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The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2013 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 3,800 times in 2013. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 3 trips to carry that many people.
Mauritius celebrates its 45th Independence and the 21st Republic Anniversaries today, 12th March 2013. Quite a feat for one of the smallest, if not smallest, countries in Africa but what is also one of the most, if not the most, successful. Let us leave Economics behind today and focus on the Moricienneries aspect of Independence, more particularly within school compounds where numerous children eagerly celebrate it on the eve! How does it happen there?
Throughout all classes from Standards 1 to 6, preparations begin many days before the 12th March (or 11th March, when schools typically celebrate as the 12th is a public holiday). Balloons and miscellaneous four-coloured decorations are hung and plastered in classes. Rehearsals are done everyday starting at least a week before so that all hundreds of school children know where they should stand in the school yard and when (and how) to sing the National Anthem. They are all typically arranged in lines (alphabetically? or by whoever the teacher likes best? no idea). The rehearsal will also include the flag hoisting to give a ‘real’ feel to it.
On the 11th, the atmosphere is ebullient as children don’t bring their 20kg-school bags filled with books and copybooks on that day and party mood is in the air! Mommies around the island do not prepare lunches for their children either (no early fish finger or burger frying today) as there will be snacks at school to celebrate Independence! Every student also normally receives a small National flag and for special landmark occasions, even a commemorative pin like on the occasion of the proclamation of the Republic in 1992.
Ecstatic school children who love their country
Before the eagerly-anticipated snacks, all the students and teachers have to line up outside in the yard all together to welcome the Guest of Honour (typically a Minister or very high ranked official). The latter has a speech planned, usually including a message from the Prime Minister. Right after that, some male teacher with a tough attitude and a deep voice will yell “ATTENTION!” and everyone will stand up straight to sing the National Anthem just like they have rehearsed for at least a week before that. After the stressful execution, the man will yell “AT EASE!” and everybody will relax. Everybody except for teachers, as having to get hordes of school children back into their respective classes in an orderly fashion can be harder than simply walking into Mordor.
Afterwards, when the Guest of Honour has departed, everybody goes (or is dragged) back to their respective classes where they are all served a small (and getting smaller every passing year) cake such as feuilleté, puits d’amour, maspin, tarte banane, napolitaine, and the like and a boxed juice or fizzy drink (pepsi or coca…in small 25cl plastic bottles – they used to be glass before). All of those come in boxes of 40 or 50 for one class, with little if no leftovers at all or even missing some occasionally. If ever there are any leftovers, usually they are shared among the teachers who bring it back home for their children who had the same thing at school.
School ends early on the 11th and all children rush t0 get to their school vans to go home so that they do not miss the cartoons on TV.
Thus ends a memorable day for many a small child who goes to school to celebrate Independence Day with his/her friends.
Happy 45th Independence and 21st Republic Anniversaries Mauritius!
The Mauritius dictionary letter by letter: H is for…
Hart, Robert Edward – Mauritian poet who famously owned a house made from corals in Souillac, which was made a museum after his death
Hauvillard, Montagne d’ – Mountain Peak near Midlands that peaks at around 531m, 17th highest (out of 76) in the island
He-man – Cartoon hero who was a normal guy who had a cat but who could transform into He-man and one helluva tiger respectively thanks to his magic sword; Rocked the late 80s/early 90s and had the tremendously-named (evil) Skeletor as sworn enemy
Heero, Gavin – Mauritian football player who used to be at Crystal Palace; not much more known about him.
Henrietta – Name of an area in Upper Vacoas, known for being an access point to Tamarin Falls and for its famous NTC 141 buses that seem to ‘fly’ on the road (due to their usually high speed)
Helvetia – Village in Moka District; Relatively unknown until the creation of yet another ‘utopic neighbourhood’ which its promoters promise will be ‘just like the neighbourhoods in the Hollywood movies’
Helvetia, Les Allées d’ – Latest ‘luxury’ neighbourhood project to hit the island
Hey – The equivalent greeting of ‘Hey’ in probably every other language (or ‘ehi’ in Italian); also used by some to express different feelings like annoyance, appreciation, etc. See also Eeehhhhhh
Hilux – Brand of vans that can be seen filling the roads in sooty smoke due to poor maintenance; used to be considered the Mercedes of vans until the arrival of actual Mercedes vans on Mauritian roads
Hinterland – Famous racehorse which graced the turf of Champ de Mars
hithertododos – someone who tries to bring you Moricienneries on WordPress
Additional material from contributors (Your own suggestions can be added in the comments or, if mailed to the admin (moricienneries@gmail.com), will appear here).
The Mauritius dictionary letter by letter: G is for…
G*got – Local linguistic marvel referencing a certain male body part; used to convey anger, frustration, joy, surprise…basically anything. See also, Fran Tou
Gainda – Yellowish-orange flower that can be found in most yards everywhere; probably the most commonly used flower by Indo-Mauritians for prayers
Galets, Rivière des – River in the South of the island famous for its galets, flattened, polished rocks that are used as foot scrubs in many a Mauritian’s bathroom
Gandia – Marijuana, Maryzanne, Maryjane…however it is called, it stays the same
Gaon – Hindi term for village; typically used in a not-so-nice way to describe something not modern
Garfield – Cartoon star whose books and cartoons used to be snatched feverishly by pupils all around whenever brought to school
Gaulette – Local term for fishing rod
Gaulette, La – Small fishing village along the West Coast
George V Stadium, The New – Found in Curepipe and used to be known as George V Stadium, before millions were spent renovating it, thereafter it being referred to as ‘The New’; other home to the notoriously supreme talents of Club M (the National Football Team) after Stade Anjaley Coopen, it retains the Dorian Grayish capacity of always looking the same no matter how many impossibilions are put in it. See also, Club M
Giant, The – Mythical wrestler for many kids (and adults) back during the days of WCW on MBC
Gidi-Gidi – Local expression for tickles
Golin Mayard – How kids with a cold would call the game Colin Mayard. See also, Colin Mayard
Gokool, Jug – Most famous sports journalist in the History of Mauritius, famous for his genuinely passionate reporting of la ligne droite finale (the final straight line) for horse races at the Champ de Mars
Gopia – Term used to describe someone who is not too bright
Gr*n – Flowery gem of a term depicting another male body part; used mainly to describe people who are not really appreciated, but sometimes also used between male friends as a means to convey friendship
Grand Baie – Touristic village in the North West of the island, home to the [only?] nightlife of Mauritius
Grand Bassin – Sacred lake in the high grounds of Mauritius, said to be an extension of the holy Ganges river in India, that is visited by thousands of pilgrims each year for Maha Shivaratri; home to the gigantic 108ft statue of Shiv Ji and in the near future, a similar one of Durga Ma, it is also a touristic attraction and one of the rare places where the air breathed smells ‘clean’
Grande Rivière XXX – A number of rivers in Mauritius were named using this format, where XXX can be Nord Ouest, Sud Est, Noire, or simply left blank
Granite – Type of volcanic rock; famous term for students during Geography (formerly EVS) classes in primary schools
Gratter Senti – Literally meaning Scratch & Sniff; expression used to depict doing nothing, e.g. Li passe so letemps gratter senti
Grenier, Chemin – Big village in the South; described by some as the capital of the South
Greo – The common name for cooked semolina; typically used as offering for prayers
Gris Gris – Arguably the most famous cliff in in Mauritius; found in the South of the island along with a few others like Le Souffleur, La Roche qui Pleure, etc.
Gros Pois – Pulses eaten at least once per week in every household, be it in masala, in la daube, or in any other preparation; full of proteins, tasty, but also famously known to cause severe flatulence for some
Gym, Al fer – Literally translated as ‘To go make gym’; Expression used to say ‘Going to the Gym’, e.g. To al fer gym tou…
Additional material from contributors (Your own suggestions can be added in the comments or, if mailecd to the admin (moricienneries@gmail.com), will appear here).
The Mauritius dictionary letter by letter: F is for…
F*****mama – One of the most common linguistic marvels heard in Mauritius, and anywhere else in the world where Mauritians are present
Falooda – See Alouda
Farley’s Rusk – Biscuit-type of food aimed primarily at babies but that were eaten by everybody. Tastier than anything ever consumed but that cannot be seen nowadays for some unknown reason
Farquhar, Sir Robert – First English Governor of Mauritius after they recapture the island from the French in 1810; played an important role towards the abolition of slavery and their replacement by paid workers from abroad
Fass – Common expression used mainly by kids to declare they are not talking to someone; Opposite said to be Dos. See also, Dos
Fenouss – Basically, milk that has gone bad. The ironic issue is that when milk goes bad by itself, it is thrown away but when we make it bad purposefully ourselves by adding some [ascorbic] acid to it, then we eat it
Fer lere – Literally translates as ‘make time’. In Creole, this is usually used to describe a situation when someone is delaying, e.g. “li p fair lere”
Fermal, Mo XXX pe – Common excuse heard from schoolchildren who do not want to go to school. Replace XXX by anything, e.g. head, belly, hair, schoolbag etc.; also a common excuse heard among the adult population who do not want to go to work
Ferme ar moi – Translates as “shut up with me”. Usually used in a heated argument when one person wants the other to shut up.
Ferney – Historical valley in Mauritius; Also a nature reserve that houses what is probably the last standing indigenous forest in Mauritius
F*sse – Another common flowery expression shared between Mauritians; Widely use due to its easy, monosyllabic, hence easier pronunciation; Said to be theroretically less offensive than F*****mama, but more than makes up in quantity what it lacks in quality
Fezer – Usually used to describe someone as being arrogant or showing off
Filao – Evergreen tree that arbour the white beaches of Mauritius, spiky seed pods of which are the scourge of those who walk barefoot under filao trees
Fire Brigade – Legendary football team during the days when ‘football used to be communal’
Fire fire – Used to describe something exciting, e.g. ‘ene match fire fire pe deroule la’
Firinga – A cyclone in the recent few years that caused so much damage that it even managed to have houses named after it, See Firinga, Maison Type
Firinga, Maison Type – Small houses that were built for those who had lost their houses to the cyclone Firinga, but that kept on being built for people who had not lost any house to any cyclone
Fit – In the context of “pa fair fit”, i.e don’t let me down.
Fité – Usually means sharp but can be used in a more personal scenario when describing a bitter person, “so la langue bien fité” (his/her tongue is sharp)
Flacq – One of the large districts on the East coast of Mauritius. Also includes villages with the same name, e.g. “Centre De Flacq” and “Poste de Flacq”
Flic-en-Flac – Arguably the most popular beach for people who live in the centre of Mauritius
Flying Dodos – A pub at Bagatelle that is probably the only place in Mauritius where they brew their own beer; closely resembles )in decor) the biergartens that Moricienneries™ used to visit while in Germany
Fokaire – Creole version of the very similarly sounding English term
Fond du Sac – Village in Mauritius; pronounced by many as Fan Di Sac
Ford – American car brand; Commonly seen on very, very, very old lorries
Fran Fran tou – See Fran tou
Fran tou – Local linguistic expression used to emphasise a point, or to express surprise, or anger, or basically anything. It fits anywhere
François – Language spoken by show-offs who like to pretend to be sophisticated by speaking what they [wrongly] believe is French; also the name of a tremendously brilliant friend of Moricienneries™. Cheers mate!
Frank Frank all – Moritienglish/Moritianglais (Anglicised Creole) version of Fran Fran tou; See also Fran tou
Fraternels, Les Verts – A Political Party, even though the name sounds more like that of a ‘secret club’ created by a group of kids than anything
Fres – Popular (read cheap) mint drops with smokers; used to be available everywhere from stands in the bus station and supermarkets to forgotten deep inside pant pockets only to be discovered right before, or after, washing
Frico – Some brand of milk
Frigidaire – An electronics brand; So good that it replaced the term refrigerator for many a Mauritian long ago
Additional material from contributors (Your own suggestions can be added in the comments or, if mailed to the admin (moricienneries@gmail.com), will appear here).
The Mauritius dictionary letter by letter: E is for…
E – Pre-suicide test grade for ‘intellectuals’; Possible bliss for non-intellectuals
Easicall – Telephone card used for International calls.
East-Sider – Hip Store for youngsters at one point. When did the East rise in power? Whatever happened to the previously much-adulated West?
Easypack de Chantecler – A bag of different chicken pieces that is supposed to facilitate the life of every housewife who is cooking dinner with a broad smile as if cooking chicken was what she had dreamt of all her life
Eclair, Mo pou fer toi truv z’ – Expression used in Creole to convey anger, literally meaning “I will make you see lightning”
Editions de l’Ocean Indien – Local/Regional reference in matters of books, office supplies, libraries, etc.; parent company of the Nationnaly famous ‘Le Primtemps’ library at Vacoas
Edouard, Doddy – If he was as talented as his name sounds fun, he would be defending against the world’s best strikers for some European Club instead of against the tenors of Seychelles for Club M
Efferalgan – If that was a drug, mostly everybody above 30 would be addicted to it; said to be better than Panadol even though they are the same
Eeehhhhhh – Common expression used in Creole to express annoyance; also used by some to express appreciation/encouraging the other party by feigning annoyance when teased
Eid – Very important festival for our Muslim brothers; comes in different forms such as Eid-ul-Fitr, Eid-ul-Addah, etc.
Elaiti (Cardamome) – Spice commonly used in various recipes in Mauritius, be it main courses, desserts, or even in some drinks; adds an amazing fragrance to succulent Mauritian black tea
Elastic – What boys used to use to ‘fire’ paper rockets at each other while in Primary/Elementary School
Emamdee, Yashin – Famous jockey who used to grace the Champ de Mars and whose name we got used to hear yelled ethusiastically by the legendary Jug Gokool in the ‘ligne droite finale’
Energizer – Famous brand of dry cells
Enhancement Plan – The latest attempt at a Machiavellian plan hatched by those above to put an end to the tax-evading practices of private tuition for primary school children
ENT – Hospital found in Vacoas where people go for any Ear, Nose, or Throat problems; also visited by some solely to have some company or to be taken care of by the good-looking young doctors in the casualty unit
Entente Boulet Rouge-Riche Mare Rovers – Football Club in the prestigious Barclays League, but that finished last and will be relegated
Environnement, Police de – Terrifying branch of the Police Force that enforces environmentally-related laws by driving around a whole lot and adding to the fumes but does little else
Escalier, l’ – Small village in the South of Mauritius
Escalope (de poulet) – Another name for chicken breast
Escobar, Pablo – Fake name used by some dude in an attempt to appear more prominent that he really was in a hidden documentary by M6, but that got him beaten up almost to death by the real dude in question and his gang
Eski – Local soft drink brand. Sister of Esko?
Esko – Local brand of biscuits, that later expanded to noodles and some other stuff
Esperer – What some people say instead of ‘attendre’ when they want you to hold on for a few seconds that makes it sound like you will never get what you asked for
Eureka – Cheap wine drunk by high school students when not in possession of enough money to buy Bordofin
Euro – European Football Championships, held every 4 years; some people seem to struggle with the ‘Euro’ concept and cheer for Brazil to win
Everyday – Brand of milk that used to be uber popular before but that then disappeared as fast as mad cow disease appeared
Additional material from contributors (Your own suggestions can be added in the comments or, if mailed to the admin [moricienneries@gmail.com], will appear below)
One of the most anticipated days for most schoolchildren was ‘Excursion day’. It was a perfect day: no classes, going somewhere with your friends, eating and drinking all day long, and going somewhere interesting. Every single child was excited simply on hearing Excursion. When the teacher announced that everybody would go to [typically] Casela or Aquarium the following week, it was hard for any pupil to focus on class matters. Excitement knew no bounds as consent forms were handed out for them to make their parents sign.
Usually, Mommy loads the small lunch basket with the lunch bread with burgers or fish fingers/fried rice in a box, the pack of twisties/super ring/poppies/tasties/crunchies etc., and a small box of juice (peach-flavoured sunny/grape-flavoured ceres/pear-flavoured sungold/fruit cocktail-flavoured pack of capri-sonne). Some might even bring an apple or a mandarine.
On that day, the children must be at school early in order to catch the famous Ashok Leyland buses. Every child must choose who they will sit next to and stick with them for the whole trip. Once on the bus, some start eating their snacks right away while teachers are still counting how many children are present. Some of the more outgoing ones may even try to start singing early!
Ah those excursion songs in the bus…including the famous “Appiyer chauffeur – 12 faratas!”
A mythical song sung generation after generation by pupils from schools all over…but whose meaning has been lost somewhere along the way (if it was ever known). Few people know what it means but everybody sang it anyway. Until “Miss” or “Monsieur” will try to calm everyone down and yell for everybody to be quiet.
After 2-3h visiting comes perhaps the m0st-awaited moment of the trip…A grand finale stop at the beach!
When the bus gets to [typically] Flic en Flac or Mont Choisy, everybody just lets loose…lunch baskets come out and all sorts of food prepared by Mommies from all around are consumed and shared. The teachers also have their own bring&share, but with ‘Panadol’. Some also bring appetisers, cakes, or anything they specially prepared the very morning. Children eat colourful, sweet or salty snacks and sometimes accidentally share them with the sand and filao seeds. Those who are less compliant and don’t want to eat just run around playing tag. However, nobody is allowed to get into the sea. Otherwise, ‘Monsieur’ will step in…
Come around 2 p.m., it’s time to head back. Everybody is tired, pupils and teachers alike. Songs in the bus are not as loud as in the morning, if sung at all, and half the bus is asleep, either on the shoulder of their best friend or on the bus window.
The bus gets back to school at around 3 p.m. and already, there are many cars and parents who are waiting at ‘Board‘. Exhausted children try to find the welcoming arms of their smiling parents, who take their now-empty lunch bags, and head home.
And such was spent one of the most memorable days in life of a school child…
‘Board’, like all those who went to Vacoas know it, is an emblematic figure in the town. One might say the heart of Vacoas…after the Vegetable Market, Victoria Bus Station, and Gymkhana of course. There was its lawn/football ground, the kids’ playground, and even a library!
I still remember how excited we got when told we were going to the library. I don’t remember if we were anticipating a new book to read or simply just getting out of the school and go to that old building..LoL. Anyway, I can still say that I read many good books from there. Its membership fees were incomprehensible as much as its system was obsolete!
Some of the books we all probably read may or will include: Jojo Lapin, Famous Five, Hardy Boys, Quand coccinelle s’en mele, Bookworms, Lucky Luke, Gaston, Tintin…oh sorry..MR Tintin without forgetting Milou…LoL, Garfield, Picsou, Super Picsou Geant (I do miss reading this thing!!), and so many others…feel free to add to the list..
Do you remember when someone brought a book to class, all pupils who were ‘fervent readers’ would ask to borrow it? It was like a frenzy only to get the book and skim through it till the end! LoL. But I have to admit it was pretty interesting to read these stories..
Anyway let me go relax with a book now…I feel like reading! ;p
European Championships 2012 in Poland and Ukraine, referred to as Polkraine by so many people it makes anyone forget about the real names of countries. While the D-Day is today, the excitement had begun long ago, with the drama reaching astronomical levels even before the start of the tourment!
Football is huge in Mauritius. Huge, as in H-U-G-E!
For club football, people typically support either Manchester United or Liverpool (many Arsenal fans often seem to convert to Liverpool for some unfathomable reasons), or lately Manchelsea/Chelsester City. As for National football, it seems that a big majority of people here support England and France (language bias?). Another reason could be that the Premier League is almost exclusively the one that’s broadcast on the MBC (Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation, the National TV station), with the German Bundesliga ony recently making its way to these shores since they moved from 3 analog channels to 12 digital ones. So let’s expect a rise in support for Die Nationalmannschaft soon! Yea, you guessed right; French leagues are not played anywhere other than French territories ;p
Normally, the MBC usually struggles to match the humongous prices at which private companies/satellite television channels buy the rights for global/regional football tournaments, but tries to do its best(read least expensive) to provide at least some matches for local subscribers. The opening ceremony is usually always broadcast along with the first match, but then the following matches tend to be rather random as they are bought as a package, e.g. 4 group matces, 2 quater finals, 1 semi final, and the final or any other combination. Hey it can be fun as it can be like the lottery…you have no idea what matches you are getting! But then again, for every palpitating Spain v/s Portugal or Germany v/s Holland, there can be an eye-gouging Sweden v/s England or Greece v/s Italy. ;)
Since the MBC cannot play all the matches, malls and restaurants have stepped in to provide non-subscribers of satellite channels with a means to watch the competition! Many of them have already announced that they will play matches on a big screen or on a projector in public. Those who will go there will be able to buy their dinner (their pick out of the various fast food chains in the food courts in the malls, or out of the dishes at the restaurant).
Sensing a good opportunity, other businesses try to share a slice of the cake. Eletronics shops seized on the Mother’s Day/Euro 2012 double salvo to slash prices on TVs etc., with LCD screens reaching never-seen-before low prices.
“While you’re already here getting the best hardware system ever to watch your Euro 2012 football, check out the wonderful washing machine you can gift the wife for Mother’s Day so that she can wash your clothes while you are getting excited watching Zlatan knocking Nasri’s head off with a roundhouse kick!”
No, that’s not a real commercial. Oh c’mon, don’t tell me you thought otherwise! Though Moricienneries would pay a lot to see that roundhouse kick… ;)
So as Euro 2012 starts tonight, Mauritus will be busy following the competition from start to finish. Some will root for their favourite team to win while others will root for their least favourite team to lose. Tears will flow and things will be broken. Friends will be made, and so will enemies.
In short, Mauritius will be a total football supporter for the coming month as Euro 2012 goes on.
May the best team win!
hithertododos
PrerrnaMirchi
$öU ;)
y4nish
Moricienneries 