I am curious about a few things regarding life at DLI for a CTI, and I am hoping some people who are there now, or recently graduated, could help me out.
First, How long is Phase 1?
How long until I can move off-base?
While on-base is there a kitchen in the dorm room I will spend phase 1 in, or do I have to go to a cafeteria for food?

Regarding the cafeteria:
I am wondering what NON-Meat foods are offered.
I know there is a salad bar, and possibly a baked potato bar, but are there other options for food that do not include animal body parts?
I am a vegetarian, not a vegan, so cheese pizza, etc, is okay.
Are there any soy-based products FOR vegetarians?

I know this is a lot of information, but any part you can answer will be wonderfully appreciated!

Also, If any CTI students currently at DLI...what is your typical day like?

I hope there are many responses to this post, I would love all the information I can possibly get!

Thank you all in advance!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Kali2008,

Been here for awhile now, so I'll take a shot at your Q's...
Phase 1: 10 days or so, longer if you take forever to knock out your GMT's.
Moving off-post: Depends. Are you married or have any dependents? If not, then not likely (though not impossible--just talk with your PO)
Kitchen: If you're stuck on-post, but you get to move 'up the hill' (you'll know what that means when you're here), those buildings have kitchens. You won't be in those buildings initially, so get used to the cafeteria.
Re: the Cafeteria--Relax. Make do with what they have and eat. Or get phased up and go blow your paycheck at the healthfood stores around town.
The level of difficulty you'll experience at DLI is usually in direct correlation to what kind of student/Sailor you are. Are you a dirtbag? Well, DLI's gonna suck and you'll be on your way out shortly--"Fleeted, un-des," and that's rough. If you can handle the language and balance everything else--all doable--you'll be fine. No worries. Enjoy Monterey and the rest of the area.

Are you in the barracks at DLI? Cause someone told me that when they went they were in the Army lodging. Just wondering and if you do have a dependent do they let you move of the base since the schools can be rather lengthy? Also since I do have son, I heard that the school is more like college so do you have to stand watches or what kind of hours do you go to school? Let me know.

if you have custody, you would qualify for base housing. If you do not have at least 51% physical custody, you won't and will have to live in the Barracks. and if they found out you got housing but your son never lives with you..well.. it won't be pretty. If you are a first termer.. my guess is you had to give up custody in order to even be allowed to enlist..so its a moot point.

You have to stand 1 6hr watch about once a month. This can be right after school or on the weekends. It's annoying, but at least you can catch up on your homework.

The chow hall is really good as far as I'm concerned. They have a lot of salad stuff and several vegetables every day. I know some people who don't like the food, but they're just too picky.

Im not a first termer.I was in before and i am going to be rejoining. I have been out for three years but I have 5 years already. To get back in i have to crossrate cause my rate is completely overmanned. So I was thinking about going CTI, from what I hear the navy is trying to get people who are rejoining and have to crossrate into rates that they have deemed neccesary for the war on terrorism and CTI is one of them. He has to be signed over to my mom for deployments and things like that but if I am going to be in monterey for a while then he can come out there with me.Also I have full custody, his father has never even seen him so that wont be a problem. Honestly I would rather live in the barracks and not have to worry about bills and such but depending on which language you get you could be looking at a year at DLI and there is no reason for me not to bring him out there. You dont have to give up custody to enlist either. You have to sign over temporary custody when you are going to be sent on orders that cannot be written as "accompanied". If you accept an overseas billet sometimes they are not accompanied orders, when you go to ship you are allowed to bring your family or children to where you are stationed out of but when the ship deploys you have to have someone to sign over temporary custody too. If a school is longer than so many weeks or so many months you are allowed to have your children or family relocate there with you.

I was hoping this thread would answer the question : "When can your family move out to Monterey with you if you are married"

I haven't found an answer to that one yet, any help would be appreciated.. the wife wants to know!

if you get accompanied orders/permission from the school to bring them out. It can take a few weeks/months to get everything squared away.

Jmills: since you are re enlisting the rules may be different, but believe me..single parents MAY NOT ENLIST as a first termer. It will depend on the school's policy whether or not they will allow your son to come with you to Monterey. you will be expected to put in many hours out side of the classroom studying, and the day care situation there is not the greatest. and unless your mother is a bona fide secondary dependent she would not be allowed to live in base housing with you.

there's a possibility that your first orders out of DLI will be DIRSUP.. and that can mean a LOT of deploying.

Whats DIRSUP? I have a friend who works at the Army base out there who has offered to help me with babysitting. I know that I might not even get one of the longer school. I may get one of the languages that is only like 6 or 7 months and then it wont be necessary to bring him out. He will be staying back here in Michigan with my mom. I wasnt trying to get nasty about it I just didnt want you to think that I am new to the navy, thats all. I know how they can be. I was just thinking that I know they are in need of Arabic translators and the arabic class is like 13 months long.

As for the original question these responses are exactly the answer. You want to know if you can bring your wife out there. It depends on what language you get and how long you are going to be stationed out there. The have a limit depending on how many weeks your going to be there. If you not going to be there for like a year then the navy is not going to give you accompanied orders, because accompanied orders you get money to bring your family out there and the navy pays everything and pays for housing. If your not going to be there for a year then the navy isnt going to pay for your spouse to move out there, especially if your new to the navy you will have to wait to get housing allowance until you get to your permanent duty station.

minimum is 26 weeks before family members are authorized. generally speaking, they will only let you go in with a Cat 4 language right now.. arabic, chinese, korean, farsi, etc.. the chances are very high they will be accompanied orders.

DIRSUP: direct Support. I have seen it handled two ways. then NSGA Yokosuka( and to be honest I am not sure there are any CTIs left there, last I heard Kunia and San Diego had them all now) assigned everybody to a specific ship based out of Yoko.. when the Cowpens got underway, and if you were assigned to her, you went. the other way I have seen it done is when the CO of a ship , sub or squadron needed someone with your skill set..out you went, even if that means you just got back 2 days ago. you could be gone ALL the time, never, or somewhere in between.

shore duty includes Ft Gordon, Ft Meade, Kunia, and San Diego. Ft Meade by itself encompasses 4 separate physical locations.

Wow, you guys completely hijacked my post!

If you have questions about CTI. These are all the answers.

So if a CO asks for you on a deployment do they normally keep you the entire deployment or can be reassigned during the deployment? Also what are the odds right now if you know of middle east deployments and overseas billets. They do send CTI's over for deployments to Iraq and afgahnistan dont they?

Also do you know if there are any reenlistment bonus for CTI's that reup and what kind of bonus are they offering for CAT 4 languages?

quote:

Originally posted by Kali2008:
Wow, you guys completely hijacked my post!

It has turned into quite the informative thread though, so bravo to you for creating it!

Thanks Mrsjvb for answering my question!

quote:

Originally posted by Jmills03:
If you have questions about CTI. These are all the answers.

So if a CO asks for you on a deployment do they normally keep you the entire deployment or can be reassigned during the deployment?

It's not cost effective for anything but an emergency. has Johnny_B sent people home during an underway period? yup, usually becuase of a family emergency. Did Johnny_B get replaced three weeks into an underway? yeap.. because he had PCS orders in hand.and went out due to his replacement having a crisis.

Underway periods can be as short as week to as long as 9 months right now..and that's just the ships. I have no first hand experience with subs or squadrons.

get used to the lovely vowels I and A.

Im not going to lie it took my like 5 minutes to figure out what that last sentence meant!! Im really off my game today cause im sick!!

I can tell you life out here as a DLI wife...

1st off you are allowed to bring your son as a single parent. I know a few ppl that have even in some of the hardest languages!

It is also not true that you cannot have someone who is not a dependent living with you out here in the housing. I know plenty of grandparents that come out here to help out and what not. Housing just has to be notified. And as they are PPV its not run by the gov.

I cant tell y amuch about the time durring school. I just know that you will have lots of studying to do. It can get crazy stressful for 1st timers to the DLI.

You can indeed bring you wife and children out there. Anything that is longer than 6 mo is accompanied. And seeing as how most the only languages really being offered here are about 1-1 1/2 yers they can come. It really should be no big deal!

I think i got about every general question anwsered. I dont know much as i said about the school side and such but i know my way around the dept area!

So I'm reporting in about ten days. I'm E-6 with family. Wife is currently in San Fran in school, and will stay there. Do i have a chance to get house hunting leave, I'm reporting early, and can I get barracks? If not, is there place to find roomates out in town, billboard or something? What is a good area to look at? I found few on craigslist but not very familiar with area, but will take a drive there on tuesday. Did you shift to whites yet?
I have found daily schedule for army students on one of the sites, what is it like for navy?
Anything you would recomend doing before or upon checking in?