African Entrepreneurship Records

 Chapter 714 Iringa

Following the five-day journey, the train finally stopped at Iringa City. At almost every station, the train had to stop to replenish supplies. Yilinga City is also a big station, so it would stop for a longer time.

 As Wells’ hometown, he also wanted to meet his family here.

Stepping out of the carriage, Wells felt a little hesitant. First of all, there was a strange station building. It was two stories high and built with red bricks. It was no different from Europe. When Wells left Iringa City, there were only a few train stations here. A small house, a simple wooden station sign, and no platform at all.

Stepping on the platform made of cement and masonry, looking at the station building in front of me, this is not the "Iringa City Railway Station" in Wells' memory.

"What's the matter, Wells?" Mary asked as she hugged her son and saw that her husband was a little at a loss.

Wells stabilized his mood and said: "Maybe it's because I'm afraid of being close to home, and the station in Iringa City is very different from what I remember, so I feel a little complicated."

Adlis: "Mr. Wells, this station was probably built three or four years ago. Although I often use the Central Railway Line, I don't remember the construction time of each station clearly. But in the past, East Africa The conditions of many stations are very poor, so it is understandable that there is a big gap from what you remember."

"Yes, the Iringa Railway Station was not so luxurious at the time. At that time, the entrance to the station was surrounded by simple fences, surrounded by mud and grass. The train stopped on the railway, and boarding was very difficult. , you have to move the box to the car first, and then climb up by pulling on the door frame." Wells recalled.

He stamped his foot on the ground, "Concrete platforms are now used. There is only a small gap in the middle when you get out of the car door. If you put the pedal, you can walk out of the car evenly."

 “The question is who will pick you up now?”

 In the past, there were few trains in East Africa, and most of the trains were mixed passenger and freight trains. Special passenger trains like the one that Wells and his party are taking now were not common in the past.

 The development among cities in East Africa is uneven, especially those cities with national key development or obvious location advantages. Of course, apart from these factors, in general, cities in eastern Africa are stronger than other regions, mainly because they were developed early.

“Actually, Iringa City is not a small city in East Africa! After all, the entire railway line, from Dodoma to Mbeya City, Iringa City is considered a larger city.” Edlis said.

Trains in East Africa are not guaranteed to be on time, which is common in this era. However, unless there is an emergency, such as a severe natural disaster, the error will generally not exceed six hours, and the trip of Wells and his party was It went very smoothly, so it shouldn't be too late.

"The government has notified your family, but the train is not a very punctual means of transportation. We may have to wait here. If not, we will have to go to the postal station to survive the night." Ed Liss said.

"The freight station has been moved. You should have seen it when we passed through Dodoma City before. Now they are separated by branch roads. This can greatly improve efficiency. I think there should be such a branch road leading to the freight station not far ahead. "Adlis explained.

Wells raised his watch and looked at the time and said, "Our train arrived an hour early. Could it be that they picked us up according to the normal schedule?"

Wells has been away from his hometown for so many years, and it is impossible to run home with such a large amount of luggage. The main reason is that his home is in a village, not in the city of Iringa, so the distance is quite far.

As he spoke, he pointed to the station corridor: "There used to be only four small rooms here, and I remember there was also a warehouse. Now they are gone and turned into a grand waiting hall. Are the passengers and goods even separated now?"

“If even a small, unknown city in East Africa like Iringa can be built so well, then other cities in East Africa should be good,” Wells said.

Edliss: "Let me ask the staff first. Are you going to wait here, come with me, or go back to the carriage first?"

“Mr. Edliss, thank you for your kindness, but I’d better wait here!” Wells said.

  He doesn't want to miss his family due to his mistake, so it doesn't matter if he waits here for a while. Seeing this, Adlis had to find a place to rest by himself. He would definitely not be willing to accompany him on the platform.

“Wells, it’s quite sunny here, so I’ll take Wiggins to the carriage first!” Mary said.

 “Well, let’s go first!” Wells said.

Although the current Iringa Railway Station has changed a lot, it is still an open-air station with no shelter to protect it from wind and rain. Of course, this is also a common phenomenon all over the world.

 Wiggins could only wait alone on the platform. In order to pass the time, he had to walk around and chat with the railway employees at the station.

  A local employee who was responsible for maintaining order all year round started chatting with Wells.

 “Are you an East African who returned from studying in Germany?”

 “Yes, not only that, I am also a native of Iringa City.”

"That's really amazing. It's difficult for people without real talent to go abroad. You must be a genius. Like the boys in my family who don't pay attention to their studies, they can only wait until they graduate from middle school to work in the society."

“Actually, I am not a genius. The curriculum in East Africa is still very simple. I have experienced this in Europe. Europeans learn more than us, and their schools are more rigorous.”

“Sir, you are too humble. Every year, very few people from East Africa can study abroad. They must have good brains, otherwise they would not be able to compete with so many people.”

Wells could only smile and say nothing. He was telling the truth. There was indeed very little that could be learned in East Africa at that time. Including his primary school and middle school, teachers basically followed the textbook.

 So learning mainly relies on self-study, and Wells only concentrates on studying the knowledge in textbooks, because some principles and the like may not be clear to the teacher.

But after arriving in Germany, Wells discovered that the students there were really broad-minded and sometimes had to learn several languages, unlike in East Africa where only German was taught.

Of course, East Africa is different from Europe after all. There are so many countries in Europe, so language is a very important subject. Otherwise, I may have to settle in my own country in the future.

But Wells, who only spoke German, felt pretty good because there were many German states. However, in order to understand new technologies, Wells also taught himself English and French.

“Knowledge is always useful. Even in Europe, our generation can find good jobs with knowledge, settle down, and start a family. After all, in the industrial age, the country attaches great importance to the value of knowledge-based talents.” Wells said.

“Who says it’s not the case! It’s a pity that I have a few ineffective gadgets at home and don’t know how to make progress. Successful people like you should be their role models.”

 This point may be a drawback of universal compulsory education in East Africa. It is too easy to obtain and not easy to cherish.

"If you don't have a big pursuit, this is fine. Just like I have been in Europe for many years and have very few opportunities to meet my family." Wells said, this is Wells' true feeling, not something that can be used Quality of life makes up for it.

Of course, this situation will definitely improve in the future. After all, East Africa is opening up step by step, and restrictions on the movement of social personnel will be further relaxed.

 (End of this chapter)