Today is another lucky day for all the readers of my blog! I get so excited when other expats take the time to share their experiences and wisdom or living life in a foreign country.

Wendy’s blog La delirante is what she calls her “creative retreat” of a Salvadoran living in Malta. As a self-described (in the post called June) friendly soul with an active mind. She says she is temperamental and easily bored (hmmm…is that why she moved to a new country?). To learn more about Wendy take a look at her interview below to find out more about her life in Malta.

1.Where are you from originally, where are you now and what brought you there?

I am from El Salvador and I came to Malta two years ago because I fell in love with a Maltese boy and now we are married and settled down in his country.

2.What do you like/dislike about your new home?

I love the people, the history of the place, the Mediterranean sea, the food, the fact that it is so safe. I don’t like that the wages seem to be very low compared to the cost of living and the humidity so the weather can be very harsh (both winter and summer).

3.Do you have any advice for people who want to get a job or visa in a foreign country? What was your experience with getting a visa/job? Was it difficult?

I didn’t have any problems to get the “Freedom of movement” which allows me to look for a job in Malta as any Maltese citizen and it also allows me to reside in the place indefinitely (that is, without having to request for extensions). I didn’t need a visa
to come to Malta as a tourist. I think it is always important to obtain the right information before travelling/deciding to move to another place. For instance, there are some people who believe that obtaining a work permit as a non EU citizen is quite easy but I would say they are wrong. Or I have met people EU-Non EU who believe that they could easily obtain the Maltese citizenship but that is not the case. The requirements are very strict according to what I understand which is only understandable. Thus, it is important to go to the right institutions to obtain the appropriate information.

4.What was the most challenging part of living in a foreign country whey you first started out as an expat? Do you have any advice for those facing similar challenges?

The language. I had to learn English and I am learning Maltese too. Though I had studied English at both school and at University it is quite a different experience to be living in a country where you need to speak the language to be understood, to live, to work. I understood this immediately and started to speak in English with hubby though he speaks almost perfect Spanish. I also started reading in English only to broaden my vocabulary, phrasal verbs, cultural aspects that are necessary in order to understand the language and viceversa. I think it is important to immerse in the culture and language and avoid trying to see the native language as an easy way out because at the end of the day the new language is important to work and live in general. So I said to myself ” the sooner you start to learn the language the better”.

5.If you were to do it all again (moving to and living in another country), what would you do different?

I would have brought more legal documents that I was later on asked to provide in order to get married. Because posting them from my country happened to be very expensive and my parents had to pay for those documents that they kindly sent to me when I needed them. Again, it is important to be duly informed about requirements, documents, etc.

6.Do you want to move back to where you originally came from? If not, what is it about the expat life that makes it all worth it to you?

No, I wouldn’t go back to my country to live there that is. We are already kind of settled here and have big plans for the near future such as a home loan. What makes it all worth is that our quality life here is without a trace of doubt better.

7.What are some of the good, the bad, the ugly…and the funny things you have experienced living in a foreign country?

The good: the quality of life is very high despite what I perceive as low wages and high cost of living, the safety, the history of the place, the beauty of the places and the Mediterranean Sea, the food, the people, no commuting because the place is very small. The bad and the ugly, well, Malta has some problems just as any other place but I can’t think of very bad problems that could be more important than the good things I have mentioned and more. One of the things I dislike though is the public transport because it is very unreliable and kind of inefficient.

8.Any practical tips for the new expats out there (like me)?

I think it is good to go to the place of interest before settling down so to have a taste of the place. It is important to learn Maltese but not really necessary to work/live. I am learning it now because it is always important though I work for a British company and thus I don’t really need it to work but I think that knowing Maltese could expand the job opportunities.

9.Where do you think you’ll go next?

I think we will remain in Malta and though in a moment in time were thinking about going to Spain or the UK to live I think living in Malta has many advantages and more than that we are getting settled here already.

Thanks Wendy for all the great information! Its so fun to hear from others what their experience is living in a new country. From Malta to Norway, so much is different, but so much is still the same!

Check out Wendy’s blog La delirante!

For more expat interviews, take a look at these posts:

• Ms. Adventures In Italy’s Sara Rosso
• My Own Moon’s Star Child