Surveying local Mauritians

Author: Sophia Ultes | Major: Finance | Semester: Summer 2022

Traveling across the world to spend my summer working in Mauritius was a big culture shock. Although I was able to adapt to the custom of life that Mauritians partake in, it took me a little bit to get adjusted. We started surveying just a few days after arriving in Mauritius, not exactly knowing the best way to interact with the locals or how they would respond. Luckily, we had the students from the University of Mauritius there to help us. The students were very helpful with translating, but they were only available to survey with us a couple of times a week as they were full time students.

A few weeks into the program, we felt comfortable enough to try administering the surveys on our own. The language barrier was tough, especially when we went to places where English was not as popular. We found that this typically occurred in less educated and lower income areas. When we were on our own, we typically gravitated towards younger people as we found that that they were more likely to agree to take the survey and could usually speak English. The Mauritians that we did have the chance to survey were very gracious with their time and diligent in their answers. Conducting research in Mauritius this summer has been a fantastic cultural and educational experience. I learned so much by talking to the locals about their hardships and their opinions on our research regarding food security and the milk industry. Furthermore, another thing that was an adjustment for me was the slow pace of life on the island. There were times when I would find myself getting frustrated when the bus wouldn’t show up on time or when people would show up late. However, I feel that I have learned a lot of patience and gratitude from this experience.

My international internship in Mauritius this summer was a once in a lifetime experience, and I cannot wait to keep learning more about the world!