<B>Etienne Van Rooyen</B>

?In relation to what I have gone through during my 11 months in Mauritius, I tend to think that Mauritian people are caring, calm, polite and courteous. My wife and I were involved in a motorcycle accident early this year on a Sunday morning at Le Morne. Our fellow ?biking buddies? - about eight of them all young Mauritian professionals - who have chosen to ride Super Bikes as their hobby and do so with passion supported us tremendously throughout the whole ordeal. What was overwhelming was the fact that amongst the eight riders, I knew some of them well, whereas we had only met the others on the same morning, all of them stayed with us whilst we waited for the ambulance to arrive and helped to get me in the ambulance.

Moreover, they all followed the ambulance until we got to the hospital and waited to hear about our condition. I am truly honoured to have had the privilege of riding with them. When we arrived at the hospital, our brilliant neighbours who stem from the US had brought our children along and were waiting for us as we arrived, so the support we got was from all over. Whilst I was in hospital I was visited by some of my colleagues from work, who spoilt me tremendously. Again, if this kind of reaction was from my relatives, I would have understood, but these were only people I had met or had been working with just for a few months. Their support was immense and overwhelming. I would like them to know how grateful I am.

It is a blessing to live in Mauritius; I often get the impression that people don?t reallise how fortunate they are to live in a country that has so much to offer, it is truly a ?paradise?. My family and I are returning to South Africa in the next few weeks, we do so with only fond memories of having had the opportunity to get to know the Mauritian culture and its people.?