Comments on: When “home” starts to mean somewhere else

By: Eddy

Eddy — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 09:55:03 +0000

@Faisal: WHAT do you mean by being a ’slave’ in England? In hindsight, I feel like I was ’slaving’ more in Mauritius than I am here. I am still divided about where I will retire, though.

Eddy. (Just reading past comments and caught that particular word.)

By: e.young » Why Mauritius needs better toilet paper

e.young » Why Mauritius needs better toilet paper — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 23:57:21 +0000

[...] on the toilet during my morning routine, I realised once again what sort of things makes me want to rush back to England after I’ve experienced Mauritius for a couple of [...]

By: Faisal...

Faisal... — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:43:37 +0000

Hello Eddy

I was born in the UK but by the age of 5 my dad decided to return back to Mauritius (for personal reasons).

Whilst in Mauritius, living my childhood and teenage years overthere, I always missed the country in which I was born. I already had dual citizenship then but the old Mauritian law required that I choose one at the age of 18. Ironically, the law changed on that very year.

It is now official that I have lived in the UK more and I am pretty settled here. My parents live 6 months in the UK and 6 in Mauritius. My dad misses his old years in the UK and would like to settle for good here. However, I am quite fed up with the life here and contemplate having my freedom in Mauritius – I know I will. This is not as easy when you are a ’slave’ in this country.

For sure, I love both countries greatly. I feel hurt to see the problems in both of them. I feel proud to be part of them when talking about the great values of the two. However, I feel more and more unassociated with citizenship and more and more a citizen of the world.

By: Patrick Ng

Patrick Ng — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 12:46:16 +0000

By the way, where did you take that picture? The sea and scuba diving are some of the things I missed the most.

By: Patrick Ng

Patrick Ng — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 12:37:06 +0000

Maybe it’s because Mauritius is no longer your “home” (home is not used in a pejorative way here). Although after a while I want to head back to Canada, I don’t feel as bored as you do. Everyone’s situation is different. One of my favourite activities while in Mauritius, besides scuba diving, is to go into my parent’s shop and chat with the customers. Sheron calls this “wasting time,” but I call it “time well wasted.” :-)

By: Eddy

Eddy — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 05:12:10 +0000

YOUR point about home being more the country where you hold ownership is valid. Still, I’m missing more than just my house. I want to get back in the habits that I’ve developed in England: shop at the local store, get updated to the news, and so on. This desire may sound trivial, but the strange thing is that I no longer feel at home in Mauritius.

Eddy.

By: Patrick Ng

Patrick Ng — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 22:18:21 +0000

I know that feeling. During the first couple of years in Canada, “home” for me was still Mauritius. However, as the years went by, I started to call Canada “home.” Now, when I tell people that I am going home, they ask me when, thinking I mean going to Mauritius. The more years I spend in Canada, the more I have that feeling, although deep inside I’m still Mauritian. Now, every time I’m in Mauritius for vacations, there comes a day when I want to head back to Canada. It’s like the glass is full, one drop more and it will overflow.

The fact that I’ve never own the place I was living in Mauritius nor the car, but do own the place where I live and the car I have in Canada make a big difference.