From the Page to the Stage

These past couple of days a smile has not left my face and tonight Levi Tafari just made it wider. Tafari is a Rastafarian poet from Liverpool. He had rhythm and moves and his storied flowed into his poems and his poems flowed into his words. It was a solid hour long performance, never loosing his wit or missing a beat. His tongue, he says, is the most fundamental and only instrument, giving him the leg-up in transport. It was such and inspiration and a refreshing breath of creative expression. The St. James Cavalier housed the show in a quiet but personal theater. The crowd was small but an interesting mix Maltese locals and people from all over the world. We sat an enjoyed with full bellies of busy bee concoctions.

Poet Tree
I planted a seed this morning
that will bring forth a tree
a tree that stands like wisdom
with an inner creativity

Love and miss you guys!!

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood

Beautiful day, wonderful weekend. Today was a perfect toasting to a lovely weekend, maybe one of the best days in Malta so far, and yet so simple. I started off catching the bus up to the Valetta market in the search for a traveling backpack, where I found the perfect match. The weather was amazing, crowds were bustling, and the vendor was successful in making me a return buyer. I had just enough to catch a bus down to Marsaxlokk, a small fishing village in the South. Me and new friend of mine, Hanna from Germany, split a huge filet of fresh tuna for only 6 euro! We were greeted by the fisherman and his wife, giving us some tips on life in Malta and the fish. We got back to the residence just in time for lunch and I cooked up a beautiful meal of tuna sashimi, rice and loads of vegetables that I shared with Sandra, another new friend and now colleague;) We ate our plates by the pool, enjoying the sun and good people. Dinner was just as nice and everyone from all around the residence contributed their fresh catches. It was a perfect gathering of food, friends, and music.

Times a changin'

Like expected my procrastination has set in, and I have fallen behind on my attempts to keep this as updated as possible. Blame it on being busy and living in the moment! Hah but I’m back and ready to post.

Last weekend activities:

A group of us from the residence signed up to do the Gozo Carnival Weekend sponsored by Malta University Sports Club . The weekend itinerary was packed with drink specials, outdoor pursuits, and a chance to experience Gozo’s version of Carnival. Maggie came down to visit that Friday and because her flight got in as the ferry was leaving had to catch a subsequent ride, which gave us some good time to catch up and see the sunset. A guy that was MUSC ended up being on the ferry so we didn’t have to pay for a taxi, or get lost! The hotel looked a lot like the residence here in Lija and was full of university students. The room was spacious with stone-walls and granite countertops. A very plush accomidation. It would have been perfect, if they were heated. But, they weren’t and we froze. Although, Ashley’s “dance around –shout out a dance move-and let loose” game warmed us up. The group cooked a bunch of pasta dishes and we chowed down on carbs and bread before we went out to what seemed like the only bar in Gozo. The bar was small and there was a guy playing bongos over the disco-tech in the background. The costumes were insane and it was a perfect way to start off the carnival weekend.

The next morning we took a bus to Dwejra that houses the iconic Azure Window along beautiful cliffs and grottos. A group of red cross guys were showing us the ropes on how to repel. Our instructor had a quirky sense of humor, and we were laughing almost the whole way down.

That night was Carnival. The bus was filled with chanting and sing-a-longs to rev up the anticipation of the nighttime festivities. The band was playing, people were dancing, and the costumes were even better than the night before. The guys had no problem dressing as women and vise versa. Me and mags came into a surprising encounter with a flashlight and we danced the night away with a traditional Maltese band in a local pizza shop.

we are living in a material world

In hopes that some iphone inclined techniological genius just happens to read this post maybe he/she can help, or for those who are just curious as to how it happened this is the scenario..
So i brought my iphone abroad to use the gps..and the internet because there are 2 places on this island that have wifi in attempts to stay connected and not get lost in this foreign continent. Last Thursday, I had the phone in my sweater pocket..checked the time..put it back in..took out a notebook wrote down a class, went and talked to the secretary..went to grab it and fineto! it was gone. I cried for two hours searching the campus up and down thinking maybe i dropped it..but no luck. I had some people call it and walk around with me..and it rang for like 4 hours, but i left it on silent so it didnt really help. The reassurance of it ringing was nice. Exhausted from dealing with this for over 5 hours I had to leave to get a mandatory tb x-ray(which i found out i have scoliosis) By the time i got to the residence and tried to call it again it was off. I got verification from the student union to put signs up..i went back the next day and checked with security to see if they're were any cameras. I talked to vodafone and they said that there is nothing they could do to block the phone because it was not bought in there stores. I have to call cingular internationally and cancel the phone. AHH i still cant believe this happened..i ended up having to buy a nokia 1209 for 40 euros.

everyday is saturday night, but i can't wait for sunday morning

Today marks my 18th day in Malta and I have finally found time to start documenting...and it's a good day to start. This morning a group of us went down to Valletta, to find the Sunday market. Usually the city is a quite one for being the country's capital, but today it was filled with local crowds and street performers of all ages dancing to everything from traditional folk music to Rihanna. We were confused at first, thinking that maybe they wouldn't have the market because of the festivities,but then found it tucked away right outside the city gates. It reminded me a lot of the french market in New Orleans..and my bartering skills came in handy. We ate lunch at the coffee gardens and then Claire, Ashley, and I went down to the shore. We lounged on a 50 foot limestone ledge over looking two harbors. It was nice to soak up the sun, and the view! I love these Sunday outings.

I have been warned about the first two weeks on study abroad, and have had my shares of ups and downs. On the good side of things, by this 18th day I have made some great friends, survived late nights in Paceville, managed to get my own room, received all of my luggage carb-overloaded, finally figured out my school schedule, am over being phone less, and looking forward to tomorrow:)