Week 4: One month in!

It’s hard to believe this is week 4 of my Erasmus adventure and that I have been in Malta for almost a month! This week brought a lot of reminders of home as it was very wet and rainy throughout the week, we went to the cinema which was just like home except for the interval half way through the film, getting my first Sunday dinner roast lunch and finally my first visitor from home arrived. Therefore I took the time to show my boyfriend around some of the famous tourist sites Malta and Gozo has to offer like the Azure window and Dingli Cliffs. Whilst doing this it made me look back to my first few days in Malta where everything seemed so new to me. Although I am still exploring this small island I am starting to feel more at home and accustomed to life in Malta, being able to use shortcuts to the bus stop, feeling more comfortable and sure of catching the right bus and taking the role of a tour guide and showing others around.

Beautiful views from Gozo ferry terminal

The Mediterranean Sea

The Azure Window

Dingli Cliffs

Enjoying our Sunday roast dinner

We had an international dinner on Tuesday night where lots of the residents brought typical dishes associated with their country. This was a great idea as it meant we got to sample lots of different foods like a Maltese pastizzi, Moroccan couscous, Danish pastries and tarts and much much more! (Including NI’s contribution of champ!) It was also a great opportunity to get to meet other Erasmus students who don’t live at the University Residence. Being able to meet with people from lots of different backgrounds and countries has really interested me as it has opened my eyes to different ways of living and opinions people hold to certain issues which I have rarely came across before, this has made me think more about and rationalise how I live, what I prioritise in my life and what I believe in. It has made me think about the diverse world we live in where although we are different to others it shouldn’t affect our ability to get on with them instead we should accept and embrace these differences as Ola Joseph puts it “Diversity is not about how we differ. Diversity is about embracing one another’s uniqueness.”

Team NI!

Some of the different foods offered at
the international dinner

This week a lot of our classes stopped until after Easter as students are away on placement, however my two favourite modules are continuing throughout this time which I am glad of. We are also in the process of getting placement sorted which will allow us to go into a Maltese school and experience what it is like. I am really excited about being able to do this as I have never been to a school outside of Northern Ireland and so I am interested to see the differences and similarities in what a typical Maltese school day is like, particularly being able to identify the role of the teacher and what the curriculum is like. 

Week 3: Fun, Ferries and Festivals

Week three brought in our first day off from university, despite the fact that we had only recently begun classes a week ago! This was due to it being a public holiday throughout Malta to celebrate The Feast of St Paul's Shipwreck. Making the most of our day off a group of us decided to venture into Valletta and see how the Maltese celebrated their festivals. Arriving in a packed bus we got off to a somewhat busier Valletta however apart from this everything else looked normal. We then bumped into a fellow classmate who told us that the parade was happening a couple of streets across. The atmosphere in the crowd was spectacular, I have never been to anything like it before. The streets were crowded with both people and paper confetti which was continuously pouring down. There was a real sense of unity as the parade passed through and people sang along to the different songs the band were playing. This has been one of the top highlights on my Erasmus experience so far, especially as Rachel and myself ended up being interviewed by a Maltese TV programme! (This can be viewed through the following link http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/49455/crowds_throng_valletta_for_feast_of_st_pauls_shipwreck_#.VOi1G_msWSo)
We ended the day by exploring Valletta a bit more and capturing some of the beautiful views out to sea. Having always wanted to live by the sea at home I am really enjoying the small feeling of Malta as you are never far from the ocean and everything is in reachable distance. I am looking forward to when the weather heats up so that I can discover some of the different beaches people have told me about.

Celebrating St Paul's Shipwreck festival

Night-time in the streets of Valletta 

After having been super impressed by the festival in Valletta and remaining in a festival mood we decided to make the trip to what had been described as a ‘crazy’ carnival in the island of Gozo at the weekend. This was the first time we would make the trip to Gozo and due to Tuesday’s festival having been really good and as this was a fancy dress carnival expectations were set high. A large group from the university residence left and got a taxi to the ferry where we arrived in Gozo however we had a while to wait before the festival in Victoria began so we took the time to explore this new capital. Just as we were grabbing some dinner it began to rain and as a result the carnival was called off. This was quite frustrating as we had made the whole trip out to this island and it hadn't rained until this point. It is also something we aren't used to in Northern Ireland as we always have to be weather precautions due to the high chance of it raining. Not letting this dampen our spirits too much we got a taxi to another part of the island were another carnival was happening. Here the rain didn't put off all people here however it certainly put a dampener on moods and after a while we gave up a made our way back home. Despite being disappointed by the lack of celebrations it gave us a chance to see about another island and I look forward to returning here and seeing some of popular sites it has to offer such as the Azure window and the blue grotto.

Getting ready for the Gozo carnival

Masks on!

Stran on tour!

Week 2: Back to the books!

Week 2 brought a more structured week as our classes began. I was excited to see what classes in Malta would be like and to see any differences or similarities to classes at Stranmillis. We picked up modules like Psychological Issues and their Influence on Educational Performance and Understanding Children with Learning Difficulties as these are relevant to a teacher’s daily role and so it is key that they have an understanding of them. However we could also choose modules like Sustainable Development and Climate Change Education and so we decided to pick up this class as this meant that as well as developing our abilities as a teacher we could learn new subject knowledge. I found this class particularly interesting as it was very geography based and took me back to my school days where geography was my favourite subject.

Beginning classes meant that I could get to know more Maltese people as I hadn’t had many other opportunities as no Maltese stay at the university residence as Malta is such a small island. They were really friendly and helpful in telling us about all the sites to see and helping us reach our next class! One of our classes only has 8 students in it so this should provide good opportunities in getting to know our classmates well and to learn more about the Maltese culture. Apart from Rachel and myself there are another 3 Primary Education Erasmus Students which is quite nice as we are all in the same boat. It is also interesting to learn about their different education systems and see the differences between theirs and ours, as I have learnt that there are even differences between Northern Ireland’s and Ireland’s education systems.

After all our classes we also made time to get to know our fellow residents more. We went with a group of girls to a local pub called Zmerc to chill out and get to know others better. To our amazement after ordering a round of drinks plates of food came out along with it. We were shocked as you would never find this happening in Northern Ireland, especially as it continued throughout the whole time we were there, by the time we had left 6 different types of Maltese style food had been brought out! My favourite was a pasta dish, which I was told later had rabbit in it! We had been told Sliema was the best place to go shopping, so after having forgotten to pack a few things and being a typical girl we decided to make the 2 bus journey there, thankfully being helped by Katie who is an Erasmus student here all year. Sliema is a beautiful town surrounded by the sea with lots of restaurants and tourist things to do, and of course not forgetting the shops!

Some of the residents who went to Zmerc

After a busy week, Sunday was spent relaxing, going to church, catching up with family and friends and reflecting on the different happenings the week had brought, an important element to remember as Mary-Frances Winters writes, “don’t become too preoccupied with what is happening around you pay more attention to what is going on within you.”

Beautiful views of Valletta from Sliema

Enjoying our cocktails

Appreciating the Maltese architecture on my Sunday walk

Week 1: Ready Steady Go!

Rachel and I before checking in our luggage

Tuesday 27th January 2015, the date that had been on my mind for the past while had finally come! It felt surreal. I couldn't believe that I would be leaving Northern Ireland and making Malta my new home for 5 months. The week before brought a build-up of excitement and nervousness as I said my final goodbyes to lots of my friends and family. However after arriving at the airport and meeting Rachel the anticipation of what life in Malta would be like replaced any nerves. We said an emotional goodbye and waved farewell to both of our families as we headed through the airport security, our adventure was just beginning!

Looking forward to when the
weather gets warmer and
the pool opens

After a short 3 hour flight and a smooth landing we got off the aeroplane to the sun shining. We found our taxi and arrived at the university residence, our new home. I was excited to see what the accommodation would look like and was instantly drawn towards the outside swimming pool! However I was a bit disappointed as our room wouldn't be ready until Saturday as semester one students were still finishing exams. This meant that we couldn't unpack and had to live out of our suitcases for a number of days. This was a bit frustrating especially when looking for forms we needed for our registration day on Friday but after a lot of searching and reshuffling we arrived at the university with everything we needed. We received lots of information about the different services and organisations the university has to offer and the day ended with a tour around the university. It is a lot bigger compared to Stranmillis, with over 11,000 students and a large spread out campus, I can already tell we will get lost a number of times! We were told to expect clashes in our timetable which we have to look up and work out for ourselves, this makes me appreciate the work and preparation Stranmillis put into organising and ensuring no clashes in your module choices. After having spent a lot of time working out our timetable one of our modules clashed with two other modules so we will have to drop it and pick up another one. We have a meeting with our academic co-ordinator tomorrow afternoon which will be useful as he should be able to help us sort out our timetable problems and give us some information about our teaching practice.

The meeting point for our induction day

It’s hard to believe that I've been in Malta for a week now. It’s had its ups and downs and has been very different to what I imagined it would be like. At times I have missed home, however Neale Donald Walsch reminds me that although it may be easier and more comfortable to be at home “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” I agree with this quote as already I feel myself adapting to the different culture and way of life here in Malta, having managed to do our shopping on-line, work out the bus timetables and explore some of the beautiful places this country has to offer. I am looking forward to discovering more of this island, experiencing their culture and beginning classes at university.

Rachel decorating our new room

Outside the Bible Baptist Church

A famous cake shop in Mdina

Mdina

Our trip to Mdina, the old capital