An-American-in-Malta

         

 

                      X'hemm u Merħba        

 

Hello and Welcome.  This web site is for expatriates living in Malta--and for people  anywhere considering or planning to move to Malta.  If you're about  to retire, work or study in Malta, here are the facts you need--which I dug up for myself when I decided to make Malta my home. Please join me on my journey.

(By the way, what do those ancient Egyptian symbols have to do Malta?  To find out, click here.)

                                                                                              I.S.   

Getting Money Back in Malta

        

           The Treasury of Malta is Nice!

 

This is something I couldn’t believe:   When you move here from a Non-EU country, you have to pay the Treasury Department 1200 Euros as a deposit for importation of personal effects.

In other words, you have to pay 1200 Euros if you bring in your own furniture to Malta.  The 1200 Euros is refunded back to you if you can prove you’re lived in Malta for a year and haven’t sold your furniture to the Maltese. I don’t get it either.  But you have to pay this via the moving company in Malta or you won’t get your things from the dock.

So I paid it when my stuff came. And so did my friends who came from Turkey—even though they were really from Belgium.

Well after a year my friends decided to leave Malta and return to Belgium. What trouble they had getting their 1200 Euros back!  The treasury wouldn’t accept anything that proved they had been here a year—not a lease, not utility bills, nothing.  The only way they could get their money back was to go and pay ten Euros to a lawyer who made them take an oath that they had lived in Malta a year and not sold their furniture. 

Well, that was easy. Makes no sense, of course. But they did it and finally got their refund back— not directly but they were able to subtract it from the mover’s bill in Malta.

For some miraculous reason, I had an easier time.

Promote Your Business or Service Here

 

   

Want to tell everyone who reads this blog about your business or service?

I am now doing promotional profiles of individuals and their businesses that will appear on this blog in the form of a post. Please contact me to find out fees for a promotional article about yourself.

ilene.sennuwy@gmail.com

Other Articles by Ilene

 

Check this out and let me know what you think:

 

Renting a Townhouse in Malta

Live like the Maltese

Maybe you'll be on this Mediterranean island for only a couple of weeks. Or maybe you're thinking of living here for several months to find out if Malta is a place you want to retire to. What kind of living arrangement should you make?

  Published on Associated Content.com

   

Should You Retire Near Your Children?

Most people dream of spending time with their grandchildren, but more than a few become exploited by their kids as full-time babysitters for the grandchildren.

  Published on Associated Content.com

 

   

Surprise in Birgu, Malta

         

         The House of the Executioner

               By Appointment Only—No Walk-Ins

 

            

                          Photo by Richard Weninger. Copyright 2010

 

Now look closely: About half-way down from the top of the photo (on the gold-colored part), you should see two (inscribed) axes facing each other.

On Sunday we came across this treasure—the executioner’s house in Birgu—one of The Three Cities, that are fortified and originally occupied by the Knights of Malta—from the time of the Inquisition.

I just couldn’t believe that this was a real trade back in those times.   I bet this guy didn’t have  a hard time getting a permit here in Malta—unlike me.  That’s because he was a head of his time. Sorry.

I had to just stand and stare at this house from the Middle Ages right on the corner in front of me.  Mr. S and I had a good time wondering about a few things:

-How did his family feel about his trade?  What could he possibly say to his wife when she asked, “ How was your day, dear?”

-What did his son say in school about what his father did for a living?

-What kind of training did the executioner go through?

-Did he walk through the street with his axe out in plain sight—or did he have a case for it like a violin?

Maybe I’ll look up these things about this guy.  I do have to say that Birgu has some gorgeous winding streets lined with potted plants.  I love them. But on this day, the executioner’s house was the main attraction.

Toilet Alert in Malta

              

                Stay Away from this One

 

                                 This photo is from Londonist.com

An unusual thing happened the other day on my way to a walk.  I had to “go” very badly.  I told my friend who owns a pet supply shop and she referred me to a public toilet right near the police station in Sliema—at the crossroads of Manwel Dimech and Rudolph Streets.

I never knew it was there because there are dirty winding steps leading down to it.  Well, if I had known what this place was like, I would have gone in my pants.  They should have a sign there: Danger: Maltese Public Toilet.

There were two toilets when you got downstairs (within stalls).  They were not indicated for men or women—probably because they’re not made for men or women or humans at all.

You know that creature Gollum in The Lord of the Rings?  That’s who you would expect to find using these facilities.

One toilet looked like Gollum had had an episode of explosive diarrhea.  And in the other—which I had to choose—had about a good inch of “fluid” covering the floor. 

Let’s not even talk about the availability of toilet paper.  That’s my precious item in a public bathroom in Malta.

Anyway, my advice would be this:  If you have to go and you’re near this public bathroom, you might as well go public and pee in your pants.  You’ll be better off.

Please read my article on Associated Content.com

The Joy of Incontinence Pads

(And no, I have no shame, I guess.)

 

 

The Vet in Malta

 

           Vets Make House Calls Here!

 

I’m amazed. Our cat Egypt needed a routine check-up and shots. We were referred to a veterinarian.  I was shocked when I found out that you can call him up and he would make a home visit.  And most vets do that in Malta.

(In the US, a doctor of any kind won’t make a house call to even declare you dead.  Someone has to drop your body during office hours.)

There’s nothing much to say except we loved this guy (except for Egypt, of course).  He came out with all the veterinary equipment—including any vaccines your pet may need—to do a thorough check-up.  The home visit, including one injection, cost 30 Euros. 

He encouraged us to give our cat less dry cat food and more natural food—like minced meat. That’s all Mr. S. had to hear; he’s now cooking for Egypt.  (Who thinks Mr. S needs a real job?)

Our vet said it’s OK to give you his name and vital contact info. So….if you need a great vet, call:

                  Dr. Zoran D. Jankovic

            Veterinary Surgeon & Homeopath

                       356-9984-8689

               Email: zoran@vetmalta.com

And there’s more:  Here’s the name of a good Pet Sitting and Dog Walking Service--

                 Contact Mel at 356-7930-4747

                    mel.petsitting@gmail.com

 

 

Only in Malta

 

 

The Post Officer and the Candy Lady

 

I was in a miserable mood today because of all these ROTH IRA forms I have wasted time on. I spent over an hour trying to sign and email PDF files to the US. And I did it all wrong and had to print them out and fax or scan them instead. I don’t have a fax machine and my new printer decided that scanning was not in its job description.

I threw a fit and Mr. S. escaped fast and then called me to tell me that the post office down the block from us in Sliema will fax stuff, but that it’s expensive.  At this point, I didn’t care anymore.

Well, I didn’t care until the post officer said that faxing eight pages would cost over 30 Euros.  I asked if he took VISA and he said, no, but that there was a bank machine a block down.  I told him I knew it and saw that there was a long wait for the machine (which was true). 

So this is the part I wanted to tell you about:  The post officer said he would start faxing my papers while I went to the bank machine to get the cash.  And he did.  Wow.  I told him this would never happen in America—at least not where I come from.  I told him this was a nice surprise, considering all the trouble I have with other Malta government agencies, such as the love of my Maltese life—the ETC.

The guy said he hoped this balanced things out a bit. I said it did. And then I told him that it actually put things on the better side—if you know what I mean.  And it’s true.

Then something else happened to surprise me today.

CELTA Reunion in Malta

 

            A Two-Squeezer Event

 

                          Image Credit: Ubuyez.com

 

OK, let’s get this part over with.  I was meeting my former colleagues from the CELTA training class I took last year. This was the killer class I took to certify me to teach EFL in Malta.

Anyway, I wanted to look for the five women and one man who were going to be there.  So I had to wear two squeezers. For those of you who don’t know, many people refer to these undergarments as body shapers.

The first one squeezes in the extra, well, uh---FAT—on your hips and thighs.  Then the second one squeezes in the bulges made by the first one—which flattens everything out but then pushes it up.  You know what I mean.

The hardest part about this is the usual—going to the bathroom—because it takes a good amount of time to get these things up and down.

So I went with my squeezers (covered by regular nice clothes, of course). We ate at a pretty good restaurant called Amigo’s in Sliema.  Everyone was happy to see everyone else.  We all remembered how bad the CELTA was at the time, we complained about our current teaching situations—employed and not making enough money or unemployed (I’m in the second category with at least one other teacher).  And then we left, promising to get together all again soon—which probably won’t happen.

Come to think of it, the most interesting thing about this event were the two squeezers….

 

A Great Place to Use the Internet in Malta

               

                  I love the Juliani Hotel

 

 

 

Can you blame me?  I’m sitting here writing to you from the lobby of the Hotel Juliani—not to be confused with the St. Julian’s Hotel.  (But the Juliani is not tilted like it looks in the photo above.)

After a year in Malta, I finally discovered a place to use the Internet (when I’m not home and using the stinking Internet there).  

Right next to this lovely place is a McDonalds cafe. This was the first place I used a free Wi-Fi location. But the Internet worked off and on and there was loud music all the time.  That worked with no problem.  And, of course, there were mothers with kids who spilled hot chocolates all over the tables—one time a centimeter from my laptop.

Then I tried the Mint Cafe—another nice place off Tower Road on the other side from the Surfside restaurant.  I like the food there at the Mint Cafe.  The Internet would work, but the place also had very loud music and mothers coming in with kids spilling stuff.

(Right now I’m getting really annoyed at two women speaking in very loud, rapid Maltese near me, but this doesn’t happen a lot here.)

Here’s what I like at the Juliani:

1. The Internet works.

2. The music is nice and in the background.

3. The place is lovely to sit in.

4. You can order tea or coffee and sit here for several hours with your laptop.  (I’m terrified that someone is going to throw me out now for saying that.)

5. The bathrooms—which I frequent—are great. They flush like Heaven. I don’t know if there are toilets in the afterlife, but if there were, these would be in line for first place.  One of the stalls even has a nice stone shelf for your purse or bag (this is in the women’s room—I don’t know what it’s like in the other place).

6. The wait persons are nice.

7. The food is good if you’re hungry. 

My only worry is that they’re going to close this place down because I like it.  Inshallah, I hope they don’t.

 

The Traditional Maltese Sunday Lunch

         

             …Except it was on Saturday

 

Guess who I met?  The informative, outspoken, sometimes controversial but always fascinating Alex—one of our foremost blog commentators.

Alex, who is originally from Australia, has finally come home to her ancient roots to live in Malta (Rabat) with her husband and three gorgeous daughters.

She invited Mr. S. and I (thanks to this blog, Mr. S. is finally having an exciting social life) to what she called a long and loud lunch at another good place—Terrazza--in St. Julian’s.

With her was a lively couple from England who have also just moved here with their lovely daughter and charming son (also named Alex).  He’s a recent graduate from the university and a passionate expert on the Tudors of England (Henry the Eighth). Did you know that King Arthur truly did not exist at all and that

the round table in Winchester was really built by King Edward the First?

I guess what we did yesterday afternoon (Saturday) is the kind of traditional lunch many families have on Sundays. It was really nice with lots of talking, eating and drinking (for only the adults).  Being an American, I wasn’t used to all this fun and so when I got home, I fell asleep for three hours.

Anyway, Alex and I amazingly found out that we’ve always fantasized about being flight attendants for Air Malta.  We may pursue it—and even recruit Mr. S. to be our captain.

At this point, I’d like to wish Alex and her friends and family to a wonderful future in Malta.  And I’d also like to apologize for eating all the Belgian chocolates that Lady Alex received as a housewarming gift from her friends who came to the dinner.

Here’s a great joke that Alex told me: