In China the ex-pat population is predominantly young, with many foreign English teachers looking for a few years adventure some exotic. But China is on the up and there is energy everywhere – you can feel it wherever you go in the country.
People are starting businesses, expanding, dreaming up new initiatives and young people are extremely driven and ambitious. The speed that everything happens is lightening.
Arriving in Africa the first thing you notice is how slow things move. Nobody seems to be in a hurry and everyone is young. You don’t see old people anywhere in the cities.
In fact the only old people you see here are ex-pats who have been here since the 1970’s or 80’s. On a visit to the yacht club at the weekend you will see the old guard propping up the bar, taking their usual seats at sundown. The shame is that a large proportion of them don’t have much good to say about life in Tanzania. “It used to be so much better in the 70’s” etc.
I suppose that’s what happens when you’ve been in a foreign country most of you’re life – you are able to compare and it often it’s found to be not as attractive or exciting as in the past.
So in summary ex-pats in China are young and thrusting and there is a lot of nightlife, social events and energy whereas in East Africa, there’s not much going on. Outside the yacht club, social events are hard to find. And people are generally jaded and intolerant.