Malta is Exhausting

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Let's start off by saying that I'm EXHAUSTED. I feel like people here never stop moving which results in me getting swept into everything....not that I don't love it. I've only been here a couple of days but it's amazing and so are the people I'm meeting. I rarely speak to any Americans (Cedirc being the exception) which means being surrounded by accents is beginning to take it's tole. I've caught myself thinking in an Irish accent as of today. Now you're probably wondering "why an Irish accent, you're in Malta." Well let me explain, I have been spending my days with two girls (and soon to be roomies) from Norway and about 4-6 kids from Ireland (one of which is also going to be my roomie). Since I rarely hear an American accent I'm getting more and more used to hearing an Irish one. As much as I love these kids, I'm not trying to return w/a Nothern Irish accent.

Since it's been a few days let me start w/Saturday when I arrive. By them time I arrived at the residence in Lija (remember one thing, nothing is pronounced the way it is spelled in Maltese) there was already a party going at the residence bar/pool. Let's make something clear, this is not a pool you swim in since it looks like it hasn't been cleaned in months. This is a pool you get thrown into against your will.

After a LONG night I woke up early for a group hike. When I say hike I mean HIKE. It was at least 5hours long and stretched from St. Paul's Bay in Northern Malta back down south closer to Lija. We walked along cliffs, up ridiculous hills, through mud and sometimes with no real destination. While it may have been more than most of us had expected it was well worth the effort. This country is gorgeous. There is no other way to describe it. The University even looks out over the Mediterranean. I don't think there is such thing as a bad view here.

Picking classes on the other hand is not so great. We are forced to go to billboards to find the times for each class. It's not a centralized location, no, you have to wander all over the place to find these things. It doesn't help that all the different departments aren't really labeled so you end up just walking in circles. Another funny thing is the bus system. You would think the bus has to be at a complete stop or at a bus station for you to get off right? False. If the bus is moving slow enough people will just jump off at will. I would probably kill myself trying that.

Anyway, I've written enough. It's time to join the rest of the residence down by the pool.

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