How to adapt to the expat challenges of everyday life in Mauritius

I have been hired by a company in Ebene for 2 years, starting in 2023. The first dissapointing experience was my introduction to Maurice Island in the first 4 weeks. A so called "Buddy" was assigned to me, to assist: 1) Settling down & getting acquinted with the customs & traditions of Maurice, 2) Exchange my budget for the first month to Mauritius rupees, 3) Looking for a local sim ( Emtel) for my phone, 4) Looking for a apartment, 5) Getting to know public transport e.g. bus, metro, taxi. 6) Opening a bankaccount ( MCB), 7) Medical screening, 8) Work permit at immigration. The last 2 were assisted by a PWC employee, which to my opinion were the only great assists. For the rest, I as a expat sadly had to do everything myself, which was a very dissapointing start. Then came DHL, that gave my welcome package to another recipient. Their customer sevice agent just replied to me, that there was nothing they can do to correct the issue. Than there was the HR department of my employer, with false promises that lasted longer than a year. To top it all out, I had to settle issues like expiring passport and expiring visa my self too by: 1) Paying a 2 way ticket to my country to settle the passport issue myself. 2) Applying for visa at the French consulate. Anno 2025, I look back at this rollercoaster of events in Mauritius and I can truly say: 1) Lessons learned and no hard feelings 2) My left eye is totally blurred from overworking 3) Though I was underpaid, I still tried to see parts of the Island and enjoy 4) Made a couple of friends, who sadly experience the same. Ironically, most of them were expats too. To conclude: It is not Mauritius (not even giving the Cyclone season a redflag), but the people placed as leads in the company, who can really make life a living hell for an expat(s). But who will ever care (or do something about it) after reading this.

I've lived in Canada (18 years) as an expat and now Mauritius. To be honest, the challenges are no different than you'd experience elsewhere. Each country has slightly different challenges which just acts as a reminder that you're a foreigner.

Certainly, opening a bank account and searching for an apartment are different. Some banks expect you to submit a CV which is bizarre. And if you're not accustomed to bargaining, in some instances, expect to pay too much.

What I do enjoy is that once you've established a relationship with people they will trust you and will have a "make a plan" attitude. They won't get bogged down in pettiness. This is freedom.

But nothing, for me, has been a deal breaker. Every country will have bizarre stories to tell.

@Lefteyebroken

Brilliant moniker, but also sad. Welcome to the forum.

I am sorry to see you had a bad time . If I may ask, where did you move from? Considering you are still in Mauritius I hope things have got better. I have seen a few of my friends in similar positions, and in fact some have returned to their own countries.

Mauritians have a very different outlook on life and work as compared to many other countries. Life takes precedence, which is fantastic once you get used to the idea. If you are told something needs to be done urgently, it usually means within the next week. The concept of ASAP meaning 'right now' has little significance -- which is why I love Mauritius. Chilled always.

If you would have asked questions in this forum at the very start, we might have been able to help you. There are well known problems with opening a bank account and getting a SIM card -- nothing is possible till you get to lease a property and get your NCID. After that it becomes easier. Unfortunately, HR in many organisations are not aware of these problems, and as far as I found, local colleagues will definitely help if you ask them personally but not necessarily if HR tells them to.

Now, more importantly, have you been able to help out others in similar situations?

Best wishes.

In 2025 we still have to use the word adaptation when we move somewhere? In this global  era still make it sense to speak like this?. There are of course some changes that we have to deal with when we live in other new places but i would never call it an adaptation whatsoever. In any case, For me, it looks like the same adaption that i have to deal every single day in my own country.