'soon to be moving there' Expat

soon to be moving there

Talk for and about Expats. Living in this Libya? Let others know about it. Want to live here? Ask questions! Expat Interviews

michelle (64.12.116.196) -

We will be possibly moving to libya in the next 6 months we have lived overseas before but i really dont know anything about this country and it people so if you have any knowledge on this country please email me i would be very grateful.

sincerly

michelle taylor

Reply #1 joe (194.164.213.141) -

hi michelle

nice to hear you're coming to libya!! plz add abairid to your yhooooo email and i'll let you know everything you need about libya

Reply #2 moses (61.5.131.2) -

visting tripoli, dont know much about libya, any help?

Reply #3 Oliver G from Tripoli (Contact Member) -

This place is a hole as ive unfortunely found out. Moved here several months ago and consider myself a friendly person. The locals are indignant and rarely speak english. No signs in english so its difficult to figure out where you are on the road (if you dare to drive). Driving here is awful, i wouldnt risk it. Not much else to tell you really, no nightlife, only two or three restaurants (all with bad service and average food) no drinking, lots of pickpockets and theives, filthy streets and various aroma coming from the water, no beach worth sitting on, no architechture, no theatre or musical exhibitions, no venturing out in the evening, no place for women or children and basically would warn anyone against the trip. One big garbage dump. Hope you dont move here for your sake.

Reply #4 Chelsea & Hassan from Gold Coast, Australia (Contact Member) -

Oliver if you don't like it then leave! Libya is a developing country- help rather than critism would be appreciated.

Reply #5 Chelsea & Hassan from Gold Coast, Australia (Contact Member) -

Hi Michelle.

My husband is Libyan and I am also on my way to Libya, Tripoli soon. I hope you are aware that Libya is a developing country, so ideas of western comforts may not be in the immidiate future. But there is a sense of adventure that comes with visiting a place in the midst of History. I hope to share sweet arabic mint teas inthe medinas of Tripoli one day.

Reply #6 sharon (24.167.54.32) -

We may be moving to Libya soon--need to know if we can bring in our dog from the USA and what the necessary documents are, etc.--also if there is an expat American/British wife living there please e-mail me about the living conditions. Thanks, Sharon

Reply #7 amy rosell (195.229.236.214) -

my husband will probably be relocated in tipoli libya in 6 months time.we have lived in uk and norway before and at present we are living in abu dhabi uae. we will be gratefull if somebody who's living there now can give us ideas of how's an expatriates life in tripoli, libya. we want to take our maid, is it possible? how about accomodations like villas or flats for long term rent, is it difficult to find with in tripoli? pls. email me of some important informations about the place. thanks a lot.

Reply #8 KG (64.86.124.3) -

Hello,

Living in Libya since end of march ... Beautiful and developing countries with lots of potential !!

I'd like to know which bank offers the best services in Tripoli, as i'm getting all of may salaries from another country. Could u send please fill me in with some details ?

Thx a lot for your help !

Reply #9 WoolleyDick from Tripoli, Libya (Contact Member) -

Hi All

I am British and have been living in Tripoli since 1999 and love it. My wife joined me in 2002 and she also loves the life here. there is lots to do, but it is mainly based around other expats villas. The Libyans are very tolerant of western habits and customs as long as you are respectfull of theirs. Once in Libya good contacts can be made through the Tripoli Hash House Harriers, Royal Society of St George, Caledonian Society, (all of these welcome all expats regardless of nationality) and if you are British or work for a British Company - the British Business Group who can be contacted via the commercial section of the British Embassy. In addition there is a very active archaeological society, horse riding, remote control car racing, etc. etc.

Villas are now easily available for rent at a decent standard with prices varying from $1500 per month to as high as you like, one with a pool will cost you anything from $2500 upwards.

Driving is very bad but cars and licences can be obtained easily if you have resident status. If you are on a business visa then you can rent from Avis or Europcar.

Contact your embasy for details of your nationality's focus groups.

Good Luck!

Reply #10 tuyet (80.2.16.194) -

hi we are moving to tripoli as a family. please can you tell us what its like and how we can find accommodation?? also which beaches to use and the safest areas to live in.

Thanks Toots xx

Reply #11 Winston and Diane (62.240.49.233) -

Hi All,

My husband and I have lived in Tripoli for 8 months and enjoy being here. There are many beautiful sites, including rustic beaches, Roman ruins, and the lovely desert. For people who depend on an active night life (restaurants, theaters, libraries, etc.), it can seem limiting. But there are numerous alternate, privately-sponsored opportunities and they must be found through the expat community network. These range from parties and purely social gatherings to organizations dedicated to the exploration of the countries sites.

Life here isn't "easy" but it is a good life with most everything you are accustomed to once you join a network and learn where to find everything. We have lived in several countries in the Middle East and we knew what to expect here. As a result, we are quite content and are using every opportunity to see the abundant natural beauty that exists here. We know people who are happy and some who are miserable. As always, it comes down to one's attitude and ability or willingness to adapt.

Driving is pretty crazy, but there is a learnable system. The people are very, very nice. We've not yet had a bad encounter and people have been kind and helpful wherever we have gone. Chance encounters reveal the most unlikely Libyans who have perfect English, having worked for years for foreign companies or who have lived in the west.

Best of luck on your move.

Diane and Winston

Reply #12 Said el said (62.238.247.121) -

hi

we are moving to RAS LANUF as a family. please can you tell us what its like ?

also what is the salary range for expats in ras lanuf .

Thanks Toots

Reply #13 John & Jayne (213.7.106.221) -

We are a British family probably moving to Benghazi some time in September 2007. Can anyone give any advice or insight to living there. We have a 10 year old son and two dogs. There does seem to be an English school in Benghazi but does anyone have any experience with this?

Are there any ferry services to Malta or Crete; are there any expat clubs in the area? Any decent restaurants, hotels, beaches?

Reply #14 Ladylunch1 from Albuquerque, NM (Contact Member) -

Hi, My husband was just offered an engineering assignment in Tripoli last week, so it looks like we'll be moving there also.

This is new for me too. If people are interested, I'll form a yahoo group where we can bounce ideas and experiences off each other and learn from others experiences. We need to group together to share experiences, skills and knowledge. Personally, I'd like to live as American as possible, and to do so I'll need help from others and their resources.

The yahoo group will keep things a little more private also, and I THINK I can form a chatroom directly from the group where perhaps we all could meet and discuss things.

Let me know what you think....and I have questions too! For example, is the toilet paper really like 80 grit sandpaper????

Someone enlighten me on this very important necessity.

Have a good one everyone,

Ladylunch1

Reply #15 Bubba from deep in your mind (Contact Member) -

I would not use yahoo groups for anything and especially not a chatroom.

A forum of somekind if a good idea. I chat room may be difficult to get enough people in at the same time.

Reply #16 Ladylunch1 from Albuquerque (Contact Member) -

Sorry Bubba, if you've had bad experiences with Yahoo.

I've created a group, Americans in Libya. It is closed and only people approved by the moderator (me) will be allowed to join. I've owned a couple of groups with no problems as long as they're properly managed and moderated. Yes, I agree that yahoo groups which are open to everyone, and not moderated are a total mess and full of spammers and porn. This will NOT happen with my group. It never has and it won't. It only takes a moderator who actually maintains the group which I intend to do. There are alot of good groups out there...it just takes someone who cares.

I can't post the whole link to the group here since its more than 24 characters long, but just go to yahoo groups and search for Americans_in_Libya and it should come up.

Unfortunately, the chat room feature is no longer available. Its been a few years since I last owned a group, and at that time, private chat rooms could be created. However, there are alot of other options, one being a conference call (chatroom) which is still allowable in yahoo. These rooms are not public and no one else except those invited (members) could get into them. We'd have to establish a time, which as Bubba pointed out, will be rather difficult seeing as there are people from both sides of the world who might want to be in on it, so if we did set up a time/date, it would probably be on a weekend. Anyone know how many hours time difference there is? We'd have to agree on a happy medium time where its not too late/early for any of us. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, after we get some people in the group.

For those who want to join, Have your profile filled out please, with a sentence or two stating why you are interested in Libya. I'll have to approve any members, so it may take a day, but I'll get to it. If you don't like the group, you can always unsubscribe. Its not hard at all. Spammers and those who abuse the group will be removed.

Have a good one,

Ladylunch

• yahoo group

Reply #17 Ahmed Jadwat (85.154.52.28) -

I am considering a job offer in Tripoli. South African family of four, currently in Abu Dhabi, UAE

Can anyone help by disclosing the average rentals for good villas/compounds and schools.

How bout social clubs, and entertainment and restaurants.

Please advise.

Thanks

Reply #18 abdullah duibi (41.208.69.247) -

hey every one, my mum is irish and my dad is libyan, i'v lived in ireland 4 10 years and in libya 4 8 years.

i know them both very well, i hav to say, it might be hard for people to come and live in libya but the best way around it is to find a group of people from ur country and hav a littile sociel group.

im studying business administration in an english college, im thinking of setting up a sociel clup where european and american people can come and meet up wit each other, kids can play games, parents can chat, maybe start a scout group, open a small cinema, get a few pool taples, hav a small lounge, a few computers, all in the same building.

any way i just wanted some feed back.

my email is aduibi@yahoo.co.uk and if ur comin to libya nd you need information, just call on 00218928556905

Reply #19 vinod (123.201.58.2) -

Hi there,

I am Indian got engineer job offer in libya, would some one let me know the social life

Reply #20 Anesa-ox (77.103.163.95) -

Hey there

i'm Anesa and i live in bristol in the UK. tho i was born here and my mother is English, my father is Libyan. i have visited libya a couple of times and have fallen in love with the place. i have a lot family there and learn more of the language every time i go. i am considering move there next year and attending college there in the future. i just wanted to know the following information but i have yet to find out what i wanted to know:

*what is the eduction like there?

*Is there many English speaking schools in Benghazi?

*What is it like for i women working in Libya?

many thanks

Anesa

Reply #21 Marta (194.125.109.140) -

I was reading all your replies with great interest and noticed that there were many more unanswered questions re life in Tripoli than the opposite.

As I am also considering the possibility of relocating to Tripoli with my family (have two small children), I was wondering if anyone has any useful comments regarding health, security issues/safety going around, living costs, access to western food, etc..

Many thanks. Marta

Reply #22 Jim (217.146.110.219) -

Obviously there is internet access in Tripoli but can anyone tell me the ease of getting a high speed line at home in Tripoli. Is the service reliable?

Thanks

Reply #23 dana (72.138.178.33) -

High speed internet is available but may take some time, depending on the area that you live in and if the person setting it up for you can pull some strings to get it more quickly. Before you get high speed internet you will need a landline. That may be impossible depending on where you live in Tripoli. I waited 1 year for high speed internet but I know some people who had it almost right away. That being said, my high speed internet is out most of the time as my phone line is out most of the time. When it is up, it is fine but not good enough to use Skype as my voice is too distored to clearly understand.

I hope that helps.

dana

Reply #24 dana (72.138.178.33) -

Libya is my first expat experience and also my first time in an arabic country so my opinions may be somewhat shaped by this. I have now lived in Tripoli for a couple of years with my husband. I have found that your experience in Libya will depend on your attitude and ability to adapt to the challenges (of which there are many). There are many very nice expats and many people who will try to help you adjust to your new life but you will have to work hard to make life liveable if you are not accustomed to living in an arabic country. Many expat women become very depressed here due to the isolation and difficulties but you can get through that if you work hard at being social and keeping a good attitude. If you come to Libya and feel the same way, rest assured that you are not alone. Living here can be extremely hard on a marriage and I think that it is not a place to be if your marriage is not strong to begin with. There is a fair bit of infidellity that goes on here and unfortunately, everyone in town will know your business if you are having difficulties. I would not send your husband here alone and stay behind in another country as there are a lot of married men here in such a position with girlfriends.

I suggest that you find housing in the Janzour side of town or at least off Gargarish or Gourgie (I probably spelled these names wrong but oh well) as that is where most of the expats live. I do not live on that side of town and wish that I did as it is MUCH easier to make friends and visit people etc if you live nearish to them. As driving conditions are terrible and traffic gets worse every day, you may spend a significant amount of time driving to socialize if you live far from everyone.

To make life liveable, get out and socialize, is the key.

Getting out and walking everywhere is not possible. If you are accustomed to doing this you may find it diffult to adapt to a more "sedentary" lifestyle. If you like driving everywhere then you will be happy as a clam (except for the fact that driving there can be stressful).

I think that the major factor in determining your happiness will be getting out. I and many of the women that I know in TRipoli, will not drive as I/they don't feel able to safely do so. Decide relatively quickly if you Will or Will not drive and set yourself up accordingly. If you will not drive, then get a driver. THis is the single best piece of advice that I can give you. You will need to buy a car as you really don't want to be in a Libyan car, they are generally falling apart and you will want all of the western safety features (airbags etc).

I have been quite concerned about the state of healtcare in Libya and I feel fortunate that I have not needed any major medical care. THe medical clinic that I use is good (medilink) but I would not want to find myself needing to be hospitalized in a Libyan hospital. If I had a child with a concerning medical condition, I definitely would not come to Libya.

If we had our time back again, we would not have gone to Libya. It was not worth the money to us. That being said, I have adjusted just fine, am currently happy in Libya and am content to stay until our time is finished here. THere are some very nice Libyan people as well as expats and I have learned a lot about myself through my experiences here. I have experienced great kindness and met some wonder people (Libyan and non libyan) who have enriched my life.

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