Georgia's Elective Diary: Part 9 (Grazzi Hafna Malta, ciao ciao, bye bye bye)

The time has come to say a fond farewell to this little island in the Mediterranean, my time in Malta having come to an end. It was so hard saying goodbye to the great friends I've made over the last six weeks, and now that I've managed to stop crying (typical Georgia), I thought I'd share some of my favourite experiences, and things I've learnt from the last month and a half. 

Things I'll miss:

Impromptu dance parties in flat four to Uptown Funk or Take Me to Church. Or maybe it was just me that had the dance parties. I think everyone else watched... I will forever associate these songs with Malta.

Late night/early evening/late afternoon/early afternoon trips to The Compass for cocktails, or just any sort of alcohol. Getting shitty service one night, and then management getting angry with their staff, and getting incredible service fro then on. Plus, free cake on my birthday was pretty fantastic! 

Julia's earworm of the day. 95% of the time it was Total Eclipse of the Heart, but recently we've also had Time After Time, and even some Christmas carols! 

Dominik's word of the day, where he'd flash his phone at one of us with a "what is this word," as he tried to improve his English. Dom, I think you've got better English than most of us native speakers now. 

The pretty average, but essential coffee at the hospital every morning, with the grumpy barista and cashier, who both became super friendly towards us by the time I had my last day. All it took was a smile 😊

The much much better coffee and incredible pastries from the Sicilian deli down the road from our apartment. This also became a necessity, but an amazing one. I'm going to miss those canolis, and pastry Sunday. (Think I might have to continue pastry Sunday in New Zealand...)

Giorgio's.  I needn't say more other than that this was a gorgeous restaurant. 

Snake or lizard. I don't think I fully understood this game of Jonathan's, but it sure was hilarious. 

Things I'll always remember:

The unpredictable Maltese bus service. The number of times a bus didn't turn up, or arrived ten minutes early was quite large. Busses that were packed from the first stop, and just got exceedingly more packed as the bus driver kept letting people get on. The bus driver on my last night who told me he loved me, then stopped the bus alongside me after I had gotten off to blow kisses at me, and proposition me. 

The shower that sometimes would spontaneously go cold, and then scalding within a couple of minutes. The pillows and sheets that probably hasn't been replaced since the 70s. The landcreature and their passive aggressive rules pinned to the door, or telling us off for being too loud at 11.01pm, one minute after we were no longer allowed "parties". 

Malta's "dust" weather, where it wasn't cloudy, but the sky looked purple, as Saharan desert sand filled the air. The crazy lightening storms that appeared out  of no where - especially when we'd just gotten off a bus to Paceville in town dresses and high heels.

Unpredictable roads, with potholes and bumps, and unpredictable drivers who thought "road rules" were more of a vague guideline. 

Education, and life lessons:

I came to Malta to further my medical education, but instead learnt much more about the differences in culture between me and my flat mates, and how similar we all are overall. My paediatric surgical knowledge hasn't really changed since Adelaide, but I now know that Scotland and New Zealand have more similarities in language than NZ and Australia; that haggis doesn't actually taste all that bad, and I would probably eat it again. That it doesn't take much to convince someone that we still ride sheep to school, or that Germans clash their forks together before every meal. I know now that Belgian beer is actually quite nice, and readily available in Malta. Everything is expensive in New Zealand, but it's also pretty expensive in Malta. 

Most importantly, I know that I'll always remember these six weeks in Malta, and that, with all its quirks and charms Malta is a special country. The past six weeks have taught me a lot about myself, and has been the most adventurous time of my life to date. I'm going to seriously miss it, and the people I've met, but I know that everyone I've met I'll be friends with for many years to come. 

Photo blog of my trip to follow once I'm home and can load all my photos up !