Meet the expats : Karen & Jean Perdreau: Keeping Positive

Since the time that we have been running this feature, we have only interviewed people with overall very positive experiences of life on the island. However, this week, we’re bringing to you a lovely couple that hasn’t quite found their feet in Mauritius yet and wanted to share their experiences with us to show that life isn’t always perfect on a paradise island. This is what happened when we met Karen and Jean - who moved to Mauritius from the UK in December 2016 - a couple of weeks ago.

So Jean, to begin with you, you were born in Mauritius?
Jean: Yeah that’s right, I was born in Mahebourg and I left here when I was seven years old with my parents. My dad was working for McAlpine, building the airport at the time. Mauritius was under the British colonial rule and McAlpine offered him the opportunity to go to England and work, so off he went. My mum, brother and I followed. I’ve lived in England for over 51 years.

Do you remember anything about Mauritius from your childhood?
Jean: I remember the first time I came back, 17 years ago, when my brother and I returned to bury the old man. Going back to Mahebourg, I remembered the school, my street… they were always in my mind.

In England, when my father was alive, we used to work together; he was a carpenter by trade but also a builder and I worked with my dad. Basically, because my dad and I spoke our language, Creole, I never forgot it. My close relatives in Mauritius were surprised that although I was British, I could still speak Creole.

Did you come back to visit often after that?   
Yes. After my father’s burial, I came back every year for a holiday.

And do you like it here?   
Yes, I do like it here. At this stage of my life now, it’s nice to go back to my roots. I missed my family and my cousins.  I returned home to spend the rest of my life in Mauritius.

What about you Karen? How did your relationship with Mauritius come to be born?
Karen: Jean and I met in 2007 through my work. So we had a lovely holiday, I got to know his family and it was two days before we were due to fly back to the UK and we heard some people in the next apartment talking about property for sale.

They were referring to some specific apartments, and I jokingly said to Jean that we should buy one of them. So we thought, why not be nosey and go and have a look… and we bought one! *laughs* So, two days before we were due back, we were in a bit of a rush trying to get all the paperwork done!

That’s a big step. So then, how did the move to Mauritius happen?
Karen: We bought the apartment with the view that this is where we want to end up, but obviously ten years earlier, we weren’t ready, but we knew we had a base to come out to for holidays. So that’s what we did and we came back pretty much every year. And then it was in June 2016 when we came back with the view of “are we going to make the move here?” We used that trip as a bit of a mission to find out as much as we could and everything we needed to do make the move.

At that time my job was becoming extremely stressful and I was really ill. I suffered a mini-stroke at work – that was six months before – so I knew I was coming to the point where I needed to take a step back and let Jean do what he always wanted to do, which was to come back and bring his skills to the people of Mauritius. So we had that holiday and we went back thinking this is doable. We decided that we needed to start making plans.

The first step for me was handing in my notice at work, which was a big deal. They would have tied me to my chair to stop me leaving! I’d worked there for 18 years; I was a department store manager with a team of 50 people. They always knew I was going to leave but they really didn’t want me to!

How did you feel about giving up your job?
Karen: Very mixed emotions… a big part of my life had been invested in a job that I thoroughly enjoyed. It was a massive challenge and I’d grown within the role; I’d taken the job as far as I possibly could. I worked there 18 years and I was headhunted by the company.

Before that role, I worked for myself as a designer/dressmaker for bridal wear. It was a nice progression. It was very sad for me to leave. My leaving party was huge and people from all the branches came.

And so, how then did you feel about moving to Mauritius?
Karen: I think it all really hit me on the day we were leaving the UK; when we were at Heathrow waiting for our flight, and you just think, “this is it, I’ve given everything” and you’re just going out and hoping it’s all going to work out.

It was a new opportunity. I knew it was going to be totally different for me, having worked full-time for so long, but I was ready to take the back seat.

When you arrived in December 2016 and you knew that this was your brand new start, how did adjusting to life here differ to the times before?
Jean: Well, it wasn’t that hard because we both used to come back every year –for the past 10 years. So it wasn’t difficult to adjust to the life here. Getting used to Mauritian life wasn’t difficult at all… it was getting used to the Mauritian way.

Karen: Yes, which can frustrate the hell out of you, as we’ve found out!

Jean: They’ll tell you one time, ‘I’ll be there at 9am’, and 9am will come and go and no one’s arrived.

Karen: I find it so frustrating, even now. You spend your whole day inside waiting for someone to turn up and then you call them and they’re somewhere else altogether! But I guess you just have to accept that’s what it’s like.

Did you face any other particular difficulties that stand out to you?
Karen: Not only that, when we bought a vehicle, we had a lot of trouble getting the vehicle through customs; despite doing research on the MRA website and speaking to people in high positions here, we found the information was actually incorrect when it came to actually doing it. I’m just glad it’s over and I wouldn’t ever want to do that again.

Jean: The information on the website is very unclear…

Karen: If I were doing this again, I would not use an agent unless I was able to speak to their representative on the other side, definitely.

Did life get better after that experience?
Karen: Well it did, but then it kind of went bad again.

Jean: I had my own business for 39 years in the UK. I’m a professional painter and decorator. My business was very successful for those 39 years, during which I’ve never had to advertise, apart from the last two years, where I put my name on my vehicle. All of my work came to me through word of mouth.

Karen: A big part of what Jean always wanted to do was to train people in Mauritius how to properly do painting and decorating, because how they do it here leaves a lot to be desired. So Jean wanted to make things better for the people of Mauritius.

We came out here with the intention that Jean would work for himself but then a company approached him. It sounded really good; they wanted him to go on board as a supervisor, they wanted to recruit a team for him so he could train a team of painters and decorators here. So he accepted this job and it lasted for eight months.

Then what happened?
Jean: I was laid off. Basically, I was exploited. I was used to train up all these guys with my skills and then it was like “off you go.” I did work at One&Only Le Saint Géran; I did work at LUX* Grand Gaube, which was the two mock-up units of what they wanted. There I became good friends with the owner. When it was all finished, I was applauded. I wasn’t just a supervisor, you know? I was getting myself dirty; I was doing the work and showing them how to do it.

It’s a real shame that you were laid off like that. What would you say that sets you apart from other painters/decorators in Mauritius? Why should someone choose you for the job?
Jean: My work starts from the beginning – it’s prep work to the extreme and fulfilling the job to the highest possible standard. I’m a perfectionist. I’ll give you 101%.

We saw a big need for it here – Mauritians seem to not have a clue, I can’t put it any other way. I’ve seen so many things here where these people like to have the Mauritians come in to do a job for them, but unfortunately they aren’t doing it the right way.

They won’t charge a lot but whatever they do isn’t going to last very long – then six months later, they’re going to have to pay again to get the job done again. My job isn’t just a job; it’s my passion because I put my heart and soul into it. I enjoy doing it; I look forward to doing it, which is more than what a lot of people can say and I’m thankful for that.

Karen: It’s an all-round professional service; Jean’s knowledge, and the quality of the work that the Mauritian people don’t have and don’t understand. And we can’t seem to find the people who want a high-quality, professional level of service for their painting and decorating needs. There are people here that would want this but we just need to find out who they are and where they are.

Well hopefully, the right people will find you and appreciate your level and quality of service. Have you managed to build a support network here?
Karen: I can’t find it easy to do so and I think it’s because of where we live. The reason we chose Blue Bay is because Mahebourg is where Jean has his only family, and also because we loved the area, as it’s quiet.

But coming on holiday here and living here are two different things, and I feel this isn’t the right place to be for us to join an expat community. We are open to the fact that we may just have to move.

Jean: Yep, at the moment, it’s just me, her and the cat!

What would the ideal future look like for you here in Mauritius?
Karen: In the immediate future, I just want to see Jean happy and doing what he enjoys the most for people that appreciate it.

Jean: And mainly for us to have a comfortable life for the rest of our lives.

Karen: Yes, we want to enjoy life without having to worry about money and we want to look forward to our retirement in a beautiful country, because we know life here could be beautiful.
Since our meeting with Karen and Jean, you’ll be pleased to read that life is getting better for them! Jean has been out working with some great clients and Karen has set herself up as a baker under the name of Karen’s Cakes – offering authentic traditional English cakes to the people of Mauritius, which has been met with much enthusiasm. Following on from her dressmaker days, she is also able to design and make clothes and soft furnishings and would like to offer these creative services to fellow islanders.