About the Author
Contact:
* Email Address: ilene.sennuwy@gmail.com
* Web site: http://www.writer.cc
One-Line Bio:
I am a writer, mother of two daughters and expat in Malta since October, 2008.
Biography (Before I left) Please look below for One Year Later.
At the age of 55, I am planning to move to Malta, inshallah (which means G-d Willing). There are three reasons:
1. I've been in a relationship with a man from Europe, and this will be a good place for us to be together after a very good, very long-distance relationship.
2. I have the Mediterranean in my blood, and have always wanted to be in a warm, beautiful place where it's OK to take naps.
3. I cannot survive financially in America anymore. My health insurance is now $900/month--as much as my rent. Even with the terrible dollar, as of this writing, I should be better off in Malta.
This is going to be a very hard journey for me and my two daughters and my brother--who are staying behind in the States. I dedicate this web site/blog to them for understanding that I have to try this, and to my European man for trying to make it happen.
Interests:
Moving to Malta, ancient Egypt, Persian cats, my two daughters, lots of chocolate, funny movies, musicals, horseback riding, writing, collecting pottery...
One Year Later:
I laugh as I read some of the idealistic things I wrote before I left. But I have to say that the first year went well in Malta, thank G-d, and I still want to live here.
I ended up teaching EFL in Malta for six months; that’s as much as the ETC (governmental agency regarding permits) would allow me at this time because it will only let me work for full-time or nothing as a non-EU person in Malta. Since my EFL school only had part-time work for me, the ETC wouldn’t allow me to work, hoping, of course, that I would give up and leave Malta.
But I won’t.
I’m hoping and planning to teach EFL again in the spring/summer.
The hardest part of adjusting to Malta is living full-time with my partner, Mr. S. (He knows I’m writing this.) Turns out there is a big cultural difference between the German and American mentalities.
The best part of everything is that at the end of 2009, I started making my first real Maltese friends—from my EFL school—and I have several expat friends.
My daughters are travelling around themselves—one is in Thailand now for a vacation and the other in visiting her boyfriend in San Francisco. It’s a good thing I’m not sitting around in the US.
Let's Exchange Links on Malta
If you have a web site/blog related to Malta or being an expat in Malta, please email me at ilene.sennuwy@gmail.com (cut and paste link), and we'll make a deal.
Disclaimer!
I am not giving legal, immigration or other official advice about moving to Malta. What I tell you here is based on my own research for myself. The facts may change at any time. The information here is no substitute for contacting a lawyer or immigration officer. The first thing I will ever do is refer you to an official department in Malta to seek advice. I am not liable for any information that is incorrect on this site.
