Setting Up A Home Away From Home

Over the past few weeks we have had many meetings where we have gained a perspective on what it will take to set up a home here in Chaing Mia. We have discussed with several missionaries living here and some local Thai citizens the cost of living. We have researched markets, grocery stores, clothing stores, appliance shops, furniture stores etc.... The city has a variety to choose from and is large so finding what you need for a home can get very complicated. We met with the Foltz family a few days ago for lunch to ask about their ministry with Campus crusade and about their time spent here in Thailand. One of the first things they advised of us was to come here and rent a home that is already furnished. They said that it will take months to learn the city and the stores that will give decent prices for merchandise needed (post pans, bedding, appliances and so on). They also said for us to stay here long term we needed to understand that the Thai people didn't expect us to live exactly like them, so when moving here we needed to rent a place with a western toilet and a stove. You see, most Thia's don't have stoves in their kitchens because they prefer to eat out. Thai cuisine is so inexpensive that you can eat out for less than you can cook a meal (most of the time. There are exceptions). The Foltz family said they have seen many an expat move here and try to "live" like a Thai only to end up moving home after a couple of years. They told us that if we want to be here for the long run than we should invest in a few things from home. I thought it was good insight that would only come from the wisdom of someone who has been here and done it! We are not naive to the fact that once we do move there will still be a learning curve but our meetings have given us wisdom for the future.