.  No triple u-turn threat here!
  
• This post is not Warsaw! Warsaw was considered a "hardship" post even though I never experienced any hardship there.  This is not a hardship post yet everything seems to be more difficult.  We still don't have cell phone service and have been getting by on Skype.  In order to get phone service, we need to open up a bank account (something we did not have to do in Poland).  In order to open an account, we need a proof of residency which we cannot get until we attend a security briefing which is held on Wednesdays and this past Wednesday was a holiday.  This means that we have to go this Wednesday and then initiate the process for this residency card following that briefing.  This could take a long time because Austria's bureaucracy far supersedes the USG. Apparently, getting our air freight requires us to complete some checklist and it is taking far longer to do this than it did in Warsaw.  The kids are bored at home without their toys so the best thing to do is keep them outside in the heat so they forget.
  
• There are lots of American products (or products available in the USA) available here.  To name a few, they have Pringles, Oreos, Pepperidge Farm, Haagen Daz, Ben and Jerry's,  Phildelphia Cream Cheese (in many varieties), Coke, Laughing Cow Cheese, Capri Sun, Krispies, Starbucks (iced coffee sold in stores) Palmolive, Listerine, Colgate, Nivea, Garnier Fructis, Pantene and many more. Most of it is junk, but its available and my kids are thrilled.
  
• Certain German words like Einfahrt (entrance), Ausfahrt (exit) and gasse (lane) are very entertaining to children.  I feel for the poor German teacher this fall and expect to get a call from the principal's office at some point.

So there you have it.  I'm sure there is far more to learn about this city and this country so I will expand on some of these things as we learn more.  Until next time...

Feeling hot, hot, hot!

I knew there was a reason that I never spent summers in Europe and the reason why I won't be spending summers here if I can help it.  It is HOT!

It's summer and it's hot everywhere north of the equator, but European summers have to be the worst I have ever experienced, perhaps right up there with summers anywhere but the USA.  Why?  Even though air conditioning has been around since World War I, Europeans, and people in other countries in general, just don't look at it as a revered convenience.  If they did, they would have air conditioning everywhere.

We have air conditioning units in our house because the USG knows better. It's just everywhere else that's a problem.  The buses and trams and U-Bahns have no air conditioning. They open the windows which is fine while you're in motion.  Then, you get off at your stop, and lets say you are going to the grocery store (or anywhere).  There is no air conditioning there either.  So you shower and dress to leave your home and then you need another shower when you get back.

Today, we ventured out to the Schönbrunn Tiergarten (Zoo).  We chose today because the high was 86 today which is the coolest it has been all week.  And still it was hot, but thankfully there was a breeze.

Europe in the summer is overrated.  Wait until fall or early spring or splurge and visit during the holidays!  You will be far more comfortable than we are now.

Oh the places we'll go.....if we could ever figure out how to get there!

We spent the last two days getting organized and getting past the jet lag.  We are still largely out of whack sleeping in until 11am or further if we let ourselves.  Today, I woke up at 11am and got everyone up.  We had to venture out to figure out transportation. But where to go?

It was unbelievably hot outside.  Disney in June did not even compare to how hot it has been since we arrived.  Doing something outdoors for more than an hour was not going to work for me or the kids.  Last night we found the Wiener Linien site which is surprisingly in English.  But, right now, we don't have cell phone/data service with the exception of Wi-Fi.  The Cat, however, found this nifty iPhone app called AnachB.at.  It is the real time transportation information for Vienna and it's in English. 

We decided to take the Things to see The Amazing Spiderman at the Haydn Kino, an English language cinema (Kino) that has been around since 1914.  I had already researched it while in the states and we were plesantly surprised to see that films that were not even out in the USA were playing here. We punched in the locations into the app, snapped screen shots and we were on our way.

It took us about an hour to travel 30 minutes, but it was more due to our disorientation than the efficiency of Vienna Transportation.  Transportation here is a combination of buses, trams and U-bahns (subway/metro) that run like a well oiled machine.  Most stops have electronic up to the minute bus or tram info as do the U-bahn (see below). 

We took a tram and a bus and a train today, but they were pretty quick.  It was trying to figure out where to walk that was a bit confusing because the app tells you to go north or south and I have no idea which is which at this moment.  But we made it to the Neubaugasse stop and to the kino 35 minutes before show time.  So we explored and these are the things we saw:

By the end of our brief tour we had coffee in hand and had seen several chains familiar to us from both the US and Europe.  The familiar, a piece of home even if I don't shop there (i.e. Forever 21).  By the end of our visit to Starbucks, I had a map with every Starbucks in Vienna on hand!

The kino's first showing for the day was at 1430/230pm. We made our way back to the area and were surprised to see not just Americans, but people of other nationalities waiting to see the film.  The theater was not like the ones we are accustomed (stadium seating and an all you can eat free for all), but the seats were comfortable and they sold popcorn, nachos, sodas, water, candy and Haribo (the gummies of choice in Europe). Here are some pics of what it looks like:

But the most intersting find today was this one:

I stared at this guy trying to figure out what exactly he (and his friend) had on their earlobe.  Friends, these guys have holes in their ears and that ring forms to the whole in their lobe!  WTF moment of the day! I've seen alot of weird in my life, but I have never seen this. 

Our little adventure today served its purpose: to allow Thing 1 (my xenophobe, the anxious one) that Vienna has much to offer that is familiar to him.  I think he was comforted by hearing other speaking English at Starbucks and at the kino.  I figure that if I can balance the familiar with the unfamiliar, it will help him adjust.

Here's hoping that tomorrow I get a SIM card for my phone so I can use a real time GPS to figure out where the hell we are! Until then...