Despite a strong emotional attachment to their local roots, they are not quite ready to settle in Mauritius. Their homeland is fine for holidays but not for daily routine. It is more than often very down-to-earth considerations that led migrants to leave the country for greener pastures. While the big flow of emigration occurred in the late sixties, many people of the younger generations still think that they could better succeed out of the country?

Lack of opportunities in their professional life, ri-sing prices of goods or the quest for a more fulfilling life are among the main reasons for crossing the frontiers of the world. ?I was shocked to see how expensive basic commodities have become here? I?ve been out of the country for hardly one year and there is no doubt that prices have skyrocketed since then,? said Sara who has moved to Australia but was in Mauritius for holidays. It is true that inflation is not affecting Mauritius only but the problem is getting worse here since all consumer goods are imported. And the rising price of freight makes things even more difficult.

Those who decide to settle abroad for ?economic reasons? often belong to the middle-class. The wealthiest people do not find the need to go elsewhere because they have everything they could dream of and the most vulnerable ones can?t even afford the price of the air ticket, let alone the formalities for a migrant visa. Only the middle-class is left ? for whom life has been tough with the rising prices recently ? and which aspires to a more comfortable life.

This is more or less what repelled Nathalie S., almost 30, from coming back home after her studies in Australia. ?I felt there was a lack of professional opportunities for me here in Mauritius.? If that was her first motivation, she also realised how traditional the country was. ?I felt I needed to go abroad to open up my horizons? Mentalities have not changed here ? on the contrary,

I have the feeling that we are going backwards.?

<B>Realistic cost of living</B>

S. K. experienced the same feelings. Coming from a traditional extended family, he felt suffocated among his parents and relatives who wanted him to get married to a ?good young woman sharing the same culture?. So, when he got the opportunity of settling in Canada, he did not hesitate ? and he will soon marry someone who does not share the same culture but whom he is really in love with.

For Muniza Oosman, 26, it?s rather life circumstances that led her to settle in England seven years ago. ?I first moved to England for university purposes but, after graduating, I felt very much at home in the UK and decided to look for a job there. In the UK particularly, there are job opportunities for students with the right qualifications and, having studied computer science, I found a graduate job within 3 months after my degree. Salaries in England are competitive and, as most graduates have to support themselves, they account for a realistic cost of living. This means that within a few months of graduating you can support yourself financially and be independent.? This is not automatically the case in Mauritius, we could add.

?Coming from a traditional extended family, he felt suffocated among his parents and relatives who wanted him to get married to a ?good young woman sharing the same culture?.?

Within a year of graduating, she moved to a new job in a bigger business and has been working for the same company as IT & Systems manager for 5 years, she lives in Sheffield. ?Changing jobs and changing careers is easily possible in England and hard work and determination are recognised and rewarded.?

Although Muniza is sometimes nostalgic about life in Mauritius ? ?living away from home has not always been easy but I am lucky enough to visit Mauritius once a year and my pa-rents visit England regularly? ? she now feels at home in England. She acknowledges that she is ?enjoying the best of both worlds?. It is also the case for Nathalie S. who, however, regrets that Mauritius seems increasingly dirty and polluted. ?This might be a detail for some but it is a proof of negligence.?

It appears that the young generations have certain aspirations that Mauritius cannot fulfil at the moment. All these people are yet young graduates that could help build the country. Obviously, family and cultural roots are not enough to retain them here? The country may have to find other things to attract them?