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.