Practical Living Questions to Ask and Observe on a Vision Trip
When considering relocation to a different culture, many factors come into play. These questions are designed to help you consider day-to-day rhythms and adjustments necessary to thrive in a potential new culture.
What is housing like?
What can you get for your budget?
What will you bring to make a house feel like home? What will you need to buy?
Which method is best for transporting items: container, shipment or luggage?
What part of town is most strategic for ministry, school, shopping, etc?
How much does language affect your ability to do basic things such as shop, eat and get around?
What educational options are available?
Will they meet the needs of your children? What are the costs (if any) involved?
Are extra curricular activities available? Special needs resources?
What is driving/transportation like?
How will you get around?
Will you need a local or international drivers license?
Is the cost of vehicles more/less than in the USA?
What will you do for entertainment?
What arts and culture activities are available?
What about movies, television, internet?
What infrastructure elements affect your life on a regular basis?
loss of electricity, water, internet
government red tape, paperwork, city services
traffic
availability of resources
What security concerns are unique to this culture?
Going out at night, travel
Security measures in the home and other lifestyle safety concerns
Internet and communications privacy and security
How will you feed your family?
How can you keep some things familiar?
What will be certainly be different?
What are you most looking forward to and what are you dreading related to food/meal preparation?
What is the cost of eating out? More or less than USA? How often will you eat out?
What hobbies and activities feed your soul?
What will it take to do those hobbies in a new environment? (for example, I know someone who brought an entire suitcase of yarn so she could knit – sacrificing this hobby would have negatively impacted her ability to thrive in her new rural setting)
What new hobbies should you consider?
What physical fitness and sports activities are available?
What medical services are available?
Is quality medical care accessible?
How do medical costs compare to the states? Insurance?
What prescriptions and over the counter medications are available/affordable and what will you need to bring with you or have sent to you?
What climate and weather differences will affect your life rhythms?
What local holidays significantly impact your rhythms?
How will you communicate with family back in the states?
Vonage phone? Cellular? WhatsApp, Facetime, Skype, etc?
Is the internet bandwidth able to support these?
How much will you have to budget to get the bandwidth you need?
How will you make friends? Local and expat?
What are the options for church? Local and expat?
What does your travel budget look like?
What goals do you have about visiting passport country? How often?
What about “visa runs” or travel for rest and relaxation?
Ask local expats questions like…(These examples from Kenya can get you thinking)
What is hard to get here? (comfortable, affordable sofas and chairs, chests of drawers)
What is plentiful and cheap? (fresh fruits and veggies)
What is more expensive than in the USA? (Chicken and anything imported)
What is less expensive? (labor, housekeeping, and having stuff made locally)
What’s new and exciting now that’s going to get on my nerves later?
It’s easy to glamorize the idea of living overseas as a missionary, but try to look for the things that you know will be your hurdles to adjusting in the new environment.
Identify fears that you will have to face.
Identify routines that will need adapting.
Identify things that will challenge you mentally, physically and spiritually (example – in Rwanda we were always being stared at because we were white. I didn’t think much about it on my vision trip, but it became annoying after we lived there for a while).
-Ashley Magruder