Our monthly feature would not be complete without including this segment of consumers with diverse profiles (retirees, entrepreneurs, employees): expatriates. Two French families tell us about their experience in Mauritius.
On the plans
If for Sarah and Jérôme, this life project represented above all “an expatriation, wherever that may be”, it wasn’t specifically aimed at Mauritius, or even an island! However, two years after their first job in the Seychelles, a promotion led the couple to Mauritius, where Jérôme has been head sommelier for the Constance Hotels & Resorts group for 17 years. Their two daughters, Margaux (14) and Elaura (soon 13), have been living abroad since birth.
Sophie and her family have sold everything they have in France for 2019, to take an enchanted break. Mauritius was chosen for its climate, but above all for the multiculturalism and French-English bilingualism in which Julien and Louis (aged 14 and 10) would be immersed. Philippe, the father, continues to work from home, while Sophie is a civil servant on leave. One salary… but more time to enjoy family life!
On arrival
At the age of 11, Julien was uprooted from his homeland, but the region’s welcoming spirit soon got the better of him. For Louis, living outdoors in flip-flops and shorts all year round immediately enchanted him! Parents instill in their sons “the value of those four years in the sun, sometimes bringing them back down to earth, faced with the often ‘no-budget’ world of expatriation!” As a volunteer for a local association (like Sarah), Sophie has seen the solidarity of Mauritians and their difficult living conditions – tin houses, minimum wages of just over 10,000Rs – but she welcomes a way of life where “nothing is urgent, we take our time!
Margaux and Elaura savor the kindness of the locals, the paradisiacal beaches and the extracurricular activities. Sarah adds the peace and quiet, the safety, the quality of teaching and… golf for Jérôme, who has become a golf addict! What’s missing? The family, of course, cultural exhibitions, good restaurants… at affordable prices, cheese! And Jérôme replies: “European vineyards! However, this sommellerie enthusiast is fulfilled professionally, working alongside some very talented young Mauritians.
Today
With current price inflation (housing, food…), pollution tops the list of things to worry about. And while Sarah detects a growing governmental awareness, Sophie deplores the local indifference to the protection of a precious heritage, which she places well beyond “greens or fine sand”.
Everyone agrees, however: learning Creole, being curious about the host country, getting to know its people, accepting its cultural differences… it’s all about enriching yourself, integrating and blossoming!