q & a - part 2

taken from reader submitted questions.  

if you have any, send them via comments, email, or facebook 

& i'll try to answer to the best of my understanding.

what kind of clothes will you wear? is there a dress code?
as with anywhere, this is something that will change depending on the occasion, dominant area beliefs, & the lifestyle.  your dress will be quite varied depending on whether you are a dancer, farmer, computer tech, work in the arts or are corporate ... or like here if you live in new york city or charleston, west virginia (my origin), you're just going to see different street style.  that doesn't change in thailand.

portrait of two dancers in traditional thai classical dance costume by gavin hellie

thai traditional dress is extremely striking & beautiful, but aside from special situations or certain areas, the dress has modernized.  one thing that is quite different from street style in the states is that modern dress is far less casual.  you're not going to see someone in pj pants & uggs running her errands.  you're also not going to see as much skin.  the dress is modest & tailored.  even at the beach, most are covered up.  for me, this doesn't involve a huge adjustment since this is pretty much how i dress already.

bangkok street style by strange victory

how will you make phone calls?

i'll use a cell phone just like everywhere else.  the main difference is that unlike in the states, you aren't locked into using certain phones with certain carriers & the plans are about 1/8 the cost.  when i want to talk to people back home, i'll be using skype.  it's free & makes me feel a bit like captain kirk.

will you be able to watch tv there?
of course!  i think it will be a major aid in increasing my vocabulary & reading speed.  as for getting my doctor who fix, i CAN, but in order to use things like netflix, hulu, & even pandora, i'll have to reroute my ip.  we also have to re-purchase our video game consoles as they are grouped into continents & automatic updates will pretty much turn it into a very expensive paper weight.


what are you taking with you?
the cost of moving to asia is VERY expensive.  so, we're only taking our cats & what fits into our suitcases.  we're selling & giving everything else.  more on this in a future post ...


are there shops?
(this particular commenter loves the convenience of having a walmart just about everywhere)
yes, there are shops, markets, & pharmacies.  it's not quite the same, but you can get what you need & personally, i'm not a fan of seeing the same strip mall off every other highway exit.  the pharmacies are mostly otc, which is very nice.  there are larger chains, internet cafes, & malls, but that's more prevalent in larger cities than in the country (just like here).  shopping for clothes will be particularly fun because getting your clothes tailor made is very affordable (read: more affordable than target).  also, i'll be in an area famous for it's handmade silks.  being vegan with a gluten allergy, i have a very hard time finding things to eat in the states, but it'll be quite easy there.  produce is more varied there & it's just fresher.  there are indoor groceries, but most are set up more like a farmers' market would be here.  fast food is replaced by street vendors & is much healthier & fresher.  in short, i won't be hurting.

literally hundreds of fruits that we don't have = very happy vegan