From a reader who is preparing to move overseas:
What did you wish you brought along when you first moved overseas that they didn't have there?
And the other side:
What did you bring along that you ended up thinking "Why did I do this, they totally have it here!"?
Obviously, this will vary for different parts of the world, but it will be quite interesting to see the various answers.
(If you have a “Tuesday Topic” question, please email it to me at fylliska@gmail.com. Provide your blog address if you would like to be linked to, or specify if you would like to remain anonymous. Thanks!)
Ha!! This is such a familiar question!!! I am so so glad we brought our own linnens, sheets, towels etc. Things here in Costa Rica are not the great quality, and it's very hard to find all cotton sheets and decent towels at an affordable price. I also brought my stand mixer and am thankful for it every day!! I also asked a lot of people here on the ground about what I could and couldn't get before we came. I think about the only thing we brought that I wished we didn't was rain coats. Yep, even here in tropical rainy Costa Rica, we almost never use them!
ReplyDeleteFor us it is anything (to bring) that would help us feel at home. Think lightweight and be intentional. My sister made us a wall quilt that says, home is where we serve the Lord together and our family name and a globe. It hangs near the front door of every home we've lived in. It is small, easy to take when we need to quickly evacuate. My kids each have a pillowcase that is "thiers" we put it on their bed when we are "home" in a a new place. Any other things become relative to where you live, but your "home items" speak to who your family is and will make you feel settled. A print of extended family on canvas (or cloth or something durable) to hang up, a favorite vase to put local folage in on the table, a small framed verse. What says home to you that goes in first. (at least for us). A silly note is we always bring character band aids...they always make owies feel better faster then plain for kids of any culture. Happy travels!
ReplyDeleteIn Mexico, I loved having measuring spoons and cups, an immersible blender, cotton sheets, favourite recipes, and artwork from home. The artwork was a block print on fabric and very "Canadian". I've kept a list of what we liked having, what we missed, and what we didn't need for the next time.
ReplyDeleteThis is one that is so individual. We found, after the fact, that taking up space in our luggage for "things" except for a few sentimental-make-this-feel-like-home items like Abuk mentioned, really wasn't important or necessary. My hubby, because of the technical aspect of his ministry, was always bringing computers and audio-visual tools that consumed our luggage. When we had the opportunity (i.e. a container was coming and someone offered us space for free or either very cheaply), we took it. But most of what I thought was so important in the beginning, perspective and a few years of experience showed me was really unnecessary. For example - we were heading to the Sahara Desert with 4 kids the first time we left. I took a TON of sunscreen - only to find out that when it is that hot, you don't go out in the sun. Period. Everyone stays in the shade if possible. So our last 4 term, for our family of 10, with much bigger bodies to cover, we took, I think, 8 bottles total (still can't get it in our area) - and had some left over when we did return to the States for home assignment.
ReplyDeleteAll that to say, we made a conscious decision to, for the most part, live with what we could access there, bought some stuff off of expats selling as they left, and gradually accumulated, while taking advantage of containers and willing volunteers hoping to bring stuff for us when they came to visit. (Hope all of that makes sense.) Except for bras for my girls... I just couldn't make myself go to the market to shop for those. :-)
After many years, it's really even hard to remember what I should answer here. It's very individual. I can usually come up with a short list for people who ask me what they should bring to this part of the world, but honestly, we don't really "import" anything anymore.
ReplyDeleteEnglish books were really important to us, but now I'd replace that recommendation with bring a Kindle.
So when I first joined this group I just knew I had been called to be a missionary when I was younger, and now I am one a few months later! ...In Bangkok, so may vary.
ReplyDeleteWhat did you wish you brought along when you first moved overseas that they didn't have there?
I wish I had realized how hard it is to find regular towels (I wish I had talked to Liz!), hand soap, bug spray, bug repellent, and medicine in "passah ungrit," as well as (duh) American food (I'm embarrassed I miss it) and tea bags. I mean I can find it, but it's not close to my "home town" and I'm so busy that it's also hard to get out and find it. I stopped noticing some things, but those I wish I had brought more of.
Love the other posts, and agree--the kindle is a gift from God. :) So was the clothing I brought (it was hard to find my size here, and when I do it's not the best quality), my girl products, snacks, bandaids, advil, laptop/ipod/kindle (even though i felt guilty bringing it, turns out I'm with a bunch of Korean and Thai kids who have more technology than I do so not so bad), and sleep-eye mask (this helps with jet lag, and also if you live with roommates).
And the other side:
What did you bring along that you ended up thinking "Why did I do this, they totally have it here!"?
water bottle filter. I was told not to drink the water in Thailand, so I brought all this fancy filtering travel backpacker type stuff, and everywhere I've gone has cheap bottled water (usually 8 baht, which is, let's see here, about a quarter?) or water filters.