10 days...

Packing and checking all your things are ready is a real wake up, and commonly a time to get nerves.
Don't worry,, that passes and excitement takes over.
After a couple of weeks, it's just day to day life, just with more to explore at weekends.
Hope you and your partner enjoy yourselves in your new country.
I understand you were a bus driver in London, do you have work when you move?

Whatever happens - welcome to Expat.com and I hope we can help you.

PS - Your posts mention Italy, but it looks as if you went for Malta - what drew you there?

Hi Fred,
We were going to Italy (but we parted company)!!
I still wanted out of London & UK & I have family in Malta, so thought 'why not'.
Yeah London bus driver (defo not driving buses out there)! Want to push my photographic work more, but who knows...pay the bills, that all that counts
Poppy

I read what you said but just for info: a new bus company is taking over public transport here soon and apparently is hiring drivers now.

poppyboo wrote:

Yeah London bus driver (defo not driving buses out there)! Want to push my photographic work more, but who knows...pay the bills, that all that counts

If bus driving pays the bills, there's already a suggestion posted above.
If you can make photography work for you - get stuck in.
I love photography as a hobby, but I'm not an artistic sort of dude, more pray and snap.

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.p … 573#527221

Please tell me you'll start a photo thread about life in Malta. Very please.

Hello poppyboo welcome to the malta forum, i hope your well and looking forward to life out here in Malta , it will be a very interesting for you ..
i know how the excitement will build over the next 10 days but use the time wisely and double check you have everything you need.
Make sure you purchase things like suncream which whilst not needed at the moment per se will cost more here in the summer.
Bring some books and things for your evenings entertainment etc

but most of all enjoy your journey over to Malta and i wish you all the best

Poppyboo, There already is a photo thread for Malta: https://www.expat.com/en/pictures/europe/malta/

I also suggest you read this: https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=425461

and this:

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=370643

Compiled by people who know.

New Horizonz wrote:

I read what you said but just for info: a new bus company is taking over public transport here soon and apparently is hiring drivers now.

For your information the new bus company took over in January!

F0g10ve Certainly did :-) http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/ … 6736128348

I hope your move goes well.  I moved over in December but due to Xmas there was a delay in my possessions arriving.  Everything is altogether now and I am settled in St Pauls Bay.  It would be worthwhile exploring the various "Meet Up" groups and the British Residents Association (BRA).  Together this will provide you with an active social life.

Good luck and best wishes.

Howard

Bus driving really isn't an option...had 3 shoulder op's in the last 4 yrs (2 of which were last yr)! Been strongly advised against it by my surgeon.

My images  - flickr.com/photos/poppy-stevenson/

Not sure how to load images to the pic' page on ere...
Thanks for the advise on suncream, its now on my shopping list.
Bringing over a fair things, but the bulk is coming via Anglo Pacific once I've got a places sorted.
Gonna hit the ground running...do you think there is any point in my going to Maltese embassy ere in London to see about getting the ball rolling over residence ID or just wait til I get there?

I give/gave lessons ere in London on photography...maybe something I can do there too!!

Hi

Further to my earlier post.  I stayed in a hotel for 2 weeks with the strategy of visiting as many apartments as I could through the main estate agents here. I chose the top three and had a day out with each.  Whilst they were extremely helpful I soon realised that not only do they get a monthly commission from the owner I would have to pay half of one months rent plus VAT (18%) to the agent as a finders fee.

The agents were obviously trying to get the best price for the owner and this in turn would increase their commission. I eventually found an owner from whom I could rent direct.  This has probably saved me 100 euros a month.  Do not rush to rent.  Visit the property at least twice preferably at different times of the day.  The Maltese can be rather loud when they speak and if the other tenants have children they probably get up before 6am weekdays.

Avoid a penthouse.  In the summer its so hot you really cannot use the roof and during the winter with nothing above them they will be cold.  Most of the property is built of Maltese block which has no insulation and over the past two months its been colder than most years so I would suggest you bring a heater for next winter.

Location, location, location is very important for your choice of apartment.  There are plenty of quiet villages but they will not have the facilities like bars, restaurants and supermarkets.  Valletta and Sliema properties are very expensive.  My research led me to St Pauls Bay because its the most popular area for expats.  Buggiba is the tourist district but the surrounding areas are fine.

The bus network is excellent and until June its only 1.5 euros for a daily ticket to go anywhere.  However the buses do get packed and it will get worse during the summer.  In Buggiba the residents association have a library open Tuesday to Friday 10am till 12pm.  Not only can you borrow books but you will make friends and get answers to questions you may have.

There is no immediate rush to get ID card unless you want a bank account here straight away.  I have been told by numerous people to keep a UK bank account for the majority of your money.

Hope this helps

Howard

F0xgl0ve wrote:

New Horizonz wrote:

I read what you said but just for info: a new bus company is taking over public transport here soon and apparently is hiring drivers now.

For your information the new bus company took over in January!

...and you don't see your assertion is off topic? You and redmik seem to have selective memory. The fading coincidentally comes when the topic is serving you

I have to come down to your level as it appears that it's not just eyesight that is failing.
===
The taking over the service in Jan is a formality and irrlevant to this post and the originator. 2 months on, there is no significant change, just to prove you're irrelevant. The company has been allowed to phase in their investment and improvements until 2016. They will be adding capacity requiring further busses. Lat time I checked buses need bus drivers (more buses in future = more bus drivers in the future) and this ONLY might be of interest to poppyboo. Is this simple enough or drawing a diagram needed?

poppyboo wrote:

I give/gave lessons ere in London on photography...maybe something I can do there too!!

Having seen your stuff from that link, I can easily see why people would want lessons from you.
You're good.

HowardP wrote:

There is no immediate rush to get ID card unless you want a bank account here straight away.  I have been told by numerous people to keep a UK bank account for the majority of your money.

Hope this helps

Howard

to be pedantic ..ID cards are no longer issued to the non-maltese..... it is now an e-residence card and you will have to apply after 3 months  its not too difficult and if your an eu citizen it its essentially a form filling excercise.

You do not need an e-residence card to open a maltese bank account , Just a form of ID and a letter from your employer introducing you for the purposes of banking and a work contract or form of engagment, alternatively if you have been with your current bank for 2 years or more , they will write to them for a banking reference .

Thank you Fred...
And thank you Howard for useful info too..
I'm going to be living in Bugibba, my auntie lives there & will be staying with her until I find my feet.

Would be grateful if some knows how to post images to the picture page, when I click on the link, I just see the images, with no ref' on how to post...or maybe i'm not looking hard enough!!

New Horizonz wrote:

F0xgl0ve wrote:

New Horizonz wrote:

I read what you said but just for info: a new bus company is taking over public transport here soon and apparently is hiring drivers now.

For your information the new bus company took over in January!

...and you don't see your assertion is off topic? You and redmik seem to have selective memory. The fading coincidentally comes when the topic is serving you

I have to come down to your level as it appears that it's not just eyesight that is failing.
===
The taking over the service in Jan is a formality and irrlevant to this post and the originator. 2 months on, there is no significant change, just to prove you're irrelevant. The company has been allowed to phase in their investment and improvements until 2016. They will be adding capacity requiring further busses. Lat time I checked buses need bus drivers (more buses in future = more bus drivers in the future) and this ONLY might be of interest to poppyboo. Is this simple enough or drawing a diagram needed?

The new company Autobuses de leon who are continuing to use the name malta public transport  have already made significant changes , they have purchased and shipped many second hand buses from the UK and have ended the contract with the company who provided the low-rider coaches on the aiport route. They have also recently taken on and trained many new drivers (according to the times of malta last week)  this is not to say your right that they will be employing more drivers . they are hoping to ship many new buses from march this year and will be looking to employ more drivers through the year .


any way sorry if you feel its off topic new horizons but just thought id let you know what has happened

WTF? I only posted a link for the benefit of poppyboo; so leave me out of this 'new horizon'.

poppyboo wrote:

Would be grateful if some knows how to post images to the picture page, when I click on the link, I just see the images, with no ref' on how to post...or maybe i'm not looking hard enough!!

Lloyds Building by Poppy Stevenson, on Flickr

You can dump all the text by deleting everything either side of the IMG tags before you post.

Just cut and paste the link on flickr gets the images onto a thread.
I'm not arty, but I love that one (and a load of others)

For images on the forum's pages, go to the 'pictures' link in the top green banner, and you'll see a button on there.
Just drag and drop from your computer's files.

robpw2 wrote:

The new company Autobuses de leon who are continuing to use the name malta public transport  have already made significant changes , they have purchased and shipped many second hand buses from the UK and have ended the contract with the company who provided the low-rider coaches on the aiport route. They have also recently taken on and trained many new drivers (according to the times of malta last week)  this is not to say your right that they will be employing more drivers . they are hoping to ship many new buses from march this year and will be looking to employ more drivers through the year .


any way sorry if you feel its off topic new horizons but just thought id let you know what has happened

1. I have never, including today, complained about 'off topic'. I was only highlighting inconsistencies!
For me personally: no topic is off topic; dialogue is good. If I loose interest in the topic's direction, I stop reading it. However the originator has the right to redirect. The site also has own interests in mind and sometimes intervene asking us to respect the original topic.

2. I have worked in computer industry all my life, starting as a programmer and to this date continuing. (I've done a lot of other things on the side) I discuss in logical terms, see logic, hear logic, breath logic and most importantly think in logic. Philosophy is a passion and life-long interest. I  liked Mr Spok character (RIP Leonard Nimoy).
If you're going to pick a logical or philosophical argument with me, you better be very sure, have covered all holes as if there are any, I  expose them.
Please note: I am not saying you cannot challenge me publicly, or I am always right. We learn and grow when we are challenged and pushed to think outside our comfort zone.

3. I didn't need to think to find reasons you're logically incorrect. It was instantly visible. Look:
1. Company will be hiring bus drivers in future (my assertion)
2. Company has already hired bus drivers (your assertion)
The two statements are not mutually exclusive: you didn't invalidate my statements.

4. Let me invalidate your assertions by quoting from the link kindly provided by redmik:

"100 new drivers will be recruited locally, and a total of 300 new workers will be employed by the end of 2015."

"Transport Minister Joe Mizzi said the service will be improved gradually and will keep growing and improving over time.
“We may be criticised for being overcautious, but we cannot be criticised for being hasty,” he said."

"If all goes to plan today, commuters using the new service should not notice much difference from the one provided by the government-owned company Malta Public Transport Service over the last year. "

"The Spanish company is being given time to find its feet, with the soft entry concept ensuring that the pressure of public expectation is kept off both it and the Transport Ministry for the time being. In the coming months, the new IT and ticketing systems will gradually be launched. New routes are expected to be place by summer, once the 142 new buses ordered by the company arrive. All buses will sport a white and green livery. The company will be investing €40 million in the new service."

Notice the liberal use of 'future tense'...

Since you are used to reading newspapers etc robpw2, above shouldn't be news to you!

redmik wrote:

WTF? I only posted a link for the benefit of poppyboo; so leave me out of this 'new horizon'.

The 'F' came in redmik when you approved of the post, associating yourself with it; lending your (considerable) weight and credibility!

But no worries I am not keeping count

Keep us posted on how it goes 😄😄

New Horizonz wrote:

F0xgl0ve wrote:

New Horizonz wrote:

I read what you said but just for info: a new bus company is taking over public transport here soon and apparently is hiring drivers now.

For your information the new bus company took over in January!

...and you don't see your assertion is off topic? You and redmik seem to have selective memory. The fading coincidentally comes when the topic is serving you

I have to come down to your level as it appears that it's not just eyesight that is failing.
===
The taking over the service in Jan is a formality and irrlevant to this post and the originator. 2 months on, there is no significant change, just to prove you're irrelevant. The company has been allowed to phase in their investment and improvements until 2016. They will be adding capacity requiring further busses. Lat time I checked buses need bus drivers (more buses in future = more bus drivers in the future) and this ONLY might be of interest to poppyboo. Is this simple enough or drawing a diagram needed?

Cuckoo!!   

LOL.....ID was faster than 'residence'

Thanks...will have go soon