MEET THE EXPATS: Shannon & Rishi Nursimulu

Having just launched their fifth campus, the Founder and the Director of Dukesbridge schools - which offer pre-primary and primary education here in Mauritius - also happen to be a radiant husband-wife/ Australian-Mauritian couple. In 2014, after spending some time in Australia and then London, Shannon and Rishi Nursimulu decided to finally settle down right here on the beautiful island of Mauritius and live the dream.

The pair, along with their two young sons (while currently expecting a third), live a lifestyle that many would aspire to and we were hugely impressed at the success their business has achieved in such a short space of time, as well as the lives that they have worked hard for and built for themselves here. We met the inspiring couple at the Dukesbridge Port-Louis campus last week, and here’s what happened…

Firstly, thank you for meeting with us! To begin with, we’re aware that you previously lived in Australia. Did you get married there?

S: We got married in my hometown in Australia, had a reception in Sydney where we were living and then had a big five-day wedding here in Mauritius, as you do! *Laughs*

What took you to Australia, Rishi?

R: I was working in London at the time and an opportunity came up to do a rotation in Sydney for the same company. So I moved out there for a year, then I met Shannon and one year became four. We had Ashton (their eldest son), then we moved to London and Tristan was born there (their second child).

 …And your third child is going to be born in Mauritius! How do you feel about that?

S: Really good. We’re going for private health care, and from what I’ve experienced so far, the treatment has been really good. 

You’ve lived in Australia and London. What brought you to Mauritius in the end? 

R: My job was in investment banking and I did that for about 12 years. It’s very glamorous or whatever, but there is a price to pay – and that’s the long hours. You sacrifice a lot of family time. And then we had our second born… I knew my health would take a toll and I was already seeing signs of this happening. With that in mind, we decided to look at our options. The company I was working for… asked me to come here for three months to see if I could work here. So we came here… and we used this time to explore and see whether Shannon could fit in. She’d been here for holidays in the past but this time we had our flat and car, so it was a good way to see if she could fit in. Then after four months, we went back to London, packed up and we moved here!

So, when was the point that you said to yourselves, ‘yes, let’s just do it’?

Both: When we went back to London. 

R: …and even though it’s great there, we wanted our life to mean something. We found we were trapped in the rat race, doing what everyone does. When you’re there, you just do it but when you step out, you realise there’s life outside. And you realise Mauritius is not bad as a place…

S: … it’s not only ‘not bad’ - it’s fabulous!

Shannon, you’ve lived in different countries but how did you find adapting to life in Mauritius particularly?

S: Initially, it was a bit of a culture shock, to be honest. In the Australian culture, you don’t normally see so much of your family. You see them for big events, but that’s it, or maybe you might do a once-a-week thing. But here in Mauritius, I did struggle with the amount of obligation to be at family functions, and in particular because of the language barrier. 

Is there anything else that you find challenging about living here?

S: Probably making friends. In Sydney, for example, if you were having a baby you’d go to parenting classes where you’d meet other people… Or you’d go to sporting events and make friends. Perhaps, in more expat type areas, it would be easier (to make new friends), but being quite central, I’ve found that quite hard. 

Moving on to the business, where did the idea to set up Dukesbridge come from?

S: We always wanted to have a business together and we did wonder what it should be for some time.

R: It originally started off with our own needs for the schooling of our son. There were a lot of schools that we visited… but they didn’t really suit our needs. We heard a lot of Creole and French being spoken, despite them being English Medium schools and then on the other side, there were the international schools, which are extremely expensive... You have the poor community whose needs are being met by the government with government schools and then you have the high-end with the international schools. There was no one really catering to the working/middle class people… and that’s how Dukesbridge started: with the aim of providing something of good quality to the local community without charging excessive fees. We started with our first school in Moka… and then two turned into three and so on, and it’s pretty much a fulltime role for both of us now.

How did the local community take to Dukesbridge? Was there a good response?

R: At the beginning, people don’t know you, so it was all about selling the vision, working hard, rolling up our sleeves and looking at curriculums… There were no swimming activities for children under six at the time before Dukesbridge, so we formed a synergy with swimming and ballet. People were saying they were too young to learn at that age but they’re not babies and it helps to boost up their confidence. As soon as it took off, well, it was just word of mouth. That’s the thing with Mauritius - if something goes wrong it’s very much gossiped about, but it’s the same if something goes well also. As soon as we got a good group of around 20/25 children, the floodgates opened… and then we had to go to the second campus after that! 

As outsiders, we feel that maybe there is too much emphasis placed on academic achievement e.g. with extra private tuition taking place before and after school. It seems that there is a lot of pressure put on students here. How do you feel about the culture of education in Mauritius?

S: I think yes, there is a lot of emphasis placed on academic achievement, and I don’t agree with extra tuition. But what I do really appreciate and love about school culture here is that academics are praised. In Australia, it is all about sports and if you weren’t particular sporty, then you were a nerd, and not cool. But nerds are cool here and I love that! I love that smart people like my husband are adored here, and embraced, and championed. I think that is wonderful. But I also think it’s awful that if you’re not academically minded, then there’s nothing for you.

R: I think that’s something we wanted to change - to try and change the mindset. The fact that you’re academic doesn’t mean that you’re not good at anything else. At Dukesbridge, we look at developing all-rounders… When I went to University in London, I realised a lot of people coming from different countries were extremely good at music, were sporty and very academic, too. You can have it all. There is a misconception (in Mauritius)… and that’s the shift in mindset that we would like to bring to the Mauritian community. We’ve found parents are loving it! So many parents are sending their children to swimming, to ballet, to karate - and this is what makes us proud. We’re changing the shape of what is typically defined as historical Mauritian culture, around education. 

How did you find the process of starting your business here?

S: It was difficult. But I think that’s because of the area that we’re in – education. I believe there are very strict guidelines worldwide. This business isn’t about things; it’s about people’s hearts. Little hearts on legs, so to speak. 

R: There’s quite a lot of bureaucracy involved in terms of all the things that need to be done. Sometimes you’d go to a particular department that was quite far away and they could just tell you ‘you don’t have the right documents, come back on Monday’. There is nowhere that states clearly that this is what needs to be done, step-by-step.

Yes, we totally understand. On a brighter note, what do you like most about Mauritius? What are the standout things for you?

S: I love that we have the benefit of Mauritian rates at the resorts here, one or two nights every so often. If I had the choice to go overseas or stay here if I wanted to relax, I would totally stay here. 

R: We went to Fiji on our honeymoon and we found that it wasn’t as nice as Mauritius. The quality of the beaches wasn’t the same. 

S: And I think that hotel staff in Mauritius are very well trained. It’s not the same when you go to other hotels. And also, I love boulettes! My favourite ones are the vegetarian ones. 

And where is your favourite place for boulettes?

S: At the moment I think the best place is L’Esplanade du Pouce in Port Louis. And there’s a beautiful Chinese couple that run it that are always so nice!

Do you have any final thoughts you’d like to share about your life in Mauritius?

S: We love taking the children out to the beach. I also really enjoy the natural beauty of Mauritius. I get to visit two campuses a day and drive through beautiful mountain ranges and cane fields. I get to see the sea in the distance. I’ve loved it here for about a year now. I think it took me about two years to settle in properly but now that I have, I absolutely love it.

By Sabah Ismail & Khalid Khadaroo