I am entering my second month abroad...crazy to think that already! Even though I have only been here for a few weeks, I've learned some useful things those first few days living in Bangkok.

1. There are a lot of American products in Bangkok.

Before I left, a lot of my research said that there were certain American things that you could not find in Thailand.So following that information, I packed a lot of stuff that I didn't need to!

Things to bring: Lotion. Of any sort. Face lotion, body lotion, sunscreen...etc. It has been a struggle these past few weeks trying to find these. There are a lot of different options here but the majority of them have whitening in them or some sort of bleach. For the girls out there...tampons are not really a thing here. Luckily I read that somewhere and packed 100 just in case! (I'm sure if you look long enough, you'd eventually be able to find them but they aren't as popular). If you prefer to use toilet paper after using the bathroom I would also recommend you bring tissues or toilet paper. It is veryyyyyy rare to find them in the bathrooms here. Another thing to bring are sweaters or light coverups. It gets extremely hot here but tank tops are not always appropriate, so its best to wear tank top plus a coverup.

Things to leave at home: Shampoo/conditioner. Again, some websites told me that they only had certain types/brands for Asian hair. This is 100% untrue. You can get almost any American brand at any mall. They don't have as many options at 7/11 though. Face wash is the exact same way. Also, I would suggest bringing less clothes. The clothes you can buy here are more specific to the weather (and who doesn't want to shop more?).

To be completely honest, it just shocked me that Thailand has so many American things and stores! Some familiar places are McDonalds, Dunkin Donuts, KFC and Starbucks. Although I have found that the iced coffee found on a street shop is better (and CHEAPER!). :) They even things like Lays chips and dove soap easy to find here, so it really is not that much different! IT is also interesting to see the same brands from back home but with different labels.

2. There is a 7/11 EVERYWHERE.

Like literally everywhere. I am not joking. We have probably 4 within a 3 minute walking distance from us. We even tried to count from the airport to our apartment and had to stop cause we were in the 30's haha.

You hungry? Go to 7/11.
You need a sim card? Go to 7/11.
You need sunscreen? Go to 7/11.
You want iced coffee? Go to 7/11.
You want to buy an airplane ticket to the islands? Go to 7/11.

They literally have everything you could possibly need! I'm 100% dead serious!

3. Prepare yourself for the heat.

Yes, everyone knows it is hot. But you will not understand how hot until you arrive. It is also humid as anything! That being said, everyone is sweating through their clothes (at least the tourists) and it really isn't that big of a deal. No one judges you or anything, I promise. It's more like an understanding actually. Like "oh you have stomach sweat on your shirt, I have sweat trickling down my back". Yes, it is gross, but it's not the end of the world.

I've been told that after a few weeks our blood will thin out and we will become more accustomed to the heat. Hopefully, that is true!

One thing I found interesting is that your best bet is to take a shower in the morning. Otherwise, you'll be showering in the middle of the day (when it's the hottest) with hot water. Yes, you read that correct it is hot water! The morning water temp is usually a little cooler. Along those lines, your hair is going do what every it feels like. My suggestion is braids, ponytails, and buns!

4. As soon as possible, learn the public transportation.

Yes, a TukTuk ride is a must in Thailand but they (and taxis) are a lot more expensive than the public transportation. I would suggest as soon as you start to know your way around, start using public transportation. Even though everything is cheap in Thailand spending 200-500 baht ($5.50-$14) on a taxi or TukTuk really adds up. Especially when buses and water boat are around 14-25 bath ($0.39-$0.69).

It will take some time before you feel comfortable with public transportation but that is a lot of money you can use for something else (*cough cough traveling*).

5. Similar to public transportation, there are some survival sayings that are a MUST the first week.

Thai people are very friendly and completely understand that you are not fluent (blonde hair, blue eyes...I stick out like a sore thumb!). That being said they seem to really like when you make an effort to try to speak their language! Here is a list of survival sayings:

hello- S̄wạs̄dī (sah-wa-deee)
thank you- K̄hxbkhuṇ (cop-koon)
no spicy- Mị̀ p̄hĕd (my - pet)
excuse me- K̄hxthos̄ʹ (koh - toad)
check(bill)- Mai-ped-na-kah
no meat (for vegetarians)- Mị̀mī neụ̄̂x s̄ạtw̒

Also, it is very helpful to have a pocket dictionary (S/O to Prills for mine) to take on the go. I found it is also easier if you have an app that does sound as well. Thai deals with different tones and its much easier to listen to it then try to guess what your pocket dictionary is saying. I have been using a mix of both the dictionary and app, which works well!