Meeting a Mauritian for the First Time

Like Anja in my first Foreigners of Greystones post, I met Farzana in a local Parent & Toddler Groups. And I asked her what she had probably heard a million times before: “How could you leave Mauritius for Ireland?” I cringed at my own, unoriginal statement. In the end I was glad I asked as Farzana told me her story.

I wouldn’t have guessed where Farzana was from. In fact, I had never met anyone from Mauritius before. Nor did I know much about the island in the Indian Ocean. Except that it was a popular honeymoon destination with stunning beaches. I didn’t say that out loud though, to not pile on more cliched comments in our first conversation.

It turned out it was actually quite surprising I never met a Mauritian before. “We move around the world a lot because our ancestors emigrated to Mauritius, so it must be in our genes”, Farzana tells me. ” I remember someone saying that for a small island there are quite a number of us all around the world.“

Well, Farzana was the first person from Mauritius I have ever encountered and I was intrigued what brought her to Ireland.

From Mauritius to Ireland

Farzana had been living in different European countries before she came to Ireland which had prepared her for the different climate somewhat. “Gosh what an adjustment”, Farzana admits. “I have got used to it now, but the weather in Ireland was a whole new level compared to the continent.”

During her studies in France she met her future husband, also from Mauritius, who was studying in Ireland at the time. While Farzana returned to Mauritius for work, he stayed in Ireland to complete his training. After their wedding, Farzana joined him in Dublin swapping tropical Mauritius for the Emerald Isle.

But it wasn’t an “happily ever after” straight away, or this would be a very short story. After eight years in Ireland, meanwhile a family of four, they moved back to Mauritius. “As a family with two small children we were longing for support and it was hard being so far away from family and friends”, Farzana says. However after only nine months back home they decided to give Ireland another try, making the move for both personal and professional reasons.

Arriving in Greystones

Ireland and particularly Dublin had been Farzana’s second home for several years when she first arrived in 2011. “I was positively surprised by the warmth of the Irish”, Farzana remembers. “With my name and skin colour it had been been challenging sometimes to live in other countries, but the Irish were really welcoming in spite of the differences.”

This time, in 2018, Farzana and her family re-located to the much smaller and more rural community of Greystones with many established neighbourhoods. “We knew that Greystones was a family-friendly town with many amenities, but most importantly because we had friends here”, Farzana tells me. “My son was going to join their child in playschool and that really helped us settling in”, Farzana adds.

Heart to Heart, Island to Island

The joy of blow-ins like Farzana and I is sharing the challenges we experienced when we first came to Ireland. With Farzana coming from a completely different, non-European background I found it particularly interesting to find out what stuck out to her. It was nothing that I would have expected, but it made total sense to me looking at Farzana’s petite frame. “What I struggle with is probably that there is cream served with every dessert and that the food portions are massive!”, Farzana tells me with a smile and it makes me laugh too.

“And that some people wear their pyjamas outside and find it acceptable”, she adds. I smile again, as this unites us across all our differences and across cold and warm oceans of the world!

From Melting Pot to Close-Knit Greystones

Having lived in Greystones for two years now, Farzana is drawing her first conclusion: “Sometimes I really feel integrated and feel like I am part of this community. Other times, one look can make me feel out of place. Most of the time, I have felt very welcome here but then there are some hard times when I felt really lonely and not where I should be. It is a choice not to live in my country and therefore something I have to accept and live with. There is a small minority of people who understandably feel people from other countries are taking too much space”, Farzana continues, “and sometimes I do feel out of place or ill at ease.”

That must be hard, especially when coming from such a melting pot as Mauritius as I learn from Farzana. “Many different countries have colonised Mauritius. Sailors found the island on their way from Europe to Asia. At that time, it only consisted of mountains, forests and animals. Between 1600 and 1800 its discoverers slowly populated Mauritius. Firstly the Dutch, then mainly the French and British. They used the island as a stopping point on their journey to Asia. Mauritians are therefore descendants of all the people who settled in Mauritius a long time ago.“

Sadly, among the settlers working the fields and rearing the animals, were slaves from Africa and at a later stage workers from India (Farzana’s ancestors). “This history, however, was an important aspect of Mauritius because it defines who we are as an island and also where our roots stem from. That leaves us with a rich heritage may it be in terms of architecture, cuisine or language“, Farzana states proudly.

‘Honeymoon’ vs. Reality

The more Farzana tells me about Mauritius, the more justified I find my initial question. How on earth could you leave Mauritius for Ireland? I can almost savour the flavourful cuisine Farzana is talking about, hear the soft waves that are washing pleasantly warm water onto the magnificent beaches. “I come from a village in the East of the island called Caroline”, Farzana explains. “The eastern coast is well known for its beaches and has some of the island’s best-known tourist resorts.”

However, as in many ‘honeymooon destinations’ or tourism hotspots there is a downside for locals, as Farzana confirms: “People visiting the island and staying in hotels often only get a glimpse of Mauritius’ breathtaking beauty. They definitely don’t get to see the reality of people living and working there. Resorts weren’t affordable to locals when I was a kid.  Thankfully things have changed now.”

After years of working in Ireland’s inbound tourism sector, I notice the same pattern: many travelers have little interest in the bigger picture. They visit tropical spots for familiar food and warm weather—much like those who come to Ireland expecting a “spontaneous” traditional music session in every pub. For me, experiencing a country in all its facets is the entire point of travel. Tourism must remain tied to the local community, and we should never distort a culture’s authenticity just to drive up visitor numbers.

From Warm to Cold Waters

The closest beach is a ten-minute drive from my parents’ house and I have lovely memories of going to the beach as a child. Although weirdly, I feel I spend more time by the sea in Greystones than when I was living in Mauritius!”

“The thrill and the feeling after a swim in the freezing cold Irish Sea are probably why I always go back – I feel that I can take and handle everything better after a swim and I am so grateful to be living so close to the sea. Since I took up sea swimming in September 2019, I have come to meet so many people who I meet at the beach and with whom I share this passion.”

I find Farzana’s sea swimming experience rather symbolic. Whilst it can be hard settling in a foreign country, after taking a cold plunge it is rewarding having found the place where you feel you belong.

Farzana Consulting

Who weathers the Irish Sea in winter can achieve anything! After a three-year career break looking after her children, Farzana is re-entering the workforce. “My main aim as a business psychologist and coach is to provide support to organisations or individuals to enhance their performance and well-being in their roles, which will then help them to reach their goals in a more fluid manner – by using the tools and methods that coaching and psychology offers”, Farzana explains to me.

Farzana Consulting is her big future project, whilst balancing home life and somewhat still getting familiar with life in Europe. “My hobbies are to immerse myself in nature and learn about my surroundings, as I still feel I am learning nature in Ireland/Europe because in Mauritius, we only have two seasons, while here, the plants change so much with every season.”

Embrace the Change

The seasonal change in Ireland goes with Farzana’s philosophy of life: There is nothing more constant than change. Prompted by the Corona pandemic, Farzana feels even more that life is short and should be lived to the fullest. “I am astounded at how things changed overnight and how I am happy to have done everything I had done, up to the point where the schools closed and where life started changing. Life just keeps on changing. So make the most of the present because this will change and evolve!“