”Why? Why Malta?” was the usual response when I told to my Finnish friends the place I was going to stay the next five months of my life. I couldn't give a good answer even to myself. I had never been there, I had no idea how the people would look like or didn't even know what the capital city was called. I only knew that they were good at Eurovision Song Contest and they were hunting too many birds in the spring time. But the minute I got the approval letter from the University of Malta, I knew I had to do it.
A night before my arrival, I had to google where exactly I was going to. “27 km long! I must discover the island in a weekend!” I remember thinking terrified. Just how wrong I knew I would be.
All these thoughts were far behind and a big smile spread to my face, when the plane hit the ground. The very first sight was a palm tree swaying in the wind and a beautiful sunset warming my skin through the window. Just to remind you: five hours before the temperature meter was showing -28 degrees in Finland. For Maltese the beginning of February was a cold winter time, but for me it was like going through a teleport in the middle of the summer.
In the first weeks of my stay I couldn't wash the dummy-looking smile off my face. I didn't wonder why the Maltese people were ranked the happiest people in Europe. I was amazed about every little different noise, smell and view. The multiply colored and decorative little houses, with the names like “C'est la vie” and the crystal clear sea, which was seen everywhere, didn't stop fascinating me. Although, later I was feeling a bit claustrophobic, when I realized that seeing the sea also meant the lines of the island.
The first weeks were full of surprises: no one has told me about the left-sided traffic or British socket-system. Not only that reminded me of England, but also the red post and phone boxes and the “one cold one hot”- water-tap system.
My first bus journey was an unforgettable experience. Comparing to Finland where the schedules and rules were everything to us, a bus 20 minute late would be out of the question. Finally when the bus arrived, I didn't prepare to have coins in my pocket and got a few Maltese swear words from the driver. I mumbled somewhat like “sorry” and took a seat, while the best disco-songs from the 90's entertained the passengers with a full volume. A playboy-doll swung from side to side next to St. Mary when the bus was driving like a maniac. When the ticket controller came, I had of course already lost my ticket.
My honeymoon time was over the morning I found an unpleasant surprise in our kitchen: a cockroach. This wasn't the only exotic touch to the animals in the island. Every morning to university was an adventure: snakes, lizards, rats and cats, all of them was possible to see on the same way.
Now the countdown back to home has already started. The last half a year has been the fastest, funniest, hardest and most unforgettable of my life. I have seen the places I had never seen before, travelled outside of Malta, been scuba diving, horse riding and hiking. Geographically Malta might seem to be small, but the combination of all the different looking cities, the breath-taking views and the Paceville nightlife is only something I cannot describe by adjectives.
If there is something I can take back home, it would be the little laid-back Mediterranean lifestyle, which I hope will stay the rest of my life. If the bus doesn't come in the same minute, it is not the end of the world, not even my day. C'est la vie.
BY Sara Kärpänen
Basic Reporting Assignment
