On Sunday, I went to the beach in Qawra; pleasant to walk on the rocks with sunny weather.

18/Oct/09

I visited Valletta, the capital of Malta. At night I went to Paceville and St Julian.s, a nightlife place with discos, bars, restaurants; it was really fun and interesting and very different from the night life in France.  I also decided to go and dance in a disco with latino dances.

17/Oct/09

Today was the last school day for one of the other three students in the class so we took some photos to remember them. In the second part of the course we watched a film named “White chicks”. English courses are very varied and interesting; we learn new vocabulary, expressions and grammar points and sound tracks or films allow us to discuss different topics.

In the afternoon, Tanya, the Accommodation and Welfare Officer of the school, explained to me a job to do with the accommodation section and I made a couple of templates for office purposes.

In the evening I visited Mdina and Rabat; Mdina is a pleasant city because it’s very quiet and the architecture is very nice.

16/Oct/09

In the morning, during the English courses we learnt a Maltese habit. At one moment, we heard someone arrive by car, and shout “Lampuki, Lampuki” …..  Lampuki is a fish and Sarah our teacher explained it’s a way to sell fish in the street.  In the afternoon, I went on with my work in the office. It’s funny because French is my native language but now I’ve begun thinking in English and I have to double check at time to be sure that what I am writing is in French!

15/Oct/09

It was a day with “experiences”.  In the afternoon,  I answered the phone twice - I know it’s not exceptional, but I’m pleased to have succeeded to be understood and take messages. Then, I  went in an estate agent’s office with someone that I met in Malta and who wants to change his accommodation.  It’s interesting to see how they set about it with different requests and to make a comparison with France. In the evening I went to Mellieha. It’s a special tourist town thanks to its closeness to the biggest sandy beach in Malta.  I also tasted Kinnie for the first time, a local quinquina and bitter oranges based drink.

14/Oct/09

I have now gotten settled into a routine at the school.  I take my English lessons in the morning and in the afternoon I work in the office.

13/Oct/2009

My first day at Alpha School of English was good. In the early morning, I took the Assessment test; after that, I had my first English lesson.  In my group there were four other students, from Germany.   It was very interesting to be a small group as it is easier to speak easier - our teacher Sarah was very attentive with each of us. It’s great to mix with students of different nationalities because we can talk about our own culture. In the afternoon my tutor Maureen introduced me to Alpha School’s team and explained the work I will be doing.

In the evening, I went to Sliema. It’s another coastal resort, a centre for shopping, restaurants and café life.  It’s also a major residential area, where it’s pleasant walking and it has an active atmosphere.

12/Oct/09

When I got off the plane I was happy because the weather was sunny and warm. Someone was waiting for me to drive me to the flat and in the car he spoke to me about Malta and answered my questions. Arriving in the flat I met the three Spanish people who lived there at this time; I was given a warm welcome and had a chat even if it was a little difficult to understand each other very well because of our different accents.

During the weekend, I tried to take in some landmarks; then I went for a walk in St Paul’s Bay, Buggiba and Qawra, neighbours of St Paul’s Bay and Malta’s second largest  seaside resorts.

- 10/Oct/2009

My name is Carina, I’m 29 and I’m a French intern at Alpha School of English. I will stay here for 6 weeks. I am a Personal Assistant and I think this journey in Malta will let me improve my English, discover a new country, meet and discuss with different people about our way of life.

How can one spend a weekend without going to Paceville? That’s why we went there with our colleagues. The evening began badly with an annoying hour and a half waiting for the bus which we never caught so we finally decided to pay for a van service. There were 10 of us so it was not that expensive after some negotiation…  The night went on well, we had lots of fun but returning back was awful as we missed the last bus…We finally arrived at the hotel at 7a.m, and I won’t give any details about that adventure… Anyway, on Saturday we just had the strength to go to the beach and lie down. In the evening I went for a nice walk at St Paul’s Bay. On Sunday we visited Valletta, walked around, swam, took great pictures and went to the cinema to watch Ice Age 3. That’s an easy film to understand In English and a hilarious one, so it was a good choice. Good weekend after all.