Pamplemousse Garden Mauritius

My first expatriation dates back to 1990. I followed my parents to Indonesia, at a time when Internet did not exist and there was still a real primitive forest in Borneo. This experience profoundly influenced my personality. I met my wife seven years ago. She opened new doors, let fresh air come into my life and helped me repeat this experience, first in Canada, then in Mauritius. Being an expatriate helps me to step back, open my mind and accept differences as a great wealth. I want to pass these values to my children.

Our children were born in Canada. They have three nationalities. As Mauritian citizens, they live at the crossroad of African and Indian cultures. As French citizens, they bear a European heritage and ideal. As Canadians, they embody the hope for a better life. Their three nationalities give them the right to live in many countries without visas. A luxury which is paid by the duty of assimilating three adverse cultures, three ways of living and seeing the world.

Montreal

But honestly, is it possible? How many bi-nationals left their host country in the hope of re-engaging with their family roots, and finally went back to France, frustrated of having been considered expatriates in the land of their grandparents?

It is worth reminding that children quickly assimilate their host country’s culture. School and extra-familial relations play a central and inclusive role. Family’s culture and origins must become an inspiration, not a factor of social exclusion. One of the best examples probably comes from the artist Jain, who was born in Toulouse (South of France), was raised by a Franco-Malagasi couple and spent several years in the United Arab Emirates and in Congo. Her first album Zanaka was strongly influenced by her life experience abroad and certified as a Gold record in February 2016. What a great success!

Kindergarden Mauritius

Ultimately, what is the role of a father and a mother in such circumstances? I do not have a magic bullet. More humbly, our aim is to develop our children’s sense of curiosity and put as much distance as we can between intolerance and prejudices.

Our time is characterized by the expansion of globalization, migratory pressure, loss of familiar landmarks and the temptation of inward-looking attitudes. We, the expatriates and cross cultural families, have a role to play. As a bridge between cultures, our children represent, today more than ever, the hope of a soothed life.

Casela Zoo Mauritius

Séverin is father of two and a communication/marketing professional at www.expat.com

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My British born kids made many observations about America and loved experiencing a different place with a different climate and spending time with American relatives and friends.

Here is what they did and thought:

• The toilets are great, they actually suck stuff down and flush automatically
• Why are there such big gaps in between the toilet doors? People can see in!
• You have to ask where the bathroom or restroom is (not the toilet). But there isn’t a bath in there nor do you go there to rest – ??
• Loved meeting and hanging out with American cousins
• Loved seeing and spending time with American grandparents
• Loved meeting up with American friends who used to live in the UK
• Everything is bigger – the food, the drinks, the roads, the cars, the houses, the bathrooms, the fridges, the stores, the cats, the bugs, the parking spaces, the signs, the trucks, the space between things, the trees, the rivers, the lakes, the crisp packets, the restaurants – everything is bigger
• American snacks are addictive
• Walking isn’t the same – there’s too much space in between places so it takes too long to walk
• Best new discovery – confetti eggs
• Best city – NOLA
• Best restaurant – Perla’s in Austin Texas
• Best beach – Jupiter Island, Florida
• Best store – The Dollar Tree
• Best American service – free refills
• Best street – South Congress, Austin Texas
• Best unexpected gem – Railroad Arts, Tallahassee
• My eldest ate a burger of some type nearly every single day
• My youngest had a coca cola (or two) nearly every single day and is now having withdrawal symptoms
• They found the money to be very confusing but people were kind and helpful
• Swimming pools are everywhere. This is a major attraction.
• Americans love their ice. We loved their ice!
• Gas is amazingly cheap – we over budgeted for our road trip
• Everyone smiled. Everyone said hi, everyone waved hello
• The 12 hour drive across Texas, Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana wasn’t as bad as we thought it would be
• Now, a 4 hour car journey is a walk in the park – in America that is
• Cruise control. What a great invention. Would never work in the UK!
• Florida lives up to its name – the Sunshine State
• There are literally millions of places to eat
• People eat out – a lot. And not just for dinner. They eat out for breakfast, lunch AND dinner
• The outdoor culture is different and refreshing
• The wildlife – wow. Just wow
• We all made new friends – humans, reptiles and mammals

And here is a small selection of our photos:

A huge thank you to our travel agent Louise of Travel Counsellors who helped us with kindness and efficiency in a most difficult and distressing situation. We don’t know what we would have done without her.

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Meghan Peterson Fenn is the author of Bringing Up Brits, co-author of Inspiring Global Entrepreneurs, co-founder and Director of Design and Web at Shake It Up Creative. And, she is an award winning expat blogger and mother of three.

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Having traveled lots in my 30s, to the extent that I was away more than home, the thought of relocating a family of 4 to the USA didn’t seem too large a step to take.  However, unlike most expats, my husband is just on secondment from his UK office and relocating for us doesn’t include the contents of our house…We came with only 9 suitcases of our UK life, but guess what?  We are not really missing any of our possessions, which leads me to believe my children need far less toys etc. than they think (although my daughters’ soft toy collection is growing faster than I can keep up with!).

Living in the USA however, brings whole new challenges.

In our first few weeks there were many challenges, our very first being driving an automatic car and learning not to keep reaching for non-existent gears. Then there were the moments of reaching for non-existant gears and remembering which side of the car to get into.

At the same time as speaking the same language, it is also a whole different language. I’ve found myself trying to describe the oddest things to shop assistants who have no clue what I want!  The school shopping list for provisions was a challenge, I literally followed other mums around to see what they were buying!  And blue tac, which I needed for home… how would you describe that without using a brand name?  Here it is simply called removable mounting putty, obvious really, but not when you know it as Blue Tac! Never mind asking where the toilet was in a store, the poor shop assistant had no clue what I wanted.  I politely ask for the nearest restroom these days.

My first supermarket shop took forever too, I literally stopped in each isle and just stared at all the new brands, none of which meant anything to me.  As recently as yesterday I wanted a joint of beef to roast, I had to tell the butcher how I planned to cook it in order for him to recommend a piece of beef to me.

My children have had to adjust to some new challenges too. Measurements are a cause of confusion, my children are now better than me at using inches, feet and yards and I have re adjusted to ordering food by the oz and lb too.

I asked Justin, my husband what he found most difficult to adapt to and he made some good observations..…. Restroom doors have huge gaps underneath and at the sides, anyone can, if they choose, snoop on your more private moments! But more seriously, he is somewhat confused that here in NC he can’t take our children into a liquor store to buy spirits, however, he can take them to Walmart and buy a gun!!! Now where is the sense in that?

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Jo Wise is a British mum of two and a professional photographer www.jowise.com

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