As the 13th of 14 children, she considers she has been very lucky with life. Born and raised in the Seychelles, she moved to England at 12, to a boarding school. Then she went back home. For Vicky, if Seychelles is home, “London is a second home in so many ways”. And Mauritius is the place she has been calling home for six years.

Vicky Lanza was already working for British Airways in the Seychelles. She is currently its Indian Ocean country commercial manager. As such, she moved to Mauritius: “I seized this great opportunity to take on new challenges. I had been a mother for a long time. My two daughters were old enough. They were leaving for England to study. It was time to do what I wanted.”

She had been to Mauritius plenty of times before. “And the place had a special meaning for my husband and me, as it is where we spent our honeymoon!” So they did not feel disorientated; besides, there are many similarities between the two islands: “Sea, sun and sand, Creole, English and French…” One of the main differences is the size of the population (79 000 inhabitants in Seychelles versus 1,3 million in Mauritius) and “the fabulous mix of cultures and nationalities” found here.

And Vicky loves people. She likes to meet new persons and it is actually part of her job. “In the aviation world, no two days are alike. There is no routine. And it is very people-oriented.” The couple made friends easily although it was a bit more difficult for her husband who does not speak French.

As we meet Vicky, enjoying the breath-taking view from their gorgeous house by the sea, on a sunny Sunday morning, we can see that she has not changed her mind about Mauritius and the Mauritian way of life. “I like the fact that, after all this time, there are still spots on the island that we have not seen.” On the social level, she is proud to say that they have integrated into the Mauritian society and, most of all, have managed to make friends in the different communities. Vicky has learnt a lot about Indian culture and she enjoys watching Bollywood movies on TV sometimes, “even if it is frustrating not to understand a word!” She confesses that living here has helped her to be more open to other cultures and mentalities.

Her husband does not work but he has a passion for archaeology and for the history of Mauritius. “He keeps himself busy, going around with his metal-detector.”. And their two daughters, who live in the UK, come whenever they can to visit their parents in this heavenly place. Of course, Vicky misses them a lot. But she encourages them to live their lives, just as her own mother did: “My mom, who is 92, only has two sons with her in the Seychelles, out of her 14 children. We are spread out all over the world, between Australia, the United States and the UK.”

Vicky considers that “we have to be conscious of our blessings in life, and at the same time we have to create our opportunities and go for them!” She sticks to this philosophy, which she has transmitted to her offspring. Meanwhile, she is enjoying the Mauritian winter sun… and looking forward to meeting new people and discovering those spots they have not yet seen.