simienfox
Belgian expat in Ethiopia
Forum posts
39
Contacts
4
About me
Belgian
Lives in Gondar
Registration: 02 August 2014
Intercultural relationships in Ethiopia by Priscilla
Hello, We invite you to share some fun anecdotes and information regarding intercultural marriages and relationships in Ethiopia. This will provide some insight to current and future expats regarding relationship norms in mixed relationships and ...
I had a lot of relationships with Ethiopian women; one of the funniest anekdotes was when I had problems with my cross, my Ethiopian girlfriend suggested that I put my cross in holy water :) I don't have any experience taking an Ethiopian lady ... Read More
Trying to figure out Ethiopian dating and relationship customs by Misalesmom
Do Ethiopian men date in the Western sense? And would they be interested in farenji women? On a recent trip to Tigrai (where I had an amazing time!), I developed a massive crush on my thirtysomething single driver from Hawzen, which I later found ...
You can just assume that most Ethiopians would want to start a relationship with a foreigner, especially when they work in tourism. There is no question that Ethiopian men are interested in foreign women. By the way, I know quite some Ethiopians ... Read More
Living in Tigray
Where would you be working? I lived in Adigrat for some time. Read More
Ethiopian Bureaucracy (or Bureaucrazy) by simienfox
This is a story/warning about what you can expect when you start working in Ethiopia. I was working for three months in ****, a small city 35 km from Eritrea, in a new university as Senior Expert. Upon going back to my country, I wanted to ...
Yes and corruption also helps, if I hadn't promised a scholarship for that young staff member at Commercial bank, I would probably never have gotten my money. Read More
Best solution for FAST internet by shumdabar
Hi im considering to move to Ethiopia for few months and work online for my company based in Slovakia, I would use VPN to connect to my computer, from my previous experience in Ethiopia internet is terrible. I would like to ask if there is any ...
Yes was using Psiphon one month ago good enough for Viber & Facebook in Gondar, at the time the entire 3g in Addis was shut down because of the protests. If your work depends on stable internet, look for other countries to work in Read More
Best solution for FAST internet by shumdabar
Hi im considering to move to Ethiopia for few months and work online for my company based in Slovakia, I would use VPN to connect to my computer, from my previous experience in Ethiopia internet is terrible. I would like to ask if there is any ...
yeah i know i'm a programmer by profession, if your life depends on good internet connection, avoid Ethiopia Read More
can i live comfortably on the local component of my salary of 7000 by RaymondPhD
Hey this is an easy question so guys help me out. My question is can i live comfortably on the local component of my salary of 7000 birr in Addis Ababa. My employer is paying me in foreign US $ currency which i intent to save and an additional local ...
A nice appartment in Addis that can impress the girls and not too far from Bole, is at least 15 000 birr month. Food in nice restaurants like Romina is around half the price from US/Europe. Nightclub drinks somtimes 50 birr per drink and more. A ... Read More
Best solution for FAST internet by shumdabar
Hi im considering to move to Ethiopia for few months and work online for my company based in Slovakia, I would use VPN to connect to my computer, from my previous experience in Ethiopia internet is terrible. I would like to ask if there is any ...
Hi, Last time 3g was ok outside Addis, sometimes speeds over 500 kbytes per second, and good ping rates. In Addis itself, the 3g network seemed congested and unreliable. Read More
Living in Addis Abeba
cost of living in Addis, to live the good life: > 1000 usd per month and more likely 2000 usd per month when you like to party Read More
Expat life style in Hawassa / Awassa
Salary is between 1200-3000 usd for an expat working at Ethiopian university. From Addis is easy by minibus to Hawassa. Read More
Are you happy in Ethiopia?
In general, I think life is more intense in Ethiopia and Africa as a whole, and you will have many friends because Ethiopians expect something from you as a foreigner. On the other side, the working environment can be frustrating. But I love life ... Read More
Visa length
What is your purpose of visit? If you stay more than a month, avoid tourist visa at all cost, since you'll have to pay "ferengi" prices in hotels and for transportation. Read More
Dealing with homesickness in Ethiopia by Priscilla
Hello everyone, Being an expat in Ethiopia can turn out to be a wonderful human, social or professional adventure... with potential moments of nostalgia and homesickness along the way. What are your personal tips to prevent ...
Home sickness will happen especially if you don't speak Ethiopian. So before you come to Ethiopia, try to learn at least some basic Amharic. Also, having sex with Ethiopians will make you feel much more connected (and probably not wanting to go ... Read More
Tourisim in Ethiopia - Ethiopian National Parks visit price?
Don't know the exact amount, but in general the price will be at least double for foreigners than native Ethiopians. Sometimes the price is 10 times higher or more, in the case of Lalibela and when you visit the different monasteries in lake ... Read More
Current safety in Addis
According to my friends in Addis there is no problem. Usually protests take place around Meskel Square. As far as I know not a single foreigner has been hurt in the recent protests. Read More
tax deduction on salary for expat
If you work for Ethiopian university, your salary will be tax-free. Read More
Income tax by jbiversen
Hi I recently moved to Ethiopia (Addis Ababa). I work remotely for a company in Denmark (as a software developer), but I don't pay income tax in Denmark. Can anyone tell me if I should pay tax in Ethiopia, how much, and how? Thanks and ...
Yes. I would just make sure that you stay in the social security system & pay taxes in your home country. In the Ethiopian social security system, you may get a one-dollar-per-day pension & you may die in Ethiopian hospital for simple ... Read More
Getting married in Ethiopia by Armand
Hi all, We invite all the ones who got married in Ethiopia or who are about to get married in Ethiopia to participate in this thread :) What are the formalities to get married in Ethiopia? Is it the same for a couple of foreigners of for a ...
If you are a single white man/woman living in Ethiopia, it wouldn't even be necessary to have this discussion about marriage. Ethiopians will queue for you to start a relationship with the "ferengi". On Monday you can have one, and on ... Read More
settling down in ethiophia
If you have a masters degree in any field you could work in Ethiopian universities for xxxx USD Read More
amharic language courses :-) by alice.sz
Hello there, I'm thinking about moving to Addis Ababa next year. Do you know about any language courses? I heard of one at the university but nobody seems to know who is in charge of them. Do you know of any places, teachers etc? Thank you for ...
Just start talking with any beautiful girl/boy in the minibus, and ask her if she can teach you Amharic. You can pay her like 50 birr for one hour. Read More
US dollars needed by rahill
Hello all, I have to make a payment to an Ethiopian university and they want me to pay them in US dollars. I have no idea how to get US dollars here in Addis Ababa. Any ideas? I tried the bank at the Sheraton and the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia. ...
I know some tour guides in Addis who may sell you USD. Around 25 birr for 1 USD. Read More
Expand your social circle in Ethiopia
Most importantly learn Amharic. If you know some Amharic, a new world will open for you in Ethiopia. If you don't know any Amharic, you may feel like an Alien on a different planet. Read More
Any expat in Mekelle?
There are some, especially Indians and Filipinos it seems. And the Ethiopians in Mekele seems very welcoming towards ferengi. If you got a job there, I would say, go for it. Read More
Making phone calls in Ethiopia
As far as i know there's no unlimited voice plans. There's only one operator, ETC. You can get DSL connection with OK speed, but not great stability (meaning connection drops from time to time). Also, with the recent ethnic wars going on ... Read More
Fast internet connection ?? by seble
Hello All, Would love to know what the current internet connection like in Ethiopia,esp in Addis .I heard that it is upgraded to 4G. Qn 1. Has anyone getting this service?? Is it reliable ?? is the connection reliable to skype , download big ...
I ddn't try 4g but at the time i was there, 3g was fast enough (+100 kB/sec). The overall speed has increased in recent years, but unfortunately the stability of the connection has not. On some days, the connection will drop every few seconds, ... Read More
Ethiopian Bureaucracy (or Bureaucrazy) by simienfox
This is a story/warning about what you can expect when you start working in Ethiopia. I was working for three months in ****, a small city 35 km from Eritrea, in a new university as Senior Expert. Upon going back to my country, I wanted to ...
I was working on an expat contract for an Ethiopian university. The funding comes from UNDP, but when the money arrives in Ethiopia, it will be converted from USD to the local currency. Then it will be transferred to and Ethiopian bank account ... Read More
In retrospect, would you move again to Ethiopia? by Christine
Hi all, If you had to look back on your expat experience in Ethiopia, would you heartily say "let聮s do it again"? From the preparation stage to your actual everyday life in your new country, what did you enjoy the most? Would you do certain ...
But the biggest thing that would prevent me from going back to Ethiopia, is the "ferengi" (white man) pricing. Ethiopian Airlines is giving the bad example, by tripling the price for white people. For example, to fly from Addis to Gondar ... Read More
In retrospect, would you move again to Ethiopia? by Christine
Hi all, If you had to look back on your expat experience in Ethiopia, would you heartily say "let聮s do it again"? From the preparation stage to your actual everyday life in your new country, what did you enjoy the most? Would you do certain ...
Yes I should have added safety to my positive points. When I was in Ethiopia almost going back to Europe, suddenly the terrorist attacks on Brussels airport happened. People were joking that for my personal safety, it would be better to stay in ... Read More
Ethiopian Bureaucracy (or Bureaucrazy) by simienfox
This is a story/warning about what you can expect when you start working in Ethiopia. I was working for three months in ****, a small city 35 km from Eritrea, in a new university as Senior Expert. Upon going back to my country, I wanted to ...
Finally I got my Euro in my account, after one month of hassle. The Ethiopian staff member from Commercial Bank must also have spent many hours on this issue, he did it all for free, communicating with me by Facebook almost every day. Read More
In retrospect, would you move again to Ethiopia? by Christine
Hi all, If you had to look back on your expat experience in Ethiopia, would you heartily say "let聮s do it again"? From the preparation stage to your actual everyday life in your new country, what did you enjoy the most? Would you do certain ...
I'm still in doubt whether to move back. I spent more than two years in Ethiopia, working in tourism & at Ethiopian universities. Positive experiences: - As soon as you arrive in Ethiopia, you'll feel welcome & everyone is ... Read More
Ethiopian Bureaucracy (or Bureaucrazy)
This is a story/warning about what you can expect when you start working in Ethiopia. I was working for three months in ****, a small city 35 km from Eritrea, in a new university as Senior Expert. Upon going back to my country, I wanted to ... Read More
Moving to Ethiopia with your family
So Addis advisor, what makes you to stay in Ethiopia? I lived in Ethiopia for more then two years. I experienced the insane Ethiopian bureaucracy (for example, filling out the form to transfer Ethiopian birr to my account in Europe took me three ... Read More
Opportunities in Ethiopia by chrisdhyr
Hi everyone, I'm hoping someone on here can give me some direction I have heard that Ethiopia is home to a bubbling start-up scene, and that there is a lot of Chinese investment going into the land; I have a good understanding of the Chinese ...
As said before as a foreigner you need at least 150000usd to start your own startup. If you don't have that, you'll have to put capital in a PLC with other Ethiopians. You could also join an already existing company as employee, but ... Read More
Opportunities in Ethiopia by chrisdhyr
Hi everyone, I'm hoping someone on here can give me some direction I have heard that Ethiopia is home to a bubbling start-up scene, and that there is a lot of Chinese investment going into the land; I have a good understanding of the Chinese ...
As a foreigner, don't create a startup together with Ethiopians, I heard stories and experienced myself that it's usually a way for your Ethiopian partner(s) to take your money, and then run. They will try to exploit you in any way possible. ... Read More
Getting married in Ethiopia by Armand
Hi all, We invite all the ones who got married in Ethiopia or who are about to get married in Ethiopia to participate in this thread :) What are the formalities to get married in Ethiopia? Is it the same for a couple of foreigners of for a ...
Tell your brother to live at least two years with her before marrying. I lived together for more than a year in Ethiopia with an Ethiopian woman, the first 9 months or so everything was fine, then the gates of hell were opening. She requested me ... Read More
Getting married in Ethiopia by Armand
Hi all, We invite all the ones who got married in Ethiopia or who are about to get married in Ethiopia to participate in this thread :) What are the formalities to get married in Ethiopia? Is it the same for a couple of foreigners of for a ...
I'm also in a long time relationship with and Ethiopian. The biggest problem I see is, how will your Ethiopian husband or wife find a job outside Ethiopia? Many Ethiopians don't speak English, let alone that they could pass a TOEFL test, ... Read More