| As should be expected after 200 years of British rule, English is common and wide-spread. Though, perhaps as an act of resistance, the Maltese language is very much the primary language. The signage outside official government offices is in Maltese (leading to some confusion as we were trying to meet with Francesco Grech at the office of the Gozo Regional Council). Victoria, named by the Brits, is still referred to as ir-Rabat. Surprisingly, even though the written English used is the U.K. version, rather than the American that has dropped letters in spellings (e.g., programme v. program), the spoken version doesn't retain much, if any of the British dialect. Maltese spoken English is very different than British spoken English, making it very easy to detect the ex-pats and holiday-goers. A man who looked just young enough to have never been a subject of Her Majesty, that Jo struck up a conversation with while we were hiking along the Ta' Cenc cliff trail, kept asking with his somewhat limited mastery of the language, "English?" in spite of us replying "the States" "U.S." and "America". He then proudly led us to view the Manchester logo on the back windshield of his small pick-up truck. Paul responded "football" and the man started sharing the woes of the recent loss at the 91 minute mark. We have seen more than a few football (aka soccer) pubs in both Valletta and here. |
The Maltese also drive on the "wrong side" of the road, which is difficult for us pedestrians to adjust to after a lifetime of conditioning how to look to avoid being run over while crossing intersections. This confusion isn't helped by the narrow streets that lead to drivers choosing the middle of the road rather than one side or the other. They do stop at crosswalks but you must be cautious and quick if you decide to jaywalk or cross an intersection without any designated pedestrian pathway.
The Maltese have also maintained the British style electrical outlets - the male plug has three rectangular flat pins placed in a triangular or t position it is rather hefty and more secure than the U.S. style plugs. You wouldn't ever think that you could just yank the cord to remove it from the wall. Many of their appliances, however, are imported from Italy and utilize a plug with two round pins, so adaptors are a must. We did discover that the TV in our apartment eschewed the adaptor by jamming the round pins into rectangular holes, something our landlord assured us was common, though we weren't convinced.
We are very happy to be here in residence in the off-season as the tourist buses are active, the highlights on tourist maps are full of people, and more than once ducked down a side alley to avoid a horde following a guide describing the history and glory of the buildings. We recognize that, as artists in residence we are still actively doing tourist type things but like to pretend that we aren't really tourists because, in every land no matter their points origin, tourists are really annoying.
We've concluded that food is less expensive in the E.U. than the U.S. We've indulged in big purple kohlrabi that are delicious and cheap, celiriac that is a rare and spendy find in U.S. stores, and cheeses that have taste and texture for less than gourmand prices.
Into the last week of residency we are focused upon finishing our art to display on our webpage. Jo moves her visual pieces from the "micro-studio" in the laundry hallway to the couch, drying rack and floor in an attempt to allow them to dry and provide her with the distance to see and assess the work. Living and working in this tiny and non-efficiently set-up apartment is a challenge we are definitely looking forward to leaving behind.
The Maltese have also maintained the British style electrical outlets - the male plug has three rectangular flat pins placed in a triangular or t position it is rather hefty and more secure than the U.S. style plugs. You wouldn't ever think that you could just yank the cord to remove it from the wall. Many of their appliances, however, are imported from Italy and utilize a plug with two round pins, so adaptors are a must. We did discover that the TV in our apartment eschewed the adaptor by jamming the round pins into rectangular holes, something our landlord assured us was common, though we weren't convinced.
We are very happy to be here in residence in the off-season as the tourist buses are active, the highlights on tourist maps are full of people, and more than once ducked down a side alley to avoid a horde following a guide describing the history and glory of the buildings. We recognize that, as artists in residence we are still actively doing tourist type things but like to pretend that we aren't really tourists because, in every land no matter their points origin, tourists are really annoying.
We've concluded that food is less expensive in the E.U. than the U.S. We've indulged in big purple kohlrabi that are delicious and cheap, celiriac that is a rare and spendy find in U.S. stores, and cheeses that have taste and texture for less than gourmand prices.
Into the last week of residency we are focused upon finishing our art to display on our webpage. Jo moves her visual pieces from the "micro-studio" in the laundry hallway to the couch, drying rack and floor in an attempt to allow them to dry and provide her with the distance to see and assess the work. Living and working in this tiny and non-efficiently set-up apartment is a challenge we are definitely looking forward to leaving behind.