The People
How can you explain the Maltese? They're not Italian, but they sound--and some may look--Italian. Their language isn't Arabic, but many of their words are from the Arabic language.
Last summer, I was in a public bathroom in Malta (not a reason to come to Malta). There was another woman (Maltese) in one of the stalls, and we had both done our business. We each discovered, too late, of course, that there was no toilet paper. So we started an amiable conversation.
"Do you have any?"
"No! Do you?"
"What are we going to do? I can't come out."
Another woman entered the bathroom (also Maltese) and overheard our conversation, which had now risen to the decibel level of a plane taking off. She left, said she'd be back, and returned with a box of tissues which she distributed under the stalls to very greedy hands. The other woman blessed her in Maltese--and so did I--saying she had a good heart.
These are the Maltese.
One Year Later:
I still like the Maltese a lot—as much as I did before I came to Malta. And I feel that the Maltese people I’ve met like me. They seem to like foreigners—which is always helpful.
The only thing I don’t like—and I’ve mentioned this elsewhere—is that the Maltese are very angry and dangerous drivers. The Maltese person who will help you up if you trip on the street will try to run you over with his/her car if you get in the way on the road. Keep this is mind when you cross the street—and I’m not kidding.
And the other thing to consider when you think about the people in Malta is that there are a lot of foreigners here—students and other expats. So the people here in Malta are not just from Malta; they’re from all over the world.
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