Week 4 | The cold never bothered me anyway~ "Frozen"

After a crazy, fun filled week of festivals last week, this week was all about new experiences and challenges. Nonetheless it was definitely a much more relaxed week, yet still reasonably busy with events happening almost every day! One quote in particular to sum up this week is quoted: "Weather is a great metaphor for life- sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad, and there's nothing much you can do about it but carry an umbrella or choose to dance in the rain! ~ Terri Guillemets" and that is exactly what we did!

Library or Airport Security?

Monday brought about our first trip to the library and what a different, new and unexpected trip it was. Upon arrival at the library, we were totally and utterly confused at the signs around the entrance saying, “no bags and cases beyond this point” and to our amazement what can only be described as an airports security system to access the library. This was a new experience and one that I was not expecting at all. It seemed quite strange storing our bags away safely and securely before walking through security and into the library: something we are not used to at the library back home in Stranmillis. As part of my course here in Malta, I am studying “Issues in Psychology of Sport and Leisure” which is thoroughly enjoyable and interesting. Our lecturer for this module is a fully qualified Sport Psychologist and on Monday evening we were invited to attend one of her sessions at the National School with a group of under 13 sports players, who are Malta’s next top athletes for the National Team when they get older with plenty of potential. Psychology is one of my favourite topics and the area I am hoping to do my dissertation on, so it was fascinating and intellectually stimulating to observe our lecturer in this setting and have the opportunity to experience her working with these young athletes.

Tuesday was a quiet day with nothing planned other than scheduled lectures and the traditional making of pancakes…after all it was Pancake Tuesday!! I must say, it was quite a successful pancake Tuesday as Sharon, Rachel and I gathered our ingredients and pretended to be the next big “Jamie Oliver” in the kitchen, whipping up some delicious pancakes after several attempts!

        

Onyinyechi making pancakes

               

                    The next Jamie Oliver?

   

In the kitchen preparing for pancakes

Cinema interval or power cut?

Wednesday was a dull and rainy day here in Malta with no class timetabled. During the day, it was hard knowing what to do with the weather conditions but Holly and I decided to go for a run before a large group of us from the university residence went bowling and to the cinema in St. Julian’s. This was a fun evening, with some competitive bowlers and others having a bit of beginners luck at the start! At first, I didn’t think I would be able to bowl, as they did not have any bumpers up so we requested for the bumpers to be put up. Unfortunately, I was told the bumpers were only allowed for children and so we had to do without the bumpers. It was quite eventful watching everyone compete and pray for a gutter ball each time, especially Simon who was really competitive and would NOT let any of the girls beat him. Afterwards we went to the cinema, and even the cinema was a whole new experience. Sharon, Rachel and I went to see “the theory of everything” before experiencing what seemed like a power cut half way through the movie…little did I know, that in Malta they have intervals during the movie for toilet breaks and so forth.

Simon getting ready for action.

Holly getting ready to take Simon on... who will win?

Team Northern Ireland!

Saturday was another wet and cold day…a little like back home! Despite the weather, Holly, Gemma, Simon and I decided to take advantage of the €1.50 day ticket and decided to take a trip to the capital city: Valletta. When we arrived in Valletta, we went to watch a “Malta 5D” show, which was really enjoyable with 3D glasses, sound affects, movable chairs and even a few screams from some spectators (Holly)! Afterwards we explored around Valletta looking at the forts and war ruins, before enjoying a delicious lunch together. It was a great day, spent with great people, not to mention filled with plenty of laughter and pictures…we love our selfies! To finish the day, we were reunited with our intercultural family to partake in several games within our different nationalities and countries competing against each other. However, despite our determination, handy skills and chants we were defeated by the Americans in a battle round for the finals and narrowly missed out on what was an exciting final between the Americans and Canadians with the Americans just pulling ahead and coming out on top of the leaders scoreboard!

Gardens in Valletta

Old prison cells of Fort St. Elmo

Second World War Siege Memorial, Valletta

Holly, Gemma and I in Valletta

Casual stroll

Next week is already planned ahead with events taking place throughout the week for the Erasmus and International students, starting off with the ESN International dinner with people from all over the world bringing some traditional and typical food from their own country to share with others not to mention some typical Maltese food to get us into a cultural mood. Later in the week, following on from the international dinner, there is the 1^st hike of the semester lined up with over 100 students from the residence going. Another busy week, but I’m looking forward to experiencing different cultures and food as well as exploring some breath taking sites.

Have a great day!

Love, Louise.

Week 3 | A week of non stop adventures!

This week was jam-packed with excitement and buzz from the word “go” with SO many activities planned and lined up for the week ahead. This week consisted of our second week of classes at the university of Malta with classes on Monday, Thursday and Friday; but what a change it was from last week with lectures being a lot more structured! It’s interesting to note the changes in lectures between Malta and Stranmillis. Many of our lectures this week consisted of practical work, activities, games and teamwork. Despite a lot of the classes being structured and on time, it was still quite different to what we are used to with a lot of lecturers being laid back and not as strict as Stranmillis as well as different teaching style approaches. For example, one lecture focused on organising field days and rather than the usual PowerPoint and listening: we learnt through our actions and by doing through experiential learning. During the lecture, we also had the opportunity to learn through the observation of other groups.

Dinner in Sliema

After a quiet day of classes on Monday, I had the pleasure of meeting up with my swim coach Gary and his wife (who happened to be out on holiday) in Sliema for a beautiful meal! It was great to see some familiar faces again from back home, not to mention enjoy their company, share my experiences so far and have a long overdue catch up.

Feast of St. Paul's Shipwreck

With the thrill and atmosphere of festivals and carnivals: this week brought a new knowledge of the Maltese culture. Tuesday 10^th February was known as a “public holiday” to the Maltese and as of tradition was recognised for celebrating the Feast of St. Paul’s Shipwreck Festival in Valletta. We joined with the Maltese and other Erasmus students in celebrating this Festival in the streets of Valletta: Malta’s capital city. At first, I had no idea what the festival was for, but after speaking to a few of the Maltese students, they explained how it was a traditional religious festival to commemorate the shipwreck of the apostle St. Paul on the Maltese Islands. When we arrived in Valletta, the streets were covered in confetti already and packed with people celebrating. After the mass service, we joined in on the celebrations and enjoyed the festivities, encountering the Maltese culture and taking each moment in; it was quite remarkable to witness how everyone had gathered together to celebrate. The celebrations lasted most of the day, with people singing, chanting, celebrating and having a great time in the presence of others.

St. Pauls Shipwreck Festival

Festivities with the police!

Festivities galore!

On Wednesday, the sun was shining and it was a beautiful day- the best day we have had yet! This was an advantage for some of us at the residence who do not have classes scheduled on a Wednesday and so we decided to make the most of our day and the glorious weather by exploring and having a day trip to Gozo. All I can say is Gozo is absolutely beautiful! The sights and places we visited were out of this world. Our first stop was Ramla Bay, where we lay on a hill overlooking the beach while catching some sun- it was so peaceful and relaxing. We then went to Victoria, where we got to walk around and explore the surroundings before going to Xlendi. When we arrived at Xlendi we climbed up Xlendi mountain, before taking lots of pictures and finally finished at Azure window, just in time for the sunset.

Louise takes on Gozo

Are we on top of the world?

Ramla Bay beach!

The famous Azure Window!

Taking on Xlendi Mountain by a storm!

Azure Window...take 2!

As I mentioned before, this week was jam packed with festivals and carnivals and Saturday was one of the biggest events so far with the yearly Carnival held in Gozo. This is a vibrant celebration preceding Lent, with traditional floats, fancy dress costumes, masks, parades and processions. All week, we had heard nothing but how incredible the Carnival is and we were so excited to celebrate throughout the islands with both the Maltese and people from all over the world. Unfortunately, our day did not go as well as we had planned! After getting up early, beautifying ourselves in our fancy dress costumes- we were ready for Gozo. However, when we arrived in Gozo we had a lot of waiting about before the carnivals and the carnival was cancelled due to the rain. This was so disappointing for us, as we could not wait to encounter the carnival and experience more of Malta’s culture in Gozo.

  

 Fairies...Gozo Carnival!

Carnival 2015

After what seems like a long and busy week, with the atmosphere of festivals and carnivals…I feel like I have been in Malta forever. It’s actually quite scary and I’m already dreading coming home in June! The weeks are just flying by and after the registration of classes this week, I am looking forward to the upcoming weeks and learning more from the unexpected and unknown experiences that I will face.

Stay posted for more...

Love, Louise.

Week 2 | “You learn something new everyday…”

Holly and I don't do rain!

It is hard to believe that week 2 has been and gone! Having to depend on no one but ourselves is quite daunting but we managed a week so far! This week consisted of the beginning of our second semester at University with lectures all week. As you can imagine, it was not easy…especially since we just about gathered our bearings around campus.

Monday morning introduced our first official day (or so we thought) until finding out that the module commences next week. What we thought would be the start to a great week, turned into a wasted journey to the university…and the rain did not help. This week opened my eyes to how different university at Malta is and will be in comparison to Stranmillis. Both, the Maltese students and lecturers seem really laid back in comparison to what we are used to and the concept of time does not exist in Malta! Between students and lecturers late to classes, no structure to the week, late buses and so forth…it is totally different to the structured lectures at Stranmillis. With this in mind, I found myself waiting quite a lot this week but on the upside I looked like a keen and eager Erasmus student who could not wait to start lectures (which was true).

University of Malta

Tuesday seemed to be a better day after a meeting with Mr. Decelis, who is the Head of the Institute of Physical Education and Sport (IPES). The meeting was very informative and I began to feel more relaxed. At the meeting, our timetable was explained and also that this week was known as a “trial week” since the registration of study units does not start until next week and many lectures would only last a short period of time, outlining the module content for the second semester. During the meeting, we also received our exam results and a huge weight was lifted along with a sigh of relief as I had passed all my exams!

Knowing this week was full of trial and error; we attended lectures all week with Thursday and Friday proving to be quite long and tiring. Lectures were scheduled from 9am to 5pm, not to mention 2-3 hour breaks in between lectures. At first, I was worried about how the Maltese students would get along with us as I had heard mixed reviews but honestly, all my worries and concerns disappeared the second they arrived to the lecture as we were overwhelmed with friendly peers and classmates who were eager to learn more about us. At the start of the week, I was quite surprised by the number of students in lecturers with only 5 Maltese students and 9 students in one lecture altogether. Despite this, as time went on and we attended more lectures, numbers began to pick up with approximately 25 students in other lectures (similar to Stranmillis) and lectures were quite similar to the structure of Stranmillis making me feel more at ease.

The sports building

The sports hall

Typical Health and Leisure students back home, sitting around doing nothing on our long breaks was not acceptable in our eyes and so we decided to make use of our free time and our free permits to the pool! Holly and I decided to go for a quick swim/training session during our break in the National Olympic Swimming Pool. I must say I was in my element and it felt good to be back in the water and doing what I love most!! After speaking to a few others at the pool and gaining some training partners, I am hoping to join the National swim team and possibly participate in a few triathlons…who knows, maybe even break a record? Keep an eye out on this space!

        

                                  Swimming permit= Happy Louise

   

         National Olympic Swimming Pool

 

Intercultural Erasmus family dinner

After our first week of attending lectures and being typical students, we met up in Sliema for a beautiful intercultural Erasmus family dinner in Café Cuba. The table was filled with around 20 people from different nationalities across the world and it was the perfect end to what seemed a stressful week at university finding our bearings. Saturday consisted of a more chilled day with our daily trip to “smart” for food and using the washing machine to do our laundry! Thankfully, the washing machine attempt was a success with a little help from my mum over Skype who just laughed at me the whole time, but nonetheless I got there in the end…thanks mum! In the evening, it was only right to treat ourselves a little as we went to St. Julian’s where we found an Irish pub and “the craic was mighty.”

    

        Sliema 

      

Karaoke night at Corks Irish Pub

As this week comes to an end, the saying “you learn something new everyday” is so very true. I feel like I have been here for longer than I have and already I have learnt so much: not only about myself but about the culture, the university, and essential survival tools including domestic duties. What seems to have been a short period of time spent in Malta has already resulted in a lifetime of memories, endless laughs and countless friends at every corner!

Where will next week take me?

Stay posted!

Love, Louise.

Week 1 | "Strannie Grannies" arrive in Malta!

Departing Belfast International Airport

Where has the time gone? The months have flown in and after the stress of exams I couldn’t wait any longer to leave for Malta. What a "super duper" crazy week it was… between packing, goodbyes, arriving, meeting new friends already and unpacking I don't know where to begin: its so surreal and I don’t quite know if its sunk in that I am in Malta. I travelled to Malta a week before my classes with my dad (who brought a suitcase full of my clothes). We met up with Holly, Gemma and Simon at the Belfast International Airport before having breakfast and embracing the fact that we were leaving Northern Ireland to go to Malta.

"Strannie Grannies" Bye Belfast...

I must say, I didn’t know what to expect: everything seemed a little unorganized and we experienced a problem with rooms due to them already being preoccupied. The most annoying thing was living out of a suitcase, as I was so eager to move into my room, unpack and get settled in. Nonetheless, when I eventually moved into my room a few days later it made everything seem so much more real as I said farewell to my dad. I still can’t get over how many people speak ENGLISH and how willing people were to help show us around.

Orientation Day- University of Malta

Friday morning proved an early start as we had our Orientation Day at the University at 8:45am. My nerves began to kick in on the shuttle bus to the university… but WOW; I was not expecting a huge campus! Other students greeted us on arrival before meeting our Erasmus Co-ordinator, Steve. The orientation session finished with a tour of the campus but who knew finding one building could be so much hassle (even with a map).

Shopping trip to Sliema

Thankfully, a kind Maltese student stopped nearby to give us a helping hand. After a bright and early start…Holly, Gemma, Simon and I decided to take a trip to Sliema, for some exploring and shopping, which seemed extremely tiring for Simon who hates shopping. Later that evening, we had a beautiful dinner in a little restaurant overlooking the sea and the beautiful surroundings of Sliema.

The weekend seemed strange, no swimming, no Saturday night takeaway, what? On Sunday morning, I went to Bible Baptist Church with Sharon and Rachel (two B.Ed students from Stranmillis), which proved to be an amazing experience and a great service! The church was a little smaller than the church I normally attend, but nonetheless everyone was just like one big family as they welcomed us with open arms. At the church, we met two other students from the University Residence (Aria and Onyinyechi) who were so helpful and introduced us to others at the church.

              

                                                       Bible Baptist Church

"Selfie stick" time

                               

Mdina

After the service we had lunch at the residence whilst taking “selfies” before Aria and Onyinyechi took us to explore Mdina (the “Silent City” and old Capital of Malta)- it was beautiful. Mdina is perched on a hilltop, filled with beautiful sites, museums, phenomenon cathedrals and thee best cake shop of ALL time, yum! As we were leaving, it began to get dark as the city was dimly lit, showing the true beauty of Mdina at night.

                     

                               Fontella

Mdina- Silent City

                                  

St. Pauls Cathedral

The cathedral we looked at was St. Pauls Cathedral, which is one of the largest church domes in Mdina, belonging to Publius (the Roman governor of Malta). Inside the cathedral was beautiful, with the floor covered in marble tombstones of Maltese nobles and clergymen. It was incredible to explore a little bit of Mdina and I hope to return again soon! The past week has flew in and its hard to believe I’ve been here almost a week. 

Friendly students

So far, Malta has opened my eyes to a whole new wonderful place filled with generous and friendly Maltese people and people from all over the world. Listening to other people and their experiences has helped me to settle in A LOT and knowing you are never alone makes everything so much more worthwhile. I am intrigued to visit so many more scenic and gorgeous places that I have heard about, not to mention study in a different country. Classes begin tomorrow morning and I am eager to find out similarities and differences in comparison to university back home, but for now I am anxious and eager so wish me luck!

Update to follow soon…

Love, Louise.