6 Things I lost when I left Mauritius
Last semester, during my Business Oral Communication class, I was asked to stand up in front of the class and talk about a place I would like to live. I know that this might seem cliche as a topic to talk about, especially as a 20-year-old. But it was meant to be the first spontaneous talk we were to make without any prior guidance and I believe the professor wanted to give us some sort of comfort space. From that speech I did startle myself by what I had to say.
#1 The Blue Sky
Above the frenetic city hubbub, the buses taking their routes and swarms of pedestrians marching on their own personal missions the sky stays quiet here. The movement of the clouds is barely perceptible and I beg to see birds wheel in slow lazy arcs. This juxtaposition is lost on the citizens. No-one even looks up. I miss my blue sky, my blue sky back in Mauritius. It's so alive and loud and all blue.
#2 Daily Scenic Landscapes
I miss the sugarcane fields. The Mountain ranges against the quietness of the airs. The vegetable fields, rivers and reservoirs. Incredible native forests and wildlife, including vistas, gorges, peaks and waterfalls.
#3 The World's 2nd Best Air
In a recent survey conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) the Island has been ranked second in an outdoor air quality index too, now Mauritians & the travelers coming to the destination can breathe easy as the quality of the air in Mauritius is among the cleanest in the World. And I would blindly and nose-pinched agree to this after visiting so many countries. They may all have some casual air draughts and some wind blowing but the way your lungs tidal capacity naturally tingles to the intake of truly fresh and clean air in Mauritius, is absolutely divine. I miss this feeling.
#4 The Beach
Let's not even start here. I miss it. So much. Mauritius's beautiful beaches are a key draw - and with over 160 km-worth, including a calm lagoon almost entirely encircled by coral reef, you won't have to go far to find one. And having beaches is such a luxury to people all over the world that I feel being Mauritian is such a redemption. The north has the greatest concentration and variety of beaches, including small coves shaded by casuarina trees. The most celebrated stretches of talcum-white sand, gently sloping into a warm azure sea, are found in the glamorous east. The west coast has golden sand, shallow water and the best sunsets. What is worse, I live only 2 minutes to the beach by car. I can't forgive myself for not making the most of this opportunity.
#5 True Multiculturalism and Ethos
I was so shocked to read a recent news article publicizing [the country I'm in] as the most multicultural country in the world living in peace and harmony. Like dude, whom are you kidding?
Nobody here shares Divali sweets cross-culturally. Nobody wishes anyone 'Ramadan Kareem' cross-culturally. Festivals are only commercially celebrated and more of a tourist-whirl pooling contest. I mean, come on! They don't decently even have a Christian population and still gear up for Christmas, 6 months beforehand.
India is Salad Bowl, nobody can deny this. They are all segregated into the sense of South Indians and North Indian: the eternal Butter Chicken versus Idli debate. Everyone speaks a language of their own. If there's one country in this world that is truly multicultural and builds on the ultimate synergy, then that's Mauritius. This, I firmly believe, thanks to our common universal language: Kreol.
#6 Political Flair
Oh! Do I miss politics? Dear Lord! I feel as though part of me has been taken away ever since I left Mauritius simply because everywhere else beyond Mauritian waters, people dwell so extremely apolitical. It freaking sucks. The kind of political involvement Mauritians undertake in conversations- daily conversations- is one of its kind. It happens no where else. I miss the every day Radio debates, dissecting bills and laws and commenting on parliamentary debates. Gosh.
