June 2014

At the beginning of this month I both got my Maltese ID-card and opened up my account at http://www.couchsurfing.org for hosting again. So, now I am happy to go by bus and I do it more often as before, because I can go three times for one instead. I feel free to go wherever I want on Malta! Anyway I do not go by bus everyday. I have no need for that. Also I was asked for at my job if I will work with other parts when I have learned enough. I was happy about that, of course, because on the one hand, it gave me hope that I will survive the trial period successfully and on the other hand, it will be tasks that are not quite as monotonous as my current work will become when I am used to it.

 

 

When I opened up for hosting again at the couchsurfing site I’ve soon got a lot of requests, so I closed again after accepting the most of them. I look forward to meet the new CS’. a gay couple from Brazil/Portugal, a French couple, an Italian girl and a  Japanese girl, who studies in Bratislava for the moment. Between their visits I would like to welcome close friends and family. My children will not make it before the fall season, but how are my pirate friends in Hamburg? Someone coming? The best time would be now and my first CS’ will come at 30th June. Where are you?

 

I was shopping a lot these days, too. I found amazing shops, where I never thought, they will sell so much stuff and good ones because they have some things outside the door(s) and a small door opening, no store windows. It is not usual to have store windows here and I think it is based on the weather. They need less time turning on the AC as well as they during wintertime do not need warming up the shop without the windows. Anyway even if each shop has a lot of different things, I had to look for some special things at other places and I found what I needed :-), but I learned one more time: It is not good to trust google maps for walking Malta.

 

 

On Thursday I felt for eating out at lunch. I thought to eat a pizza, but the pizzeria close to here were still closed. Some meters more I found another restaurant and took a pie (it was like quiche lorraine). I was a little surprised, that it was not served with salad. On my way to the restaurant I meet our local grocery car and saw nice strawberries. I decided to buy some on my way back from the restaurant and so I did. The strawberries were sold in a kind of plastic bowl and there were more in than to the top. It cost only 1,50 Euro. When I came home I measured it up – it was 2 l, just for me! I ate strawberries for three days 🙂

 

At 6th of June I have had a Swedish dinner. It was the thanks for my first host on Malta – when I was here in February this year. I promised, I would invite them and I did! Because the dinner I did not have so much time to buy the household things I was in need of. First on the 6th I found what I was looking for for several days – a hand-powered mixer. Hand-powered because I know I will not use it often and also electricity is expensive on Malta like in most of the countries I know. For the Swedish dinner I had to whip creme, so I needed that mixer. I already had found some other households utensils when I have been in Valletta for collecting my Maltese ID-card. Furthermore I bought some more stuff in a similar shop at the Triq de Marina, which is closer by than Valletta. In addition to that I bought pots and pans at my local supermarket. There were pots and pans in my apartment, but not that kind I am used to and the pot was a little to big for cooking my porridge every morning as well as the Teflon coating was scratched and flaked.

This was the menu:
Falukorv (a Swedish kind of sausage) with onion and cheese baked in the oven,
stewed Macaroni,
salad of the season
rice a la Malta (dessert)

My CS-friends did like the dinner very much and we enjoyed the evening together. – We also were on my roof looking at the stars and Malta. We have found that Msida Marina can be seen from up there. It was not so hot up there than it was in my apartment, maybe I will sleep on the roof in July and August ;-).

This day I also started my aircondition (AC) the first time.

 

7th June is a public holiday on Malta. I have seen decorations for the day already the day before and I googled the meaning of the day, of course. This day is called Sette Giugno, which is Italian. Every year a commemorative ceremony is held at Palace Square, Valletta, in remembrance of the incidents of 7th June 1919 when workers were fighting for the independence from the Commonwealth because the prices for food were very high and the millers did earn a lot of money, but the people were starving because they could not afford the basic food including the flour. Four men were killed of the military that day by shooting into the crowd. Nevertheless I stayed at home that day, made my washing and finished my report from my trip to Malta by adding the last photographs.

 

8th of June I tried to iron my blouses and skirts, but the iron was not working. So I have to wait for my relocation boxes, which are on the way to me. In the evening I was at work again. In my lunch box I have had the rest of the Swedish dinner.

 

9th June Hipp Hipp Hurray my (6) boxes are at my employers storage – they came today from Germany. Thanks to @pauli_pirat and @larswestphal for taking care of them and sending them.

 

10th June I have taken home my boxes by a taxi. The taxi driver was so nice! He helped me to put the boxes into the house, I did not have to ask him for that. When we started the journey he told me his first name. I never have known such a taxi driver – maybe they are all that way here. I started to empty the boxes, but had to go to work, so I continued the next day.

 

11th June in the morning I finished to empty my boxes before I was going to work. I made space for all of the things, which came, but I have to do it in a nicer way and also will buy a chest with drawers, where I will put in my towels and my linens. I still miss some things, because I took them to Sweden. So I have to wait for my first trip to Sweden to take them here. I will not pay extra for it.

I have got a new scheme for this month today because I will be working with another kind of customer care than I do now. I am happy about that they chose also me for that. By the new scheme I will be off duty for four days next week – and that is great, because my son will come to Malta with his family.

When I am writing this, I have a fan behind me and it is very strong. They have really good things here on Malta.

 

12th June I’ve got the code for my Maltese debit card. This day it happened not so much more, I was just working as usual.

 

13th June and it is a Friday – so, what will happen today? It was not worse than that I bought too much in my nearest grocery shop. I only took 20 Euros with me and I bought for 22, but the shop assistant told me to pay next time – he said I am coming in now and then, but at the cash they have a sign, that they do not give any credit! On my way to my work I stopped at the grocery and paid the rest. He looked very happy in that moment. I appreciated his way to tackle it and I will prefer his shop in the future.

Oh, yes – there happened another thing to me today. My air condition broke. It just opened the front panel but never started to cool. It reacted like a computer suspending its work. I was talking with the wife of my landlord and hoped, when I come home the AC will work again, but it did not. I hoped I will make the night by the fan and I did, of course.

 

14th June – My first CS arrived. I was happy I had a day off and could meet her at the airport. The flight was only some minutes late. She was arriving from Spain, where she already made some holidays. She is Japanese and studying in Bratislava, Slovakia and a very nice and open-minded girl. So different to the other Japanese CS I have had. I am so happy about her visit! After she left her backpack at my home and a late lunch we were walking to Sliema and St. Julians, we also have been in Pacevill. She was surprised about all the young people being there. She told me, that young people are not dancing in Japan. They go to karaoke in a pub and having dinner together at their homes, but they are not dancing.

After coming home and our night meal we were on the roof and we were happy because there were fireworks in three directions. We also could hear disco music, but the music did end soon. We were almost for one hour on the roof enjoying the fireworks.

 

At 15th June I am working middle shift, that means I am working between 11 o’clock and 7.30 pm, because I am in a training again. I learn how to answer our customers by email ;-). There are a lot of different situations and for every one there is a text prepared. But we have to customize the text quite often. The worst thing to find the right text for each situation! It will take a while to become used to it. Anyway I made it with the passwords and with the other kind of job and I will do it with these new tasks, too. I think it is not so very much stress by this work with the first one I had to do and I am looking forward to it. Also I’ve got to know two more colleagues this way, one of them is Maltese. I hope I will get a good connection to her and learn a lot about Malta and the culture. She told me that it is usual at summertime that there are fireworks in the villages.

Tonight we were on the roof again, because we heard there were fireworks again. We were up there for a long while and when we thought it will be over, we went down, but only a quarter of an hour later there started more fireworks.

 

16th June Nearly Nothing special happened but Germany won their first play 5:0 (against Portugal). It is WM in football. Ayaka is my couchsurfer and I had to work middle shift. So she had to explore Malta by her own.

 

17th June Ayaka is still my couchsurfer and I hade to work middle shift again. So she had to explore Malta by her own again. In the evening we went together to Valletta and I invited her for a dinner. We ate a traditional Maltese pizza and made after that only a short sightseeing of Valletta because we had to catch the bus home. There are only night busses on Friday and Saturday nights. This evening, like the other weekdays, the last bus from Valletta is around half past 11pm.

 

18th June Ayaka is leaving Malta and now I am working late shift again. In the morning I had to clean my flat, preparing for my new visitors – my son and his wife, but they will not stay at my flat. They booked a room in a hotel in Paceville – the InterContinental.

 

19th June I met my son and his family at the airport, followed them to the hotel and we were eating lunch together. We also went swimming in the pool of the hotel. Thereafter I had to go to work for my late shift.

 

20th June We met again in the morning. Because we have team meeting on my job I had to be half an hour earlier at my job. The dinner was late and therefore I had to go to my job by taxi. Such things are very unusual to me.

 

21st – 24th June I am off work and we have all time together, but the nights. Because there is noisy refurbishing work on the house next to the hotel, the hotel manager decided and arranged bus trips to the Bay of Melliah and the next day to Marsaxlokk via Fort St. Angelo and Birgu (what also is called Vittoriosa).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One day we were shopping. My daughter in law really enjoyed it and I also found some clothes. It is good to ask the younger generation what I still can wear and what not. Unfortunately they paid each a dress for me. On the 24th they also were visiting my apartment. We also have been in Valletta together.

 

 

 

 

25th June – I worked early shift and I am very tired the first two hours at work, but I made it. I’ve got by bus to the hotel and we went out for eating and looking for more baby clothes. I went home quite early because I had to work early shift the next day, too. We said good-bye because they will take a flight home early next morning.

 

26th After my working pass I went to bed early because I am really tired after the visit of my son and his family, especially I’ve got tired by my grandson. It is not his fault, of course, but I am already 60+, so I get tired a little quicker.

 

27th to 29th June – nothing special just working, laundry, shopping and other needs. Anyway I have seen the decorations for the Feast of St. Peter and Paul:

 

 

 

 

 

30th June My new couchsurfers are landing I met them at Malta airport. They are arriving late and we only can take one bus to my home. Something amazing happened = another Portuguese guy was on the bus and my CS and he are chatting. The guy is living close to me. By the way one of my CS is from Brazil and the other one from Portugal, but they live both in Portugal now. They are very honest, helpful, kind and very talk active. I love this kind of couchsurfers!