My New Life in Malta

It has been a long time since I have written anything here.

I would like to thank everyone for continuing to read it and leaving me comments.

The blog has to go on hold temporarily, much to my regret. I am currently away from Malta, and not sure when I will return.

Meanwhile, I hope that the existing entries can serve as information or inspiration for those living in or moving to Malta.

Do continue to leave any questions or comments that I might be able to answer, as I do reply regularly.

I will post an update here as soon as I have a clearer notion of what the near future holds.

As expected, today’s post is all about the euro… again.

Yesterday afternoon I went out to the supermarket. I needed to buy one item for dinner, and figured it was a chance to try out the new currency on its first business day (as 1^st January was a public holiday and virtually all stores were closed).

I had a €50 note from when I last went to the European mainland, which I had kept specifically for €-day. I figured there was no point exchanging it back if the changeover was coming soon. However, I only had €2 worth of food in my shopping basket, so I went around the aisles and tried to get a few non-perishable staples so that I had enough to merit handing over a large denomination to the cashier. I then realised that the ATM’s are giving out €10 and €20 notes, and wondered if €50 would be considered too large.

As I approached the cash points, I heard that before announcing the total, the cashiers were asking “ewro jew Maltin?” (“euro or Maltese liri?”) in order to see with what currency the customer was going to pay. The woman in front of me had a lot of trouble coming up with the right combination of coins and confused the liri total with the euro total. However, nobody was rushing anyone. There was a certain air of camaraderie in the air, with everyone getting used to the coins. As I said last year, it is like being on holiday in another country and not being familiar with the money, except that in this case it is as if the entire Maltese population is on the trip with you. I noted out loud that “ikollok paċenzja llum” (“you need patience today”) and the woman in front of me agreed with an apologetic smile.

When it was my turn to pay, my total came up to €9 and I shyly handed over my €50. The cashier ran it through a little anti-counterfeit device FIVE times. Once in every direction, front and back, and once more just to be sure. It makes sense, since this would be a perfect time for people to pass on fake notes. In fact, just a couple of weeks ago a couple was caught in Sliema paying with fake euro notes, and later the police found thousands of them in their flat. Although even with the liri I had noticed that they always checked every single note at the supermarket to make sure it was real.

I was handed my change slowly, one note and coin at a time. Each one was pointed out individually. Then my total and change where repeated. The cashier spoke like she was teaching a child, not condescendingly at all but rather very educational.

On the way home I stopped at a small food store where I often chat with the cashier. Her register was still issuing receipts in liri and she had to do the conversions to euro with a calculator. This is the same store that waited until the very last day before dual-display was mandatory to label their items in both currencies, so I was not surprised. I did not want to burden such a small shop so I used coins. It was like a game, figuring out what the best combination was. She informed me that “99.9% of people are paying in liri” which made sense since everyone is trying to get rid of them. I asked if this was a headache for her but she said she would get used to it. Then she said she was well-stocked with euros, and proceeded to open the register and show me. Considering the unusually high number of hold-ups in recent weeks (which I attribute directly to the large amounts of cash being distributed as a result of the changeover) that was not very prudent.

And on a last dorky note, I paid her with a combination of Italian, French and German coins left over from the above-mentioned trip, thereby putting them into Maltese circulation. I wonder when will be the first time that I receive a non-Maltese coin as change.

Well, it happened. The euro is here. In only three-and-a-half years Malta has joined the European Union, joined Schengen (abolished borders with most European countries) and adopted the European currency. Malta is now completely integrated into the EU.

We spent new year's eve at a friend's house, alternating between watching the television coverage and looking at the fireworks out the window. At 11:00pm, I suggested we try to watch live coverage of Cyprus, since due to the time zone difference they were adopting the euro one hour before Malta. We tried all the different channels but could find nothing. Eventually we found a brief mention of it on France 24. The caption across the screen read CYPRUS ADOPS THE EURO but all the footage was of Malta!!

Then, as midnight approached there was a laser show projected onto the fortified walls of Valletta. First a countdown, and then the euro symbol projected onto a map of the Maltese Islands. We cheered and celebrated, greeting one another amongst the friends present. Then we turned our attention back to the TV. The Prime Minister of Malta was supposed to be the first person to withdraw euros at an ATM. We watched as he went through the transaction... and the machine did not work! Then he tried again... and once more it did not work! He turned white in shock and embarrassment. We all had a good laugh. Eventually he was taken round the corner to another ATM (which I assume was tested first) and eventually the public relations opportunity was successful.

On the way home, M and I tried to stop at an ATM but it was not working. Between 10:00pm and 12:00am all of them were shut down, and it was meant to take several hours until they gradually went back online throughout the day. We went back in the morning, and I took a little video of M withdrawing euros from a Maltese ATM. He switched back and forth between delight and embarrassment, as strangers were looking on.

However, it will not really feel like the euro is here until I actually use it. As yesterday was a public holiday all the shops were closed, and so far today I have not needed to buy anything! I will try to think of some small thing I can purchase so I can go out and experience the euro.

In honour of the new currency, I tried something new. I did a bit of a picture blog entry about the euro. However I do not want to post it here because it links to personal information. So if you want to see my euro collage, let me know and I will e-mail you the link.

After a long anticipation, the euro will be here in just a few hours. I went for a haircut this morning and handed over my last Lm2 note, leaving just 12 cents jingling in my pocket. I later remembered that we need toothpaste... good thing M still has some liri in his wallet!

Using up my last Maltese liri has been a bit anti-climactic. I announced as I paid, "dawn l-aħħar liri Maltin li għandi!" ("these are the last Maltese liri I have!") but the hairdresser seemed uninterested. So much for that. I was, however, happy to note that she has decided to round down when converting into euros. Lm2 was converted into €4.60 instead of €4.66. Not bad for a very small business, and a good way to assure her loyal customers like me that we will not get cheated.

The big celebrations around Grand Harbour will be dampened by the torrential rains we have been getting, and all activities will be moved indoors. I wonder if the fireworks and laser show will still go on. In any case, we will find out from the cosy and warm living room of our friend D's flat, overlooking Valletta from across the water. Tonight's official festivities will involve the Prime Minister and Minister of Finance being the first to withdraw euros from a Maltese ATM, broadcast live on television.

Starting tomorrow, shopkeepers are supposed to accept both currencies for the month-long transition, but give change only in euros. We will see how that really goes. Pavi supermarket has already put up big signs saying that cashiers will only accept euros, but they will offer a central desk where customers can exchange their liri. It seems like a practical idea to keep the lines running smoothly. I cannot imagine fruit vendors having enough change for everyone wanting to change a €20 or Lm10 note, so it will all be interesting to see.

For now, in my last bloggatta of the year, I want to wish all my readers a happy and healthy 2008. Thank you for reading and making me feel that my writing is appreciated! And if you are one of those that reads but never comments, drop me a line or two. It is always nice to know who is reading my words (and where).

Is-sena t-tajba lil kulħadd!

Happy new year to everyone!

Many European related events are happening here lately. A few days ago, Malta joined the Schengen Zone. That is the name of an agreement that abolishes border controls between most (but not all) European countries. Several other countries joined in with this expansion of the Schengen area, which now covers the majority of the continent with a few notable exceptions such as the UK, Ireland, most of the former Yugoslavia, and a few others. Malta has opened its borders in stages, starting with just its seaport for now. The airport will follow in March.

This means that, already for ships and soon for flights, one will no longer need to go through passport control when leaving or entering Malta to or from one of the 27 other Schengen countries. Those who need visas can obtain one visa valid for all of them. This is something I have always been a big fan of and I have been following its expansion for years. How ironic, then, that it might have some unwanted consequences for me.

While before I could leave and enter Malta and keep extending legally the time allowed to stay here almost indefinitely, the Schengen regulations are much stricter. Non-EU citizens are only allowed to stay for 90 days in any six-month period in the Schengen area. After that, one has to leave and be gone for three months. As the clock has begun to tick, I am getting a bit nervous. The only way out of this will be to find an employer willing to hire me and sponsor my work permit (STILL trying to do that). I keep my fingers crossed with growing anxiety.

It is so unfair, as I came here to join my partner and have a life together in Malta. Many other countries would have granted me a partner/spouse visa by now, allowing me to establish roots and work. However, I remain optimistic and continue to look for options. No use being negative in life. Positivity brings more positivity.

In other Malta-European news, euro day is only three days and a few hours away. Major celebrations are planned around the Grand Harbour including a laser show. But after last year's experience in Notte Bianca, where the streets of Valletta were so crowded one could hardly move, M and I are thinking of having a more quiet night to celebrate the new year.

I also heard in the news that the National Euro Changeover Committee instead of being disbanded will be turned into a new agency for consumers' rights. I really do hope this initiative works, as customer service is one area where Malta really needs improvement.

My attempt with this blog has been to stick to a main topic. That is, my observations and (sometimes quirky) experiences as a relative newcomer to Malta as I immerse myself in Maltese life. I usually leave out personal details or aspects of my life that go beyond this self-imposed subject matter. And so I have been struggling as to whether I should write this post. In the end, I decided to go ahead.

The phone rang recently. I expected the call. My brother was on the other end, to inform me that our father had just passed away. It followed a prolonged illness and the end was clearly coming for the last several weeks. And thus I experienced a death in the family while living in Malta, far away from where the event took place.

I had already made peace with the fact that I would not attend the funeral. A quick glimpse into airline websites reiterated my decision with exorbitantly unaffordable last-minute fares.

It is difficult to mourn when there is nobody around that knew the deceased. It is even harder when there are few people around that know me. It is a time when unexpected people surprise you with kind gestures, while faraway loved ones send their words of comfort.

The strange thing is that, being in a place where people would not find out otherwise, one has to first inform others of the death. I feel odd doing that, as it seems like I am going around requesting sympathy. "How is everything going?" asked the friendly woman at the shop down the street. What should I do, tell her my father is dead and go through an awkward few minutes of perfunctory cliché phrases? Instead, I reply that all is well, with a smile, and move on.

Yesterday was the last euro milestone in Malta before it becomes the official currency on 1 January 2008. This last step consisted of two parts.

First, there are now no longer any exchange rate fees or commissions when exchanging Maltese liri into euros. Although the lira has been fixed to the euro for over two years, until now the exchange between them was still treated as dealing in foreign currency with the bank or bureau de change making a slight profit on each transaction (and the consumer losing that bit every time). But now, no more! With only three weeks to go before the lira makes its graceful exit, every lira is exchanged for exactly €0.4293 (well, rounded to the nearest two decimal points) with no loss. This paves the way for…

… the second part, which is much more exciting. The public can now obtain so-called “mini-kits” that consist of Maltese euro coins of all the denominations! I was one of the first to do so yesterday morning (any regular reader of this blog will not be surprised at my enthusiasm) and I marched down to the nearest bank and handed over some liri. Each kit “costs” Lm5 and has €11.65 in coins. I was so excited that I bought two. One was supposed to be a little euro-present for M, but when he got home it turned out he was so excited as well that he had bought a mini-kit already!! I guess great minds think alike.

We ripped open one of the packets, which contains a warning from the Central Bank of Malta that these coins will only become legal tender on 1 January 2008, and held the Maltese euros in our hands for the first time. It was a bit surreal.

All of the euro coins have the same designs on the front sides in all eurozone countries, no matter where they are issued. The reverse side is different in each country and is meant to attach a bit of national pride to the single European currency.

In Malta ’s case, the smallest coins have a stylised version of the Mnajdra Temples, one of Malta ’s architectural wonders and the oldest free-standing structures in the world. The middle denominations have the coat of arms of the Republic of Malta , just like all of the liri coins currently do, and the one- and two-euro coins have the cross of the Knights of Malta, also known as the Maltese Cross. Since all of the coins say “2008” on them and the packets come with that warning, I felt a bit naughty, almost like I was handling illegal money.

They said on the news that technically these coins cannot be used until 1 January, even if taken to a country that already uses the euro, though I doubt any cashier abroad would be bothered to check.

Incidentally, in the Maltese language the new currency will be called ewro both in the singular and in the plural, while the cents will be called one ċenteżmu and several ċenteżmi.

So, history in the making! And our household now has enough coins to last a while.

For a peek at the new coins, click here.

I was chatting with a friend who moved to Malta a couple of years ago. Specifically, we were talking about our experiences learning Maltese, and the difficulties in finding proper lessons.

In my case, I began teaching myself. At one point I tried attending a government-sponsored course of Maltese language for foreigners, but found the classes of very bad quality. Even though I joined mid-year and the class had been going on for several months, I was already at a higher level. For some reason, they were using children's books which were not well suited for the purposes of the class. Native speaker children learn much differently from foreign-speaking adults! In addition, the teacher did not seem very competent (and I say this as someone with teaching experience) and I was surprised to see that she was not even explaining things properly. At one point I wound up explaining something to a fellow student and she said "wow, why are you even here, you could teach this class!"  I took the advice and never went back.

Frustrated at the quality of the "official" classes, I quickly realised that there are virtually no opportunities to formally study Maltese. All of the dozens of language academies that dot the island teach English only. Private tutors focus on preparing Maltese students for their O-level and A-level (higher education) exams, but not on Maltese as a foreign language. The University of Malta announced a special course geared for this purpose, which I awaited eagerly only to find out that they were only offering the beginner level.

I continued learning on my own (with the few books available) and at my own pace.

My friend had a similar experience. She signed up for classes with what appeared to be a proper academy but it wound up being run out of a private house with a grand total of two students. She would show up for class and the teacher would tell her to do the exercises on her own, with no explanation. Very soon, she gave up on the course as well.

And so in the end she was saying that seeing as I managed to learn Maltese on my own, how about if I became her private teacher? At first I was embarrassed at the thought. I have only been here for a little over a year and I am not a native speaker, how could I teach Maltese! But my friend insisted, saying I had teaching experience which is what really counts, and her Maltese husband said he found my level good enough to impart lessons. Flattered by her request and his approval, I accepted.

So, irony of ironies, I am teaching Maltese lessons. As someone who has recently gone through the experience, I have all of the rules fresh in my mind, and can explain particular points of the language that are hard for a non-native speaker. We are making good progress so far, but I still find the idea surreal!

I just had the very happy visit of my friends I & Ø, who live in London and made the short trek down to Malta for a few days. It was lovely to show them around and enjoy their company, not least because after not seeing each other for many years we are now living on the same continent and this was our second time meeting up this year.

To start with, I will brag about a personal accomplishment. I drove to the airport to welcome them, and it was my very first time driving by myself in Malta. It was also my first time driving by myself on the left side on the road, and my first time driving alone with a gear-shift car. With much pride in myself, and surprisingly calm, I arrived at Malta International Airport ahead of schedule and with no major problems. (I still turn on the windshield wiper when I want to indicate, but that should not harm anyone...)  After several practice runs over the past year in which M got very nervous, I decided I just had to go out and drive by myself. However, my new found confidence is still daunted by the Maltese traffic and erratic driving. Slowly but surely, I will conquer that too.

The weather did not cooperate, but we did manage to cover the island's major sights. Or as much as we could cover on such a short visit. Malta has a surprising amount of things to see and do, as my guests soon discovered. One highlight of their visit was that as we were strolling down Republic Street in Valletta, we came upon a formal ceremony in honour of the president of Germany who was on a state visit to Malta. We got to see the formal salute by the Armed Forces of Malta, as well as the President and Prime Minister (and many many others) shaking hands with President Köhler.

Later that day, as we were on a bus from Paola back to Valletta, the motorcade went by right next to us. We chuckled because he seemed to be following us. Then in the evening we walked back to Palace Square. I was hoping that now that all the formalities were over I could show them the Grandmaster's Palace. Instead, we got quite a treat: all the dignitaries were coming back for another formal event, but this time they were arriving one by one in their fancy cars... and we stood right at the door and watched each one alight right in front of our eyes! Ambassadors, Government Ministers, some MPs, other dignitaries, and the Maltese President, Prime Minister along with, once again, the German President! We joked that we were like the people who stand outside the Academy Awards and comment on the incoming celebrities.

I pointed out to my friends that one of the things I most like about Malta is the feeling of safety. While every place in the world has crime, there is really not any major crime to speak of here, and I feel safe just about everywhere. A perfect case in point was that we were allowed to stand there and watch all of these important people go right past us, as other "normal people" walked by as well. In this day and age when the news only speak of terrorism and bombs, it is nice to know that there is still a place where government figures and civilians are able to stroll along the same street without a major security circus.

The following day we were walking by Pjazza Kastilja, where the Prime Minister's office is located, and we saw all of the official cars outside again. This time there did not seem to be much of a show, so we went off to Mdina... where we soon found the motorcade going by us yet again. Yes, he certainly must have been following us!

A couple of days later, when my guests had left, the Queen of England came to Malta for a brief visit. It was the day of her 60^th wedding anniversary and she wanted to spend it here. It turns out that Queen Elizabeth II and her husband lived in Malta at the beginning of their marriage, before she was a queen. It was the last time in her life when she was able to live a normal life, drive a car, walk in the streets, etc., so she has a very fond feeling for this country. That day I was over at Wen's house, so we decided to go into Valletta together and see if we could catch a glimpse of her.

I imagined there would be huge crowds and that we would see nothing. But it turns out Malta is the perfect place for a royal sighting. The crowd was a fairly small size, and we were able to get a place right in front of the barricade. And on a corner, no less, so that the queen would have to spend just a few more seconds as she turned our way.

Now, I have never been much into the British royal family in particular. When Princess Diana died, I was truly surprised by the big deal that was made. I thought it would be like when any other famous person dies. And so I surprised even myself when I caught the first glimpse of the queen coming out of the Upper Barrakka Gardens and I began to yell like a little boy "there she comes, there she comes!!!"  And soon enough there she was, about a meter in front of my face. I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw. She seemed quite warm, and very human. In fact the way she walked and carried herself, she reminded me a bit of my grandmother, who would be roughly her same age. Just then, someone across the road with a big bunch of flowers called her over, and she was gone. Rats, if only we had thought of that trick!

Still, we saw her get in the car, and Wen managed to take a great picture of her with Maltese Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, which you can see by clicking: here.

I wonder who I will run into the next time I go to Valletta.

1. Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself (on your blog, we all want to know them).
3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
4. Let each person know that they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

I promised Sabine I would eventually get to this, so with a bit of a delay, here goes:

1. I am a gay Jewish Peruvian living in Malta. That is pretty random in and of itself!!!

2. I like to sit through the credits of a film. Often, I am the only one who stays in the theatre to watch them, but I do it anyway. You can learn a lot of neat little facts about a film in this way (and if you are reading this, you clearly like to learn lots of little facts...)

3. I learned Maltese. Most foreigners who come to live in Malta do not. I was appalled to find out that there are people who have spent 30 years here and cannot speak a word of it. Then I learned by experience that even when one tries, it is extremely difficult to get locals to speak it back. I had never been to a country where people go out of their way for foreigners NOT to speak their language and/or assume that it is not something worth doing.

4. Having said that, I am a big language nerd and love learning them. With Maltese, I now speak eight languages (to varying degrees).

5. People ask me for directions wherever I have gone in the world. Either I seem to have some type of universal look, or I seem to exude an incredible amount of confidence in my orientational abilities. Once someone got angry that I did not know how to work the ticket machine at the Barcelona train station. He thought I knew but was just being rude.

6. I have been to Machu Picchu three times, and it was just as magical every time.

7. I have been to every continent except Africa and Antarctica. And with the former so close to Malta, I hope to remedy that sometime soon!

I hope that was interesting for some of you! It was my first time playing one of these blog tag games.

I hereby tag the following people (click on their names to be taken to their blogs, as the blue font does not seem to be working):

1. Jess (perhaps a good excuse to finally update that blog...)
2. Steve
3. Wen
4. Mrs. Maltagirl
5. M.L. Liu
6. Himmeldunst
7. Jay

Well, that was kind of fun! Thanks, Sabine!