Raising kids in Mauritius

Hi ,

How are you? I am not sure you will be with my answer. Let me talk about me in Mauritius. I am an Indian born and brought up in India till age 21. 21 till 30 I was In Australia and then Married to Mauritian and now I am in Mauritius since last 3 days. What I saw and What i feel is just my thing and my opinion.

India and Australia is so advanced compared to Mauritius so I find it very difficult to live here. There are no coffee shops (Only in mall which are far away). No proper public transport( Bus are over crowded and sometimes doesn't stop even on bus stand). Not all routes has buses so may be to go to one place you might need to changed 2 to 3 buses. Now you might be thinking what it has to related to kids?

Well if you are going to use public transport in Mauritius then u need to be aware of this. Most of the activities you will c in Mall only and if you live far away from mall then its bad that you cant take kids more often to Mall to enjoy and result will be boredom. Language here is creole and french (They use English and some places Hindi but its better to learn at least creole).

I feel like Mauritius lack of every single thing you will see in developed countries. Yes they do have great beach , clean and green land but its not enough to enjoy. Food wise also mostly people eat here is Mauritian Chinese (Outside). Lack of lot of variety on street may be in mall u might find little bit interesting. If u dont have car or not living near mall then you are going to face lot of hard time,

I told my story and it can be different from people to people. I have lived in these 2 countries where i never faced problem of food, transport, facilities etc.

My common sense approach to replying to the previous post.

Hi Nishu,

My take on your situation is that you have been in Mauritius for only 3 days and you have been in for a big cultural shock which is customary for all new expats. However, it seems you are getting everything wrong about what Mauritius is really about and my post will certainly give you the real picture on Mauritius on the points you raised.
It will certainly help other expats too.

Mauritius in no way can be compared to India and Australia. That's a skewed comparison of the highest order imaginable. Mauritius is only a 2040 sq.km (70 x 50 km) speck in the middle of nowhere. Therefore, Mauritius can't have everything other countries have be it for geo-graphical or cultural reasons or both.
Australia is a huge wealthy country and you will definitely sense the difference moving from there to Mauritius.
That said, I'm not sure India can be considered to be 'so advanced' when it comes to Mauritius. Mauritius fares a lot better in most human development, economic and quality of life indexes than India. On issues such as cleanliness and pollution, Mauritius is well ahead.

Now coming to the point you raised, again Mauritius is a tiny island with a tropical climate and with this comes an island slow pace lifestyle and attitudes that can't be compared to other countries.
Mauritius does not have a culture of coffee shops. Coffee shops have never been part and parcel of a tropical island lifestyle.
Regarding public transport, it a well known fact that buses in Mauritius are not suitable for all circumstances and if you have a family, then it's imperative to have a car here.
Your husband should have known that, being a Mauritian citizen.

Now coming to the language and food, then you should have done your homework beforehand. It's up to the expats to adapt to cultural variables in his/her host country and not the other way round.

I will end by saying Mauritius is what it is. You have been here for only 3 days and maybe it will take some time for your body and mind to get used to things around here. However, you will ultimately have to come to term with the realities and specifications of the island and it starts now.
Otherwise, I fear you could be in for a rough ride while you are here.

Hello

Typing mistake. I am here since 3 years not 3 days.
Regarding India please visit first and see development. Its polluted little bit but its getting better day by day. I will tell you in 10 years time Mauritius will be what India is today and India what Mauritius is today. Please try to visit your island after festivals and see what pollution means. I have so many pictures if you need i can send you by an email.
Regarding Mauritius i know its small country but still economy wise , infrastructure , facilities wise is no way near what u think. coffee shop and other thing you said its not in culture so first of all if u check Mauritian history then i would say there was no one. People were brought from Different part of world so basically you guys had no culture prior to that so please see your history. everything you have right now its what expats has brought ( whether they were labors or slaves). regarding car is must so let me tell you not everyone can afford to have a car. better to focus on how to improve services.

If i cant compaire with India and Australia then i would say Mauritius is not even 2 % of singapoore. I choose same type of small country.

First try to live in different country for couple of years come back then we will talk then u will know how well ahead is other countries. truth is bitter and I know its hard to digest. sooner you know its better for country.

Over and out

Your tone has changed from a comparative post to an illogical rant.

I can sense some frustration in that you did not manage to adapt to Mauritius. Nothing wrong with that, not all expats adapt fully well to their new environment. However, that's certainly not a reason to blurt out misconceptions and wrongful assumptions.

I'm not here to argue about the differences between India and Mauritius but as a matter of facts, I would invite you to check out reports and rankings from well respected and recognized international agencies and you will have an understanding about the real situation.
These are raw facts.
Yes Mauritius has some level of pollution, but in no way can it be compared to what it is in India. Come on now! Getting better? Your capital city recently was choking with toxic fumes so bad that even the sky was barely visible!

Be assured, I know the history of Mauritius. The people who came to Mauritius some 150-200 years back were not expats, but economic immigrants. Huge difference.
They came from different parts of the world but managed to forge another culture, a unique culture that has made Mauritius famous and which attracts people to the island. Yes, thousands of foreigners have made Mauritius their home and are today an integral part of the country. And you know what, many of those people are from developed countries.
And FYI, I have spent time abroad but let me tell you, I still consider Mauritius the place to be and that's why I'm back.

Mauritius does not need to be Singapore or any other country for that matter, it has it's own identity, culture, history and ways of doing things.

If you have lived in Mauritius for 3 years and still unhappy about it, then maybe ti's time to ponder upon the situation and decide it's time for a move elsewhere. to a country which will better cater to your needs and aspirations. That's what expat life is about.

P.S:
Regarding coffee shops, well in Mauritius, we don't drink coffee, we drink beer!

you are no one to tell me to leave

I only talk to people who talk sensible.
all the best.

Well, well Nishu.  What a senseless rant from you?

First of all, Mauritius doesn't qualify itself of a developed island but developing.

Agreeing entirely with Winston, Mauritius has developed its own identity, culture, history and ways of doing things for the last 2 centuries.  Why would the island change for expats like yourself?  Would you expect foreigners to change India's cultures etc., don't think so?  You adapt to the country you decide to move to, not for the country to adapt to your aspirations etc.!  Every country has its own quirk and conformity.

Seriously, where have you really lived during the last 3 years in Mauritius, for you to find only Mauritian Chinese food?  There is a large variety and diversity of delicious food in Mauritius...I suggest you get out a bit more of your shell and explore. 

And please, is this a joke about India's pollution getting better by the day –do yourself a favour and read this article:
https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environm … -new-delhi

For your own benefit before getting into any argument.  This is one of many articles on pollution in India.  And if you want pictures about land, water pollution in India, I would be more than happy to provide them to you. And before you say otherwise, I have visited India a few times and travelled quite extensively whether to developed or under-developed countries.

I am Mauritian born and bred until I left for further studies. Having lived in the UK for 20 odd years and now Canada for the last 10 years, and I still miss my beautiful island, its food and lifestyle and now planning to go back.  I am an expat in every sense of the word for a number of years.

If you think the grass is greener somewhere else like India or Australia or even Singapore, why are you still in Mauritius?  Why are you comparing oranges and apples?  Even developed countries have issues, taking your example of public transport, Canada is a perfect example of how poor public infrastructure is, and I'm talking from experience. I'm laughing my head off of you mentioning of over-crowding bus, as if you have never seen over-crowding on India's buses and trains...

Now, if you really want to talk sensibly, then I guess you should take a look at your good self before judging if others are talking sense!!!

And we drink beer as Winston rightly says so :-).

Hello everyone,

Please note that the topic is "Raising kids in Mauritius", you are way off topic here. I invite you to create your own threads if you want to discuss about something in particular.

all the best,
Bhavna

Hi,

I'm Priya from India with two boisterous boys aged 8 and 11. Raising kids in Mauritius is different as compared to raising them in India firstly because my kids used to have a lot of friends and spent a lot of time playing outdoors with these friends. Playing during school vacations was not restricted to just the evenings. This also kept them away from gadgets like mobiles and the ipad for long periods of time. I was never really worried that they were making too much noise as most people living around me had kids too and most of them understood that the kids were having fun playing with their friends. In Mauritius the kids don't seem to be outdoors with other kids a lot. I see kids with their parents and siblings in parks. They are quieter and more good mannered not wildly rambunctious like the kids in India. Sometimes kids here do join my boys but new faces keep coming and going and my boys do not have the thrill of catching up with their buddies on a daily basis for games or a chat. Perhaps kids here have cousins to bond with too but being expats we cannot look forward to that as well. So these holidays my kids were hooked on to whichever gadget was charged. And if I had to get them off those I had to spend time playing board games or trekking along with them to the nearest park and keeping an eye on them. This was never a concern in India as my kids played happily with their friends and I contentedly pursued my hobbies, baking and sewing, in their absence. So one major difference is that the parent/parents have to invest more of their time for children here.

Yes Mauritius is a very family friendly country. The very fact that people here work regular hours and are home in time for dinner is a sea change for us. We never had dinner as a family together on working days back home. It's nice too see families getting together on beaches, restraunts and parks though it does make us feel lonesome sometimes.

My kids throughly enjoy the beaches and activities like fishing, go karting etc. They enjoy the time we spend together as a family.

Mauritius is a beautiful place to live in with your family. The weather is simply delightful and though my kids do miss their friends and sometimes tell us they want to go back Mauritius does have some things to offer which would be hard to come by if we were in India.

Hi all i want to tell welcome to Mauritius...new challenge of course but you will adapt stay positive..then positive things happen..every month i organised hiking...if interested let me know..thanks

HI NISHU - found your post very interesting. If you are able to - why don't you return to Australia? More opportunities for your children there one would think. I would say go back asap if you can. They prefer younger people and if over 49 - difficult to migrate there at all (if you have to immigrate again) - altho' I do not know if they allow 2 immigrations.

First of all, I have no kids so I still can't answer your question Priscilla, however I have a lot of friends with kids and they say it's a great place to raise kids!

Nishu - With all respect my friend, I think your comparison is completely out of place, you can't compare India and Australia with Mauritius!

Before moving to the island, I think you should have done some research as many of the issues you mentioned in your post, they're not new at all. And also, you can expect those things if you're moving from a very developed country like Australia to a very small island in the middle of nowhere, don't you think so??

I'm not saying everyone should love Mauritius (not at all) but it's a bit common sense that moving from such big countries to a small island will be a huge change and you clearly were not prepared for that.

Last point, the initial question on this post was how is it to raise kids in Mauritius and not if you like or hate Mauritius and how would you compare Mauritius versus other countries, so please let's try to stick to the original topic!

Thanks and good luck!!

Nishu, i have read your notes and read some replies. 
I am a mauritian living abroad at the moment but cannot wait to relocate to mauritius, with kids this time.  My children love mauritius because of the pace and what it offers. 
Sounds to me you hate island living and not willing to adapt and accept the country for what it offers.  Agree the country is too laid back and the politics suck, I get that but to me, it sounds like you are unhappy about YOUR choices.  Think you should pack up and get moving.  Do not take your unhappiness on others.  Everyone is free to make their choices.  I wish but sadly cannot relocate right now, but will do so as soon as I can. You should plan your exit back to india or Australia. 
I have travelled most f the world, India is a polluted country with just too many people and no facilities, like water and electricity.  Living in Mumbai and Delhi does not mean that all of India is the same, you should try the villages, which i suspect you haven't otherwise you would not be saying what you said.  May be you are advanced because every household has a pc and therefore you are in touch with the rest of the world - by the way, i suspect that is not the case given the poverty level and the fact that pens and pencils are barely available to some. 
I love my country.  It is a developing country that started from scratch and it offers opportunities for it to be shaped. What country gives you that in the 21st century?  Those who come here try to mingle just like you would in any other developed country.  You need to chill and stop badmouthing a country that welcomed you with open arms.  My opinion in any country for any expat is if you not happy, get out to put it mildly.   And if you should compare, compare like to like....have a look at Trinidad.  It is 20 years ahead of Mauritius with an exact history. 
Not happy about learning creole, then you will not integrate.  I too refused to learn german but that did not work cos my kids had to go to school.  IN SHORT,  when in Rome, do what the romans do.  See mauritius as an opportunity to shape it, you'll love it.