Lija, Malta

I have now spent four days in Malta and am in complete sensory overload. Malta, to say the least, is not what I expected. The best description i have is that it is like Italy combined with Costa Rica. Beautiful cathedrals, light colored stone buildings, flowering plants, terraced fields, winding narrow streets are all part of Malta. There is also a chaotic mass of humanity covering every bit of it.

My first bit of advice for anyone who may be wanting to visit malta is DO NOT DRIVE and also look EVERY direction before crossing the street. The driving is insane and compounded by the narrow twisting streets. Though the Maltese are charming when met on the street behind the wheel they seem to be more interested in how many points they would get for hitting you with their car. I love the chaos of it. It makes each trip to the market a daring journey, each voyage to the bakery filled with danger.

I have been lost in Malta a total of 5 times in 4 days. These moments of being lost have created some of the best experiences so far. My favorite lost expirience includes the discovery of a 24 hour bakery on a street near the residence. A loaf of bread is about 40 cents and tastes wonderful, better than any bread we have at home. The food has actually been a wonderful surprise. Meat pies with rabbit are very popular. There is also a lot of pasta and sandwiches. This will be much better than my previous west african diet.

Yesterday I visited Sliema with a group of friends. This is one of the most beautiful places I have been so far. It is located on the opposite side of the bay from Valletta and has a spectacular view of the boats and cathedrals. The included pictures are all from Sliema.

Tomorrow I begin class and the adventure really starts! I am still in shock that I am actually living here for the next five months and not just a few weeks. I will write again soon.