Week 9 | Beaches, Bays and Barbecues

With little class scheduled for this week and it being the last week before the Easter holidays, we definitely took advantage of the weather and the sunshine! Monday brought about the perfect beach day with not a cloud in the sky, as Gemma, Holly and I ventured to Golden Bay beach! Much to our surprise, the beach was a little smaller than what we had expected having heard this was the main beach in Malta! Nonetheless, it did not disappoint and we were able to enjoy some well deserved down time, relaxing on the beach, catching the rays.

Golden Bay Beach

The last supper with the Italians before Easter!

Tuesday was a much more relaxed day, with the weather not being the best! It was so weird and reminded me of being back home. The sun was shining on Monday and yet down pouring on Tuesday…was I in Malta or Northern Ireland? Each day, we have new encounters with people from all over the world and in particular people who have recently moved to Malta to live within the past 5-6 years. Since we have arrived we have heard nothing but how strange the weather has been for Malta this year, with this being one of the coldest winters they have had in 18 years!!! On Tuesday evening, a group of us had a beautiful dinner with the Italians as two of the Italians were headed home on the Wednesday for Easter! It was a great evening spent with some of my closest friends, eating none other than the famous Italian lasagna and pizza.

On Wednesday, the weather changed again with not a cloud in the sky as the sun was shining! The perfect opportunity to go to the beach! A group of us from residence decided to go to the beach again, where we played numerous games on the beach, sunbathed, swam in the Mediterranean Sea before watching the sunset and enjoying a delicious BBQ on the beach. Later that evening, when we returned home we went to the roof, where we had a birthday party for Kyle and enjoyed some more delicious food prepared whilst dancing the night away.

Thursday was our last official day of class before the Easter holidays and our only classes scheduled for this week! However, much to our dismay we arrived for our 12 o’clock class only to find that it had infact been cancelled and so after a wasted journey to university we returned back to the residence for some lunch, before going back for an hour of hockey. It’s interesting learning hockey in Malta, because the Maltese do not play hockey and I have played hockey from secondary school. Nonetheless, its also a new learning curve and learning experience, which gives me the opportunity to build on my skills and also help the other students in my class who have never played hockey before, which is something that I can use and will be transferable for when I become a PE teacher.

Friday was a day for relaxing, as I stayed at the residence with a few friends from England and we decided to have a fry for breakfast! The best decision we ever made and it was great to have a catch up! Later in the day we decided to go for a dip in the pool! Needless to say, it was absolutely baltic and I thought I was going to get hypothermia but it was a fun day! Saturday brought about a day of relaxation chilling with amazing friends, having a movie night and doing hair braids!

Ulster Fry

Sunday was a day of farewells to my fellow Strannie Grannies as they headed off on their Inter-railing trip around Italy for 10 days! Jealous…but I hope they have an amazing time! The next few weeks will be weird without them here in Malta but I am looking forward to their return and some well deserved birthday celebrations!

After saying farewell, Sunday was also a day for our 3^rd hike of the semester and one, which was simply breathtaking! Unreal views, spectacular scenery and incredible company…it was a day to remember before everyone departs and leaves for the Easter break! I’m already looking forward to after the Easter holidays to have everyone back at residence and make new memories with my Erasmus family!

Enjoy your Easter Holidays!

Louise. 

Beautiful sites!

Red Tower Castle

Great friends hiking!

Extreme adventures hiking

One final swim in the sea to end a perfect hike!

Week 8 | Fun, feasts and festivities!

To date, this week has been one of the best weeks in Malta with so many activities and festivities organised! Despite being ill, not feeling myself and suffering from lack of sleep it is by far one of the highlights of my Erasmus experience.

The week kick started with another meeting at St. Josephs School in preparation for the Field day we are organising for the school. After planning the sports events for each year group, we had a meeting with Ms Lisa to organise and prepare the equipment required and discuss the sporting events we had planned for the children. Together, as a team we collectively planned our activities and Ms. Lisa was really impressed with the activities and games we came up with. It’s safe to say, I am really looking forward to running the sports day for the children, which is coming up within the next few weeks. I have never had to organise a sports day before and having only ever participated in sports days back home, it was interesting to combine different games and activities from different cultures around the world. For me, it was interesting organising events for the younger primary section between kindergarten and upper juniors as I have never considered teaching within this age group. However, with only a few loose ends to tie and arrange leading up to the event, I’m very keen and full of enthusiasm to see the final outcome and hope all our teamwork pays off so that the children can all enjoy a fun filled day!

As we all know, Tuesday 17^th March marks a huge celebration of St. Patrick’s Day back home and to my surprise…Malta did not disappoint! In fact, they amazed me! I have only ever known St. Patrick’s Day to be celebrated in Ireland, Northern Ireland and America, but when I arrived in St. Julian’s to commence a day of celebrations, I was flabbergasted! Considering the day is not a public holiday in Malta, I couldn’t believe my eyes at how many people were out celebrating an Irish patron! The streets were crowded with Maltese people and other people from all over the world, drinking Guinness, dancing and singing along to traditional Irish songs at Karaoke…it was incredible!

  

   St Patricks Day

Celebrations continued...

Feast of St. Joseph

Throughout the week, the celebrations continued with Thursday being another public holiday in Malta to commemorate the Feast of St. Joseph. This time, we visited Mdina for the celebrations, including street parties and fireworks! As always, the streets were covered in confetti, with masses of people on the streets celebrating, singing and dancing! Not to mention, the day finished with a cheeky little trip to the famous Fontanella cake shop where we indulged in some delicious chocolate cake, banoffee, cappuccinos, hot chocolates and a stunning view from the rooftop overlooking Malta.

                                        

                                                      Mdina with great friends!

Celebrations in Mdina

Balcony view

Friday brought about the Gozo weekend organised by the Erasmus student network (ESN). The Gozo weekend was a weekend that had been discussed and spoken about since I arrived in Malta and was described as a weekend not to be missed! On Friday afternoon, we headed off to the beautiful island of Gozo for an all inclusive 2 night stay with over 100 students from the university residence. When we arrived in Gozo, our expectations were already met with our very own unique little village of farmhouses. Each farmhouse had their very own pool, living room, balcony with a BBQ, en-suites and double beds, what more could you want? It was an amazing weekend, full of sightseeing ventures, BBQs, beach trips and parties. Saturday evening brought about the Toga party, which is a typical American party and after much confusion over how to tie a toga with our bed sheets, we were eventually ready for the party- thanks to YouTube! Sunday morning brought about a trip to the beautiful and stunning Ramla Bay beach, where we enjoyed the sunshine, relaxing for a few hours with a few brave people going for a dip in the sea!

It was a fantastic week altogether, with nothing but fun, feasts and festivities throughout! To date, this has definitely been one of the best weeks so far and one of my favourite highlights. Between celebrating our own culture and other cultures, making new memories and new friendships I am having the time of my life and Erasmus is something I will never forget! I cannot wait to continue to share this experience with my Erasmus intercultural family and explore so many cultures.

All my love from Malta,

Louise.

Week 7 | Marvellous, magnificent Malta

It’s hard to believe week 7 has been and gone and I’ve almost been in Malta for 2 months now! It still seems surreal, especially after meeting so many new people and friends during my time here and integrating as one Erasmus family! After almost 2 months in Malta, I am thoroughly enjoying every second of every minute of every day and I never want this experience to end but as the saying goes…”Eventually all good things must come to an end.”

Monday morning’s class brought about an introduction to mini volleyball, which was very enjoyable and slightly competitive to say the least. Having played volleyball back home at Stranmillis in class, it was intriguing to note the differences and actually take part in a modified version of the game. Partaking in different sporting activities and sessions in Malta is interesting to discover and learn new warm up ideas, as well as incorporating different sports into volleyball and adapting the rules. Throughout the session, we used balloons, inflatable balls and proper volleyballs focusing on ball familiarization. Using a variety of objects for introducing volleyball is a fun and easy way to involve and interact students as these objects are a lot softer than using a real volleyball. Learning these new activities and understanding the different progressions that occur is vitally important and gives me an insight into the field of teaching. Through these experiences I have learnt many valuable lessons and new experiences demonstrating that this is what I have always dreamed of doing; teaching sport: an element that I have participated in from a young age with passion and conviction.

Bonus challenge in the telephone box

On Tuesday evening, the Erasmus student network (ESN) organised a treasure hunt in the beautiful capital city of Valletta, meeting at the Triton Fountain. The treasure hunt was a fun filled evening with loads of challenges and trilling puzzles to solve! With only 22 questions, a map of Valletta and some bonus challenges we were off on our quest to win the treasure hunt and receive the winning prize! Unfortunately due to our dismay, the weather did not hold up and it down poured! Nonetheless, most groups decided to venture to McDonalds where they took advantage of the food and the free Wi-Fi to google the answers to the questions in the treasure hunt. What could be better than McDonalds, free Wi-Fi and great company? So as you can imagine, my team did not win, but it was a great evening had by all!

Wednesday was a day to remember with 11 students (myself included) embarking on a trip to one of the major tourist attractions on the Island...“Popeye Village.” Upon arrival we were greeted by Popeye the sailor and his friends, who entertained us before partaking in our very own unique filming experience and starring in our own version of popeye! With the ladies all dressed up in dresses from the 1920’s and the men dressed as pirates it was a fabulous day shooting our own movie on set, before watching our film in the cinema. However, after purchasing the DVD we were disappointed to have received a blank copy of the disk…but it was a great day spent with great friends!

"Popeye" featuring the Erasmus students 

POPEYE VILLAGE

Exploring the wonderful "Popeye Village"

One thing I love to do in Malta is explore more of the country and view the surroundings…it is simply breathtaking! On Saturday, we ventured off on our second hike of the semester to Dingli Cliffs in the South of Malta. With over 200 students from around the globe, everyone had a blast! Between selfie sticks, go pros, lots of food, spectacular scenery and great company it was a day not to be missed!

      

                                       This is what friends are for...

Diving on the edge

Hiking around Dingli Cliffs with these beauties 

Incredible scenery and waterfall

Mater Dei Hospital

Unfortunately the week didn’t end too well with a trip to the doctors, followed by a trip to the hospital and a trip to the pharmacy! After spending 7 hours in the Mater Dei Hospital, I was diagnosed with tonsillitis but I am very grateful for the moral support of my fellow “strannie grannies” who helped make the day a little bit better and brighter making me laugh and cry at the same time! Thankfully, I was able to get a series of medication and I should be better soon! However, it’s very different to back home with Northern Irelands health care system being more efficient and free, but I am relieved to be back at residence and hopefully back to my usual self in the next few days.

Nonetheless, Malta never ceases to amaze me and I am looking forward to the upcoming weeks ahead with Easter fast approaching and lots planned already with family and friends coming over to visit!

Have a great week & bon voyage...until next week!

Love, Louise. 

Week 6 | Shorts, shades, sun and shopping!

Another week gone in Malta and having been here for over a month, it seems as if the days are flying by! I feel as if I have been here forever but I also feel as if I just arrived here yesterday…it’s a weird combination. After an astounding day at the hike on Sunday it was back to the books the next day as I was up and ready for classes on Monday morning, starting with the module “Teaching the Fundamentals through Mini-Games.” This module is one of my favourite modules as we have to work together collectively in different groups to prepare and organise field days within a variety of local primary schools. The first field day is due to happen on April 23rd and will be held by Gemma, Yaron, Sean and I for St. Josephs primary school. As part of the preparation phase for this module, we had to organise a meeting with the PE teacher within the school in order to understand our roles on the day and find out more about what the field day will entail. Having gone to the school, spoken with the teacher and getting hyped up about our planning and the development of the field day I am looking forward to the next few weeks and organising numerous activities and sports for the pupils of St. Josephs school. The field day will not only be a great opportunity for me to transfer the skills I already know, but it will be also be a prodigious occasion to prepare and organise an event which will help me in the future in pursuing my career as a PE teacher.

Surfside beach

On Wednesday morning I trained with the National team again at the National swimming pool complex! I am enjoying every moment of training with the National team and each day it’s interesting to notice just how different the sessions are, but it’s always beneficial to try new drills and techniques; not to mention listen to another coach and gain his feedback. It’s quite rewarding! Training this week was not strenuous at all and only involved limited sprints due to some members on the team tapering for an International Swim Meet in Munich, Germany this weekend! The weather this week was beautiful with the sun shining galore and things were only looking better on Wednesday afternoon with the sun splitting the trees and not having classes scheduled! This meant a trip to the beach "Surfside" was on the cards as Gemma, Holly, Simon and I were invited to the beach in Sliema by a few of our fellow classmates. So as you can imagine…us being your typical Northern Irish students: the shorts were on, the shades were out and the sunbathing had commenced! I don’t know about you, but I could think of worse things to be doing on a Wednesday afternoon than lying at the beach, sunbathing with incredible friends. Later that evening, a few of us from the residence decided to go to the local pub Zmerc; where we had a few drinks, got free-food and had a pleasant evening.

Beach day with fellow classmates

                                               

                                                                   Surfside Beach- Sliema 

Gemma and I at the beach

After having class on Thursday and Friday, it seemed only right to treat ourselves on the Saturday with a day of shopping followed by dinner. Holly, Gemma, Simon and I ventured to Sliema and all I can say is “shopping really is a girls best friend.” It was another bright and beautiful day here in Malta, as we shopped until we dropped!

Beautiful day shopping in Sliema with great friends!

After a hard day of shopping, and being a little rough on the credit card we decided to relax and have dinner at a nearby restaurant in Sliema called “Tex Mex” with a live DJ playing and a few cocktails. Later that evening, we returned back to residence where we had an International Beer Pong contest between different countries. Team Northern Ireland were pumped and raring to go, however sadly were defeated in the semi-finals against none other than team Ireland! Battling there way through to the final, it was a tense match between team Ireland and team New Zealand-however team New Zealand had that little bit extra to give and so were reigned champions after a strong match against the Irish, well done team New Zealand!

Dinner and drinks in Sliema!

International Beer Pong Contest

Although another week has passed, I am thoroughly enjoying my time here on this island! Some days are planned, some days are totally unexpected and spontaneous but I am learning something new each day, experiencing more and more of the Maltese culture as well as other cultures, for example America, Italy and many more! All in all, I cannot find the words to express how amazing Erasmus is…I am speechless! As always, I am looking forward to the new experiences and challenges I may face within the next few weeks but the best way to predict the future is to create it and so I am enjoying the sunset and looking forward to the next sunrise!

Best wishes,

Louise.