My New Life in Malta

I took the bus into Valletta yesterday, in order to attend the International Film Festival. When I arrived at the cinema, I informed the lady at the ticket booth that I had made a booking. She answered me in Maltese. This is very rare. Usually when they realise that I am a foreigner, the Maltese immediately switch to English. Then a very strange thing happened. (Perhaps our resident blog commentator on language learning, Patricia, can shed some light on this). I wanted to answer in Maltese. I had the phrases ready in my head. But when I spoke, English came out. It was bizarre, like I was possessed. She kept talking in Maltese, which I really appreciated because I need to practice and few people give me the chance! We carried on like this for a couple of minutes since she could not find me in the computer.

So, I am guessing that she thought I was an English-speaking Maltese. There is a small part of the population that prefers English as their language of communication, but who still understand Maltese. Since I was understanding everything she was saying to me, this would make sense. Otherwise I would have said that I did not understand.

I consider this little interaction another milestone in my language learning process! She spoke only Maltese to me, and I understood everything she said! It is true what they say, that understanding a language comes first before speaking it. So this would mean I am making good progress. When I went upstairs to the cinema, I decided I would ask the ticket-taker in Maltese where the toilets were. And I did! I did not chicken out and use English. She understood me, and answered me.

It may sound like trivial baby steps to you, but it is an amazing accomplishment for me. I am going back to the festival today and this time I will carry out the whole transaction in Maltese only, I have decided. Even if it takes me a bit longer to reply, I will try my hardest. It is very frustrating that I can read quite a lot in the language and write things in it but that I get tongue-tied when speaking. I would like to thank that cinema employee for not speaking English and allowing me to practice.

Later as I rode the bus back home, I realised that I am beginning to feel at home. I knew exactly which bus to take, where it stopped, where to get off, where the cinema was, etc. This was the first time that I did an entire outing and I did not feel like a tourist. Another step into making this island my home!

Yesterday I finally made it to Gozo, Malta’s sister island. I had been there when I visited the country last year, but this was my first time since moving here.

Getting there is quite easy, as there is a ferry departing almost every hour and the crossing takes only 25 minutes. I think the last time I went there was bad weather, because I did not remember it looking so nice! We had glorious sunshine but not heat so it was the perfect day to go around the island. I noticed right away that their roads are in much better condition than those we have on  “mainland” Malta. Come on Malta, let’s shape up! If Gozo can do it, why can’t we?

Here is another suprising fact about this country: did you know that there are neolithic temples on both Malta and Gozo that are the oldest free standing structures in the world? They are about 6000 years old, which makes older than the Egyptian pyramids and older than Stonehenge in the UK. They were built by a highly advanced civilisation. The temples are set up for the sun to shine in a specific way on the days of the solstices and both the spring and autmun equinox. We went to the Ġgantija temples in Gozo yesterday, and I got to see them for the second time. It is difficult to really comprehend the idea of something being so old and still standing. It is really amazing to think how similar the men and women of the time were to us today, and also what a different world we live in.

Other highlights of Gozo include Calypso’s cave. Bring out those dusty copies of Homer’s The Odyssey and you will recall that Odysseus/Ulysses spent seven years trapped in Calypso’s cave in a mysterious island. Well, many signs point to this island being Gozo! There is no way to know for sure, of course, but I still enjoy climbing into the cave and looking out onto the Meditarranean while I picture our Greek hero. It really brings the story to life.

While looking out towards the north, I spotted the coast of Sicily! I had heard that on a clear day one can see Sicily from Gozo, and it is true! It was very faint, but it was clearly there. I actualy found this very reassuring, as seeing it made me feel a little less isolated. It contrasts to the walks along the seafront near our flat, where there is nothing but the open sea all the way to the horizon.

We also visited Xlendi, a beautiful inlet of the sea that makes almost a perfect rectangle (or at least three sides of it) which is now a rocky beach with restaurants and a couple of hotels. There is a great climb up the side of the hill to one of the towers from the time of the Knights. These are found all around Malta and Gozo (and even one in Comino) and were used to warn of approaching attacks. One tower would light a fire, which would be seen by the next tower, and the next, and within a few minutes the whole country was warned. How is that for instant communications!

Another architectural highlight is the Citadel in Rabat/Victoria (there they go again with renaming cities…)  It is a fortified city where people could take shelter during raids on the island. The walls around it are extremely high and it is quite a sight to see the sheer drop from such heights that make them impenetrable.

Gozo is like Malta’s rural province. There are still wide open spaces in between the villages, and there is a sense of peace and quiet, as well as cleaner air, that is a nice contrast from the urbanised area of Malta where I live. I still remain a very urban person, however, and would not live in Gozo, but it is a lovely place to visit and relax. I now look forward to going again.

Completely unrelated: the night before we went to see a play at the Teatru Manoel in Valletta. It is an old theatre from the early 1700’s, and it really has a special feeling to it. They just do not make theatres like it these days! They recently restored the inside and it is looking great. There really is good quality theatre in Malta, as once again I enjoyed the performances. Knowing that most actors in Malta also require a “day job” to earn a living makes me respect them even more!

Last night we took our visiting guest for a night walk through the Three Cities, particularly focusing on Birgu/Vittoriosa.

The Three Cities are across the Grand Harbour from Valletta, the capital of Malta, and form two peninsulas which in turn form more inlets of the sea. This whole system of habours and inlets is one of the reasons that made Malta so coveted throughout history, and one of the reasons why every colonial power has wanted to control the islands for thousands of years. Not only is Malta in the centre of the Mediterranean, but it also offers ample space in its natural harbours for ships to dock.

These cities across from Valletta pre-date the capital, and when the Knights arrived in Malta they first set up their headquarters there. Unfortunately, the heavy bombing during World War II destroyed a large part of the buildings. (Malta was the most heavily bombed place during the War, even more than London). However, the Three Cities have not lost their unique feeling, probably helped by the fact that the peninsulas offer a natural boundary.

What is confusing for newcomers is that each of the three was renamed over the past few centuries due to historical reasons, but each one still uses both names in everyday speech, with the result that one now has to learn all six names. I still confuse which newer name matches which older name, but last night I tried to pay close attention. Isla is also Senglea, Bormla is also Cospicua, and Birgu is also Vittoriosa. Did I get that right, my Maltese readers? Please correct me if I did not.

The walk through Birgu/Vittoriosa was such a pleasant surprise! I had been there last year when I came to visit, but the night-time walk was something else. The residents have taken great care to keep their streets clean and nice, with plenty of potted plants. Several streets had a recognition certificate from the local council acknowledging and thanking the residents for their efforts. Many streets are pedestrian only, and some even retain the original stone streets from before the modern paved roads. There are historical plaques all over indicating that some buildings were used by the Knights in the XVI century! Unfortunately many of these plaques also indicate that the original building was bombed during World War II, but some do remain. Left standing was the oldest house in Malta, dating back 800 years!!

The views of the harbour and across to Valletta were stunning, especially as the bastions of the capital are lit up at night. I remember them being equally stunning during the day.

So, for those locals who have not been to Birgu/Vittoriosa in a while, I recommend a stroll through its streets. And hopefully I can entice some visitors too!

After months of great talk and anticipation about it, Ryanair started flights to Malta this week. For those of you outside Europe, it is the biggest low-cost airline in the continent. Over the past few years it and the other new low-cost carriers have taken the European market by storm and greatly changed the nature of air travel. Their strategy has been not only to offer lower fares, but to connect previously unavailable pairs of smaller cities. Instead of having central “hubs” in the major capitals, they offer flight combinations such as from Málaga to Pisa, or from Tallin to Montpélier. They provide a good alternative to the traditional national carriers, which are getting more and more expensive, and which also require that you fly via a major capital. This can be a pain if your destination is a smaller city.

This sure is sounding like an advert, but the real point of all this is that now Malta is included in this network! A few other small low-cost carriers already fly here, but since Ryanair is the biggest one we are now better connected to Europe. EasyJet, its major competitor, is supposed to start flying here soon. And the government is now offering incentives for airlines offering service to Malta from under-served destinations. So my longed-for side trip to Madrid might be possible soon.

One of the things I have been looking forward to about living in Malta is that European cities are so near, and therfore so easy to visit. And now, it will be cheaper to get to them. In my mind, I am planning all sorts of trips already. Now, about finding that job…

Yesterday afternoon we drove out to Għajn Tuffieħa to watch the sunset. It is a lovely beach towards the northern end of the island. A big five-star hotel has been plopped down next to it, but it manages to stay back and not ruin the view, nor the feeling of the place. There were only a few people there, which I am told is quite a contrast to the summertime when the place is packed with sunbathers. Believe it or not, I had not gone to the beach at all since I arrived in Malta, and I really enjoyed walking along the sand and watching the sun disappear at the edge of the horizon. I know you are not supposed to look at it directly, but it is difficult not to look at one of nature’s absolute wonders. We who live most of our lives in cities seldom stop to take notice of these things. The moon was out already, contrasting with the blue sky behind it. It seemed to be hanging there like a painting. It began to get a bit chilly, so we headed back. I did not mind being stuck in the rush hour traffic after that. It was a reminder that sometimes we need to stop, breathe and just take in our surroundings.