What does Tanzania have to offer? (crime, life, speak, cost)

[SAAN]

I ask this, as Im seeing more and more people on social media saying they want to move to Tanzania or places like Gambia, as they want somewhere safe, dont want to feel oppressed, awant to escape American racism, and the police etc. The small search Ive done, I dont see the hype outside of a few people showing their community with 15 ft high walls on a house on the beach





So to anyone here that been, is Tanzania worth leaving America and moving to?


How is the infrastructure like: health care, retail, high speed internet, road?


Is it safe crime wise?

[AntonioR]

Having walls surrounding a property isn't always a security issue, the same could be said of bars on windows. Often times these are cultural preferences.

Take Spain as an example. Bars on windows and a wall surrounding the property is cultural and has existed for centuries. In fact, there is no correlation between a safe neighborhood and one with problems, because most houses in both of them have bars and walls. Spaniards actually find these things as aesthetic and a house isn't complete without them. Is it any wonder that in countries that were once a part of Spain the use of bars and walls isn't always indicative of the security situation in a particular place?

Then there is the opposite, such as in the United States. For the most part, walls and bars are not cultural and people in general don't see them as a necessary component to complete the aesthetic of a house. In essence, these things have a strong correlation with security since most homes that have them are in rough neighborhoods. Contrary to the Spanish World, the presence of bars and walls (not if its a wooden or metal fence) produces negative feelings in Americans.

This is an American based forum and most members either are Americans or live in the United States. As such, its understandable that it will be automatic to think that the meaning of bars and walls elsewhere is the same as in the United States. Yet, that's not always the case. It could be what's taking place with Tanzania.

For a Spaniard its uncomfortable to look out a window and not see bars, the house is missing an aesthetic piece. For an American, looking out a window and seeing bars produces stress and may feel as if he's in a cage. Two visions of the same thing, one is just an aesthetic issue while the other is just a security issue.

Don't let culture shock be your guide.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by SAAN

I ask this, as Im seeing more and more people on social media saying they want to move to Tanzania or places like Gambia, as they want somewhere safe, dont want to feel oppressed, awant to escape American racism, and the police etc. The small search Ive done, I dont see the hype outside of a few people showing their community with 15 ft high walls on a house on the beach

So to anyone here that been, is Tanzania worth leaving America and moving to?


How is the infrastructure like: health care, retail, high speed internet, road?


Is it safe crime wise?

I've spent some time in Tanzania and can speak anecdotally about some of it.

For starters, it's geographically diverse and has as variety of stunning landscapes and wildlife. After all, this is the place that has the Serengeti, Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar, and much, much more. I spent time in Zanzibar, Arusha/Kilimanjaro and was lucky enough to do a (brief) safari in the Serengeti. With the exception of some pockets of Dar Es Salaam, I felt perfectly safe all over (I traveled with my family independent of a tour group except for the excursion to Kilimanjaro and the game drives). Even Dar wasn't that bad.

Walls around homes were common in some of the more populated areas (particularly along the beach as you saw), but I think it was more about delineating private property and keeping some of the grazing animals out (or in) rather than really protecting against crime. This is common all over the world. I felt safer in towns and on the beach there than I do in much of the Caribbean or the U.S.

Unfortunately, we had to deal with the healthcare system while we were there due to a family medical emergency requiring surgery. In short, the quality of care is not what you'll find in the U.S. or Europe (though compared to the U.S., it's a lot less expensive). It's not socialized and I'm not sure what local insurance options look like. In our case, we were told that there was a high probability that if the condition worsened, we'd need a transfer to a hospital in South Africa. Thankfully, it didn't come to that, but it was a lesson learned. Our U.S. insurance covered all expenses and were awesome to communicate with (they probably enjoyed that the hospital stay and emergency surgery cost about 10% of what it would have cost back in the U.S.). Strangely, the hospitals we visited didn't regularly provide things like bedding, towels, food, etc. It was expected that the family do that for inpatient stays. Maybe that's normal in other places, but if your'e from the U.S. it'd be a departure from what you're used to.

I'd go back in a heartbeat, and I could see why someone would want to live in any of those places. However, I think the type of people who would/could uproot and move to Tanzania would be a small group. For starters, it's going to be hard for most people to transfer their job from the U.S./Europe to Tanzania (or find a job in a similar field that pays similarly). And while retirees could get around the job restraints, the healthcare system would be a deterrent. So it would have to be someone who isn't too concerned about healthcare (likely young) and somebody willing to change fields or start something new (likely in the service industry). Also, Tanzania doesn't have a great LGBTQ rights record (it's currently illegal with potentially up to 20 years of imprisonment). That doesn't apply to my family, so we can't speak to it personally, but it would probably be a deterrent for anyone in that community.