Thanks so much for your input, Hanna! I was really hoping to find traveling advise, but this has been interesting.

However, I firmly disagree with your statement: "Although it's "different", all the key elements to Christianity are present in Orthodox Christianity..." if I have a correct knowledge of Orthodox Christianity but I do not wish to dispute over it.

they were literally invaded by anything from foreign missionaries, to foreign corporations, culture etc to tell them how to live... and buying up a resources at bargain basement prices in the 90s.
Yes, that sort of thing is very, very sad. Missionaries should never go about trying to turn other people from other countries into "proper" "English" or "American" or "Scottish" or whatever else. No! That is NOT at all what being a missionary is about. Though, very sadly, there are people out there like that.

Imagine if your country was suddenly totally overwhelmed by another country, for example, China, sending missionaries, buying up companies, spreading their culture, their language their way of life and religion.
I have read a good many books on missionaries (as this is one of my favorite reading subjects) and greatly admire the missionaries who left their culture and did what was termed "going native". A few well known examples are: Hudson Taylor (in China), Gladys Aylward (also in China), and Amy Carmichael (in India). They were greatly frowned upon by the other "missionaries". I have no intentions of trying to make any cultural changes (except in myself! ). I'm sorry that there have been those in the past (and even present) that have given you the impression that this is what missionaries are about. Please know that not all are like this.

I have decided that, if possible, I will blog on here all about my trip and, hopefully, give an example of what missionaries should be doing.