The ties that bind

Life was tougher for foreigners in Beijing in those days, Mosses says. Few Chinese could speak English and they tended not to mix.

"It was difficult for us to talk with local people as we had never studied Chinese before," he says, which made it a struggle in the first few years. "When we started speaking Chinese was when we started making friends with local people."

After graduating he returned home, but went back to China to further his studies and enrolled at Tsinghua University for a postgraduate diploma in engineering. In October 2010, the Chinese government picked Mosses as an overseas graduate representative for the 60th anniversary of China.

In 2011 he participated in a project about teaching Chinese as a foreign language, in Xiamen, East China's Fujian province.

"Every year I go to China, I find change," he says, pointing to a recent student activity between Chinese and foreign students at Peking University. Foreign students were performing traditional Chinese cultural programs, like acrobatics.

"It's very different from when I studied in China years ago. Up until the 1990s, such things were not common."

Mosses recalls foreign students used to dine in separate cafeterias and didn't mix much. That's all changed now, he says.

In 2010, he and some other Tanzanians who studied in China established the Chinese Alumni Association of Tanzania. As its general secretary, Mosses shares information about China back at home, especially to those who are interested in studying and doing business in China.

"We often meet and exchange ideas. I help anyone who wants to learn more about China," he says, adding Chinese companies often get in touch with his organization when searching for local employees.

Now Mosses' son has followed in his footsteps. In 2006, Emanuel Mosses began studying in China.

"We saw a lot of opportunities in China and my father suggested I came," says 27-year-old Emanuel, who works as a Swahili language broadcaster at China Radio International after graduating in 2011.

"I didn't realize there were so many foreigners here and that Chinese are so friendly. Besides, my father recommended many of his friends and connections here to me. They helped me a lot during the first days."

The pair work together helping Tanzanians succeed in China and vice versa, which has further inspired Emanuel. He eventually intends to start his own business in Tanzania, though he plans to stay in China for a while longer.

"I love my job because it helps me understand more about China. Sometimes I get the opportunity to travel around and have interesting interviews and meetings," Emanuel says.

So central has China been to Swai's life, he says his younger son will also come to study in China soon, too. You can't have too much of a good thing, he says.

liuxiangrui@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 12/21/2012 page23)