Impressions of Malta

Mariane St-Maurice is a Canadian journalism student at Baruch College in New York who is currently interning at TMIS. In a weekly column she will "seek to present Malta as seen by tourists and to highlight the treasures of the country that are too often taken for granted":

..The next day, on my way back from work, the warmth of the sun enveloped me and made me feel extremely peaceful. The heat somehow brought my thoughts back to the blue sky of the previous night, and I thought of how many things here must be taken for granted – things that are not found elsewhere and keep on attracting more and more tourists year after year.

Since I am planning to spend two months here, I actually have to get accustomed to most of those things and cannot simply enjoy them as the exotic elements of a summer vacation. And I have to say I’m rather proud of myself for growing used to a lot of things – though many are still hard to integrate into my daily routine..

Maybe part of the problem when I walk is that the scenery is so distracting. Every corner I turn reveals something new. It might just be a small side street, or a larger street that opens up on a majestic valley. I usually slow down when I see such things, and sometimes even stop to make sure the scene is properly imprinted on my mind. This also happens quite frequently with the various bays that are host to so many boats and sunbathers. Being surrounded by water is not something I am accustomed to, and neither are the small, charming streets – believe me, in New York City they are anything but that.

Unfortunately, I bet these things are taken for granted by most people who have lived in Malta all their lives. But that is the beauty of coming to a new country and being a tourist: you have a different outlook on things, one that makes you want to keep walking just so you have the chance to stop again.