Djibouti, Djibouti Report of what it's like to live there - 02/22/25
Personal Experiences from Djibouti, Djibouti
Background:
1. Was this post your first expatriate experience? If not, what other cities have you lived in as an expat?
No, we've served/lived elsewhere on the continent and in Europe, and lived as expats in a number of countries.
2. What is your home city/country? How long is the trip to post from there, with what connections? How easy/difficult is it to travel to this city/country?
U.S.
It's a long journey from DJ even to the east coast (best option: two 7-hour flights, routing through Paris, and while we lived there, Air France had only one weekly midnight flight to Paris; worst option: short flight to Addis, then a dreadful 13-hour flight from Addis to D.C.).
3. How long have you lived here?
Two years (which was two too many).
4. What years did you live here?
2022 to 2024.
5. What brought you to this city (e.g. diplomatic mission, business, NGO, military, teaching, retirement, etc.)?
Diplomatic mission.
Housing, Groceries & Food:
1. What is your housing like? What are typical housing sizes, locations, and commute times for expatriates?
Typical houses are big and close to the embassy (as in, a 5-minute walk, drive, or bike ride; and a 10/15-minute drive from one small compound, but that's not typical). Compounds, so you're surrounded by tall walls with razor wire, maybe a neighbor or a few on the compound. Outdoor space for many, but no soft spaces (like grass), and it's either too hot or too buggy to enjoy them.
Plenty of very frequent maintenance issues (plumbing, electrical, air conditioners, generators). It seemed like a part-time job putting in tickets and getting things "fixed," which almost always meant multiple trips, and sometimes the issue being resolved and other times reoccurring a couple weeks later.
2. How would you describe the availability and cost of groceries and household supplies relative to your home country?
Relative to the U.S.? Ha. Compared to other African countries? Not terrible. There's a French-owned grocery store (Casino) that has a lot of imported goods you might want, but you'll pay a fair bit for them. We managed to cobble together mostly satisfactory breakfasts, lunches, and dinners between getting stuff from the few grocery stores, the commissary, the NEX, and Amazon.
3. What household or grocery items do you wish you had shipped to post?
Fresh (quality) greens. Fresh (quality) seafood. Greek yogurt. Obviously not feasible, but those are some things we really missed.
4. What typical restaurants, food delivery services, and/or takeout options are popular among expatriates?
We really weren't that big on the restaurant scene in Djibouti. Overpriced, slow service...it usually didn't seem worth it to us. And there is a delivery service, but we never used it so I can't even remember what it was called.
5. Are there any unusual problems with insects or other infestations in housing?
Nothing unusual for that part of the world, and for the poor housing construction. What was strange was how different things could be from compound to compound. We were in temp housing for a while and had cockroaches and crickets. Then in our permanent house, we never saw a single cockroach, but we had ants pretty bad a few times, and when they weren't bad, they were still usually present, and some kind of alien insects we think were winged termites (that had...eaten...? through the cement wall? It was bizarre).
Daily Life:
1. How do you send and receive your letters and package mail? Are local postal facilities adequate?
FPO. Mail could take anywhere from three to six weeks to arrive--or, sometimes, not at all.
2. What is the availability and cost of household help, and what types of help are typically employed by expatriates?
Many people hired housekeepers, some hired "gardeners" (there are no gardens there, or even green space except for at one of the compounds), and most with kids had nannies. We didn't hire anyone so can't really comment, but we know that the availability for "someone" to fill the role was great and the cost was low, but we heard that the quality was pretty varied (some people loved the person/people they hired, others had issues).
3. What kinds of gyms or other sports/workout facilities are available? Are they expensive?
There's a small (free) gym at the embassy, and a big (also free) gym at Camp Lemmonier (you just need a badge to access base).
4. Do you feel that it is safe to walk, run or hike outside? Are there areas where bike riding is possible? What is the availability and safety of outdoor space for exercising? Are these easily accessible?
Safe as in from people? Definitely, especially in Haramous (where the embassy is). We walked and/or biked to the embassy most days a year, except in the height of summer when you'd get sweaty just looking outside while sitting in your air-conditioned house, and we walked with our toddler to/from the embassy without a single issue whatsoever. The locals in our neighborhood were mostly friendly (smiley, we'd exchange basic greetings) and at worst, just disinterested.
As for safe from the heat at certain times of year? Not with littles. Not for long periods of time, anyway. And on that note, you could easily (safely and space-wise) go for a run or bike ride around Haramous, but do you want to in the middle of summer, when it's scorching hot?
5. Are credit cards widely accepted and safe to use locally? Are ATMs common and do you recommend using them? Are they safe to use?
We had no issue using credit cards at the main grocery stores and few restaurants we went to.
6. How much of the local language do you need for daily living? Are local language classes/tutors available and affordable?
French? Somali? Afar? We got by just fine speaking English and minimal French.
7. Would someone with physical disabilities have difficulties living in this city?
Yes.
Transportation:
1. Are local buses, trams, trains or taxis safe and affordable?
Affordable? Most assuredly. Safe? Absolutely not. We couldn't take local transportation, but absolutely nor would we have wanted to.
2. What kind of vehicle(s) including electric ones do you recommend bringing to post, given the terrain, infrastructure, availability of parts, burglary/carjacking risks, etc.? What kind of car or vehicles do you advise not to bring?
4WD SUV. Roads, even in the best areas, can be rough (our temp house was in Haramous, and the dirt road to the compound once off the main road got worse every day: trash piles, construction debris, potholes/craters).
Phone & Internet:
1. Is high-speed home Internet access available? How long does it typically take to install it after arrival?
We never signed up for the embassy internet (DSL) like most people did/do, and instead just used the scratch-off internet cards. It's like you're playing the lottery, except instead of possibly winning the big one, the best-case scenario is that you're actually given the amount of internet you bought, and then the power doesn't cut out so much that period that you can actually use said internet you bought. (
In short, we weren't streaming Netflix, or anything at all, but we didn't have time for that anyway, so the scratchers, as annoying as they were, worked for us. Much cheaper than the embassy internet, especially since we didn't need all that much on a regular basis.) If you live online, it's probably best to get the embassy internet, though I'm pretty sure that wasn't without its problems as well.
2. Do you have any recommendations regarding mobile phones? Did you keep your home-country plan or use a local provider?
Local provider. Enabled us to use more of those fun scratch-off cards.
Employment & Volunteer Opportunities:
1. What types of jobs do most expatriate spouses/partners have? Locally based or telecommuting? Full-time or part-time? Can you comment on local salary scales?
Most spouses, if they work outside the home, have EFM jobs at the embassy.
2. What volunteer opportunities are available locally?
DECAN Wildlife Refuge. Likely others, but I don't know about them.
3. What is the typical dress code at work and in public places? Is formal dress ever required?
Casual at the embassy (most casual we've seen, but given the climate, it makes perfect sense) and conservative in public (though shorts, knee-length dresses, tank tops, etc., were not unheard of by any means).
Health & Safety:
1. Are there personal security concerns to be aware of at this post? Please describe.
Not that we ever felt.
2. Are there any particular health concerns? What is the quality of available medical care? What medical conditions typically require medical evacuation?
Caged bird syndrome? Cabin fever? Fishbowl-itis? All present in DJ.
The health unit at the embassy was great. They took care of our family really well in all the ways they could. That said, the medical care in Djibouti...? No. You're definitely going to get medevac'd for most things. There wasn't even a dentist in town to do preventative care (i.e., cleanings), so be sure to schedule those for your R&Rs.
3. What is the air quality like at post (good/moderate/bad)? Are there seasonal air quality issues? Does the air quality have an impact on health?
Sometimes fine. Sometimes smoky from people burning trash. Dusty, when the lovely Khamsin winds are ripping through Djibouti (imagine a hair dryer, on high heat, blowing directly in your face, while also kicking up dust).
4. Are there any particular mental health issues that tend to crop up at post, such as Seasonal Affective Disorder (winter blues)?
Djibouti Affective Disorder? That's a thing, right? It sure seemed like it when we were there. Otherwise, see previous re: caged bird syndrome, cabin fever, and fishbowl-itis (i.e., DJ is tiny--it's a tiny embassy, city, and country--and there are very few options to "get away from it all" until you take R&R).
5. What is the overall climate: is it extremely hot or cold, wet or dry, at any time of year, for example?
There's fly season, and then too-hot-for-flies. Oh, and the Khamsin winds (see above).
Expat Life:
1. What is the relative size of the expatriate community? How would you describe overall morale among expatriates?
During most of our time there, morale was as low as Lac Assal. The embassy community is tiny, and there are basically no public places to enjoy (aside from restaurants, and a couple beaches during not-quite-too-hot-for-flies season), so it's just a fishbowl. Work drama spills into the community and vice versa. Also, while we were there, a lot of positions were unfilled (or if they were filled, the quality of work provided made them seem unfilled), so the embassy just felt completely dysfunctional. A dysfunctional embassy, weird drama, no real chance to escape, the climate...Djibouti is just a hard post--at least while we were there (though I can't imagine much could change aside from getting more positions filled, and with quality employees).
2. Is this a good city for single people? For couples? For families? Why or why not?
I honestly would say it's not really good for anyone except complete indoor cats who are also workaholics (i.e., people who truly want to work 24/7, and when they're not at the embassy are truly content being inside most of the time). We knew of a couple families and a couple singletons who were fine living in Djibouti, but we knew many more--singletons, couples, and families (with different-aged kids)--who were absolutely not loving living in Djibouti.
3. Is it easy to make friends with locals here? Are there any prejudices or any ethnic groups who might feel uncomfortable here?
True friends? I'd guess it's pretty difficult due to massive socioeconomic differences (as well as pretty significant cultural differences, in general), but we did become true friends with one local (though it was through work, so that was a somewhat easy catalyst).
4. Are there problems with ethnic, race/racial minorities or religious prejudices? Gender equality?
Yes, there's simmering tension between the Afars and the Somalis.
5. What have been the highlights of your time in this country? Best trips or experiences?
Going to the airport for every R&R. And even better than that? Going to the airport to PCS out.
Okay, okay, swimming with whale sharks was a really cool experience. Can't recommend it enough. Khor Ambado (aka the French beach) was a bit of a rocky drive to reach, but it was quite nice, and we had fun there. Making friends with a handful of people (and then spending time at each other's houses--see past notes re: indoor time) was fun, though of course that's not DJ-specific.
6. What are some interesting/fun things to do in the area? Can you recommend any “hidden gems"?
Counting how many blue plastic bags you see stuck in fences while you drive to the grocery store. Hidden gems would be the white bags.
7. Is this a "shopping post"? Are there interesting handicrafts, artwork, antiques, or other items that people typically buy there?
Not a shopping post.
8. What are the particular advantages of living in this city?
Cue the Final Jeopardy! theme song...
...
...
What is _______?
(Okay, I will say the ridiculously short commute--again, as in five minutes walking--was a positive).
Words of Wisdom:
1. What do you wish you had known about this particular city/country before moving there?
How NOT "family friendly" it is. Ugh. Biggest misrepresentation. It's not great for little kids. No public parks, playgrounds, libraries, museums... Very little socialization during the week (for those not in school) because everyone has nannies, and the nannies aren't driving the kids anywhere to socialize (also, there's nowhere really to go besides houses and the embassy). It's also so hot for so much of the year that outdoor time for littles is very limited.
2. Knowing what you know now, would you still move to this city?
If you've read anything thus far, you'll know the answer is undeniably, categorically, 100 percent...not. A. Chance. But the bright side? We know one place in which we're not going to buy a summer home when retirement comes along!
3. If you move here, you can leave behind your:
Sanity. One less thing to worry about losing. (Also, obviously anything even approaching winter gear).
4. But don't forget your:
duct tape.
5. Do you have any other comments?
Please, please do not come here with your family--at least if you have littles and don't want them inside 99 percent of the time, not socializing, not going to public libraries or parks or playgrounds...
