My Maltese Adventure 2015: 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.