First impressions of Malta

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And so it begins. The ERASMUS program has allowed me to spend the next 4 months studying English and Media in The University of Malta. Not quite sure why I chose Malta in the end. I wanted to go somewhere interesting, that much I knew. A bit of sunshine, or at least some reasonably good temperatures during the winter would be a nice plus. Malta satisfied the second requirement and with almost half a million people squeezed into a tiny 316 sq km island there´s bound to be an interesting happening or two.
Luggage collected and arrivals navigated (as you can imagine it´s not the largest of airports) I was on the road. A good system at the airport taxi rank - buy a ticket for whichever part of the island at a desk inside and hand it to the driver waiting - eliminates the risk of getting ripped off before you´ve even gotten to your hotel (taxis don’t have meters so a rate must be agreed with the driver before the journey begins).

The drivers themselves are aggressive, which you really need to be to survive on these roads. The general rule seems to be ´no need to stop if the other car is smaller than mine´. This leads to plenty of battered and dented cars lying around the place as well as a complete dominance of the country´s roads by bus and truck drivers. Being bigger than most other vehicles buses don’t generally pay much heed to stop signs or give right of way to those already on roundabouts knowing that no hero in a SMART car is going to get in their way.

A 20 minute drive from the airport (most places in Malta are a 20 minute taxi from everywhere else!) landed me at the doorstep of Garden View Holiday Complex. The two-bed roomed apartments are usually rented out to international students during the college semester as very few holiday makers are still hanging around. Traditionally when somebody says the words ´student´ and ´accommodation´ the words basic and simple come to mind. That´s not quite how it´s done in Malta. 2 swimming pools, a gym and a bar and resteraunt downstairs. Enough said. This isn’t an isolated situation either. Even the purpose made complex owned by the University has the luxury of a swimming pool. The Irish contingent in Garden View consists of myself, Mike, Colette (both Clare), Rebecca and Meghann (both Galway) and a Welsh girl by the name of Jessica who we are currently in the process of Irish-izing. My housemates, - Leo and Jakub - an Italian and a Slovakian, are taking advantage of my minor ability to teach English with daily informal lessons in exchange for cooking lessons. I think I´m coming out the better in the deal as they are much better cooks than I am at teaching grammar. Garden View is located in an ideal location (from a socialising point of view) just 10 minutes walk from Malta´s main nightlife spot - Paceville.

Paceville is essentially a long stretch of steps with nothing but pubs, clubs and the occasional eatery on either side. At the bottom you start with an ´Irish´ bar - O Casey´s - where one can enjoy incorrectly poured Guinness in what is actually quite a nice bar. They, like every other bar in the area, have half a dozen TV screens on which they show most top European and International football matches as well as some of the other top sports such as F1. You won’t get all the big beer brands on draught everywhere but one guarantee, no matter what bar you´re in, is a CISK tap. The local beer is the cheapest and most widely available in Malta and is growing on me despite a bad first experience. Must’a been a dodgy pint. As you navigate your way through Paceville you´ll find people outside every bar thrusting drink coupons into your hand. Usually 2 for 1 offer on spirits or beer. More bars offer 1 euro shots of Sambuka or Tequila to get your night off to a good start.

Also in Paceville you´ll find a Nordic bar, a Rasta bar and places like Coyotes and Plush where the barmen ply women with free shots for dancing on the bar. Cheaper than hiring a professional I suppose.
I´m not sure what the official line on smoking is but I’ve been informed that there is in fact a smoking ban in the bars and restaurants of Malta. Cudda fooled me! If this is true then it seems to be poorly enforced as everyone seems to light up anyway. We were even joined in our local one night by an on-duty police officer who sat down and enjoyed a few cigarettes and a drink or two before heading on to finish his shift!

First day in college (or university as I find myself calling it now, apparently we´re the only ones who use that word) we had a free shuttle bus courtesy of the Uni from outside Garden View, The direct route (which the usual bus does not take) takes no more than 10 or 15 minutes or a 25 minute walk uphill... very uphill! The usual bus route takes a far more scenic route through St Julians and Sliema, past the many harbours and seaside walkways that make Malta so popular. It also bypasses The Hilton, Malta´s tallest (and ugliest) building. This journey can take anything from 25 to 50 minutes depending on the traffic. The buses themselves are a real talking point. Most are hanging around since the seventies when the current bus service was put in place. They are usually a mix and match of bodies salvaged from one country and chassis from another (all scrap) and some are converted British military vehicles left behind by the former colonisers. The odd modern bus is starting to creep in to the fray but instant modernisation would be at the expense of the rustic - dare I say it - beauty that goes with the older buses. Sure they´re uncomfortable and lack air-conditioning (another law being ignored), but where else can will you find a public bus so worthy of a picture that it features on many of the country´s post cards?

So the first day saw us sitting in a large hall, tediously listening to the coordinator repeating instructions again and again for the benefit of the students with poorer English. With all our forms in check we got a brief and uninformative tour of the campus and were sent on our merry way. The module selection process is a pretty disjointed and generally chaotic one. Students crowd around notice boards trying to write down all that´s being offered, there value, lecturer and the time of the lecture, if the information is available. If it isn´t, you must look elsewhere for this information. As well as getting used to the University´s lack of faith in the internet, there were a few other things we needed to adapt to. Maltese don’t think it rude to stop and chat at the top, bottom or even on a staircase and will hold up a crowd of people without a second thought. People WILL walk straight through you if you are in the way (a result of being brought up in one of the most congested countries in the world) and finally, they just LOVE talking in lectures. Even in small lecture halls a number of chats may break out between students at any given time. Despite these examples of how rude the people can be, we have met some extremely friendly locals too, not least the manager of the local pub, Warren, and all the staff at Giordano’s (trust me, if you´re in
Malta, you´re going to want to eat here).

I wrote this post in my first few weeks here and it´s taken me 7 weeks to finally type it up. On that note, don´t hold your breath for regular updates. Hopefully something blog-worthy will happen and force me to write another, but until then Chow.

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Comments

[Shane on tour]

Glad to hear you're heading for Malta. I think you'll enjoy it. The two main places for sudents to stay are Garden View and University Residence. There are pros and cons to both. Garden View: Further from the college but it's a 20min walk or u can get a bus. You have to uy vouchers to use internet which can work out quite expensive if ur online a lot. Might be better off gettin a wireless conection with a local phone company. Best thing about GV is its proximity to Paceville which I mentioned in the blog. It's where u go to party in Malta, full stop. University Residence: U can't walk from here to college as far as i know bcos d roads are just too dangerous without foothpaths. There is a free shuttlebus which runs every half hour or so. Free internet and cheaper laundry facilities than GV which charges 6euro a wash. However, there was a problem with stuff being robbed from rooms which were left pen there, just b careful and lock ur door. Both places have nice swimming pools and small shops nearby. Garden View also has a very affordable gym though. No need to do the maltese course, it's not necessary, and to be fair, not even that useful as most, if not all Maltese speak English to a very high standard. Hope this helps, let mo know if u have any more questions.