Tips for Missionaries Going to Thailand
I need to update this sometime now that I've actually been there. :) -bmc (2.19.08)
Updated: 8-5-02These are various tips and pieces of information I've unearthed or heard, from guidebooks and returned missionaries and so on. I've tried to group them under helpful headings (sorted alphabetically). Obviously this is quite an incomplete guide to what it's like over there, but hopefully it will answer some questions pre-missionaries may have. None of the information here is definitive; check with missionaries currently serving in Thailand or recently returned for up-to-date information. (I've tried to keep this up-to-date, but it will fall behind once I leave.)
Bikes
Buddhism
Cameras
Contacts and Glasses
Food
Heat and Humidity
Language
Maids
Mail
Medical Care
Miscellaneous
Money
Taboos
Thieves
Tracting
Water
Bikes
You'll almost always use a bike for transportation, unless you're one of the four "office elders" who use a car. One missionary recommended getting a seat larger than usual, for added comfort. It's probably a good idea to learn how to repair a bike.
Buddhism
Buddhism (Theravada Buddhism, specifically) is the overwhelmingly predominant religion in the country (over 95%). This presents seeming difficulties -- especially with the Eastern/Western culture clash -- but missionaries have said it isn't as much of a problem as it seems. The main problem is retention. Buddhism and Thai culture are intertwined -- almost the same thing -- and so it can be hard for newly baptized converts to stay in the Church when there is so much pressure from family and tradition to return to Buddhism. But with God all things are possible.
Cameras
Do bring a camera. Although camcorders seem to be omnipresent in missionary hands in the Philippines, this doesn't seem to be the case in Thailand. I've heard that you shouldn't get a very flashy camera, since that just intensifies the "I'm a rich American" appearance (assuming you are indeed American). Apparently the quality of film development there is about as good as in America, and it probably doesn't cost as much.
Contacts and Glasses
It sounds like neither is a big problem, so I'm not worried.
Food
Thai food is very hot and very spicy. Not all dishes are, of course, but a fair amount certainly are. The biggest challenge for foreigners would seem to be the chili peppers:
For ten baht (about half a dollar) one can eat one's fill, but it's a challenge for a newly-arrived farang (foreigner) to avoid the omnipresent Thai chili peppers that they seem to put in everything. These peppers have approximately the complexion of hot lava and can cause an exceedingly unpleasant experience if swallowed.
Food is very cheap in Thailand and the missionaries usually eat out. A full meal in Bangkok costs around 50 cents; a larger meal in Chiang Mai can cost just 25 cents. The important thing is to make sure it's clean.
Heat and Humidity
The heat and humidity can be very oppressive to someone not used to it. Reports vary, but it sounds like the temperature ranges from 62° to 95° and the humidity usually comes out in the 90s. It depends on the seasons, of course. The antidote? Work. One missionary said to start working the moment you gets off the plane. The less you think about yourself and the more you focus on the work, the better you'll feel.
Language
Thai is a rather difficult language for foreigners to learn. Pronunciation is the main obstacle -- 44 consonants, 32 vowels, and five tones (normal, high, low, rising, and falling). Missionaries recommend that you work on mastering the pronunciation as soon as possible. Language proficiency seems to arrive anywhere from a few weeks in-country to four or five months.
Dialects
There are four major dialects of Thai: central (found in Bangkok), north, northeast, and south. Central is the standard dialect and missionaries don't really need to learn the others. (Interesting sidenote: the northeast dialect is almost indistinguishable from Laotian. There are more Laotians living in northeast Thailand than there are living in Laos!) Apparently the four dialects are about as different from each other as Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese are.
Maids
Missionaries used to have maids (almost everyone of status in Thailand does) but the practice was stopped a couple of years ago, mainly because of the advent of supermarkets and appliance stores.
The mail system is reportedly decent, with mail taking approximately a week to arrive in the States from Thailand and approximately two to three weeks in the other direction. Packages can take anywhere up to two to three months to arrive.
Medical Care
Thai hospitals are of very high quality from the reports I've heard, so I wouldn't worry.
Miscellaneous
Don't try to catch the geckos, since apparently they don't let go. :)
Money
The current exchange rate in Thailand is 40 baht to a dollar.
Taboos
The big one is not to point your feet at anyone. Others include not throwing anything (especially not over anyone's head), not stepping on the doorsill, covering one's mouth when coughing or sneezing, not touching monks, and not disrespecting any venerated Buddhist objects (Buddha statues, monks, etc.).
Thieves
The guidebooks say thieves are a big problem in Thailand, but the missionaries I've talked to have said it isn't such a big problem after all. It all depends on the area you're in and how careful you are with your belongings.
Tracting
Technically missionaries cannot tract; instead, they have to walk or ride down the street, looking for people to talk to.
Water
Drink bottled water. Eat lots of fruit to avoid dehydration.
