African Entrepreneurship Record

After a five-day journey, the train finally stopped at Yilin City. At almost every stop, the train had to halt to replenish supplies. As Yilin City counted as a major stop, it would remain there a bit longer.

As it was Will’s hometown, he intended to meet his family here.

Stepping out of the carriage, Will felt a bit lost. The first thing he noticed was the unfamiliar station building, two stories high and built with red brick, no different from those in Europe. When Will left Yilin City, there were only a few small houses and a simple wooden station sign here, with not even a platform beneath his feet.

Walking on the platform made of cement and brick, looking at the station building before him, this was not the ”Yilin City Train Station” in Will’s memory.

”What’s wrong, Will?” Mary asked as she hugged their son and noticed her husband’s disoriented look.

Will steadied his emotions and said, ”Maybe it’s the closer one gets to home, the more apprehensive one feels. Plus, this Yilin City station is very different from my memory, so my feelings are a bit mixed.”

Edllis said, ”Mr. Will, this station was just built three or four years ago. Although I often take the Central Railway, I don’t remember the construction times of each station very clearly, but a lot of East African stations were in very poor condition before, so it’s understandable there’s a big gap with your memory.”

”Indeed, Yilin City Train Station wasn’t this luxurious back then. At that time, the entrance was fenced off with simple barriers, and the surroundings were all dirt and grass. The train would stop on the tracks, and boarding was quite a struggle. You had to carry the boxes onto the train first and then climb up by grabbing the door frame,” Will reminisced.

He stomped his foot on the ground and said, ”Now they use concrete surfaces, and there’s only a small gap in the middle when you exit the train. Just place a plank, and you can walk straight across from the train.”

Pointing at the station hallway, he said, ”There used to be only four small rooms here. I remember there was even a warehouse, but now it’s all gone, transformed into an imposing waiting hall. Has freight been separated from passengers now?”

”The freight station has been moved. You might have seen it when we passed through Dodoma City earlier. Now everything is divided by sidings, which greatly increases efficiency. I think there should be a siding not far ahead leading to the freight station,” Edllis explained.

Previously, there were fewer trains in East Africa, and most were mixed passenger and freight. A passenger express like the one Will and his group were taking now was rare back then.

”Even a seemingly unremarkable small city like Yilin City in East Africa can be built so well, so other cities in East Africa shouldn’t be worse,” Will said.

”Actually, Yilin City isn’t considered a small city in East Africa, right? After all, along the whole railway line from Dodoma to Mbeya City, Yilin City is considered a fairly large city,” Edllis said.

The development among East African cities is uneven, especially those cities prioritized for national development or with clear geographical advantages. However, apart from these factors, eastern cities are generally stronger than other regions, mainly because they were developed earlier.

”The question is, who’s coming to pick you up?”

Will had left home for so many years; it was impossible for him to haul such a large amount of luggage home by himself, especially since his family lived in a village, not in the urban area of Yilin City, which made the distance quite far.

”The government has informed your family, but trains aren’t known for their punctuality here. We might need to wait a while, and if that doesn’t work, we’ll have to spend the night at a post lodge,” Edllis said.

Trains in East Africa can’t guarantee punctuality either; it’s commonplace during this era. However, barring emergencies like severe natural disasters, the delay generally wouldn’t exceed six hours, and Will’s journey had been very smooth, so it shouldn’t be too late.

Will looked at his wristwatch and said, ”Our train actually arrived an hour early. Maybe they plan to follow the usual schedule to pick us up?”

”I’ll go ask the staff. Are you all waiting here, coming with me, or going back to the carriage first?” Edllis asked.

”Mr. Edllis, I appreciate your kindness, but I think I’ll wait here!” Will said.

He didn’t want to miss his family due to a mistake, so waiting there for a while didn’t bother him.

Seeing the situation, Edllis went to find a place to rest, knowing he wouldn’t want to accompany Will on the platform.

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

”Alright, go ahead,” Will said.

Though Yilin City Train Station had changed significantly, it was still an open-air station with no shelter to block the wind or rain—something quite common worldwide.

Wiggins had to wait alone on the platform. To pass the time, he walked around and chatted with the railway workers at the station.

A local worker, responsible for maintaining order for many years, started a conversation with Will.

”Are you an East African who studied abroad in Germany?”

”Yes, and I’m also a local from Yilin City.”

”That’s impressive! It’s tough for someone without true talent to go abroad. You must be a genius; my kids are not focused on studying and will have to work after high school.”

”Actually, I’m not a genius. East African courses are relatively simple—something I realized in Europe. Europeans learn more, and their schools are stricter.”

”Sir, you’re being too modest. Every year, only a few from East Africa get to study abroad. You must be quite smart to have outcompeted so many people.”

Will could only smile silently. He spoke the truth; back then, there was indeed little to learn in East Africa, including at elementary and high schools, where teachers merely followed the textbook.”

So studying was mostly self-paced, and Will focused intensely on what was in the books since sometimes even the teachers couldn’t clarify certain principles.

But after arriving in Germany, Will found the students there truly well-rounded, sometimes learning several languages, unlike only teaching German in East Africa.

Of course, East Africa and Europe are different; with so many countries in Europe, language is a very important subject; otherwise, one might only circulate within one’s own country.

However, Will felt okay only knowing German because there were many German states. But to understand new technologies, he also taught himself English and French later.

”Knowledge is always useful. Our generation, relying on knowledge, can find good jobs in Europe, settle down, form families, and work, mainly because, in the industrial era, nations value knowledge-based talent,” Will stated.

”Who’s to say you’re wrong! Unfortunately, my kids don’t know how to make progress. Successful people like you should be their role models.”

This may be the drawback of East Africa’s universal education—too easily obtained and thus not easily valued.

”If there are no big ambitions, that’s fine too, just like how I spent many years in Europe, rarely seeing my family,” Will said. That’s his true feeling, which life quality improvements couldn’t compensate for.

Of course, this situation will surely improve in the future. As East Africa gradually opens up, restrictions on social mobility will further loosen.