“I would have liked to have known how to change a gas bottle”
—
Abi
“I would have liked to have known: how do I cut up a mango without making a complete mess?”
—
Thomas
New skills ... cutting up a mango
“I would have liked to have known how to ride and maintain a motorbike?”
—
Thomas
“The main things I needed to know was the need to be flexible but also about my capacity to be flexible. On one short term trip, I was left behind at the house whilst brushing my teeth. Rather than getting upset about it, I just caught up on some Bible reading (someone came for me 20 minutes later, so it was fine). You will need to get used to not being in control and to being comfortable in ambiguous situations.”
—
Thomas
“You need to know how much a short term trip will change you. Even if you go for a month, you will come back a different person. Therefore, negotiating your old life with these new differences can be difficult.”
—
Thomas
“I came with zero expectations, and had no idea what it would be like. I don't feel like many things shocked me or made me feel like "I wish I'd known this earlier!”
—
Beth
“It would have been good to know that adjusting to life in a completely new culture can take at least six months if not more. When I got to my placement, it was helpful to learn that I would get frustrated in my first few months as I would not be able to work at full capacity. Things that you usually get done without a second thought back home, take a lot more effort here and you can end up feeling tired by just doing simple things. For example, I really did not enjoy grocery shopping for the first few months and used to find it so tiring. I would spend ages trying to work out what things were and trying to find something written in English. It is good to know that you should give myself grace and remember that adjusting to life in a new culture and country is a huge thing.”
—
Anna
When there are lots of new things to try, something written in English is nice sometimes.
“God loves you to step out, and He will put the next stepping-stone in front of you as you do so. Don’t be afraid to step out.“
—
Nicole
“I knew that it would rain 🌧️ quite a bit in the UK.
So make sure you make the most of the days when the sun is shining!”😉🤣
—
Danilo (from ☀️ Italy)
