Week 17: The Secret Garden

After a long week trying to get some assignments out of the way, we took a more relaxed pace this week as our classes have now all officially finished, meaning we were able to join Rachel’s parents in some sight-seeing. Despite having thought I had seen the majority of Malta I was definitely proved wrong this week! It started as I found gardens hidden behind large walls and gates amongst the narrow and twisty streets which I have walked past many times without even realising! I really enjoyed walking through the gardens as Malta is densely built up and it was nice to be in a more relaxed paced setting.

St Anton Gardens 

Whilst out exploring with Rachel’s parents we visited the first museum of our trip, The Malta At War Museum. Having done history as one of my A-Level’s and having a genuine interest in it I really enjoyed the trip. As a result I now have a better understanding of Malta’s history and how this has affected its culture. Malta has always been ruled and influenced by other dominant powers including most recently Italy and Britain. As a result of these rulings you can see different elements of their culture in Malta. For example you can see British influences as, English is one of the two main languages spoken here, they drive on the left hand side, they have the same electricity sockets found in Britain- different from the rest of Europe and you can also find the iconic British red telephone boxes with the picture of the crown in most towns. Italian influences can be found most notably in their food and in their language as a lot of people will say ‘ciao’ instead of the traditional Maltese farewell ‘sahha’.

The Malta at War Museum

Some of the many unexploded bombs from the war

Going down into the air raid shelter

Some of the dorms in the air raid shelters

During the Second World War Malta was valued for its strategic location in the Mediterranean and its closeness to Italy. As a result it was always high on the enemy’s agenda and was a major target for German and Italian bombing, where despite the small size of Malta it is was the most bombed area during the war, with 3,343 air raids having been recorded during the war. During our tour of the museum we got to explore through an underground air raid shelter which was used during the war. Due to the sustained bombing on Malta, the air raid shelters were commonly used and this one even had a separate room for women giving birth! The bombing had a significant impact on the infrastructure throughout the country. Many homes and buildings were destroyed during the attacks and the economy suffered hugely. Subsequently Malta has received lots of investment to help restore this, especially after becoming a member of the European Union in 2004. The EU has poured in major investment into Malta which can be seen in many projects in different towns, especially in Valletta, the capital city, where the original entrance and many other buildings have been restored.

Saying our first goodbyes!

An iconic Maltese scene

We found some time to relax by the infinity pool too!

Enjoying some of traditional Maltese food-
kannoli

Week 16: Once upon a time...

This week has been one of my toughest weeks in Malta so far! Living so far away from my family and friends has made me really value their place in my life and the support they have always provided me with. One of the drawbacks of living in another country is that I can’t participate in major life events and even normal daily events with them. I have found this particularly hard this week as I haven’t been able to be there in person for someone going through a tough situation. Skype is such a great invention and I have really appreciated during my time here in Malta, however it is just not the same as being there with the actual person, which is also not helped by poor Wi-Fi reception!

Enjoying a study break to do some shopping in Sliema!

I have also been really busy with 11 assignments to do within the next month, trying to ensure I get them all done before visitors arrive so we are able to spend time with them. Our classes have all started to finish up, with our last class ever in Malta to be held this Thursday! This has made it really hit home that my time in Malta is almost up now with just 4 weeks to go! Time has really flown in since being here in Malta, it doesn't feel that long ago since I wrote my first blog entry! MacKay is true when he says “Time is free, but it's priceless. You can't own it, but you can use it. You can't keep it, but you can spend it. Once you've lost it you can never get it back.” This week has made me reflect on the preciousness of time and the importance in how you spend it as Psalm chapter 90, verse 12 states “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom,” therefore we are not to waste our days away but to make the most of them, making time to participate in events which we will grow and develop in as a person and making time for things and people we value in our lives. Althsuler shows us how we are the directors of our time as in his quote he states, “The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.” Erasmus is a great opportunity which provides you with so many opportunities. It has allowed me to develop as an individual opening me up to new ideas, different ways of living, providing me with situations which have either re-affirmed or made me think about the beliefs and values I hold, aided me to identify my strengths and weaknesses as a person and letting me gain and improve in many new and different life skills. I am so glad I have had the opportunity to participate in Erasmus and although I can’t say I've made the most of all the time I have spent here in Malta, my Erasmus experience has definitely been time well spent!

My cooking skills have definitely improved
from baked potatoes, beans and cheese!

Meeting lots of new people!

Our walk to school today!

When it rains in Malta it floods!

Week 15: Getting artsy

On our return to school again this week we were moved to a younger class as they spend less time speaking in Maltese, despite enjoying being taught some new Maltese vocabulary I think this decision was best as we will understand more of what is going on in the classroom now. We were moved to a Year 2 group which would be a Primary 3 class at home. I have never observed or taught this age group before, so was interested to see how I would find it. Having missed out on teaching practice at home I have really appreciated being able to get into a school and spend time working with children, however the university doesn't allow us to teach any classes which I am a bit disappointed about as I feel I am missing out on a valuable experience.

Enjoying having my visitors over!

Beautiful sunset in Bugibba 

Infinity pool at Cafe del Mar

Enjoying a break from tour guiding!

Despite not being able to teach I have observed some great lessons and have definitely gotten some ideas for my teaching practice next year! My favourite was an art lesson about Paul Klee. The teacher began the lesson by telling the children about the artist, she did this as if she was telling a story which captured the children’s attention and interest. As she was telling the story she kept the children involved by asking them questions, for example the artist was born in Switzerland and she got children to guess this by giving them a clue that it was a European country beginning with S and ending in d, she continued this by asking them what people from Switzerland are called. McGee and Richgels (2014) support this style of teaching as they believe that “teachers should engage children’s interest by using some, but not many, lower-level questions interspersed.” She continued the lesson by looking at some of his artwork and pointing out key elements like how he originally used dull colours however after time began to use more bright colours. She then explained to children what they were expected to do and wrote a step-by-step guide on the board of how to achieve this, therefore identifying the success criteria of the lesson to the children. She circulated around children providing help and guidance and directed children towards the guide on the board if they weren't sure of what to do next. She continually kept children motivated by using table points and if children had finished their work she got them to help with others who wanted help. It was clear to see this teacher’s enthusiasm for working with children and also her love for the subject art. This is an important characteristic of a teacher recognised by Day (2004) as he states, “Passion is associated with enthusiasm, caring, commitment, and hope, which are themselves key characteristics of effectiveness in teaching.” 

An example of Paul Klee artwork

Sunday visit to Dingli Cliffs- our last Sunday without
any visitors!

Making the most of our last few weeks in Malta

Week 14: Holidaying in Malta

This weekend my brother and his wife have to come to Malta for the week. I have been truly blessed by the number of people coming out to visit me in Malta and was glad to see my new visitors as I had felt a bit homesick earlier during the week. They are staying in Bugibba which reminds me of the town Portstewart back home as it also has a promenade with lots of tourist shops, restaurants and ice-cream shops. Every year Malta has a fireworks festival which lasts for a week to celebrate their accession into the European Union and it happened to finish in Bugibba the day Stephen and Emma arrived. The festival has gained a big reputation for itself with Maltese and international companies competing against each other for different prizes which resulted in an amazing fireworks display!

Amazing fireworks display!

My new visitors for the week!

Malta is known to have the most bank holidays in the European Union and Friday brought forth our 5^th bank holiday since being here in Malta. It celebrates Labour Day which is also known as May Day and is celebrated all over the world, despite some countries including Northern Ireland celebrating it on Monday instead. It also coincides with Malta joining the European Union in 2004 and the feast of St Joseph the worker. This was specifically celebrated in the area we live in, Birkirkara by the ringing of bells and letting off of cannons in local masses.

The local chapel

The weather here has definitely started to get a lot warmer even within this week, with the highest this week being a rather hot 29 degrees! With this only being the start of May and the beginning of summer temperatures will continue to rise, with the hottest temperature to be recorded being 44 degrees which was recorded in the shade in August 1999. This Sun-Tropical Mediterranean climate has resulted in schools taking a whole 3 months off school for summer holidays. There has been some debate about the length of this holiday as neighbouring countries with similar climates don’t have as long as a break and still manage. The large break means a lot of time is spent at the start of the term recapping on what children have previously learnt, therefore adding to the time lost during summer, where children are only in school for approximately 7 and a half months of the year, of which the school day is only 5 hours long. As a result this had led to a lot of children being privately tutored for revision over the summer months and to help them keep with a full syllabus and lack of teaching time throughout the year. Grech (2010) suggests that the school day should be lengthened in order to at least accommodate for the busy curriculum. Others including many parents call for shorter summers as this will reduce pressures on them to plan and pay for childcare whilst also ensuring their children aren’t wasting their time away playing video games etc.

Feels like more than 27 degrees to me!

Week 13: Back to reality!

After saying goodbye to all my visitors and with tutors now starting to hand out assignment details it was definitely time to get stuck back into reality. With the sun beaming it has been quite hard to get motivated to make a start on assignments with my natural feeling wanting to stay outside and make the most of the sunshine as we rarely see it in Northern Ireland, however I have to keep reminding myself that I’m in Malta and that if it’s not sunny tomorrow, no doubt it will be the next day.

Missing these guys!!

We had our first day of placement this week, were Rachel and myself were placed in the same class which was quite unusual and different to what I am used to back home. We were put in a Year 3 class of children who were 7 or 8 years old, the equivalent to Primary 4 in Northern Ireland. This is my favourite age group to work with as I find that children are starting to become more independent however still need direction and help from you. The classroom and timetable are quite similar to one you would find at home however Maltese is also taught, through which Rachel and myself had little input and became more like the pupils in the class. We have now learnt some Maltese vocabulary and the difference between some singular and plural words. For example, ice-cream is gelat in Maltese and the plural is gelati. I found it interesting to note that the whole year group is split according to ability for Maltese lessons. The teacher explained that this is because there are a lot of international children who have little or no Maltese compared to children who have been brought up in Malta and have been emerged in the language since they were born.

Gelati

Gelat

After having visited Sicily over the Easter holidays I have definitely taken for granted that Maltese people are bi-lingual and speak English so well. In Northern Ireland the majority of the teacher’s time is spent teaching either Mathematics and Numeracy or Language and Literacy, I observed in the Maltese classroom that there is a large emphasis placed on these too however they also have Maltese amongst their core subjects. Gordon (2007) makes the argument that children learn second languages more easily when they are younger as they are still learning their first language resulting in it being more natural for them compared to when adults learn a second language. This raises the question of placing a higher emphasis on second language learning in the primary Northern Ireland Curriculum, especially as our world continues to become more globalised. After living in the University Residence amongst lots of international students who all speak English it has certainly made me wish I had more opportunities in learning a second language at a younger age, whilst also wishing I had put more effort and work in when learning French at Secondary School.

Week 12: 21st Birthday Celebrations!!

To help me celebrate my 21st birthday some of my friends joined Clodagh, Rachel and myself in renting out an apartment for the week. I was really excited to show them all about the country I had been living in for the past couple of months. Having visitors come over has been really good for me as it has made me put in the effort to actually research what’s available to do in Malta and to see if there are any specific events going on. This has led me to do lots of exciting things that I might not have done otherwise, as we went scuba diving on one of the days they were over. I had heard some scary stories about how scuba diving could affect your ears and was a bit nervous about doing it however there is a wise saying which says “if you never try you will never know.” I agree with this quote as although at times I felt out of my comfort zone I am so glad that I went ahead with going as I have found something new that I really enjoyed and would definitely do again, putting scuba diving in The Great Barrier Reef high up on my bucket list! 

Reunited!!

Midnight swim in the pool

To celebrate my birthday we got a boat tour around Comino, surrounding caves and the Blue Lagoon. I can easily say it’s been one of the best birthdays ever being able to swim about the Mediterranean Sea and chill out on our own private deck of the boat! I felt like a lady of leisure as I looked out to the impressive clear blue waters, having never seen anything like it before. Our boat also anchored in the Crystal Lagoon where they gave us snorkels so that we could see lots of different fish and coral in the water and swim over to a nearby cave. It is clear to say I have definitely gained an appreciation for the beautiful underwater world. In fitting with the marine theme we went out for dinner at a restaurant in the aquarium to finish the day off. 

Group photo!

Some of the caves we visited

The Blue Lagoon

Making the brave jump in

21!!

Dinning out

I am so glad that I have been able to make the adventure out to Malta as it has opened up lots of doors and opportunities that I wouldn’t have even considered doing back home. I am definitely growing as a person and have learnt so much from the experience already. With the end point in sight I am going to make the most of the rest of my time here in Malta, embracing and learning from each experience I encounter, as Euripides writes “experience, travel – these are education in themselves.”  

Trip to Popeye Villiage

Touring about Gozo

At the Azure Window

Week 11: Malta livin'

I found returning to Malta quite hard as I had such a fun and busy time catching up on what I had missed. However the weather made up for it as it is now starting to really heat up, meaning there will be lots more visits to the beach this term which of course is also an excuse for some ice-cream!

One of my friends, Clodagh also made the trip out to visit me which also made the process of getting settled back into Maltese life a lot easier! I am really excited as Rachel and myself have lots of visitors coming out throughout the rest of time we have left in Malta which should take away any home sickness we have. Once again I embraced the role of a tour guide and showed Clodagh around some of the sites Malta has to offer. First on her list to see was St Paul’s island. Using my previous knowledge from the hike we did around St Paul’s Island we walked around several bays to get amazing views. This made me appreciate the effort Ray (the organiser of the hikes) puts in by offering to take all the residents around areas of the island they probably wouldn't have found out about otherwise.

St Paul's Island

The Grand Master's Palace in Valletta

Couldn't go without a trip to Fontenalla and
tasting their famous cakes!

First time trying macaroons!

An impressive flower shaped ice-cream

One of my highlights of Clodagh being here was when we were in Gozo. We had rented out bikes and cycled to the Azure Window were we got taken out in a boat around the window and through caves in the surrounding area. As Clodagh studies geography and we both did it together at A-Level it was cool to relive our school memories and learn more. We also made the brave decision to jump into the water beside the Azure Window and swim about in it, although not for too long as I had no idea what was in the water and feared a shark coming in and circling me, which wasn't too far-fetched as I researched whether or not sharks could be found in the waters around Malta when I got home and came across this article (http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140609/local/shark-circles-fishing-boat-off-gozo.522631) which shows a video of a large shark circling a boat 5 miles of the coast of Gozo, despite comments saying that sharks rarely come into shore I don’t think I’ll be as quick to jump into unknown water again!

Tired after a long day cycling

Enjoying sunsets and views in Gozo

Swimming beside the Azure Window, no sharks can be
seen, thankfully!!