I averaged traveling about 20,000 steps a day on foot, or around 10 miles. When I'm not walking, I try to use the ferries (public transportation boats) as much as possible, which turned out to be a few times this week. The ferries connect some of the larger cities in Malta, and they run every 30 minutes, though the journey between cities takes only about 5 to 15 minutes. The ferries can also get quite crowded, though, especially during peak tourist season.
The most interesting place I visited this week was Victoria, the capital city of Gozo, Malta's sister island. I got to see it with one of my best friends! Locals have told me that Gozo looks like Malta did a few decades ago, before tourism had such an impact on the infrastructure here. (Infrastructure includes government-funded structures, systems and services, like harbors, roads, public transportation and utilities.) Traffic and overcrowded buses? Not on Gozo! Instead, there was a lot of greenery, farmland and open space looking out at the water. The town had beautiful squares full of quaint restaurants, fountains and old churches everywhere.
This week, I found out I was invited to a Fulbright conference in Sofia, Bulgaria, at the beginning of December. Bulgaria is a country in southeastern Europe, not too far from Malta. At the conference, English Teaching Assistants working in a bunch of different countries in Europe will meet up for four days in Sofia and discuss teaching techniques, explore the city of Sofia, socialize and meet new people. I am very excited to have confirmed travel plans coming up soon!
