My New Life in Malta

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!