With week 21 done and dusted, it’s hard to put into words exactly how
I’m feeling at this moment in time. This week was not only my final week here
in Malta but it was also the end of my study abroad, meaning the end of an era.
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| Mosta Dome Mondays! |
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| Day trip to Mosta Dome! |
Although it was
my last week, my best friend was over visiting and so I still had so much to do
and see which meant plenty of adventures and exploring this beautiful island I
call home. Having only ever heard about Mosta Dome and driving past it most
days on the public transport bus we decided to venture to Mosta on Monday to
see the Mosta Dome. Much to our dismay, we had a little time to kill before
opening hours, which resulted in a cheeky brunch in Molly’s Café with the
girls. After a well-deserved brunch the girls and I ventured to Mosta Dome! It
was really quite remarkable to learn more about the Dome and grasp a better
understanding of why this is one of the main tourist attractions in Malta. It
turns out that the Mosta Dome is quite special and unique to the Maltese people
and is known as the place in which a miracle once took place. With bombings
occurring decades ago and Malta under attack, it seems that the dome provided
safety and shelter for those running and hiding from the bombs. Many people ran
to the dome for protection, but for some it was a prayer request more than
anything! At the time, something quite remarkable happened when the bomb
plunged through the roof of the dome before it dropped and hit the floor. As
you can imagine at the time I’m sure people were quite scared and thought this
was the end. However, little did they know that upon entering the roof of the
dome a bird had in fact pecked at the bomb, deactivating the bomb from going
off and so many people were saved. Due to this story, the dome is known
worldwide as the place in which a miracle took place for the people of Malta.
This fascinated me and it was exceptional to walk around the dome, learning
more about the history of events that took place all those years ago in
addition to seeing the bomb itself and the markings in which it came in through
the roof.
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| Mosta Dome fun |
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| Crazy sofa take 3!! |
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| Blissful evening watching the sunset |
With a busy
Monday finished, Tuesday was a day of relaxation by the pool before another
series of eventful adventures planned for the duration of the week! As
Wednesday approached, it was time to say farewell to Jess (Deanna’s twin
sister) who was over visiting and what an emotional goodbye it was! Having only
met Jess for 11 days, it was still hard to say goodbye as we became quite
close, the beginning of many farewells & might I add it just went downhill
from there! After a sad farewell to Jess, the girls and I spent the rest of the
day in Comino where we sunbathed, swam in the water and enjoyed watching the
beautiful sunset on the top of the hill, before going for drinks in Zmerc (one
of the local pubs) later that night.
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| Day trip to Comino... |
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| Best friends |
Thursday
resulted in a day trip to St. Peter’s Pool and what a glorious day it was! With
some of our fellow classmates also coming it was a great day had by all, with
plenty of laughter, fun, jumps & even backflips off the cliffs into the
water! Unfortunately I couldn’t spend the entire day at St. Peters Pool with
everyone as I was invited to my Maltese friends’ little brothers 6th
birthday party in Sliema. As a result of this, I had to say farewell to the
guys in my class and so it began to hit me that I was in fact leaving this
beautiful country in only a matter of days!
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| Dinner at Tex Mex with the girls |
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| Boat Party fun sailing the boat |
As Friday
approached and our final few days in Malta, it was necessary to catch as many
rays as possible in addition to having fun and so Friday & Saturday were
days spent by the pool getting our tan on. Later on the Friday evening, the
girls and I took a trip to Sliema to explore around a little and walk along the
beautiful sea front. With friends over visiting it would be rude not to
introduce them to one of our favourite restaurants here in Malta and so we paid
a visit to Tex Mex for dinner! As Saturday evening approached the Erasmus
Student Network had organised one final event for Erasmus students ending the
semester with a boat party followed by a night out in Paceville. Although the
boat was a little rocky to begin with, it soon calmed down and I had a great
night spent with the people who I have become to know, spent the past 5 months
with and now call my family.
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| PARAGLIDING!! |
As Sunday came,
we had planned to go to Café Del Mar, however our plans soon changed and so we
decided to go to the beach nearby instead where we were able to take part in
water sports (my favourite thing ever!!). As soon as we arrived at the beach, I
looked at the billboard full of water sports and automatically jumped at the
chance to do something I’ve always wanted to do… that is: PARAGLIDING! It was
so surreal that I was actually going to tick it off my bucket list and I was
thrilled at the opportunity. Rebecca, Deanna and I all decided to do the
paragliding together in a 3 and all I can say was it was breathtaking! The view
from up above looking over the island and the experience in general was simply
incredible…I can’t even explain it! After the hype and buzz of paragliding, it
was time to catch more rays, get some delicious gelato and head back to
residence to pack!
"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing"- Helen Keller
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| Ready for our Paraglide |
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The beautiful view of the beach
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| Gelato ice cream! |
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| Deanna and I at curry night! |
With only
Monday and Tuesday left before heading home on Tuesday night these days were
mainly spent packing, sunbathing and saying goodbye (or as I kept putting it)
see you later. With my closest friends from Erasmus and myself leaving over the
two days to say it was bittersweet would be a complete understatement! It was
just heartbreaking! I always knew that saying goodbye and leaving at the end
was going to be difficult but nothing or no one could have prepared me for what
was to come! If tears could fill an ocean…I would have probably flooded a few! I
was an emotional wreck to say the least. With little time remaining the girls
and I went for one last meal together on Monday evening at the Fortina Hotel in
Sliema for a curry. Upon our return we found people requesting to come visit us
in residence to say goodbye and it was really touching and emotional.
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| One last night in Malta together... |
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| Bethan and I out for one last meal together |
I cannot
even begin to explain my Erasmus experience nor thank the people I have met,
who have made me laugh, smile, cry and who have impacted my life in so many
ways that they will never know! I thank each and every single one of them! It
feels strange to be home and I am missing everyone more and more, however I
know I’ll always have a place to stay no matter where I go in the world! Now all I have are the letters, photographs & memories that will remain with me forever.
As I told everyone before departing it’s not goodbye but just see you later
with some people travelling Europe and visiting Ireland in August so until then
thank you Malta! It’s been a real privilege & it’s been FABULOUS. Malta you
have changed me for the better & stolen a piece of my heart, thank you! As
one adventure stops, another begins as I jet off to America on 2nd
July but for now all I can say is ciao, bye, see you…I will be back Malta!
Much love,
Louise.
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My Maltese Family... ♥♥♥
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| "Ciao, bye, see you..." |
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