Dealing with homesickness in Mauritius

I have not had the problem but then I love the sun and heat versus the typical British weather.
I suppose some things to do if you do suffer with it are:
Watch a favourite film or TV program
Go out somewhere and pamper yourself for the day
Meet up for a drink or meal with friends here
Plan/book your next trip home
Make a I am so lucky list and /or what I don't miss about home

I am sure others can come up with suggestions

I think home sickness is not about home and nor is it an illness. However, it certainly has a lot to do with the ones we left behind, missing old routines and familiar places and being out of ones element. This can last for anywhere between 6 months to a year but importantly we should look back at the reasons why we left "home" (and my assumption is that in a lot of cases the move was for good reason).
Stay engaged with old friends and family and maybe have set weekly/monthly call times
Try and get into a routine in your new environment asap
As jkev mentions above, talk to someone. Go out for a meal or drinks with friends in the same situation.
Amazingly time flies and with time, settling down becomes easier and home sickness dwindles.

Avoid staying with family because they are used to their own routine. Get a job or be an entrepreneur and think of something. Most importnantly, make new friends but I do not mean rushing into making friends.

Been here going on 7 weeks I think keeping busy is the key for me a day flies by on the island.  I agree it's more the people you miss that are left behind. Setting up home exploring the island is fun.

Hi Priscilla,


Home sickness is something that you can never outgrow or stop experiencing. Its worse for Africans and other cultures whose cultural food, clothing, fruits and other things are non existent on the island mostly. Food and other cultural stuff could have helped to assuage the impact and frequency of home sickness. The only solution is to engage in things that are energy consuming, inspirational and motivational to reduce the depression living abroad brings along with home sickness. Although, no matter what you do the depressions will be there , but the best you could do is to keep it minimal. Visiting and spending time with your compatriots or people from near your country if you cant find your country people here, exercise, making do with the strange foods that you never knew you will ever get to feel at home eating. Taste the culural diets and fruits, some of which could taste a bit similar to yours.

Look on the positives of the island more than the negatives. Every country has got theirs. Determine to overcome every obstacles that easily make you feel home sickness, whether the attitude of Mauritians, language, food, colleagues, school mates etc.

Create what makes you happy and engage in it always.
Personally, I pray a lot and sing Christian praises. I also read and meditate on the scriptures.

Lastly, form a social group to visit the needy, the sick, imprisoned, impoverished, elderly homes, women's home for the oppresed, children's home, attend a burial. When you see the conditions of these people, it will make you see that you are not the worse off and then you will get inspired and motivated to console them and in so doing, let out negative energy and the depressive home sickness in you.


I wish every expatriate to tap into themselves and find the peace and love of Christ because nobody can always make you happy.

It has never been easy to control homesick especially 1st Year.. I've come to control this by having good friends both local and fellow expatriates on daily basis, exchange of latest songs in region etc.. Now I'm going for a third year without a echo

I have never experienced homesickness as an emotional state and most other expats I have met who moved to Mauritius of their "own free will" rather than accepting the choice of their Mauritian partners did not do so either. This goes without saying that you will always miss certain things (food, culture, family, atmosphere, weather, topographical features....) that you don't find here . I therefore sometimes meet up with my expat friends who come from similar cultural backgrounds to listen to our music and enjoy our special dishes. However I have met some women who are married to mauritian husbands who felt very homesick, most of the time they had certain problems with the families of their husbands and felt completely isolated and misunderstood in a strange "hostile" world. This would change considerably when they would find a job and start working, making new friends and getting a feeling that they were more in control of their situation.

Maybe one can try the process of 'home-sickness' management by only dealing with it one day a week.  Don't watch BBC world service or newspapers from your country on the internet etc.  Use social media on a person by person basis in that you contact or message people back home only on the set day each week and resist the temptation too look everyday what they are doing.  I have been in Mauritius for two years and I have my 'UK' time with my sister and family on a saturday each week. The rest of the time i blend in with locals etc and occasionally meet up with expats but there is a difference many of them don't come say from the UK so it is not home sickening