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International marriage, restaurant recommendations and utility bill interpretation are all daily topics at the German- American Community Office in Kaiserslautern.
The office, opened in February 2003, is staffed by bilingual host nation civilians who have helped more than 10,300 German and American customers as well as representatives of other nationalities.
“It is an exciting job because you never know what the next question will be,” said Sissi Koesling, a GACO host nation specialist.
***image1***The majority of questions are in reference to culture events, friendship groups and visa paperwork, said Ms. Koesling. On the other hand, several German customers are interested in information about renting homes to Americans and friendship groups.
Maj. John Bell, U.S. Air Forces in Europe financial management office, visited GACO with his wife for information on renewing their international driver licenses and local area information.
“The people in the office were very friendly and helpful and made the renewal task fast and easy,” he said.
Aside from facilitating questions at the office, the staff is very involved in community events.
The GACO staff encourages and arranges for involvement in local events by the American population, including among others, the World Cup this past summer, various clean-up projects, sponsorships for establishments for children with special needs and the Kaiserslautern Christmas Market, Ms. Koesling said.
The GACO office is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday; and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday.
For details, call the GACO at 0631-363-3010, e-mail info@gaco-kl.de, or log on to their Web site at www.gaco-kl.de.
