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MU
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Hope Fitzgerald
MU in Msida at the University of Malta, Winter Semester 2000
"I had never left the comfort of American suburbia before I went to Malta. Where's Malta, you may ask? I didn't know at first, either-it's a tiny country of 3 islands just south of Sicily and Northeast of Tunisia. I didn't speak any language except English (and a little Spanish) before I left, so I needed an English-speaking program (Maltese is the first language of Maltese people, but university courses are in English). I knew London wasn't for me (or my budget), and I wanted to be able to travel in Europe and North Africa, so Malta just seemed right. Since I was in my sophomore year, I had a lot of room to play with my schedule. I needed to take some Geography courses for my major, and I also wanted some social science and environmental studies credits that I could apply to my degree so I wouldn't fall behind. I was able to get all of the credits I needed on the program, since the University of Malta offers just about everything MU does. In that one semester, I learned so much more about myself than I ever could have in 4 years at MU (or in the 19 years I'd spent in the US). It's an amazing learning experience to figure out how to register for classes, ride a bus, even buy bread (mmm, Maltese bread-there's nothing like it), in a culture so different from what we're used to in Mid-MO.
"In Malta, I lived in a dormitory with other international students, about half from the US and Western Europe, and half from Africa and Asia. All of the Maltese students could commute to school (the island's just that small), so I didn't really get to live with Maltese students, and a homestay wasn't an option on this program. Still, I made some great friends in my classes. Maltese people are wonderful and are very willing to help polite foreigners. The friends I made on this program, Maltese, American, and International, are some of the best people I've ever met.
"And as for the country, it's gorgeous. Malta has a look of its own-everything is made of limestone (everything), and still people find ways to make their homes unique (door knockers and painted shutters are huge!). You never have to go far to see the Mediterranean (there's a great view from campus, in fact) or a beautiful historic church (it's a 98% Catholic country), or even an ancient temple (Malta's full of them, some older than Egypt's pyramids). And for being one of the most densely populated countries on earth, Malta has plenty of open places to hike around, and the most amazingly blue water I've ever seen. For being a country about 13 miles end-to-end, it's such a rich, exciting place, and I'd highly recommend it to anyone!" E-mail: hope_fitzgerald@maktoob.com.
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