MEET THE EXPATS: Emma Louise Lebon The British Girl Living a Truly Mauritian Life

It was another bright, sunny day in Port Louis, with people flitting about here and there, going about their business; grabbing morning coffees as they headed on to work or strolling along Caudan Waterfront casually, enjoying the everyday beautiful views.  As Emma approached us, she exuded an air of confidence, smiling confidently, greeting us with the traditional Mauritian ‘kiss on each cheek’ and introducing herself. Instantly, it was apparent that this was a girl who was at home in Mauritius – more than comfortable and just so happy to be here.

29-year-old Emma officially made the move to Mauritius in January of this year (2017) and for someone who has not been here very long, appears to be very settled already and rather relaxed in her new home country.  However, if you’d have asked Emma two years ago whether one day she thought she’d be living in Mauritius, the answer would have definitely been no. But here she is.

Born and bred in Nottingham, located in the East Midlands in England, Emma was living a very British single girl life; living alone, working and enjoying life in her own way. She had no plans in her head to leave and not even an inkling of an idea that one day she might not be living in England any more.  But life has its funny ways of turning things around and shaking a person into making a change, and this change found its way to Emma through the tragic loss of her beloved grandparents, who passed away just four weeks apart. The sudden loss of two people who meant so much to her sent Emma into an isolated bubble of sadness and despair, where she cut herself off from the rest of the world. Little did she know at the time however, that this dark time in her life would lead to a life filled with light (and lots of sunlight!) in magical Mauritius.

Deciding that she needed a change, one day Emma began to apply for jobs abroad and alas, almost immediately she was offered a job in France. Within three weeks of accepting it, she had packed up her life, her apartment, sold everything and moved across the English Channel, to the other side! It was here that her life was about to change more drastically than ever before, as it was at the same site where she was offered the job that she met her now husband, Mauritian Bryan – and the rest is history. France saw the beginning of their love story – and Mauritius is the place where that love now continues to blossom, as Emma left everything behind and moved to this stunning island to marry and be with her soul mate.

When you think of expats, immediately images of middle-aged, privileged people appear in your mind, living luxurious lives in beautiful beach homes. But there are many others out there who don’t live that way and Emma is a perfect example of that. The 29-year-old’s life is now completely different to how it used to be and far removed from the stereotypical expat ‘image’: she lives in a typical Mauritian neighbourhood in Port Louis, in a house with her husband and all of his family, on a plot of land shared with another family member, with the toilet and shower even being outside – we don’t think you can get more traditionally Mauritian than that. She said these changes were obviously quite difficult to get used to at first but now everything is just normal. She told us, “Being here and seeing how people are and how they just appreciate everything they have, made me realise how much we moan back in the UK and how much we don’t appreciate the little things. The people here are happy with what they’ve got, they have everything they need… moving to Mauritius really has opened my eyes in so many ways.”

She also told us that her favourite thing about the island is the beaches (we’re sure most people would agree!), however dislikes include mosquitoes (again, we agree) and also the vast number of stray dogs roaming the streets. As an animal lover, seeing the strays upon arriving in Mauritius is something that really affected her and after three weeks of being here, led her to contact PAWS Mauritius and take up a volunteering spot with them.  She also helps E3 Counseling, where with them, she is trying to show Mauritian people that anyone and everyone could suffer with mental health issues at some point in their life and that this is nothing to be hidden away or ashamed of. 

As a passionate writer, moving to Mauritius gave Emma the perfect opportunity to start her own blog, Mauritian Memoirs, in which she documents her journey and her life here. The blog is open, honest, captivating and inspiring and is a definite must read for anyone interested to know more about, as she puts it herself, being a “white girl in a purely Mauritian neighbourhood”. You can find it at www.mauritianmemoirs.wordpress.com.

Currently, the young Brit is in the latter stages of setting up her own business; another idea that came to her upon arriving on the island. As a woman that wants to help people from all backgrounds and change the world for the better, Emma wishes to give everyone in Mauritius equal opportunities when it comes to education.  She said, “I will be offering the opportunity for students to have taster university degree courses to learn more about the subject before they make the big decision; I will also be offering career assessments – very clear and in-depth assessments including psychometric tests which will determine the kind of person they are – and then I will open up resources to them… This will be the only personalised, detailed career assessment pathway offered to Mauritians in Mauritius at a cost-effective price.”

Her business will be launching a little later on this year.

Not everyone back in the UK was happy and supportive of her decision to make the big move (“They thought I was crazy!”) but as Emma said herself, living your life just to make others happy will only ever be detrimental to yourself.  Smiling, she told us that she is currently the most relaxed and content she has been in her entire life and is very happy here.

“I see myself as a local – I don’t see myself as an expat. I’m just a normal person here; I say hello to the neighbours, I try to make conversations. I feel like this is my home.”

To us, it appears that in moving to Mauritius, Emma probably made one of the best decisions of her life and is equally giving so much back to the country that has given so much to her. The British girl living a truly Mauritian life – we wish her the very best of luck.

By Sabah Ismail & Khalid Khadaroo