Settling in Mauritius - Dilemma - why?

Hi, I have sent you a Private Message as a Response to your lengthy enquiry!!
Regards
Vedan

Hi, well I have American friends who would want to live in Mauritius just for the sake of seeing their kids return alive from school... From a business perspective there is much opportunity on the African continent if one feels that Mauritius is small.

Vedan wrote:

Hi, I have sent you a Private Message as a Response to your lengthy enquiry!!
Regards
Vedan

Thank you for a very personal insight Vedan, would love to share it with the community by posting here, if I have your permission.

vasoov wrote:

Hi, well I have American friends who would want to live in Mauritius just for the sake of seeing their kids return alive from school... From a business perspective there is much opportunity on the African continent if one feels that Mauritius is small.

Thank you for your thoughts Vasoov. Ideally, the number of opportunities that Mauritius has to offer are enough to live a very fulfilling life on the island, the comparison can never stop, in my opinion. Safety and peace of mind are paramount while picking a place to live.

Would also love to hear thoughts of people who left their countries of origin to move here.

Thanks again everyone. Really helps!

It's a decision which really centers on your mindset, your priorities and your circumstances. It also has a great deal to do with how you want to live your life.

While listening to others' opinions will give your decision more context, it won't help you make a more informed decision, perhaps giving you more information about the pros and cons but even that is different for each person.

I think most people who leave Mauritius do so because of the lack of opportunities and the low wages on offer for the average person. In this instance, there are many other countries like the UK where you can achieve greater social and economic mobility as a professional or a skilled worker. There's also a lack of meritocracy, so many times it's not the most qualified people who will get the the best opportunities, and this frustrates people and causes them to seek genuinely greener pastures.

As for why people come to Mauritius, it has a lot to offer people who are working in high paying jobs, you can live well and have a high standard of living if you're earning a comparatively high salary, in addition to other perks and benefits provided by your employer.
Another reason which may be more pertinent to your post is that the people who do the best in Mauritius are entrepreneurs, there's a relative ease of doing business, locals are very consumer-oriented and of course there is the additional clientele of tourists who come from all over the world. And of course Mauritius provides a beautiful locale with the type of nature you'd expect on a tropical island, and the assortment of activities you can partake in that go with it.

So I think your idea to set up a business in Mauritius is a good one provided you've done the relevant market research, you're aware of the laws and regulations, and it's an added benefit that you've previously lived here and enjoyed the experience.

But i don't think anyone can really help you make this decision, it's really about what you value most.

Dear Islander316

Thank you so much for your detailed answer. As rightly pointed out by you again, it is about own personal priorities, but one does take a step back and go over the thought process once again and gather opinions before taking a final plunge, especially when one is taking a decision against what a vast majority would.

Working in a public hospital, I have interacted with people from all sections of the local society and I agree, life is not as easy or as 'paradisey', if you would call it that, for everyone living on the island. But what touched me was that even though quite a few people are not that financially well-off, they still remain content with whatever they have - the biggest blessing one could have.

You are right in suggesting that it will eventually have to be my and my familys' decision, and also at the same time have pointed out to what I wanted to hear - regarding a comfortable life, if one does well, which in turn is possible for entrepreneurs.

Many thanks for your time, others, please keep your opinions flowing.

Hoping to move back to the island soon.

Visited there many times. I want to ( will) relocate to Mauritius shortly . Lifestyle  and political stability. Also low corruption, crime and religious extremity.  I lot of complaints I see on the forum happen worldwide.  The positives outweigh the negatives by far. Would like to engage  privately on entrepreneurial issues.  Mauritius  rates highly on ease of doing business. see https://youtu.be/3iq-LvGtz2g. I want to do something similar there.

Hi
I moved here from Ireland 6 months ago with my Mauritian partner. He showed me all the nice tourist trap things before I moved, so I moved without doing any research really. In hindsight, stupid of me!
My situation is different in that I moved here to stay with his family for a short period before we got our own place. I've travelled a lot & worked for years in Germany, Australia, New York. I have travelled a lot alone to Cambodia, Thailand, Bali, New Zealand, Fiji & always felt safe wherever I've gone, taking usual precaution of course as a female traveller.
But here is probably where I've felt least safe. I'm living outside touristy areas, in Curepipe. My main issue is you cannot trust anyone, I understand the people here are poor compared to European standards but I've been in Cambodia for 2 months, where people live on dollar a day & I trusted them more.
The corruption here is unbelievable. The police take bribes, everyone does. It infiltrates every area of life. No one trusts anyone & that is my main reason for being negative. I never thought would even be an issue because in Ireland & most places I've travelled I've not thought much of it, bar the usual suspects that rip tourists off. But that goes with travelling.
Safe enough in tourist areas but expect to witness a lot of fights, aggression, Neanderthal male behaviour. To me it's like going back in time. As a woman, you are second class citizen. Men rule here, if you are a feminist you will struggle daily.
To come alone, I wouldn't travel here alone. Especially at night, I would never go out at night alone.
Violence against women can be seen in the street, by their husband/partner. It's accepted here. No one even intervenes, no respect for women.
Disrespect of the island....littering is my major bug bear. People just throw their litter even if bin in sight, it's disgusting. No respect for place live in.
Bureaucracy....my god, nightmare
Customer service, rarity to find good
Driving....I put it off for 4 months, they are lunatics, too fast, careless, no manners, aggressive
Internet...very slow. Tech wise years behind
Cost of living... So high for imports, cars, groceries, entertainment but cheap for locally grown food etc
Cheap for rent, utilities compared to Ireland & lot others
Health....make sure you have health insurance, public Hosp disgrace, I thought Ireland was bad. Chaos on Hosp, have security & police, I've witnessed fights in A&E over queues!
Positives are its beauty, beaches, weather, activities, dholl puri!
My situation is different I'm living surrounded by extended family so my experience is different in that mauritians are with me most of time I go out. Even they are always ripped off!

Hi Sam - watch out for the ''go back home if you don't like it'' brigade! I think they may not actually be expats but lurk!

The woman asked for opinions...

Lurking expats???

You don't even live here!

Hi bingo
It's just my experience
I'm not staying!

Sam1974 wrote:

Hi
I moved here from Ireland 6 months ago with my Mauritian partner. He showed me all the nice tourist trap things before I moved, so I moved without doing any research really. In hindsight, stupid of me!
My situation is different in that I moved here to stay with his family for a short period before we got our own place. I've travelled a lot & worked for years in Germany, Australia, New York. I have travelled a lot alone to Cambodia, Thailand, Bali, New Zealand, Fiji & always felt safe wherever I've gone, taking usual precaution of course as a female traveller.
But here is probably where I've felt least safe. I'm living outside touristy areas, in Curepipe. My main issue is you cannot trust anyone, I understand the people here are poor compared to European standards but I've been in Cambodia for 2 months, where people live on dollar a day & I trusted them more.
The corruption here is unbelievable. The police take bribes, everyone does. It infiltrates every area of life. No one trusts anyone & that is my main reason for being negative. I never thought would even be an issue because in Ireland & most places I've travelled I've not thought much of it, bar the usual suspects that rip tourists off. But that goes with travelling.
Safe enough in tourist areas but expect to witness a lot of fights, aggression, Neanderthal male behaviour. To me it's like going back in time. As a woman, you are second class citizen. Men rule here, if you are a feminist you will struggle daily.
To come alone, I wouldn't travel here alone. Especially at night, I would never go out at night alone.
Violence against women can be seen in the street, by their husband/partner. It's accepted here. No one even intervenes, no respect for women.
Disrespect of the island....littering is my major bug bear. People just throw their litter even if bin in sight, it's disgusting. No respect for place live in.
Bureaucracy....my god, nightmare
Customer service, rarity to find good
Driving....I put it off for 4 months, they are lunatics, too fast, careless, no manners, aggressive
Internet...very slow. Tech wise years behind
Cost of living... So high for imports, cars, groceries, entertainment but cheap for locally grown food etc
Cheap for rent, utilities compared to Ireland & lot others
Health....make sure you have health insurance, public Hosp disgrace, I thought Ireland was bad. Chaos on Hosp, have security & police, I've witnessed fights in A&E over queues!
Positives are its beauty, beaches, weather, activities, dholl puri!
My situation is different I'm living surrounded by extended family so my experience is different in that mauritians are with me most of time I go out. Even they are always ripped off!

Even if i think that you make some valid points, i do think you are overstating certain issues and aspects of living here.

In terms of safety and security, I sincerely believe Mauritius is not as bad as you seem to be portraying it. Of course, you must take certain precautions as you must do in every country such as avoiding bad neighborhoods and choosing carefully where you go at night. But if you stick to the main areas where there's a lot of hustle and bustle, i really don't think safety is much of an issue.

As for corruption, yes it is problematic and systemic but i really don't think it will affect the average person as much as you're suggesting. Sure, you have to know the lay of the land and knowing the price of an item especially if you're buying street food or an item from a street merchant is important, because they will try to take advantage of foreigners, but again you can bypass them altogether or just learn to be savvy.

In regard to male chauvinism, i really don't think it's as bad as you're saying it is despite recognizing that exists. On the contrary, in the professional arena women do very well in Mauritius, holding high placed jobs in both the private and public sectors. I think this issue has more to do with the class of people you're dealing with, which by all accounts seems to be on the lower rung of society here. That's just something you need to avoid but if you go to any low class area in any country in the world you'll witness fights break out, and crimes being committed. It's everyone's responsibility to be sure they're always in the right place at the right time and surrounded by the right people. Even if you can't always guarantee that (and i have witnessed the occasional public spat), it will certainly mitigate your exposure to that kind of behavior.

I honestly believe that perhaps you are more frustrated with your specific living arrangement or situation and are generalizing that to the country as a whole. And i think that's unfair.

Mauritius is certainly not perfect but it's also far from being as bad as you seem to think it is.

I was giving my opinion & re iterated I was in different environment.

Sam1974 wrote:

I was giving my opinion & re iterated I was in different environment.

Oh my, it seems you came here with way way too much expectations, on virtually all the points you have raised.
Mauritius never claimed to be crime-free, corruption-free, red tape-free or free from the other vices you mentioned.

Mauritius is still a developing island country and consequently have to deal with all the societal-economic and cultural issues that this entails.
It's an insular dot in the middle of the ocean far from most land masses where everything takes longer to materialize and where the pace of life is slower. It's neither Cambodia nor Ireland, just Mauritius.

Regarding male chauvinism, Mauritius is at the confluence of 3 highly patriarchal regions - Asia, Middle East, Africa - did you really expect things to be different here?
That said, some of you points you raised are overblown not to say completely baseless like domestic violence. No it's not accepted here. Men (and women) involved and found guilty of domestic violence (verbal or physical) are sentenced in a court of law!
If you witness cases of domestic violence in the streets, my take on this is that you live in quite a not-so rosy area. Because I can assure you street fights involving couples in general are rare occurrences.

Re crime. I live in Pereybere which is supposedly a nice enough area. 2 years ago our apartment was robbed. This totally changed my perception on crime in Mauritius, which before that was positive and I've lived here 8 years.

Re male chauvinism. Of course it exists in Mauritius - its a patriarchal society where men come first.

Not a day goes by without you read  about a rape or domestic violence case in Mauritius. Marital rape is still not a crime or wasn't as of 2016.

Even the government was concerned about it.

Corruption? Yes, from the top to the bottom.

Sam is  absolutely right to point these things out.

http://www.afrol.com/articles/25317

Crime is a problem, i don't think anyone is denying that. However, Mauritius is a lot safer than many African and Asian countries and the crime rate is significantly lower. And that's the most apt comparison, if you want to compare it to European countries then sure, it won't fare well but you obviously have to allow for differences in the development of the respective countries. 

Again, male chauvinism is i think overblown, i don't think this is nearly as bad as other countries in the region, certainly not as bad as South Asian and African countries, which are the most relevant comparison to Mauritius. If you have specific grievances to cite please do so, but again i feel like many of you are dealing with the bottom end of society here and generalizing that to the entire country. The president until recently was a woman, it's common to see women in top professions such as the medical and legal fields, and as someone who works in finance i can tell you i've met many women in top jobs. So how bad is male chauvinism really? I feel this is being really overstated.

As for rape and domestic violence, it is a problem but if you go by the news which is always sensationalizing everything, then of course that will give you a negative view of the country. But their job is to get people to buy newspapers or click on links, so you have to account for that. Are you supposed to judge the U.S and the UK by what you read in the tabloids there?

I am not comparing it to any other country, European, African or Asian. I say it as I find it. It is as it is.

What do you mean by dealing with the "bottom end of Society" exactly. As I stated I live in Pereybere which as far as I know isn't a bad area?

The President? I'm not saying anything about her here, but not exactly a shining example of public service was she?

I note you ignored my point about marital rape?

And you are saying that all news is basically click bait? Rubbish!

BTW I never read tabloids

It's not about Perebeyre or whatever region you live in, it's about the type of people you deal with on a daily basis, that will relate to your occupation and place of residence not what town you live in. There are good and bad areas within a town you live in including Perebeyre.

Yeah but it's not about her being a shining example or not, it's the fact that she was a woman who ascended to one of the highest positions in the country. She was in fact the only female head of state in Africa, so again it dispels the notion that we live in such a male chauvinistic country.

If you're in a marriage where marital rape is an issue i think that has more do with your own personal circumstances than with society. People are free to marry and divorce as they wish here, people have to know their rights.

I see you didn't respond to my question so i'll ask it again: should we judge the UK by what we read in the British tabloids? Is that fair? Obviously the most salacious stories are what're reported.

Anyhow, if you think so little of Mauritius then you are free to go back to your own country, no one is forcing you to be here.

<<  If you're in a marriage where marital rape is an issue i think that has more do with your own personal circumstances than with society. People are free to marry and divorce as they wish here, people have to know their rights. >>

I was simply using the fact that marital rape in marriage is not illegal in Mauritius as an example of the patriarchal society that Mauritius is, it is not a personal experience.

I told you once I don't read tabloid newspapers so your question is irrelevant.

Unless of course you mean Le Defi and L'Express and online news sources in Mauritius.

I am not going to argue with you anymore.

Marital rape is a very complex issue, the idea that a developing country like Mauritius is going to be at the forefront of such legislation is having unrealistic expectations. The fact that legislation is being discussed to make it illegal in the first place means it's not something which is condoned.

Yes, L'Express and Le Defi are tabloid newspapers.

Welcome to mauritius

Hey Daisymay2,

If you are so unhappy in Mauritius, go back to England.  Why did you move to Mauritius in the first place?

The same applies to you Sam1974, go back to Ireland.

No-one is forcing you to stay...

Hi islander
Are you male by any chance???

A woman asked for people's opinion, I gave mine. Said my circumstance was a lot different. But at same time any woman should know what the attitudes are like here.
I don't plan on staying because of the lack of trust here, among other things.
The female president, great example there!

My gender is irrelevant here.  You are being gender bias and politicizing this.  And you seem to be unhappy with your island life.  If you want to live in a place where the female gender will feel at home, then Justin Trudeau with his "PeopleKind comment" would be happy to have you in Canada.  Let's see how you will feel and for how long.

Male obviously
A female asked for opinions!
Gender bias comes into everyday life here, politicising??
Justin who? I've no interest in Canada but thanks for the heads up!

My exact point.  Gender bias is everywhere in this world, not only in Mauritius.  People has to start following news from around the world and get themselves updated. Internet is the perfect tool and there is a search engine called "Google".

And again who said I am male!!!

Never said it wasn't, it's more extreme here, in my humble opinion, which is all i was giving!
Google, thanks again, another heads up, you are most informative.
That was my first &  last reply to any questions on this site. Good luck mr Canada 001!

http://reports.weforum.org/global-gende … conomy=MUS

Sam, I'm really sorry for the way you feel after marrying your husband and moving here. I have known a few other European women who married Mauritian men and moved back to Mauritius with them and I assure you that it's pretty common to feel the way you do. I feel this is more of a cultural thing than a place specific thing.

The Mauritian culture, largely based on Indian culture, is one where family and extended family is closely interwoven into the social fabric of day to day life. Quite unlike western and European cultures, where personal space and privacy is paramount. This is what makes Mauritius unique and the people warm. Friends and neighbours are always willing to help, stick around if you feel low and all of that.

Marital issues exist everywhere on the planet, and the west isn't exactly perfect with separation rates hovering around 50%. Domestic violence is never ever acceptable in my opinion and is usually seen in that section of the society where people aren't educated or intellectual enough to talk out their differences - again true for all places, just that probably Mauritius being a developing country still has a larger proportion of such people.

So could we please kindly stick to the factors that you considered before moving here and how has your life been since?

Islander316 buddy, I guess you have a pretty balanced outlook of the island, are you an expat? Could I request for your perspective please?

Others, please chip in for a healthy and relevant discussion?

<<  islander316 buddy, I guess you have a pretty balanced outlook of the island, are you an expat? Could I request for your perspective please? >>

Check out his profile. He lives in Mauritius and he does not state he is an expat.

As for Canada 001 who told me to go back to the UK and Sam to go back to Ireland he hasn't lived in Mauritius since 2008 according to his profile and if so he isn't exactly up to date with things.

Get sick and tired of seeing expats on here being slated by others when they offer any criticism, no matter how slight, of Mauritius.

I am also married to a Mauritian BTW and before we moved visited the island regularly from the 80s so not exactly a novice re Mauritius.

Sam and I were simply saying it as we find it. Full stop.