Things I Wish I'd Known Before the Mission........

So this blog is directed to all you newly called sisters going to Thailand. 

I'm going to talk about what shoes you need, what bag you DEFINITELY need... and what kinds of clothes worked well and didn't... and answer some general questions that I'd wondered about before I arrived to Thailand.

SHOES

I'm going to tell you now that the only shoes you will wear on your mission are........ Crocs. Sorry to say it, but it's true. Don't try to think that you'll be different and beat the Crocs trend that you've probably seen in every Thai missionary blog you've ever read. You won't. Just accept it now. Crocs are essential because: 1) they're comfortable. 2) They don't mold. 3) They dry easily. 4) If they start to stink, you can wash them.

You probably noticed that I really only wore this one pair of Crocs:

http://www.crocs.com/crocs-alice-work/11050,default,pd.html?cid=001&cgid=women-footwear-flats

These are the only ones I can recommend, because they get a decent amount of airflow, and more importantly: they have the strap. I never lost my shoes riding my bike, which I can't say the same for the ballet flat styles that some of my companions wore. Get these Crocs and you won't regret them.

HOWEVER, you may want to bring one other pair of leather, classier looking footwear for transfer meetings and Sundays when the skies are clear. I really loved my Clark's red sandals. I wore them into the ground. I would have brought them home with me if they hadn't been completely worn out! They're SO comfortable, and SO cute.

http://www.clarksusa.com/eng/product/wendy_land/26060554

When you get into country you might be tempted and/or persuaded by your trainer to buy some jelly flats that are really popular in Thailand. DON'T DO IT. They're cheap, have no arch support, and will break your back. Don't even go there.

BAG

I struggled so bad trying to find the right bag. Unfortunately for me, I didn't find THE bag until I had about 5 months left of my mission. At first I had the wrong idea that I needed a "cute" bag, or at one point a backpack, but let me tell you, you don't need to look anymore beyond this point. I'm telling you that this is it. A large portion of sisters in Thailand end up buying this bag, and you won't find a single one of them regretting it. It's kind of pricy, but it'll last the whole mission, AND save your back, and look fairly good in the process. It's called: Healthy Back Bag.

http://www.thehealthybackbag.co.uk//healthybackbag/6103-pl#slide-2-field_product_images-7985

I won't say more. Just buy it. Get the textured fabric. It wears better than any of the other kinds of fabric.

OUTFITS

Both of these outfits are good thai missionary outfits. I found that looser, t-shirty materials were my favorites for shirts. They were comfortable and dried quickly. Gingham was also a material that I liked.

Dresses and skirts were best if A-line and hit at mid-calf. Anything was too short or too long when it came to bike riding.

I don't have too much to recommend for outfits. Stay simple and comfortable!

TOILETRIES

Deodorant - You can buy it in Thailand, so don't worry about bringing a whole years' supply.

Pads - You can buy them in Thailand.

Tampons - Can't buy them, bring all that you can.

Toothpaste - You can buy it in Thailand.

Shampoo/soap/bathwash - You can buy it in Thailand.

Makeup - You can buy tons of it in Thailand.

BUGS

The bugs are terrible! You will get eaten alive. Putting on bugspray in the morning isn't very effective, because it wears off during the day and it's in the evening when you get bit the most. It would be more effective to carry it around in a spray bottle and apply it throughout the day.

BATHROOMS

Your home will have a normal toilet. So will the church and all malls. I never used a squatter potty! I just used a normal toilet in one of those three places whenever I had to go. They aren't hard to find.

BIKES AND SKIRTS

Tuck your skirt in your garment legs. Other than that..... it's kind of just a game of trying to keep it out of the chain or blowing over your head, hence the "keep your skirt at mid-calf length" rule.

ELECTRONICS

Bring a hair drier that can switch to the Thai voltage. Also bring some adapters that you can plug your camera charger into. Bring a hard drive to save all your pictures on as you go, just in case your camera gets lost! Also, in order to send pictures home you'll want to bring a usb SD card reader. Bring an iPod and good speakers, and BRING CHURCH MOVIES. Mormon messages (you can get them on DVD), The Legacy, The Testaments, Work and the Glory, 17 Miracles, Ephraim's Rescue, etc.

FOOD

You'll always be eating out at local places. The rule for me generally was if I could see a refrigerator I would eat there, and if the meat looked like it was recently pulled of the grill, I would eat it. Go with your gut, and you'll be fine. Of course, the spicy food with a combination of occasional wrong choices will give you diarrhea now again. Not every day, but you can expect it several times on your mission. Your digestive system will be out-of-wonk in Thailand to some degree, but if you're experiencing extreme changes/regular diarrhea, contact your mission president's wife.


So that's all I can think of right now! Maybe if I think of more things I'll update this post, but really, if any of you guys have questions, don't be afraid to shoot me a message on facebook! I'll tell you everything I know!

Good luck out there! The Thailand Bangkok Mission is THE BEST MISSION! TBM!!!!!!! You will LOOOOVE IT!!!!!!!