On Sunday, the 16th of April, our language trip to Malta started. 33 students and three teachers were picked up by a bus at 5 a.m. and took us to the Vienna airport. Unfortunately, our flight was delayed and didn´t leave until 12:45 p.m. When we finally arrived in Malta, we were divided into three groups and taken to our host families. We were very excited to see where and with whom we would be spending the next week. Luckily, we were all pretty happy with our hosts. In the evening, we all had some free time to explore the surroundings a little bit.
The next day was our first school day. We had to wait at the pick-up points for the bus to take us to school. Our first two lessons were from 9:15 a.m. to 10:45 a.m., and then we had a lunch break until 11:15 a.m. We ate our lunches, which we got from our host families, and talked about the language classes. After two more lessons, which lasted until 12:45 p.m., we went to Valletta, where our tour started with Malta Experience, a film about the history of the island. Then our tour guide showed us some places worth seeing in Malta´s capital city and told us some important facts. After the tour, we were taken back to the pick-up points and had dinner with our host families. In the evening, we had time to ourselves; the only condition was to be at home at 10 pm at the latest.
After school on Tuesday, we had some free time to explore Paceville, the nearby entertainment area. Later we met at Eden Cinema to watch “Super Mario”, which we all liked very much, including our teachers. The only strange thing was the 10-minute break in the middle of the film.
Wednesday started off with school again, but the highlight was Golden Bay beach,which is in the northwest of the island. Since it was a very sunny and warm day, we were able to fully enjoy our time there together with many other people. At around 5 p.m., we were transported back to our pick-up points, and then we had free time to do whatever we wanted to.
On Thursday, we were all looking forward to a Harbour Cruise, but unfortunately it had to be cancelled because of strong winds. To make the best of the situation, we went to Sliema, which is well known for its many shopping possibilities and food. Even though we didn´t end up doing a boat trip, we still really enjoyed our time there.
Friday was our last day of school. We designed magazines on different topics, which were then presented to the class. Friday was the best day of school for all of us. After we said goodbye to our teachers, we went to Mdina on another sightseeing tour. Our tour guide showed us some very beautiful places there and told us some interesting facts.
Saturday was our last day in Malta; our full day tour started at 9:30 a.m. Our very nice tour guide, Josette, showed us four different places of interest on the island. First, we went to the Rotunda of Mosta, known for its beautiful dome, and then we went to a crafts village, where we were introduced to the art of glass making. The next destination was the Blue Grotto, where we took some very beautiful photos, and last but not least, we went to Marsaxlokk, a beautiful fishing village in the south, where we had some free time. After we got back home, we all were really tired but happy we had had the chance to experience some other places in Malta.
On Sunday, the bus took us back to the Malta airport at 4:00 a.m., and luckily this time there was no delay. Well, at least not there, but in Vienna, we had to wait for more than an hour to get our luggage.
All in all, we can say that we all enjoyed our time in Malta. We had the chance to improve our language skills, get to know another culture, and also get to know some very nice people.
