PEACHES DE LA PAZ

So I have arrived in Malta in the middle of the Mediterranean safe and sound. The flight took about 9 hours, not including the 5 hour wait in Germany because the flight crew went on strike. I was really nervous leaving because I've never traveled by myself and I had no idea where I was going. This is my first time being in Europe. I met really nice people on the airplane, actually and the food wasn't so bad. I just didn't get enough sleep.

View of the coast from Valletta

I stayed in the capital of Malta, Valletta, on my first night. I was so excited about being in a different country but the jet lag caught up with me and I slept pretty early that first night.

The next day I went to the University Residence in Lija and I couldn't move into my room yet so they moved me into a 5-Star hotel for the weekend, free of charge. We had Orientation on Friday, we moved into the Residence on Sunday and classes started that Monday.

I've met a lot of people already. The entire University Residence is inhabited by international students. I live in an apartment with Italians, French, and my roommate is Japanese. The Italians have got me hooked into eating Nutella-this chocolate spread with hazelnuts. It's amazing! I think they're also sold in the US but it was my first time trying it here and now I eat it all the time. The Italians also make fun of what I eat for breakfast. They don't think that eggs should be eaten so early in the day but I love my over easy eggs in the morning! I get a meal stipend here to compensate having a meal plan and I cook all of my meals. I feel like my summer in Washington, D.C. was a preparation for studying abroad. Now I'm used to cooking for myself and I'm learning new recipes from the other girls.

There are also a lot of students from the US here but I'm the only one from New Jersey. I love hearing all of the different accents and languages. Many of the students are studying in Malta to improve their English. As for me, I'm learning new words in Italian every day and I'm helping my suitemates with their English as well.

Taking classes here are SO confusing. I'm never going to take the US system for granted again. None of the class times and locations are posted online. Instead, we have to go to their department on campus and look up the timetables. Some of the classes I wanted to sign up for didn't even have a time and location yet. But I have officially signed up for classes and I'm taking 30 ECTS (European Transfer Credit System), about 10 classes.

European classes are different from the US standard college system. Classes only meet for 1 or 2 hours per week and they grade you based on either an assessment or a test. There are no mid-terms, midterm papers, or anything. I'm so used to a class meeting at least twice a week. It's hard for me to sit in a 2-hour lecture. But it's a new experience and I don't have classes on Thursday and Friday.

I've gotten lost so many times, walked into so many wrong classes and embarrassed myself. I feel like a freshman all over again. The University campus is a lot bigger than SPC and more confusing.

Everything in Malta is tiny! Malta is the most densely populated country in Europe. There are stray cats everywhere and I have yet to spot a Maltese dog. The main mode of transportation here is by bus and everyone is bilingual and friendly. Maltese food consists of rabbit, horse meat, and seafood. The language is also different from anything I've seen before. It's 60% Arabic with Sicilian and Italian influences. Malta is exactly like a sandcastle. The houses have beautiful balconies and doorknobs.

The weather is actually quite chilly here. (I've been trying to convert Celsius into Fahrenheit but I always forget. At the end of 6 months I'll be an expert on the metric system). The Mediterranean sea is so beautiful and so clear and blue. It's cold but I've been able to put my feet in it. It actually hailed two nights ago. The weather changes every so often here, it rains for one hour, then it's sunshine the next. I'm not complaining though, Malta seems to be the warmest country compared to the rest of Europe and the US.

The first weekend we went out to Paceville, the nightclub capital of Malta where so many people go to have a good time. We went bowling and toured the San Anton Gardens (right outside the President of Malta's house).

My friends take a little dip in the Mediterranean

At the San Anton Gardens-I believe the building behind us is where the President lives

PEACOCK in the gardens!!!

I found this Peacock store in Valletta

In front of our 5-Star Hotel

Bowling! This is Ikue, my roommate

Waiting in the lobby of the hotel before we moved into the Residence

The view from the BALCONY in my ROOM!!

The British occupied Malta until the 1940s so there is a lot of British influence still apparent in the country. Restaurants offer English breakfasts (eggs, bacon, etc.) and there are still some phone booths, like this one, around the country.

This past weekend we went to Valletta and took the ferry to Sliema, a big tourist spot on the coast that's great for shopping. We also saw a movie, Bride Wars, in Valletta.

Taking the ferry from Valletta to Sliema

Touching the Mediterranean!

Behind some sculpture we found on the coast

Last Tuesday was a public holiday in Malta, St. Paul's Shipwreck. St. Paul was shipwrecked on Malta on the way from Jerusalem to Rome. 98% of the country is Catholic and there are 365 churches in the country-one for every day. We had no classes and went to Valletta where there was a parade. The weather was absolutely beautiful that day and we soaked up the sun by Fort St. Elmo-the fortress of the capital.

My friend Linzi and I (she's from Ireland) by Fort St. Elmo

In front of the beautiful blue Mediterranean

Scenic take

Decorations on the street to celebrate St. Paul's

A Valletta street at night. There are so many small alleys with small stores in the capital. It takes less than a day to see everything in Valletta

Last night we went to a football match: Malta vs. Albania. I have never seen a national soccer game before. It was freezing! There weren't too many people who went but it was a good time with the International students and coffee to warm myself up. A marching band was playing and we learned new chants: "Viva Malta, viva Malta, hey hey!" The game ended in a tie: Albania: 0 Malta: 0

GO MALTA!

I'm really enjoying my time so far and I've had so many memories already. I wish everyone could study abroad for one semester. It's an amazing experience, meeting people from different countries and being an American abroad really changes your perspective. I'm so thankful for being able to travel and arriving here safely in Malta. This country is beautiful. It's hard because I really do miss SPC and all of the clubs and events I'm missing. I miss all of my family and friends as well. I won't let myself get homesick because I know it won't do me any good. But I've been having a wonderful time and can't wait for the months to come.