simienfox
Belgian expat in Ethiopia
Forum posts
39
Contacts
4
About me
Belgian
Lives in Gondar
Registration: 02 August 2014
Activity
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
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 ...
Hello to all first,my question is very simple,can I live in Ad,,, Ab,, Ethiopia on 66,100 bird a month, anyone can answer thanksA nice appartment in Addis that can impress the girls and not too far from Bole, is at least 15 000 birr month. Food 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 ...
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
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
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
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
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 "letÂ’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