Mauritius and South East Coast

I live in Pointe d’esny, Mahebourg, a small town on the south east coast of Mauritius. Most days I go into Mahebourg and people are always chatting to one another, bike riding between shops and houses , walking with dogs, fishing in the sea or just relaxing under a tree alongside the road. Every afternoon there are school children walking home or playing in the streets, laughing and having fun. Many of the men are fishing or coming home after a long day of fishing. Every now and then a guy on a motor bike will ride past screaming ‘bread for sale’ in Creole, a Mauritian language which is a Mauritian-French based language. There are always maids waiting at the bus stops after work all chatting about their day and smiling at every passer-by. From what I have observed over the afternoons’ is that Mauritian’s are very friendly people who are always willing to help and accommodate anybody in need. Many Mauritians speak French and English as it was previously colonised by France and Britain. They also speak creole which was adapted from French.

As I look around there are many nationalities, French, Chinese, Créole, Indian and Franco-Mauritian. Franco-Mauritian people are the white French families on the island and take up a small percentage of the population. By observing many people in Mahebourg I can see that they really try to enjoy every moment in life and live to the fullest. Children are always smiling, playing with friends, happy and very appreciative of everything they have. The adults work hard at what they do, but they also take time to relax, as I look down the street there is an elderly man sitting on his usual chair under a tree watching the traffic pass by and the children enjoy the sunshine and sea. There is a lagoon in mahebourg where all the children swim, play, scream and shout all weekend. There are always people on their pirogue fishing in the lagoon.