Experiencing China

　　Joseph Kahama Chairman&Chief Operating Officer at Tanzanian RoyaltyExploration Corp.

　　One fine day as daylight was surrendering to evening，a group of young boys and girls were playing football，totally ambivalent of the time and unassuming of theirsurroundings. The world seemed endless and the dayfull of ample time for play. This particular day was inDodoma， Tanzania， in the 1970s. Strolling down one ofthe then few paved roads， in the new capital city of Dodoma，and heading toward the children playing football，was a group of both young and much older Chinesemen and women， taking what looked like a routineevening walk for a breath of fresh air and a stretch.

　　The Chinese visitors soon arrived where thechildren were playing football and spoke in perfectKiswahili to the children. Joining them in a footballgame， but not for long as the dark assumed controlof the land. The Chinese visitors urged and encouragedthe children to go home and wash， but notbefore handing them “White Rabbit” branded sweets.As it happened， I was among the group of childrenplaying football and a beneficiary of the sweets.

　　We later learned that the Chinese visitors were agroup of the Chinese Medical Team (CMT) who weredoctors and dentists， working at the Dodoma GovernmentHospital. Many decades later， afterour inaugural encounter with the Chinesenationals， the CMTs retain a permanentpresence in Tanzania and I understand， inmany parts of Africa. In Tanzania alone， theCMTs are in Dar es Salaam， Dodoma， Taboraand Mara Regions， to name a few. Thesehighly qualified and highly committed Chinesedoctors leave their loved ones and families inChina， traversing across land and seas， all the wayto Tanzania in their goal to assist in diagnosing andtreating diseases affecting the many and therebyhelping the Tanzanian Government realizing theirobjective of bringing about better health for allTanzanians.

　　The commitment by the CMT is the highest formof corporate social responsibility. It is social responsibilitywithout corporate gain or profit motives. Simplyput， medical work being undertaken by the CMT inmany parts of Tanzania， both urban and rural， is purein its objectives and goals. The relationship betweenthe People’s Republic of China and the UnitedRepublic of Tanzania is pure in its sincerity and inits deeds and that is why it has lasted for 50 years，undisturbed. The relationship is historical and at thesame time current. Like sweets are to wanton boysand girls， the relationship between the two countriesand their people is cherished and enjoyable. Fiftyyears and growing stronger！

　　Paulina Kimweri

　　Content Unit Manager at Star Media

　　I joined Star Media (Tanzania) Ltd.， which isa joint venture company between StarTimesand TBC， as a regular member of staff four yearsago. Now I’m at management level as a content unitmanager. This is something I will never forget， as my lifewill never be the same again.

　　I used to read about diplomatic relations amongcountries， and I’ve completed my bachelor’s degree inpublic administration and international relations，where I also studied about diplomatic relations. Howeverthis company exposed me to the real world ofChinese culture.

　　Working with the Chinese is not easy if you do notlearn how to get along with them. There are somechallenges. I remember I used to work with my bosswhose way of communication made me uncomfortable.

　　He was strict with us， and put us under a lotof pressure， which made me uneasy to the point ofwanting to look for another job elsewhere. But afterlearning that it is just the way they talk， I went alongwith him.

　　There are some differences between the workstyles of Tanzanian and Chinese people. The Chinesewant things to be delivered in a short period of time.

　　The work needs to be done and the results to beseen. For the Tanzanians， on the other hand， you dowork under less pressure to deliver. So it took me awhile to get used to their style of work. Up to now Ihave learned to do my work according to the stylethey prefer.

　　What’s surprising and comforting is that Chinesebosses can go around the streets to distribute flyersand observe how the market is changing， whichseems different to the Tanzanian culture. Throughthis experience， I have learnt to go to the field of workand see how advertisement activities are being done，or even participate in offline activities.

　　I remember when I first joined StarTimes， we onlyhad a small group of staff， working to achieve ourcompany’s mission： to enable every Tanzanian householdto have access to and be able to watch gooddigital TV and enjoy digital TV， which sounded morelike a dream at that time， but today we have covereda large part of Tanzania. As we localize and globalizeTanzania through our media platform， I am gratefulto see our company reaching its goal and growing toanother level.

　　Olivo George Mtung’e Student at China Agricultural University

　　Before coming to China， I worked at TanzaniaSisal Board (TSB) in the statistics of sisal productionsection. China is one of the three leading sisalproducers and a leading innovator of sisal products.Many sisal officers were eager to know how Chinesefarms are organized in China.

　　My journey was made possible through the cooperationbetween the China Agricultural University andSokoine University of Agriculture. In the laboratory ofFungicide and Pharmacology， life was good， howeverthere were some difficulties in trying to cope with culturaldifferences and technical issues. A ll the members，professors to students， were very welcomingand always supportive when you are in need.

　　During Spring Festival in 2013 I was invited to joinProfessor Liu Xili at her home， who is one of the mostpopular teachers in our lab. The evening started byhaving snacks and fruits which were decorated in aseating room， while a TV was set ready for the festivalprogram on CCTV.

　　In addition to my visit to my professor’s home， Iwas invited to visit another family of my classmate inHunan Province. Here we were able to have a communityof Chinese families inviting each other fordifferent meals. A host family would prepare a meal，but the visiting family had to go with something inhand. Here I also experienced a real act of Chinesekindness. During my travels， a man paid for my busticket and accompanied me to my host， while refusingall refunds of costs he incurred.

　　In my opinion， China is a good country to live inand Chinese people are kind enough to ensure foreigners’safety. I hope to have a happier life in Chinaduring my remaining study life in Beijing. Therefore Ihope all Tanzanians would welcome Chinese peoplein our country for travel and leisure.

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