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welcome to mauritius my friend. Am a police officer in port louis. So any problem in port louis talk to any officer you meet ok

Thanks very much

Hi Emma,

Congrats and respect for taking the decision to leave your country and rise up to the challenge of discovering a country unknown to you. It's only when we get out of our daily comfort and open ourselves to the world that we realize that reality is just an act of perception and this world is just a mirror of how you are inside.

For the language barrier, it's just a matter of practice and patience (just like in learning anything else), and in case you don't know what to say, just SMILE,  thats the universal language of the world.

Wish you good luck in your new adventure!!

Congrats and welcome to Mauritius. I too am learning french but mainly because I need it for work purposes. As an ex British colony English is widely spoken here and even an official language. I think I have met one Mauritian who doesn't speak English and he was a taxi driver so he probably did, it just meant I couldn't bargain.

By all means learn creole and french but know that the only people that tend not to either speak english or care to speak english are French expats as they tend to hang out in French expat groups.

Welcome to Mauritius Emma!

It's quite normal to feel a bit awkward at first if you cannot speak Creol or to a lesser extent French. However, with time, you will get used to the country and people and will be able to communicate freely. English is the official languages used in education (except for French medium schools), administrative purposes, businesses, etc.

French is the language used in the written and spoken media. However, there are English newspapers and English is used occasionally in the spoken media.
The good thing is that French and Creol are somewhat linked to a certain extent and once you get to master French, Creol will come naturally!

Wish you luck in your new endeavor.

Thanks for all your comments, luck and support it is much appreciated!

Hi
The first few months are always hard, you are missing your family and friends, you dont speak French but what you can do is simply smile at people you meet, you will find they smile back - so no language needed.

I have been here almost 2 years now and the first few months I was so lonely however after the 6 month mark I absolutely loved it here and still do, we have an acive social life with people of all ages and all nationalities - these things take time.. And no I still cannot speak French (despite trying very hard)and speak some Creole which I have learnt through just talking to local people.

I dont know your area at all but there must be some Face Book groups you can join, here in Tamarin we have 3 groups for the west- they are full of information and chat - so maybe search on FB or even do a post on here - "looking to meet other females " and putting your area you live in

Good luck