Somehow I’ve been living in Dili, the capital of Timor-Leste, for three months now. It has gone fast! Here are some more observations and insights from living in this fascinating but little visited country.

The cars on the road are surprisingly new looking for such a poor country. I’ve seen far more old cars in New Zealand than in Timor-Leste. This is due to a law introduced over a decade ago that states that cars imported into the country cannot be more than five years old. It makes them expensive, but also prevents the country from being a dumping ground for old cars.

It has some of the lowest taxes in the world. Paying tax is a relatively new concept here, and there is very little private industry so few people pay tax. For those earning under USD$6,000 a year (most of the population) they pay no income tax. For those earning more than this, or non-residents, then they pay a flat 10% income tax. Corporation tax is only 10%, there is no VAT / GST, and only 2.5% import tax on goods brought into the country.

If one of your parents dies you need to wear all black and a black armband for a year after their death. If it is a less close relative like an aunt it is three months. There are multiple events associated with death, at some of which I’ve seen people wearing T-shirts with the face of their loved ones.

There are basically no credit cards for locals in Timor-Leste, so if they travel overseas they’ve been known to carry literally tens of thousands of dollars in cash to pay for their travels. Another consequence is that it is very difficult to do things online without a credit card, like businesses setting up websites or buying things from overseas.

Most Timorese don’t have email addresses. For many the first time they will use one is at university. WhatsApp and Facebook are the main ways Timorese communicate with each other.

There is no Tetun sign language, instead they use American Sign Language so deaf Timorese effectively use English!

If you need to conduct any official business, like get a driving license or visa you’ll need to wear trousers and a shirt with a collar.

Children, particularly in the districts may greet older people by kissing the back of their hands. Which came as a surprise to me when several children did it to me in Gleno. I’m not that old!

Malae (foreigners) are generally charged the same price as locals. The only exceptions in my experience are taxi drivers and street vendors who carry fruit and veg around Dili on poles.

Timor-Leste has at least 18 public holidays a year on average (although some fall on weekends). They recognise Muslim public holidays despite only 0.2% of the population being Muslim. They also have tolerance days, which are basically ad hoc public holidays recognised by government departments but not normally NGOs. They are often announced at short notice. One in April 2024 was announced the night before!

Embassy staff generally take the number of days public holiday that they’d receive at home, but often a combination of select Timorese and home country holidays.

Timorese often have very long names, along with multiple shorter names used by friends and family. It can get a bit confusing!

Timor-Leste is one of only 27 countries in the world without a current railway network, and an even smaller number that has never had a railway.

I was aware of international development and aid but it has been an eye opening experience witnessing it on the ground. There are hundreds of malae (internationals) working for UN agencies and NGOs, some based in Dili, others working remotely from overseas. I haven’t had huge exposure but it does initially seem like much of their work is helping organisations meet well meaning but often onerous requirements from funders. It is interesting to observe funders desire to empower locals while being highly prescriptive about what they will fund. Local organisations are in the difficult position of relying on overseas aid, which is welcome, but tend to follow the priorities of the funders, which may not always align with local priorities.

The Volunteer Service Abroad (VSA) model is reassuring in this respect as the need and assignment objectives are driven by local organisations, with VSA effectively a recruiter to find skilled people with relevant experience interested in volunteering.

Overall I’m finding that Timor-Leste is offering me the right balance of excitement and stability. At home it can be a bit boring at times, while travel is great but exhausting and overwhelming after a while. There is never a dull day in Timor-Leste but when it gets too much I can go back to a home and rest.