The kindness of strangers.

Don't let anybody fool you that the sun is always shining here in Malta. The current weather is a refreshing change from the blazing sunshine that we've had all summer however I do feel sorry for the holiday makers whose time here is limited. They booked their trip with good faith that the weather would be beautiful.
The weather even managed to fool us. My mother and I decided to go to our local mini market for our daily essentials at which point the rain was falling but not heavily. On paying for our goods, the weather turned nasty and another thunder storm began. We stood and waited for the torrential downpour to pass over but after fifteen minutes, one of the shop assistants offered to drive us home. Living only five minutes away, we didn't think it was worth wasting his time so we declined and braved the rain. We got absolutely drenched and seriously regretted declining his offer! The point of this story is that I want to highlight how friendly everyone is over here. Nothing is too much effort for anyone and the towns are such close knit communities that you can go out for the day and it isn't long before you see a smiling, familiar face.

You gotta' show the world that something good can work.

I'll be honest. I got cold feet. This time last week I was still in England, enjoying spending time with my friends and family and seriously considering not coming back to Malta. I felt heavy, weighed down by choices and decisions. Time and time again I went for long walks, accompanied only by the thoughts in my mind, the pros and cons of both staying and going back. The more I thought about it, the further away I felt about making a decision. And then suddenly, without even really realising it, I knew what I was going to do - the day before my flight.
It occurred to me that right now, there isn't anything left in Leeds which could have made me stay. (Apart from my family of course, but I knew that they were happy for me to go.) A chain of events led to me acknowledge that a gap year 1500 miles away isn't such a bad idea. During my 10 days at home, I tied up the loose ends that were holding me down. I collected my exam results, passed my driving test, packed up the rest of my things and said goodbye to people properly - although I try not think of it as 'goodbye' but more of a 'see you later' because it's not forever, it's just a little longer than usual.
But anyway, the point is, I'm ready. I wasn't entirely sure before. I pretended to be sure because it was only for four weeks. But now I'm here for a year and I know I made the right choice in coming back. Let's face it, I would have only moaned and regretted it had I not.

The Long Holiday.

Normally I'd be home and suffering from severe post holiday blues at this point. Except I'm not, because I'm still here and this beautiful island is no longer a tourist destination for me. It is what my parents like to call 'home'. Don't get me wrong, I love it here, but I am a Yorkshire girl at heart and 'home' can only ever be in my beloved city of Leeds. Despite Malta being my permanent residence, these first few weeks have actually felt like a holiday. The Dolmen regulars (you know who you are) have been and gone and after 2 weeks of sneaking past the woman with the clipboard, I've decided to call it a day and resorted to using the beach. I have to admit, I do still feel like a tourist. I dress like one too...
The one thing helping me to feel like I actually live here are the friendly locals who have taken me into their group like a lost puppy. Despite not knowing what they're talking about 90% of the time (5% is football talk and 5% they swear at each other - yes I've already learnt some of the local lingo) we have a laugh and I appreciate them putting up with me. You will never meet anyone as crazy as the Maltese people. This specific attribute they are particularly proud of!
I'm rapidly approaching my four week mark at which point I will be returning to the UK to see my friends before they all disperse to university and to collect my exam results. This is when my 'holiday' officially ends. When I get back to Malta I'll be job hunting and (much to my dismay) helping out around the apartment. Nevertheless, I will approach it with an open mind - come at me gap year!