COMMUNITY
Making an international move is an exciting, exhausting prospect. Arrival is a blur, with so many things demanding your attention.
Outside of immediate needs like housing, communication, and transportation, it’s helpful to start making connections with others as soon as you can. This will help you feel emotionally rooted, and bring people into your circle you can rely on during the ups and downs of expat life.
MAKING DILI HOME
You can start creating positive connections in Dili before you even get here! Facebook is well used in Timor Leste, allowing you to experience Dili’s community through expat-focused Facebook groups, before you arrive. “Dili Expats,” “Dili Expats (Timor Leste),” and similar groups are popular forums for sharing information. Some groups are private and moderated, meaning you will need to answer questions and wait for approval to join. A few are ‘secret’ – you will need an invite from someone who’s already in.
Once in Timor, you’ll want to get to know your neighbors. Aside from getting in on social events and key local information, knowing the people who live around you can be a mighty big help in a crisis. If you are living in a compound, see if there are any WhatsApp groups, regular meetups, or other connections based on your shared living space.
If you are working in Timor Leste, getting to know your colleagues is another obvious place to begin creating community. If you are a non-working partner, informal networks of “trailing spouses” sometimes meet for lunch and other socializing.
Shared leisure time activities are another good way of getting to know other expats. You might make a friend playing badminton, chatting on the beach between scuba dives, or attending an art show opening. Seeing the sights around Dili, or taking a day or overnight trip with someone, can be a great bonding experience.
Simply exploring, around Dili and beyond, in any way possible will help you feel more comfortable in Timor Leste, and more settled. Do be patient with yourself. It can take three months for the busy-ness of arrival to wear off, six months to be settled in, and a year to really feel at home.
FINDING A SCHOOL
Just like Timor Leste is not a large travel market, it’s not a large educational market, either. Life for families is relatively good, however, especially in the elementary and middle school years. Finding opportunities for older teens can be more challenging, as the range of advanced learning and young adult adventure options can feel few compared to a larger city in a more developed nation.
The relative lack of facilities and international-standard activities – such as the almost complete absence of formal athletics teams – leads a few families to send their older kids to boarding school in their home country or a nation nearby. Teens who have outdoor interests, however, or who are willing to pursue their own passions using available resources, can easily thrive.
Most expat families send children to one of the three main international schools in Dili:
- Dili International School – Started by an Australian family in 2003 and located near Timor Plaza, DIS is a community school on the Australian calendar offering preschool through secondary school. It is an IB school for the primary years and uses Australian graduation standards for high school.
- Escola Portuguesa de Dili – Runs on the northern hemisphere calendar. It is allied more with European standards, and instruction is in Portuguese. The school is located in the Santa Cruz area.
- QSI International School of Dili – QSI in Timor Leste is part of a network of international schools closely allied with American educational standards. It runs on the northern hemisphere schedule, offering preschool through secondary. The school is located near Palm Springs Estates and the Australian Embassy.
Smaller institutions, such as St. Anthony’s International School (SAIS), are also available to serve the international community. Other preschool options may also be available – ask around.
While families in larger cities in Southeast Asia might have to wait for a spot in an international school, Dili’s small market means that your child should be able to easily gain admission and fit into their class at any time of the year. Contact the schools you are interested in, arrange for a tour, and make a decision based on what is best for you and your student.
LEARNING THE LANGUAGE
Tetum (also spelled Tetun) is the language of everyday life in Dili. Outside of Dili, a variety of local languages are also spoken. Portuguese survives, but mainly as the language of the law. Bahasa Indonesia is an influence, with most monetary transactions spoken in Bahasa numbers. The educated class usually understands, and sometimes works, in English, but it is not widely used at street level.
As in any country, making at least some effort to speak the local language is often helpful, usually appreciated, and offers a valuable cultural window. Tetum lessons – private or group – are highly recommended. Organizations offering Tetum instruction include DIT (Dili Institute of Technology), LELI, and Timor Aid. You can also hire a private tutor, perhaps based on recommendations from friends or colleagues.
While Google Translate does not recognize Tetum, local efforts have developed a fine online translation engine at tetun.org. You can also download the app.
ACTING RESPONSIBLY
Timor Leste has an unfortunate history of being exploited by other nations at the geopolitical level. As an expat, Dili Guide encourages you to live responsibly in Southeast Asia’s newest country. Remembering you are a guest, seeking to learn from Timorese people and culture, and being patient with infrastructure and service-level challenges will go a long way toward ensuring you are not being personally exploitative during your time in Timor.
Timor Leste is ranked number 140 out of 191 nations on the UN’s 2021-22 Human Development Index (HDI) list. Confronted with high poverty, malnutrition, and gender-based violence statistics, some expats seek to contribute to Timor Leste through volunteering. The most rewarding and impactful volunteer work, for someone who is already living here, is likely to be through a local organization.
A variety of Timorese NGOs exist, and might focus on a particular locale or sector, perhaps fitting with the background and experience of its founder or founders. Some expats seek to bolster Dili’s entrepreneurship training centers or women’s empowerment groups. Ask around and see what fits your own experience and interests.
While begging is not a big concern in Dili, children do sometimes roam the streets or hang out outside of shops, selling hard-boiled eggs or other food items. The government has recently been advocating against this, as it can support negative realities for kids. It’s recommended to think twice before giving money to a child on the streets in Dili.
Living responsibly toward Timor Leste’s people can be complemented by living responsibly toward Timor’s environment. The amount of waste on beaches and streets often catches expats’ eyes. Reducing your consumption of single use plastics, recycling and reusing what you can, and making sure your own waste ends up in the Tibar landfill (not dumped somewhere random) are easy ways to contribute here. Joining (or organizing) a periodic beach cleanup is another approach.
Recycling is in its infancy in Dili, but locally owned business Caltech has invested in the circular economy by making a variety of recycled products for construction usage. They take just about anything that can be recycled at their Comoro yard or through bins placed in their Venture compound in Lecidere. If you need someone to pick up your recycling, look up Hadomi Ambiente – they’ll deliver it to Caltech. Other local organizations and entrepreneurs turn glass bottles into cups, fashion jewelry from plastic waste, or make bags and other items out of reused or sustainably sourced materials – buy and use these products.
Dili Guide 