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Edith Piaf
NO REGRETS


No! No regrets
No! I will have no regrets
All the things
That went wrong
For at last I have learned to be strong

No! No regrets
No! I will have no regrets
For the grief doesn't last
It is gone
I've forgotten the past

And the memories I had
I no longer desire
Both the good and the bad
I have flung in a fire
And I feel in my heart
That the seed has been sown
It is something quite new
It's like nothing I've known

No! No regrets
No! I will have no regrets
All the things that went wrong
For at last I have learned to be strong

No! No regrets
No! I will have no regrets
For the seed that is new
It's the love that is growing for you

Brigantes...Perfectly said!

nope, no regrets here. I drink the tap water, the powercuts are kindof fun as long as you have a bbq, some frozen burgers, beer and some candles on hand...the driving is nuts so I take the bus and the shopping is great but shops close for siesta in some areas which you need to plan for.

All in all, having a great time.

Schools - Private teach in English, Public teach in Maltese by default, but if they have foreign students in the class they will teach in English....check with the school yourself to be sure.

Cost of living is higher than I expected, esp. with recent price hike of energy/utility tariffs. Yes, there are people who live in less expensive accommodation (3 bedroom apartment €700/month) and who have less expensive utility bills (€1000/qtr) than I do - but we are a family of 4 including 2 kids and think that's about the going rate for our situation. Add in school fees and car costs (probably need a car of you have a couple of kids) and you'd better have a decent income or savings. Of course, everyone's situation and choices are different, which is why it's difficult to generalize, but for us it's been a bit of a shock.

Roads/driving/traffic are all bad in general. If your life situation or the choices you make mean you don't have to deal with it then I think you'll enjoy Malta a lot more.

UK products are mostly available in supermarkets etc and newspapers are available on the same day as they are printed here (at least some of them are).

One personal peeve I have is all the dog pooh on the pavement...not sure if it's strays or people not picking up after their dogs but it's awful!

Also don't like being charged tourist prices - understandable I suppose, but irks none the less.

But there's plenty of good stuff too (scenery/history/weather/etc). At the end of the day it's all down to your own personal experience, expectation and attitude.

Tim

Thanks guys! Useful tips are always welcome. How often do you get power cuts? How long do they last?

2-3 times a year, typically for 1-2 hours

Well, I guess that's not too bad.

What about mobile phones and internet:
Typical cost per month?
Recommended providers? (As well as the ones to avoid.) Connection - good or bad? Could certain areas be worse than others?

Jeeeeesus,any more questions?

Always! This is a forum, isn't it?! I just want to be prepared for everything well in advance, and you guys are the best source of information. When I think of a question, I ask it!

Sarafima wrote:

nope, no regrets here. I drink the tap water, the powercuts are kindof fun as long as you have a bbq, some frozen burgers, beer and some candles on hand...the driving is nuts so I take the bus and the shopping is great but shops close for siesta in some areas which you need to plan for.

All in all, having a great time.

If you drink the tap water here it will go some way to explaining the sick record of workers throughout the Islands.

Hi Gunner,

There is no one answer to the mobile/internet question.Ask 3 guys and you will get 4 answers.

Check out the GO,Melita and Vodaphone web-sites for details on pricing and packages.

I myself use Melita for everything and can't complain. Others hate Melita and love GO .

Ricky

We subscribed to the home package for Go, they promised to do the installation in two weeks.
After having several installation guys visiting and fiddling around still no internet. Each time its either a box somewhere or a router/ switch which is the issue. But I suspect they are stumbling in the dark.

Be sure you get a quick installation agreement before signing the contract otherwise be prepared to wait and have coffee and enjoy the weather

Well my fiance and I have been here now for almost 3 months, we moved from Canada. No complaints from us either. Since being here we've had a few power outages that lasted for a few hours which were a little inconvenient but not a big deal.
We're with GO for our mobiles and find their service great!
When it comes to shopping there are UK brands for clothing for sure, as for food I'm sure that there is but since we're not from the UK I couldn't tell you 100% though there are a few M&S's around now.
I've also heard that you shouldn't drink the tap water- so we've stuck to bottled water. But when it comes to cooking and making tea and coffee we use tap water and it seems fine. Your boiling it so I'm sure no big deal. Better to be safe than sorry though I say.
Depending where you live, smaller shops do close in the afternoons, generally anywhere from 12 or 1pm until around 4pm. It is a little annoying at times, but as others said, you just have to plan ahead is all. And Sunday's there is not much open for shops either.

Its wonderful here, you just have to have a lot of patience! Things tend to be a lot slower and a bit behind here.

Thanks everyone! Great feedback and useful tips.