Reflections

Hi, I am Angela Tanti, I am from Canada/ Edmonton (for the past 10 years)/ though from Vancouver originally.

When and how did you decide to move to Malta?

We decided to move to Malta about 2 years ago, finally making the move February 2010. My husband's father is Maltese and grew up here until his family moved to Canada when he was about 16 years old. My husband's father and nanna decided two years ago that they had had enough of Canada and moved back to Malta after 45 or so years. So when they moved here, we decided to finally move as well.

Is it complicated to settle down in Malta ?

We did not find it hard to settle down here at all. We knew what Malta was like as we had been here before on holiday and knew what we were getting into you could say. If we did not have the support of family and friends here in Malta then I could see how it might be a lot harder. o know people here before we moved was definitely a huge help. Overall, we found the move relatively easy for the most part. It was easy to find a place to live and we both easily found full time employment.

How many countries have you visited?

Very few actually, I would say I have been to maybe 4 different countries. Now that we live in Malta, many places we have always wanted to travel to are much closer, only a short flight away for the most part!

What do you like the most about Malta?

 I enjoy the way of life here. My opinion is that it is a better way of life. In Canada it was work work work, harder to make/meet genuine friends, make time for family etc. In Malta even though we work full time, we seem to enjoy life more, have time to spend with friends/family.

How  was the cultural shock ?

For us it wasn't too much of a culture shock really. As we had been to Malta before and have many friends and family here, we knew how Malta was. Of course there were little things that took adjusting such as shops closing down for the afternoons, many being closed completely on Sundays. Also the traffic here and how insane many drivers are, as well as government offices here. As many who live in Malta know- nothing gets done fast and most of the time it takes a few trips and talking to a handful of different people to get anything resolved and done here. That is what I find most frustrating. You have to have patience!

What are the main differences with your home country ?

To be honest, I don't think that I can even answer this question. One can't even compare Canada and Malta really. Everything is different here!

Do you miss anything from your homeland?

Besides family, I don't really miss anything about Canada. Of course I miss the odd store and restaurant but that is about it.

Your best souvenir ?

Three years ago while here on holiday my husband and I got tattoos. Best souvenir I think -even though mine is not Malta related,just a great memory and way to end our trip!

Your worst experience?

I wouldn't say I've had any horrible experiences here, frustrating ones at times yes. Dealing with government offices and seemingly lack of job knowledge or organization...huge frustration. Nothing like going back and forth to an office three or four times when they could have simply told you everything you might need to know or do the first time! Grrrrr

Your blog: when did you start it? For what reasons?

I first started my blog in July of 2009. At that time I wasn't sure if I would enjoy blogging and didn't even know what to write about.  I was very new to the blogging world and with my little experience I basically just jumped right in. I just started it for the fun of it really- no specific reasons. But as time passed and I wrote a few posts I started to enjoy it. Then when we decided to move to Malta I figured that it would be a great outlet to share my experiences (good and bad) with friends and family back home and of course with who ever else stumbled upon my blog!

Did you make new friends with your blog?

Yes I've met a handful of great people through the blogging world. A handful of them are either also expats living in Malta or have lived here all of their lives. Some I have met in person, some I have yet to meet but hopefully we'll be able to meet up sometime soon!.


When did you register on expat blog?

2010-03-06 they tell me :)


Any particular reasons?

Not really, initially I was interested in reading about other expat experiences here in Malta and the forums are great for the most part as a source of information!

Which advice would you give to people who would like to live in Malta?

Do your homework when it comes to visas, permits etc. Because my husband is Maltese citizen I had it a little easier than the average expat perhaps, but I still found it difficult to get certain paperwork done. Before we moved here we had been in contact with the Canadian Consulate as well as the Maltese government about things.We thought we knew exactly everything that we needed but then you arrive in Malta and you find out its totally different. GET YOUR BIRTH CERTIFICATES CERTIFIED IN YOUR COUNTRY USING THE STAMP!  Actually anything that could be or might need to be certified, DO IT BEFORE you come to Malta. A bit of a headache. So do your research thoroughly when it comes to stuff like that.

Also don't expect things to be done in the same way in Malta as they are in other countries. What might be a standard way of doing things in other countries may not be how they do it here, so have patience and persistence.