Moving to Tripoli with kids?

Where are you moving from and what do you teach?

You are Libyan so the best option would be to ask family in Libya for their guidance as they would know the situation much better than expats would. Same goes for the issue of renting apartments and arranging childcare.

International School of Martyrs (also known as Oil School I think) is expected to open from Sunday the 16th. They would be interested in hiring qualified teachers who are bilingual in Arabic and English.

If you have good English command, you will have no problem finding a job is schools or even offices.

Good luck with your move.

Siddiqui

Hi!

Thanks for your reply! I am not Libyan, but my children are as their father is from Libya. My children don't have Libyan nationalities though.

I was hoping to move to Tripoli as my children's grandparents and other relatives live there. I haven't contacted them yet since they have a very subjective opinion about the safety: they would tell me to come now There's also a language barrier as they speak only Arabic and my Arabic skills are pretty poor.

I am a pre-school teacher and have a masters degree in early childhood education so I could teach in university or a school for teachers as well.

My main worries concern about a single European woman living in Tripoli. How it could work out, would there be a lot of harassment and how the locals would treat me? As I know in Libya the young women live with their parents until they get married. I don't even know if there's single mothers in Libya?

Ayshah

I think your situation is a big can of worms to begin with.

- You are no longer married to your Libyan husband
- You and your children do not have Libyan citizenship
- Not sure of your relationship with your ex-inlaws

For now I would stay away from Libya till the situation here settles down with a formal government in place and functioning institutions, courts, police, general rule of law etc.

Siddiqui

Hello

Yes u can work in Libya and raise ur kids, yes there is day care places for little kids, and house to let r available every where (of course u need to choose a good area; i would not advise u to move to Tripoli just yet, cause the place is still needs abit of time to go back to normal.

Hope i given u useful info

cheers

Thank you, I am very happy for all information and opinions.

Yes, I am not planning to move now, maybe summer/autumn 2012 earliest. Depends how the situation in Libya is that time. I have been in Tripoli once, 5 years ago, and I really liked the city. Ofcourse, a lot things have changed, and will be changed, since then.

-Ayshah

Dear Ayshah
I don't think it was a good idea for a single European woman with kids to live in Libya before the upraising and, since we are talking about cultural codes, mores and norms, I doubt that it might be a good idea now.
I would agree with Siddique, the cultural codes in Libya, albeit they might change but not as quickly as political regimes-  is not welcoming to single women unless you are really adventurous, which I presume you may not be with two kids and a pair of non-communicative in-laws whom you don't know very well.
As a woman who was pretty familiar with the daily life in Tripoli before the war, I would urge you to take a summer vacation trip there with the kids, look around, enjoy the view, the culture, the streets and then decide whether your family can actually move there.
Tripoli was a beautiful city, it might end up being an even better one. But I was happy that I was not a younger woman with young kids. It took a lot of social maneuvering to go out with my 16 year old daughter by ourselves. We did it, it was fun, people were mostly very pleasant and helpful, but I would not recommend it to a young mother who does not speak the language.
Don't do it.. yet...
fk
PS: My husband who is about to return insists that I should not join him. I disagree -I love the city- but understand his concerns about safety. Remember, everyone is armed there right now. They are mostly very nice people but hey.. armed...! and you have two kids...

Thank you Fatmakumru, that's exactly what I was wondering. I have met a lot of Libyan, and other arabs as well, and they all have been very nice and kind to me. But I am aware of the cultural codes, especially towards women. If I didn't have children, I would not hesitate much, but I have to be sure of kids' safety. I just kind of woke up during the war in Libya, that my kids have their roots there and was worried if they will ever have chance to travel to Libya.

We will definately travel to Libya in May, to a wedding of a relative. It would have been great opportunity for children and for me too, to live there a while, learn the language, the culture and the family there, but... what can I do...



-Ayshah