Maltese/Foreigner
I was waiting for the bus earlier today, when a tourist with an Eastern European accent asked me about the bus number, what time it came, and how he could get to Marsascala. I explained that all the buses wind up in Valletta and then he would have to transfer to another one. We began to chat, and I realised that he was assuming that I was Maltese. I was about to correct him, but then I felt a bit flattered. I have been here long enough to answer all of these practical questions that a tourist might have, and being taken for a local gave me a sense of pride and connection to the country.
He complained as to why the bus stops do not list the bus schedules. I was about to get defensive if he was going to criticise MY island, but he did not seem to be mocking the place. We continued talking on the bus, and I found out that he came from Poland , more specifically from the city of Lodz . Then I had a bit of fun with my Maltese persona. I asked why he had chosen to visit Malta (the usual answer: it’s warm and they speak English), if people in Poland know where Malta is (yes, Poland has the world’s best geography education in schools, I was informed), if he liked it here (yes, he’d like to come back, but he didn’t have a chance to try the rabbit).
I mentioned that I visited Poland once, he said I was the fifth Maltese he had met that had been to Poland . He then began to say how the biggest street in his city is 17km long, which would mean it could go clear across Malta . Therefore, distances here do not seem so long to him, and he was considering walking back later that night, unless… “do Maltezian people pick up hitch-hikers?” I really had no idea what to say. I told him I had never thought about it.
As a contrast, a couple of days ago as I was getting on the bus, I checked with the driver if he was going where I wanted. I did this in Maltese. Still, when we got near my stop, a woman turned to me and pointed out, in English, that we were nearly there. I was about to protest, inform her that I live here (and didn’t she hear me ask the driver in Maltese?) but I smiled and gave a polite thank you. After all, it is sweet to live in a country where random strangers still look out for one another, will remember where a tourist is going, and make sure he gets there. I hope I was able to give our Polish visitor a good impression.
Amusing, though, that I can be seen as both a local and a foreigner, hux?
