Hi, I can't be much of any help as I am not yet in Abidjan but I wanted to step in and said hi. I plan on relocating to the Ivory Coast in November/December and I am applying for jobs online right now. As a matter of fact, did your husband have to be in Abidjan to get a job? I am trying to see if I can even hope to be hired while being in the US... In any case, I know ivorians are very friendly and understand basic english. So you shouldn't have too much trouble communicating.

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thank you for your reply. My husband is working for an Australian company so he didn't need to be in the country to get the job. Good luck with your job hunting.

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Hi Ledies!
My name is Tamara, I am russian and I have been living in Abidjan for over year now. I can imagine how stressful it can be when you dont know anyone or anywhere to go...So let me share with you some of the ideas of what you can do in Abidjan.
1. Places to go and hang out:
I dont know where exactly you live in Abidjan but the best place to hang out is Zone 4. Here you can find all kinds of restaurants and night clubs. The most popular are: Havanna bar, Che Cafe, "Pagode" - a vietnamese restaurant (very good one :)), night clutb "Prive" , etc. You can simply drive around Zone 4 and you will see LOTS of places to visit.
2.If you are lonely and would like to meet more englishspeakers here is the link you should follow www.abidjanclassichash.com, this is a website created by some american guys, they organize once a month some jogging activity and after they all go to have some drinks. Unfortunatly, I did not try it yet, but planning to once we are back from vacations.
3.And now about a job situation. Its really hard to get a job here unless you know "someone" or you are extremely lucky. I've always been working in Sales and Marketing but because of my poor French i can only do a teaching job which i enjoy but would prefer it to stay as a hobby. Without knowing French its no that easy as you might think. Most of the ivorians dont speak any english. So in case you decide to take some French course, there is one and only place you can do it without paying too much - a Cocody University. A one year course starts in October until June. There are many students from everywhere so its also fun to get to know to someone.
I hope some of this information will be helpful.:)
Stay tuned and enjoy Abidjan :)

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Hello, thank you so much for your very helpful email. I would love to do some teaching work here. I also used to be in sales and without French I can't do that here. I would even do voluntary teaching work if it was available. Do you know of any clubs here, gyms that maybe have tennis or swimming? I am living in Cocody. I would love to catch up for a coffee with you when you are back from leave - please keep in touch.

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Heeeey!
Of course I would love to meet for coffee! I hope to get back to Abidjan in September.
As for sports club in your area... Its a bit difficult since I am living in Zone 4 and we have 2 sports clubs near by but they are way far from where you stay. I have spoken to one lady living in Cocody lately about it, and she said there is one in Riviera which is not far from you. I dont know the exact address tho. As for the tennis club, I only know one here in Zone 4, its on the street called Blvd. du Marceiile, most of the night clubs, beauty salons and some of the restaurants are basically there also. You won't miss it driving down this street. You can find some more information in a magazine called "Abidjan Planet". Its an A5 format magazine, generally distributed in supermarkets, some restaurants and bars. There you could find some relevant information about the places and events in Abidjan.
Now about a teaching job. You are very lucky living in Cocody :) because most of the schools, colleges, universities are located in that area. You can easily get a teaching job. I wouldn't do volunteering because the Ivorians will just take an advantage of you. There is a need in native speakers here and any language center or university will not have problems paying for your classes, the problem will be paying on time.... This is a big issue and sometimes you need to go after the administration for 1-2 months to get your salary paid. A school year usually starts no earlier than october, try to get your CV ready (better if its in French) and just go to any school you see while driving. There is an American school not far from where you live, here is the website:
www.icsa.ac.ci, also in Riviera 3 there is a Canadian University, here is the link:http://www.pucao.org
Dont worry, you will get something, there is no doubt :)
If you need more information, i would love to help :)

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Hi Toma, thanks so much for all your information. I found a gym in Zone 4 called Calao I think? Yes, it is a long way from here but can't seem to find anything near by. I was thinking of calling into the Pullman Hotel so see what they have there. I don't mind the travel if I have to. We are going out to a restaurant tomorrow that is also in Zone 4, it is meant to be very nice, part French and part Italian - I am looking forward to it. I will work on my resume and see if maybe someone if I can find someone to translate it into French. I start French lessons tomorrow with a teacher my husband has found for us. I look forward to your return and catching up. Thank you again for your help.

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Hey!
Thats really great that you and you husband have found a French teacher for you, Abidjan is very Francophone. Myself, i prefer a group learning so I am planning to start my French classes in October with the rest of the students :)
Calao is a really nice gym, they have good machines and a swimming pool. I have never attended this one but people say those who come there have lots of attitude.... But you might still like it :) I go to the one which is opposite PRIMA supermarket. Its less expensive and people are friendly. Actually in Cocody there are lots of small hotels which have sports machines but not sure what sort of training you are looking for.
I hope you will have a nice evening in a restaurant you are going to, i think i know which one you are talking about. Its a really good one :)
Have a nice evening and in case i have any updates i will definatly let you know. :)
Best regards,

Tamara

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Hi Tamara, it's so great to get your replies and all your information. Yes, I heard this gym is for people with attitude too but I haven't been able to find anything else. i will look into the one you have mentioned. I haven't found any small hotels around here - Cocody or big for that matter. The big hotel near here, I think it's called the 'Ivoire' is under construction and closed. I would love a more low key place but I want something with bikes, walking machines, hand weights and a good friendly atmosphere mostly. A pool is a bonus I guess and a way to chat to people. Calao is quite a drive I must admit. Today I went and saw the Athletic club. Good for Tennis but no gym as such. I also wouldn't mind a school type atmosphere for learning French - I think it's much easier to do it in a classroom situation with people you can chat to and discuss with after. Unfortunately I am leaving here mid August to go home and get married and wont be back until early November so I will miss the begining. Maybe I can start with these private lessons and study while I am away and join part way through the course when I come back??? I will ask around for some small hotels in the area and see what I can find. Thanks Tamara, keep in touch, Lesleyann

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Hey Lesleyann,

How are you?

Imagine, I still did not travel.... My husband's company still does not let us go...
Would you like to meet for a coffee on Wednesday or Thursday... We can meet in Prima for example. Let me know if you are up for it :)

Tamara

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Hello, I must have read your notes all wrong - I thought you were already overseas!!! I would love to catch up for a coffee. Thursday would be good - anytime. If you give me a place and time, I will get a driver organised and he should know where to go. Mark is away this week so I am alone in Abidjan but I do have access to a car which is a blessing. Look forward to meeting you - Lesleyann

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Hey!

No, actually we were supposed to leave looooong time back, but there are some issues Deol needs to deal with before the upper management lets us go...
Thursday is absolutely fine by me.
We can meet in Prima (supermarket, zone 4), near the CITYSPORT shop which is inside the building.
Is 3 p.m. ok for you?
Will be waiting for your response :)

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Wonderful. I will meet you there at 3pm Thursday afternoon. I have long black hair and will probably have a black purse (or bum bag) around my waist. Look forward to catching up. See you then

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Hello!!
My goodness I am SO happy that I found this today!
My family and I are moving to Ivory Coast in the begin of 2010.
I am a student and am studying through an international university so I can be anywhere in the world. :)
We (my family) are in Ghana at the current moment and I am just fishing around at the moment as I know nothing about gyms, places to go out and meet ppl etc.
Hence did a search and voila!! I found this!!
Great!

Harrydog, have you been to the gyms yet?
How are they???
I am looking for all the cardio machines (treadmill, cross-trainer, bicycle, step) and could do with some strength machines too.
When you say attitude, is that the kinda vibe of a bit pretentious?
Like lots of young, checking ppl out kinda thing? Cuz man oh man, when I am gyming I want to be able to sweat my ass off and not have some guy hitting on me.

Can someone maybe write down a list of all the gyms? If they have the time, so that I can go have a look when I get there.

My father works there and has been commuting back and forth from ghana to Ivory coast - he has been really busy and hasn't been able to really search out anything.
My mom and I will be coming to Ivory Coast in the next 2 weeks to start looking for houses - so far with the agent nothing has really bounced back.

And my mom and I would LOVE to meet you guys!

Thank you!
Warm Regards,
Olivia

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Hi Olivia! :)

Welcome to Abidjan :)
Its really hard to write the list of all gyms in the city, since the city is HUGE and myself i am only aware of gyms in Zone 4 where we live. If you are looking for good machines than Calao is the best one to join. We were talking about the attitude of Lebanese women going there, they like to show off and check you from head to toe. If you don't really care about this kind of stuff than Calao will be perfect for you!

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There are so many beautiful location here in Abidjan to visit . The beaches and park are very attractive. especially beaches are mostly liked bye the tourist. There is problem for the english speaker because most of the people speaks here in French. but some people understands english too. you do not need to worry about the safety here in Abidjan . Abidjan is very peace full for the tourist . if you are looking for [url=http://cheapflights2africa.com/cheap_flights_to_Abidjan.html]cheap flights to Abidjan[/url]


then you can get this by surfing on the internet

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Hi there,

if you are looking for a French teacher or a French to English or Versa Translation services please get in touch with Mermoz on 08 56 87 09.
I am going to a get together tomorrow here you can meet some expat as well .Interested get in touch with me for more information

welcome in Abidjan

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"I am going to a get together tomorrow here"

Where is the 'here'?
What time?

etc

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Hi Guys,

I have been living for quite a long in Cote d'Ivoire and I will be happy to help you in any way. Your husband is working for an australian company, is it a mining or an exploration company?
You can contact me at stanstab@gmail.com


If you know anyone arriving in Ivory Coast, I have got some rooms to rent in Deux plateaux, in a big house with Swiming pool.


Rds,

Stan

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Hi this is Nilesh From India i have arrived herein Abidjan just a 18 days back. Workinmg here as a Country Head. and i also dont know French. looking for some Friends here as i m feeling very lonely when i reached home.

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Akawaba ( Welcome in the Akan Local Language),

Iam Mermoz kouassi, an Ivorian who works as HR consultant and English <>French Translator and Interpretor . I live in Cocody and will not mind chat with you if your schedule permit.

You may contact me on mermozn@gmail.com or call 08 56 87 09 or 03 53 16 93

Good night and I cannot wait to chat with you

Mermoz

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since you just arrived , i suggest that you take your time , You should be able to meet nice people, but you gotta be really careful. like anywhere you would go, take some valuable time before befriending anybody. folks just like to take advantage of foreigners. so just becareful and take your time

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hi harrydog, ive just arrived in the ivory coast about two weeks ago. What area do u live in? im from australia but met my fiancee in london. Hope ur settling in well.

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