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Just as you had imagined it?
When the Bishop sat me down after two months here and asked me whether my experience so far in Mauritius had been similar to what I had expected, I had to be honest – “Not at all,” I replied with a smile. This response didn’t seem to entirely surprise him. Mauritians are well aware that their country is viewed as a tropical paradise, and are justifiably proud that this is the case, though needless to say, that isn’t the whole picture. Any Mauritian would also accept that they are not a typical African country – in some ways, Mauritius is actually suffering because it has developed so quickly over the past 40 years since gaining its independence from the UK. However, for me I have to say that the surprises haven’t particularly come from either of these ‘standard presumptions’…
I arrived on the undeniably beautiful tropical volcanic island of Mauritius on March 1st, and from the moment of touch down, the welcome I have received has been as warm as the baking sun as I stepped out of the airport! My accommodation is in a sort of guesthouse, which is the home of a retired married couple, who have quickly become my surrogate grandparents here. I was grateful to be informed that I would be given a week to acclimatise and get over my jet lag, before the work started. During this week, I settled in more quickly than I could have ever imagined (those prayers were certainly working), and already started to make some really good friends amongst the youth.
At the end of this week, I expected to be presented with a detailed timetable of what my work would involve, and to get started straight away; this is where my preconceptions were immediately challenged, as very little work seemed to appear – only a handful of slightly vague ideas. The impression I was given was that I was more than welcome to get involved in more or less anything that interests me, but they had very few specific expectations of me. Therefore it was down to me to be a lot more proactive in finding work than I had envisaged – something which in hindsight, I appreciate, as it was certainly a more mature approach. With the help of the Bishop and of the Dean of the Cathedral, who has been designated responsibility for me, and also a lot of prayer and discernment, within about a month I had established a very full (at times too full!) and varied timetable.
As I had been mainly invited to Mauritius as a musician, naturally much of my time is taken up with musical activities. The Anglican Diocese here has a very active Diocesan Youth Committee, which has lots of great initiatives going on at a national level. Within 10 days of arriving here, I was invited to an initial meeting concerning plans to stage a large scale musical production of the Nativity Story in December. Since then, this show has taken up a really big portion of my time – starting with co-writing the script, and now working hard on the musical side, composing and arranging songs and taking rehearsals with the cast. The talent amongst the youth is abundant, and it is certain that the show will be spectacular, but perhaps what has struck me most is the approach of all involved: yes, the show is the final goal, but all of the hours of rehearsal and preparation are equally important, as they are serving to deepen relationships between the youth, giving them skills which they will carry into later life, and most importantly of all, drawing them all closer to God. I have also been involved in setting up a DYC band, which is just another outlet for the abundant talent amongst the youth here.
My instruments are violin and piano, and before coming to Mauritius, I was more used to playing the piano in church than the violin. However, soon after arriving here I realised that the musical talent here is exceptional, and there are plenty of excellent pianists. This has given me the opportunity to really explore violin playing in a church worship context, and I can definitely say that God has really blessed this in my ‘ministry’ here. Not only does He just seem to give me the notes to play when I pick up my instrument, but I have also discovered a very special new way of communicating with Him in prayer through playing, and for that I am incredibly thankful. Furthermore, one of the concrete things that I was immediately asked to do here was to start teaching the violin, and now am working with around 15 students ages ranging from 30 to just turned 4, and from the oldest to the youngest, the satisfaction in seeing the improvements from week to week is yet another blessing!
As a future medical student and doctor, I was keen to include some social and medical work in my time here. Unfortunately gaining access to government hospitals here is more or less impossible, though I have been able to observe some consultations and operations in the local Anglican private clinic. I spend every Wednesday working for a charity which supports type 1 diabetics, which has given me a great opportunity to get a head-start with my knowledge of diabetes. We usually spend the morning working in the office, currently planning hard for a Diabetic Camp for all of the members under 20, to take place in August, and then visits to patients in the afternoon. This has been the context in which I have been exposed to the most overt poverty here in Mauritius, although the problems which these young patients face are usually much more complex than lack of money, routed in lack of education, lack of adequate hospital care and medical communication, and social circumstances of their families. I then spend every Thursday working in a rehabilitation centre for drug addicts and alcoholics, where I have led workshops sharing my experience ranging from how to listen well to what alcohol does to the body. It is also a great privilege to have the opportunity to really make friendships with the service users, and to build up trust with them, often just offering a listening ear to them, but learning so much from them at the same time.
So after nearly 4 very full months here in Mauritius, I definitely now feel very much at home here – the bishop himself told me that I am no longer an exchange programme student – I am Mauritian! Of course that doesn’t mean that there have not been challenges and difficult times – having some fluency in French before coming was certainly a bonus, but speaking French constantly and learning to understand Mauritian Creole was a big effort at first, and even as a very independent 19 year old, leaving a close-knit family so far behind for such a long time is naturally hard at times. However, these are certainly the times when I have learnt the most, matured the most, and grown closer and closer to God: as CS Lewis wrote, ‘God whispers in our pleasures, He speaks in our conscience and He shouts in our suffering’ – very true!
EEP is for a minimum of 6 months, and this is not without good reason, as the aim is that EEPs will really become part of the local community, and to enter into relationships with those around them, and I am realising more and more the importance of those relationships here for me. I have made so many great friends – friends for life, friends who I have laughed with and cried with, and friends who are so important especially when my family and old friends are so far away. Of course, the work which I am doing is important, and of course, the things that I am learning are immensely valuable, but it is these relationships which I am blessed to have made that will really be the mark of my stay here, both on me, and (I pray) on those that I leave behind! As the word of God tells us:
“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing” – AMEN!
(1 Corinthians 13:1-3)
