France, Friends & a Frat Party

Holy moly. I’ve been trying to write a blog post for the last week, but I’ve been so busy I haven’t had time! The last few weeks have been incredible…

Side note – School is fine. I do actually have classes, and I do indeed go to them. The Maltese are definitely….relaxed…about school. The professors are constantly late / don’t show up and the students are pretty opinionated. I miss everything about KU from an academic perspective, especially the punctuality of my professors. I didn’t realize how lucky I was to go to a school where the teachers are really dedicated to their jobs. Because I don’t have homework in my classes, I have a lot of time to spend studying for the LSAT. I take the test in October, so I have lots of time to prepare. So yeah. That’s school…. I’m not sure why they call it “study abroad,” but that’s okay.

Two weeks ago, some friends and I visited Popeye’s Village, an area in Malta where Popeye the movie was filmed. The water is bright turquoise and the movie set is still in perfect condition. We got to walk around and see the buildings used in the movie as well as look at the gorgeous views of the Mediterranean. We even got to film our own version of the movie. It was a great way to spend a random Wednesday in Malta. I also got to explore St. Paul’s catacombs. The area was massive and pretty eerie. Knowing how many people were buried there made it a somber exploration, but it was still so interesting to learn about the history behind the catacombs.

Last Tuesday night, the student group that organizes fun events for the international students put on a scavenger hunt in the city of Valletta. Of course, it was pouring rain when we started, but we powered through. We were running through the empty streets of the city looking for buildings, statues and other monuments. It was actually really difficult, but seeing the city lit up at night with no one there was beautiful. Valletta is one of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever seen, and the scavenger hunt was a great way to explore every part of it.

I also travelled to the south of France last weekend. Marseille was absolutely stunning. I went to bed at 9p.m. on Thursday night thinking I would be well rested to catch the bus at 5:30 in the morning. Unfortunately for me, I was too excited to sleep. I didn’t actually end up falling asleep until 3 in the morning, so my 4:30 a.m. alarm was brutal. Somehow, I packed everything in ONE BACKPACK. I was so proud of myself for that, considering I pack an entire suitcase plus a bag for a weekend at home. My friend Alishia and I managed to catch the bus and get to the airport with no problems. Malta clearly has no issues with terrorism, because airport security is a joke. I don’t even think I scanned my backpack. Regardless, the flight went smoothly and we landed in Marseille at around 10:30.

From there, we took a bus to the train station and the metro to the bus stop near our lodging. We used AirBnB to find a place to stay, and we hit the jackpot. We each paid 11 euros per night to stay with a young woman in her apartment. The room was massive, the bathroom was clean, and her apartment was right near the Old Port of Marseille. We also booked a “hop on hop off” tour for two of the days, so we were able to see all of the major attractions conveniently. My favorite was Notre Dame de la Garde, a Catholic church located on top of an enormous hill. It was too cold to swim when we visited, but there was a beautiful beach near where we stayed as well. The food was incredible. I had a few crepes, delicious pasta, and I even tried a mussel! It was my first time trying seafood, and I didn’t hate it. I wouldn’t eat one again, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Overall, the trip was incredible. We saw all of the best spots in Marseille, ate incredible food, and enjoyed the change of scenery. I can’t wait to go back to France at the end of April with my mom and my aunts.

Thursday was a “feast day” in Malta, which means that everything is shut down due to the celebration of a particular saint. So, since we didn’t have class, some girls went to Golden Bay to start working on our tans (burns). It was so warm and sunny out…I finally felt like I was on a Mediterranean island. We stayed at the beach for the whole day just lying in the sand. It was a great way to spend our day off…. even though I looked like a lobster.

This weekend, almost all of the international students travelled to Gozo (Malta’s sister island…about a 20 minute ferry ride away) for a party weekend. Everything is planned out – from the lodging to food to transportation. We stayed in gorgeous farmhouses in the countryside of Gozo. Friday night we had a barbeque with sangria. It was a pretty relaxed night because we had to be up early the next morning. Saturday we toured around Gozo. We saw the Azure Window (stunning), a gorgeous catholic church, and the main city area of Gozo. It was really, really windy when we were at the Azure Window. I could barely keep myself planted on the ground without blowing away. By the time we got to the church, the weather was perfect. Across the road from the church, there is a massive hill that chronicles the crucifixion of Jesus. It was truly incredible to walk up the hill and see the statues depicting the crucifixion. That night, we had an “American style” toga party (obviously my idea). It was fairly close to the fraternity parties I’ve been to at home, and everyone had a blast. There were red solo cups, beer pong games, and hundreds of Jello shots. It was so much fun to be with all of my friends for the whole weekend in a different environment. Sunday we went to the beach in Gozo. The sand was so, so soft and it was beautiful outside. I got my second sunburn of the season and am anxiously awaiting many, many more.

In one week I will be in Venice with my parents. I absolutely can’t wait to see them and explore all of Italy. We’ll be exploring Venice, Tuscany, Florence, Rome, and Cinque Terre. Then, they will come back to Malta for a few days so I can show them around. My dad leaves in mid-April, but my mom is staying with me until May 3rd. I can’t wait to spend time with her here…I feel so grateful that we get to explore this half of the world together. Time doesn’t seem to be working normally here…it’s actually passing in the blink of an eye. One of my best friends Lauren is visiting me in May after my mom flies home, and the day after she leaves, Shawn arrives. I will be so busy until June when finals hit. I feel so blessed to be here and am still loving every second of my time abroad.

My next update will be after travelling around Italy for two weeks… Wow!

Ciao,

Megan