Missionary Life

Are You Ready? — Moving Abroad Audit

Preparing Well

Life in Asia can be wildly different from life in the UK. There are different routines, considerations and skills needed to survive. There is so much I have learned to do and there are also many skills I know I’m lacking.

If I had the opportunity to do more research, receive more training or practise some skills before I came it could have made quite a bit of difference and I wouldn’t feel quite at a loss at some points. These just cover the basics of living, eating, getting around and staying healthy.

Photo by Andre Benz on Unsplash

Health

• Are your vaccines up-to-date?
• Do you know your blood type?
• Do you know the locations of the nearest/best hospitals where you will be living?
• Have you checked whether you can get hold of any medication you need?
• Have you researched potential threats to health (e.g. malaria, dengue, Zika virus, parasites)?
• Do you know how to prevent mosquito bites, insect bites and other local risks to health?
• What foods are safe to eat and what should be avoided? (This varies from place to place, so the blanket advice for travellers may not be applicable.)
• How may the change in diet or climate impact your health?
• Have you learned how to adjust to a different climate?
• Have you made plans in the case of emergency medical care? Does your family know your plans?

Transport

• What are the main types of transport in the country you are moving to?
• Is it the same or different from what you are used to?
• Would it be worth getting lessons before you leave? (I would have loved to have motorbike lessons before I left; I completely feel as if I’m making it all up.)
• Do you know basic vehicle maintenance?
• Do you know about the different types, brands or models of that vehicle?
• What public transport is available in the country?
• What conditions will you travel in when you take public transport? How might you need to prepare for this?

Clothing

• What clothing do you need for different seasons?
• What clothing is available in the country? What will you need to bring more of? (For me — vests, socks and shoes)
• What are locals’ attitudes towards different types of clothing choices? What image are you trying to convey? How do the clothes you wear convey this?
• What clothing will be comfortable or practical for different reasons?
• How will you keep your clothes clean?
• Do you know how to hand wash clothes?
• What type of clothes will you have to wear at work? What would be good to wear when out and about?
• Can you sew?

Food

• What are the main components of that country’s cuisine?
• Do you know how to eat it? (For instance, I still struggle to eat fish and prawns because I didn’t eat them a lot at home.)
• What types of fruits and vegetables are there? Do you know how to eat, prepare and cook them? (For instance, can you cut up a mango?)
• What type of food and ingredients will be available where you are living?
• Can you cook some simple meals just on a stove?
• Do you know how to wash vegetables and meats effectively and hygienically? (Yes, I know that probably back at home you are told not to wash meats. That advice might not apply so much where you are.)
• Do you know how to avoid foods that you are allergic to?
• Do you know substitute ingredients for the ingredients you always use back at home?

Language learning

• Do you know which languages are used in the country and where you will be living?
• Do you have a basic idea of language families and their features?
• Do you know your learning style?
• Are you aware of the International Phonetic Alphabet and its usage?
• Are you familiar with the phonemes of your target language?
• Have you researched language learning techniques?
• Do you know what resources are available for your target language?
• Do you know the pros and cons of the different resources (for example is the resource somewhat old-fashioned so now a bit offensive? Yes, FSI courses, I’m looking at you.)

Cultural adjustment

• Have you researched some of the dos and don’ts of the culture?
• Are you aware of culture shock, what it is and what it looks like? Have you researched reverse culture shock?
• Have you researched your own culture so you are aware of some of the potential pressure points? (Privacy and personal space is a large pressure point for me.)
• Have you found out what cultures you might be working with? Have you researched them? (You might be working in an international setting. I find more extrovert and say-what-you-mean cultures more difficult than local ones most the time.)

Back at home

• Have you planned how you will stay in touch with those back at home?
• Have you researched what methods of communication in your host country are available?
• Have you spoken to others about how they should communicate with you?
• Have you scheduled regular, committed time to communicate with various people?
• Have you considered how you will communicate with younger family members? (I’ve found regular Skype calls with little people really hard to navigate.)
• How will you negotiate important events like Christmas? Have you reflected on how this might affect you?

Yourself

• Have you taken time to think about how you as a person might affect your experience?
• What do you enjoy doing in your home country?
• What activities might be available in your new country?
• How do you respond to stress?
• What self-care techniques work for you?
• What is your personality type? What does it say about you?
• What are your reasons for going?
• What do you hope to achieve?
• How do you cope with frustrations and disappointments?
• What bad habits should you try to deal with before you leave?
• Where might you need to be more flexible in your thinking or worldview?
• What stereotypes or presumptions might you need to deal with before you leave?

This is a pretty long list. A lot of it could be done with a Google search or by watching a few YouTube videos. Some you might need to reflect on for longer. You may want to discuss a few with others who have lived abroad, or close friends and loved ones. I hope this list helps someone thinking of taking the amazing steps to live overseas. If I failed to add something (because these are only based on my experiences), let me know.

Justin Marsh is a missionary who has served in Asia for over six years. He is the country leader of a team of missionaries and has just completed an MA that looks at missional practice. Whilst his team works within a range of contexts across the country, Justin’s focus is the Muslim minority groups.