Here’s some Context..

How I moved from a tiny Mediterranean island to a metropolitan city

Part 1 of my ERASMUS+ update, and a perfect excuse to setup Medium..

Ok, I may be playing it up a bit too much. I’m living in Milan for only 6 months as part of my University course; so no life-changing moments or job-quitting decisions were present, it’s just I’m living my own life, in a big city. Might not seem like much, but not if you’re from Malta. Here’s some context..

Malta is a tiny spec in the Mediterranean Sea, only 30 km from top to bottom that houses just under half a million people. Malta is an independent country and speaks its own language, Maltese, which is largely semitic-based with a sporadic influence of Italian, English and French {yes, it’s a very straight forward language}. Being a Maltese Citizen means you are expected to be religious, politically partisan and patriotic; all from quite a silly young age.

Being in such a tiny country, it’s easy to conclude that every lives on top of each other. Anything you do is an instant hot-topic to your neighbour and is quickly inseminated throughout the whole block where you live, out towards the town centre; and directly on the script for morning radio news. Groups of friends also, span a whole generation and one’s cousin is definitely a cousin from the other side of the family, like some kind-of contorted family-twister.

School is a very straight forward affair; there’s Primary School from like 4 years of age to around 10, then there’s Secondary School up to 16, Sixth Form for two years, finally reaching the climax of Maltese education in the only university in the country. In each step of education you are expected to stick it and conform to matriculation details to the content of your superiors’ content. There are other very reasonable options on our country that may not give you a B.Sc.(Hons) in ABC, but that just won’t make the cut. All this, while you are catered for at your family home in a tiny bubble, having meals cooked, clothes washed and your mother as your perennial alarm clock stuck on SNOOZE.

Otherwise, the beaches are nice and it never rains.

Not to sound like I’m snobbing my country, but it kind of gets too much. Eighteen years of constantly to-ing and fro-ing to school down the same three main-roads, having found quite solid friendships from such a young age and having everything at your disposal 24/7 with your family present as your support system; it kind of gets…(again being aware to not sound too cocky), it gets boring.

Travelling was always me. I always wanted that feeling that I can close the door behind me, walk, catch a bus I don’t even know the number of and head in a non-specific direction on the compass and not worry about anyone back at home trying to get to me on my barely charged mobile phone. I wanted freedom. But I also wanted to finish what I started deep down, as a personal challenge.

I say it’s a challenge as I have a tendency to start off things but have recently started to nudge myself in the ribs, whenever I’ll be teetering on the edge of just leaving something as it is. But challenges and the struggle I have with a Long-Onset ADHD, as I call it, is a great topic for another Medium post I would like to write about in the near future.

Didn’t think this first post would be getting so personal, but I dislike using the ‘Backspace’ button, so “keep on, keepin’ on” is quite apt.

Leaving the off-Amish island was a priority we have already established, and it ridiculously only took a sheet of paper, quickly scribbled 5 minutes short of its due time, and I was on my way to an exchange to study in a city I’ve never visited, in a country I barely spoke the language of. That only took a sentence to announce but believe me I’m just no going to mention the outrageous amount of paperwork I had to hand in beforehand, but let’s not.

I’m writing this post on the ninth day in Milan, in the centre of a Swedish-inspired bicycle cafe’ called Upcycle, thinking what I’ll cook for myself after my run from Citta’ Studi to Macciachini and back. I’m practically a local. Ciao!

The first few days are always like a Helter-Skelter. Everyone will say the same thing, coming into a city without a place to stay and a limited budget sucks. the feeling sucks, the experience it gives you to just adapt in a new atmosphere and get your neck out there is nothing short of the most holistic experience I have ever had.

Leaving to a city you have never been to, practically homeless, requiring to find your bearings instantly as well as try to find somewhere new you could call home for the next few months is an experience in itself. You experience desperation, frustration, excitement thinking this might be it, and then greed thinking you can go a step further only to push it too far. It’s a skill house hunting, but moving from a place you’ve always called home for all of your life, it’s a tough decision. A new home is a massive reference point I aways look at as a milestone in life, so personally, it means a lot.

It might be a good point to mention; I am not going through this experience alone. I came up to Milan, with another student from Malta, studying the same course, so we shared most of our experiences, though I don’t know how he is guaging all of it, we haven’t spoken about the first 2 weeks till now, but I’d like to. We also, by chance, met a Mexican Student and her mother in our hostel, where we were trying to find our house on a non-chalant Saturday night in the lobby. Having, her mother there gave it a new element, it made me remember of Malta, and how important family has been for me, even though I “wanted to get away”.

I want to make myself clear as to what my expectations are, while I am still within the beginning of the experience;

• Academic: Study in a more challenging, yet more academically nurturing environment than in Malta.
• Cultural: Live like a local. It’s essential that to take anything permanent with you back home from such an experience, a habit has to be created. So living, going out and comunicating as locals do is essential.
• Network: I’m here, for the first time in a city with eight million other people, all having their own story of its own worth. I want to meet, speak and learn from any people I can come across.
• Productivity: I want to find time for everything; school, study, commute, going out (yes,it is under productivity) and travel. All, will have their own time and everything will be done.

I decided to start blogging here on Medium once I started out this experience as part of a new effort in trying out new media. In the same way that city-life is totally new to me, I want a new way to communicate my ideas, experiences and maybe opinions; if it gets to that. I have read articles on here, and I have found treasure troves of information, inspiration and even hope such that I have become religious to some writers’ works. So I decided, that I wanted to try the same; if maybe of no worth to myself, then maybe to some reader that thinks he can write better than me. Do it.

Do More.