M. Hosanee
My name is Mr. Hosanee. I was born in Mauritius, a tropical island, located 1200 km East of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. My native language is creole. From the time I started school, I studied three languages: French , English and Hindi. Later on I learned some Spanish.I have taught grade 6 French Immersion for the past 32 years. This year , 2022 will be my 33rd year teaching grade six French immersion. During my spare time I enjoy reading, listening to music and surfing the web. As for sports, I enjoy playing soccer, volleyball and love to cycle, run, walk and ski both downhill and cross country. Not to forget, I love travelling. So far I have traveled to over 15 different countries, of which I have been to Paris , France 9 times.
Below are some pictures of the island of Mauritius!
Different Fruits from Mauritius
Mauritius enjoys an abundance of bright and colourful tropical fruits, from the papaya and pineapple to the pomegranate and pamplemousse, or grapefruit. But plenty of less well-known fruits of Mauritius are worth seeking out too, including some of our favourites
What is longan fruit?
About the size of a ping pong ball, this fruit comes from a subtropical tree which is native to the southern portion of China and Burma. Reaching up to 40 feet in height, it grows as wide as it does tall. A fully mature Dimocarpus longan tree can produce a massive crop of up to 500 lbs. of fruit (1).
Since each piece only weighs around 4 grams (0.14 oz.), that means up to 50,000 fruits per year, per tree.
In scientific circles, it’s also called Euphoria longan Lour. and Dimocarpus longan Lour. For the layman, misspellings of it are common including logan and lonan.
What does longan taste like?
For starters, you don’t eat the peel. That part is always discarded. The seed is rarely consumed, except when it is ground up and used in some herbal tonics, such as for a tea.
The sweet and juicy pulp is the part you eat. Its flavor is often compared to its relative, the lychee. Both are members of the soapberry family (Sapindaceae). Others compare its taste to the honeydew melon.
However you want to describe it, you won’t use the name of a citrus fruit. The longan has no acidity, or at least not any that your tongue will detect.
The scent is extremely subtle yet unique – if your nose can detect it, you will probably agree it’s what a gardenia flower smells like, albeit much milder.
As a food, it may be an acquired taste for you.
This is because of a distinct musky aftertaste, which is experienced with some varieties more than others. It’s most noticeable on the dried longan, since the flavors are concentrated. But after you devour a bag or two, you should be hooked!
Languages of Mauritius
Mauritius Language
Mauritians are proficient in several languages. People use many languages and dialects to communicate among themselves and the multi-ethnic characteristics of Mauritius make it a multi-lingual country. Most Mauritians are at least bilingual, if not trilingual.
Official Language of Mauritius
The Mauritian Constitution makes no mention of an official language and its one million citizens speak English, French, Mauritian Creole, French-based Creole, and ethnic languages such as Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi, Urdu, Tamil or Mandarin.
Both French and English, which have long enjoyed greater social status, are favored in educational and professional settings.
English is generally accepted as the official language of Mauritius as it is the language of government administration, the courts and business sector.
The dominant language in the mass media (newspapers, magazines, radio and TV), as well as in corporate and business dealings is French. In fact, even English language television programmers are usually dubbed into French. French is also the main language of instruction used in the education system.
Virtually everyone working in the tourism industry and in the government departments is able to speak both French and English, and official forms are also available both in French and English.
Mauritian Créole Language
Mauritian Créole, which is spoken by the majority of the population, is considered to be the native language of the country and is used most often in informal settings. There is no official written standard for Mauritian Creole; words are often spelt differently from standard French during verbal communication. In the last three years however, creole is being taught in schools.
The Mauritian Creole was developed in the 18th century by slaves who used a pidgin language to communicate with each other as well as with their French masters who did not understand the various African languages. The pidgin evolved with later generations to become a casual language.
The current Mauritian Creole used by the majority of Mauritians incorporates some words from diverse sources including but not limited to French, English, Dutch and Portuguese, and has slight pronunciation differences from standard French.