Tropical Baby

I was the  tropical baby! This blog explains my experience encountering the British winter for the first time. I wanted to write this for you to build a picture in your mind. This experience is not unique to me; many immigrants may have experienced this at the start of their new journey. It’s a lighthearted take on experiencing a new country for the first time and stepping out of our comfort zones. I hope that this makes you smile as you read it.

Back at Heathrow airport, as we walked through the doors separating us and my dad, he welcomed us with open arms and three ‘coats’. Well, this was the first time I’d seen a coat, let alone wear one. My dad noticed the inquisitive look in my eyes and explained that the outside temperature was freezing. I had seen freezing weather on TV many times, but never quite realised how it would actually feel to experience freezing temperatures. The coldest I’d been up to this point was about 16 degrees celsius at night! So we put on these coats and stepped outside… I felt like I had just stuck my face in a freezer. My nose suddenly went numb, all the muscles in my body tensed, I felt like I couldn’t even open and close my hands freely. I looked over at my mum and sister and their facial expressions mirrored mine. Mum, as usual, was doing her best to put on a brave face.

We stuffed our suitcases in my dad’s car. As my dad drove on the motorway, I was very impressed with how well everyone drove. Hardly anyone on the road beeped their horn. Everything seemed to be working in harmony. I had been used to the chaos of Port-Louis, the capital of Mauritius. Every street had a pavement, none of the cars had grey smoke coming out of the exhaust and seeing a double-decker bus for the first time just blew my mind!

I’m not sure whether it was the excitement of seeing us after 4 months or that all the houses on all the streets looked the same, but my dad couldn’t find his way back to our flat in Hackney, London. All the houses looked like dollhouses to me because they were just so perfectly arranged. I had been used to seeing houses of all shapes and sizes in Mauritius. After what felt like a beautiful eternity, we made it to our small two-bedroom flat. As soon as we walked in, my dad showed us the room my sister and I would be sharing and he also had to explain the big white warm ‘thing’ on the wall… a radiator!

As immigrants, the first year is spent transitioning from being tourists to residents. Human nature kicked in as we landed and our curiosity for this new country meant that we wanted to see all the attractions and landmarks we had seen and heard about on TV. Somehow, this curiosity was necessary as it distracted us from the fact that the only familiar faces we now had were my uncle, aunt and two cousins.

My dad loves going to new places and broadening his horizons (maybe it’s hereditary!) so he would make a list of all the places he wanted to visit and do his best to get us there. I will never forget the first time we drove past Piccadilly Circus. To help you relate to this feeling, imagine how you would feel if you were on a Mauritian beach. I was in awe. One Sunday, my dad suggested that we should go to the beach like we used to in Mauritius. So we got ready, worked out our route and headed towards Southend. Assuming all beaches in the world are the same, I was expecting palm trees, white sand and blue sea; just what I was used to. As we reached Southend, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I couldn’t believe that this was a ‘beach.’ I actually asked my dad, “where’s the white sand? Why are there rocks everywhere?” And “why is the sea not blue?” He explained that this was how most beaches are in England. Finally, I understood why all my teachers asked the following question when I said I’m from Mauritius: “why would you leave such a beautiful country?”

Sometimes, I still get asked the same question. My response is that “I never left it, I will always be a tropical baby. Mauritius will always hold a special place in my heart. I grew up there and London is where I matured.”