Originally published: August 2017
Note: I wrote another article about Malta in 2022, sharing my latest views and feelings about the situation there.
A few years ago I decided to leave my home country and try my luck abroad. This wasn’t a spontaneous decision at all, rather it was the result of many years during which my disillusion and frustration with Malta had been growing and growing until I felt I had to take action or I would fall into a very negative perpetual state of mind.
Of course, I have many friends and dear family back in Malta, but honestly, I don’t miss living there. I make it a point to visit at least once a year and I usually have a good time catching up with friends and spending time with my family, but I don’t feel like I would like to go back and live there.
As you can imagine, several friends and family members ask me why this is so. I’ve finally found some time to really list the reasons for my moving away from Malta and why I don’t feel as comfortable living there as I do in other places.
While this post will be very honest, I’m afraid that some readers will find it too negative or downright offensive. Please keep in mind that is an honest outpouring of my thoughts and feelings and is no way meant to attack anyone or show any lack of appreciation. I did grow up in Malta and received many good things, I was blessed with a great family and a good education and also had lots of great experiences. However, as I grew older I started to feel that this was not the place where I wanted to spend the rest of my life in, and this is an attempt to describe why.
Malta is described in propaganda as being an idyllic “paradise on earth” island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. Surely life is incredibly good over there! Not to mention it’s a tax haven!
First of all, Malta is no tax haven if you’re Maltese. There are a few schemes designed to attract business and executives from abroad. These schemes have been widely used and abused, and that’s where the reputation for being a tax haven is coming from. The island is also famous for housing a great number of online gambling companies. These companies came to Malta due to the fiscal and regulatory incentives and they are by and large doing extremely well.
Online gambling is not something that interests me and in general, I don’t like the vibe that they have about them. I’m sure many Maltese will disagree with me on this, but this is my view on the topic. The gambling companies pay very well and usually provide attractive offices and perks to their employees. Due to them, property prices in the Sliema and St Julian’s area have risen to incredible levels (many would agree that it’s bubble stage already). A whole financial services industry has grown to support these companies.
The downside? Apart from the moral doubts of working at these companies or even incentivizing them to move to Malta, I see a lot of dependence on them. If another country were to offer better regulations and tax incentives, it is likely that many of these companies would leave, as they don’t have any significant ties with Malta. They are merely using the country. In the eventuality of them leaving, we will see serious repercussions on property prices and the financial services industry. Whether this situation ever plays out is anyone’s guess, but it’s definitely something that has always bothered me.
Now I don’t mean to turn this into an attack on gambling companies. They do well to seek out the best environment for them to operate so I don’t blame them for anything. I certainly didn’t leave Malta because of this, so let’s explore some other more important reasons for me leaving.
If I were to describe Malta in one word, it would be frustrating. There is no doubt that islands are (were?) blessed with natural beauty, great weather and beautiful sea. I think the small size of the islands is, however, a big problem for people like me. It is clear that you can find idiots in every country, but in bigger countries, you can mostly keep away from them. You can frequent different places, live in different areas, and generally live amongst people that you like. Not so in Malta, every time you step outside of your door you are bound to experience some kind of ignorance, be it illegal construction, irresponsible driving, and unprofessional behavior. There is no deeply ingrained culture of doing things the right way. Rather it’s more of a “whatever, if it barely works then it’s good enough”.
I acknowledge that I have trouble really describing what it is that frustrates me and pains me so much about living in Malta. I also know that most Maltese genuinely love living in Malta, and whenever I have tried to speak out against the way things are done, the usual reaction is to try and shut me up and tell me that things aren’t so bad.
I inevitably realized that there was no way I’m going to change the culture of a country. One of the best pieces of advice was given to me by a Bulgarian builder in Malta. In one of my moments of frustration, the builder, who was fixing some stuff in our office, overheard me complain about things in Malta. He calmly came up to me and told me “my friend, if you don’t like the menu, change the restaurant”. It was a seemingly joking and simple comment, but it rang so true for me that that was the moment that I decided to leave for good, and sure enough, two months later I left.
Living in Malta, at least as a local, involves sustaining yourself (whether you want it or not) on a constant stream of local news. You can’t escape the latest political mess, and the smallest incidence can make front-page news. It is really an environment that discourages you to think big and expand your mental horizons. For many years I found it very stifling and I harbored a lot of internal anxiety, frustration, and anger due to this situation over which I had little control.
Since moving abroad, all these effects instantly disappeared and I finally felt free to be what I really want to be and rapidly increase my knowledge in the areas that interest me, such as investing.
They say that a person is the sum of the other people that are closest to him. In Malta, I always struggled to surround myself with people who would constantly inspire me and drive me to become a better person. Due to the small island mentality, there seems to be a lot of jealousy and people try to keep you in line. You’re best just being an average Joe behaving like everyone else if you want to live a good life there. Do something significantly different than the rest and you’re going to have a very difficult time indeed.
But come on Jean, you might say, what about the lovely “best in the world” weather that Malta is blessed with? Well yes, Malta does indeed have very hot summers and mild wet winters. The problem is that the vast majority of houses have zero insulation and in the winter months you can feel really uncomfortable due to the insane levels of humidity and cold inside. Although I always felt bad during the winters, reality really struck during my first experience of winter in the UK, when I realized that I was much happier in winter there than I had ever been in Malta. Like many other countries, buildings there are well insulated and have good heating, so you can stay in your flip-flops and shorts inside in winter. In Malta, I would be wearing jackets, long johns and a beanie and I’d still be uncomfortably cold.
One other big pain point: the roads. Malta’s road surfaces are among the worst in Europe and are more befitting of a third-world country than a country that presents itself as being a hub of innovation and being on par with its European counterparts. I once tried taking my Brompton bike to Malta to cycle around during our holiday but ended up walking back home after 200 meters. There are way too many potholes, bumps, and uneven road surfaces to be able to ride a bike like that comfortably without damaging it. Not to mention the challenge of staying alive when riding a bike in Malta.
Some of my friends have been severely injured due to irresponsible driving or bad road surfaces, and one of them even died by the roadside after being run over by a youngster driving without a license. I won’t even get started on the Maltese judiciary, but I’ll just mention that after eight years this man has not been sentenced yet. See here and here for more great examples of Maltese incompetency where justice is concerned.
A related aspect is the lack of good pavements. Unfortunately, Malta is not a walkable place at all. We grow up getting accustomed to getting out of our houses and into the car to get whisked to wherever we need to be. This leads to people exercising less and the resulting obesity issues. Malta has the highest child obesity rate in Europe, and Maltese adults are the second most obese in Europe. This fact is evident to me whenever I land in Malta and have a look around. I believe the walkability issue is a significant contributor to the problem. Owning a car is almost a necessity and gives you the independence to go wherever you want, while public transport is of average quality and mostly consists of buses and taxes (an underground metro system would be a game changer). Of course, we can all see with our own eyes that traffic has increased exponentially during the past twenty years, to the point that you are now guaranteed to get stuck in a traffic jam every time you go for a drive, at any time except during the night. Given that in general people tend to keep their cars far longer than the European average, we have a lot of pollution from vehicles and that affects everyone’s health.
Moreover, Maltese people in general tend to overeat, with typically huge portions being served in families, while fast food has gained in popularity. The famous mediterranean diet is not really present in Malta, instead people tend to consume large quantities of bread, junk food and pasta. Kids are given sweets abundantly. This is coupled with a sedentary lifestyle and other bad habits like smoking and alcohol consumption, and you get the resulting obesity situation. A visit to the country’s main hospital will also give a clear indication to where all this is leading to, with crowded waiting rooms filled with people who could clearly used a better diet instead of being given more pills.
Back to the lack of paving. In other countries, I got used to walking a lot, but in Malta it’s impossible to run any errands on foot except if you’re going around the corner from your house. Pavements seem to be an afterthought and come in all shapes and sizes. Some are tiled, some have rough surfaces, some are super narrow etc. What this also means is that we have a big problem with accessibility. One of the main highlights of my trips to Malta is spending time with my 93-year-old grandma, and I would love to be able to take her out for a walk while we chat about our lives. Alas, it’s pretty much impossible given the state of the pavements and the very close proximity of cars and trucks belching out fumes.
Lastly, let’s come back to the idyllic island thing one more time. During the past thirty years, there has been way too much indiscriminate development. Many ugly buildings were built and a good part of them were built in areas that were meant to remain in their natural state. The result is an overexploited island where very few green areas remain. As a kid, I used to go out and play soccer with my friends in the fields nearby. This was commonplace wherever you lived in Malta. Nowadays there is no chance that kids would be able to do that.
A Times of Malta showing illustrating over development in Sliema and St. Julian’s.
Everything’s been built up, and as I said, it’s been one huge land rush with developers making big money while they exploited every inch of the island. Of course, this constant development has also brought with it a lot of air and noise pollution, apart from visual eyesores. We are now seeing an increasingly high rate of respiratory diseases, and frequent complaints about noise due to construction. Gozo, the other island, is currently at a very nice balance between nature and man-made buildings, but I’m afraid that the developers will turn their greedy eyes there next.
Over exploitation (umbrella rentals) of one Malta’s iconic spots – Blue Lagoon
How about the famous Smart City? Rather than attracting all the big IT companies and making Malta another silicon valley, as was originally promised, it’s been sitting there mostly empty. Moreover, it seems likely that it will soon be turned into another luxury apartment complex. This land had been given to the Smart City developers on the condition that it will be used for ICT purposes, but it seems that the new fashion is to completely disregard such contracts. Real estate agents are already selling apartments on plan even though it is still technically an IT office center and there are absolutely no building plans in place to turn it into an apartment complex. Something similar happened just last year with the former ITS complex in Pembroke. Such free-for-all practices are very common when it comes to building and development.
It’s not only big developers who are the problem though. Many individuals have also constructed illegally while the authorities have turned a blind eye. There is a whole village of illegal properties in Armier bay, and no political party has done anything to remove them over many years.
Armier bay illegal construction.
To make matters worse, much of the remaining countryside is taken up by hunters who occupy whole swaths of land. Yes, in Malta bird hunting is a very popular pastime, and incredibly just a few years ago a referendum to ban this barbaric practice in spring failed to get a majority backing. Any walk in the countryside is sure to be accompanied by the sounds of guns as the hunters try their best to blast every bird out of the sky.
A protected bird illegally shot down in Malta.
No wonder you will hardly see any birds in Malta. Illegal hunting is a widespread and serious problem, with poachers specifically targeting raptors (birds of prey) and Herons as well as rare migratory birds such as the Greater Flamingo, Black Stork and Eurasian Spoonbill, among others. Moreover, as I mentioned, hunters occupy a lot of public lands and block off access to hikers, mountain bikers and the regular folk who are out to enjoy a bit of countryside.
In line with the selfish nature so prevalent in Malta (a so-called Catholic country), we find the issue of smoking. Smoking was banned in enclosed public places and workplaces in Malta on July 1, 2004, with the implementation of the “Protection of Non-Smokers Health Regulations.” This ban was extended to include bars and restaurants in 2005, and in 2018, Malta introduced a comprehensive smoking ban that prohibited smoking in all public places, including outdoor areas like beaches and parks. The ban also prohibited smoking in private vehicles when children under the age of 18 are present. The implementation of the smoking ban in Malta has been enforced in restaurants and offices, which arguably already had arrangements for smokers before the ban, but it is a miserable failure when it comes to clubs and many bars. If you don’t believe me, go have a look for yourself, pick any club and you will most likely see the bouncers, DJ and other people in management smoking, so it is little wonder that patrons also feel at liberty to smoke. The ban in outdoor areas is another complete joke, again just visit any park and beach and see for yourself. As a health-conscious non-smoker, I find this to be another prime example of the selfishness and short-term thinking of the Maltese.
Sometimes people will challenge me by posing the question: “If Malta is so bad, why do so many foreigners fall in love with Malta and want to live here?”. I think that’s a very interesting question that merits delving into.
First of all, Malta is a very very unique place, for many reasons. It has a rich and varied history having been under the rule of several nations and cultures. Its size and geography is also unique, as is the fact that Maltese people have their own language. I can definitely see how these exotic qualities can be such a strong attraction for foreigners.
They would have never have experienced such an environment before, especially if they come from a big city/country where things are much more impersonal. Landing in Malta you tend to feel very welcome as people are very friendly and ready to help out, it feels like everybody treats you like family. This leads to foreigners saying hey, this is an awesome place to live in. Back home I’m just a number and nobody cares about anyone, but here everybody is so involved in each other’s lives, this is something special! I totally see why a foreigner would feel like this. I myself sometimes wish I were a foreigner so I could feel that way. If you don’t speak Maltese there is a better chance of insulating yourself from the daily gossip and mannerisms that end up getting on one’s nerves.
Here’s the thing though. While I acknowledge that some foreigners do move to Malta, love it and enjoy living there for many years, many others try the experience and leave after 3-4 years because they just can’t take the way things are done there. It’s one thing living a life of work-beach-party (Malta is the best place for that) and quite another when you decide to settle down, start dealing with the authorities, buy a house and try to get contractors to deliver quality work, etc etc.
People who are used to not having to struggle to get simple things done will start to get pissed off at how much time they’re spending dealing with seemingly innocuous tasks, and eventually end up leaving the island. Of course, the passage of time also amplifies the feeling of living in a very small place that acts like an echo chamber and innovation is stifled by the local way of life and culture, and that can also lead to one deciding to leave and live in a more open environment.
I guess I’ve written more than I meant to, the reality is that I really struggle to put my feelings into words, and that is why I don’t frequently share my thoughts on the subject. I prefer to focus on the positive things I have in my life rather than acting all pessimistic. My feelings about Malta at the end of the day are genuine sadness for what was once really an idyllic place that has been destroyed over the years. I would love to say that I hope to one day return, but I really can’t see how the culture can change and the harm due to construction undone.
P.S. While in this post I focused on the negative things about Malta that led me to leave, there is, of course, the flip side. There are many great things about Malta, and I do still think that it is a very good place for digital nomads to spend some time in.
2019 Update
It’s been more than two years since I wrote this post, and I’ve interacted with many people about the subject both in the comments section as well as over email exchanges. Unfortunately, not only has the situation in Malta not become any better since I wrote this, but things took a nasty turn for the worse.
The obvious big news item was the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in 2018, followed by several scandals in the political scene. During the last few months of 2019 we’ve seen Malta in the worldwide news for all the wrong reasons, with several top members of the governing party being forced to resign due to their misdeeds and connections to the murder.
As we close off the year, prime minister Joseph Muscat has been named ‘Person of the Year’ for organised crime and corruption by a consortium of investigative journalists.
It was a busy 12 months in the world of organized crime and corruption. But without further ado, here is our 2019 Person of the Year: https://t.co/oDVXs9EZYI#occrpaward #CorruptActor2019
— Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (@OCCRP) December 27, 2019
Dr Muscat joins a list of previous winners of the OCCPR’s yearly prize that includes strongmen such as Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijan’s Ilhan Aliyev, Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro and the Philippines’ Rodrigo Duterte.
“Under Muscat’s leadership, criminality and corruption have flourished — and in many cases gone unpunished,” the OCCPR said.
The organisation highlighted the way Dr Muscat had acted throughout the investigation into the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
I had intentionally avoided politicising things with my original post, as I don’t consider myself a supporter of a particular party in Malta, but things have really gone to new extremes with the Labour party in government led by Dr Muscat in recent years.
Not only have things become worse in Malta, but the country’s reputation overseas is at an all-time low due to this government’s shenanigans.
What is quite impressive to me is that the Maltese population by and large has been quite passive during this whole debacle. Not to mention that probably around half of the population still doesn’t think that anything irregular has taken place in the past few years, as you can witness if you open any article on local newspapers reporting cases of corruption. The kind of brainwashing on display is at least on par with what you would expect from people in communist countries with no access to outside information. To see people defending the prime minister and his cronies while hurling abuse at any detractors, Maltese or foreign, is just sad.
One would hope that the Maltese will choose better people in leadership, independently of which party they’re from, and avoid further damage to the country. It’s worth keeping in mind that right now, the Maltese economy seems to be doing very well, however I am of the opinion that this boom has not been very organic nor is it built on solid ground.
If we take an honest look at the last 15 years of growth in the Maltese economy, we would find that the big driver has been an artificially favorable tax system designed to attract foreign companies to relocate their business in Malta and thus gain huge tax benefits. That drove an influx of foreigners needed to staff the relocated companies (most of them online gaming companies), which in turn drove up property prices and helped build an impressive financial industry to service these aforementioned companies. If one of these pillars were to be affected by the scandals rocking the political scene, all the pieces will fall like dominoes causing a serious crisis in Malta.
Taking the Decision
Over the years since I’ve written this post, I’ve received many emails from (mostly young) people who identify with my feelings and are struggling with taking the decision.
I want to make it clear that while we live in an era where travel is very easy and affordable, uprooting yourself and moving to another country is still a significant psychological and logistical challenge for most people.
Here’s a copy of an email reply I sent to a person who reached out to ask for advice on how to approach the decision. I hope it can be of help to others in the same stage of their lives.
Every person who decides to leave their home country will have the fears and worries that you mention, that is perfectly normal.I had the same concerns myself when I was in the same situation. What I did was to sit down in a quiet place for an hour or so, take a pen and two sheets of paper. On one list the pros and the other the cons about moving. Take your time and let your heart and mind both outpour onto those two pages. When you’re done, you should have a clearer picture of what you should do. If it’s still not clear, assign a rating of 1-5 or 1-10 next to each point that you list, with 1 being of least importance and 10 being essential for you. Then add the scores up and hopefully one should be significantly higher than the other.Know that you can’t control what you’ll find on the other side, but you owe it to yourself to at least seek a betterment of your situation if that’s what you need to do.I have yet to come across anyone who regretted leaving a negative environment that bothered them (job, country, etc) but I have met plenty of older people who have significant regrets about not taking a chance on a better future when they were younger.
Further Reading
- Bloomberg – Why the EU is furious with Malta – covers problems that I mentioned in the post and other big issues that surfaced in the past year since I’ve written this post.
- Only in Malta – Facebook group showcasing daily unbelievable occurrences in Malta
- Malta New Reality – More shenanigans in Malta
- The Shift – Daily updates on scandals and corruption in Malta
- 70% of Malta’s young people wish to leave.
Such a terrible country to live in. I am so fed up. All day with the sounds of drilling, jackhammers, traffic, cranes everywhere. No public transport, the fact that you have to buy bottled water, and you cannot walk anywhere. I dream of the day when I can leave.
Jean, what a great way to express your feelings. I never expected a Maltese saying this. I agree with you 100%. I am from Argentina, I came here with 39 years old in December 2022. I have two kids and Wife. I am a European passport-holder. After 3 months of living here let me tell you that what I hate the most is the fact that no matter where you go there is rubbish everywhere. The public areas are abandoned and vandalized, if someone cared of them they would be excellent places, but, unfortunately, nobody does it.
Now, after 3 months living here I feel like you. I want to leave. I don’t imagine myself living here for a long term. Some colleagues at the office are Maltese and I love them, great people and well-educated so, related to Maltese people I have nothing to say.
I can imagine how hard must had been for you to face your own people telling you that you’re wrong that this is not that bad… in fact, the island is perfect but without people would be better or civilized people. Now, I am planning to get another job in other country to have a better quality of living. But… if you ask me, I prefer Malta to Italy for living. Thanks for sharing those lines.
Bravo very well said
i feel so sick 🙁 i returned to malta for my job fewmonths ago
and i feel so sick and burnedout i need to leave forever
its literally making me very ill i have severe island fever
At least you know that the grass is indeed greener on the other side for you. Many Maltese still don’t believe that.
it is indeed ! ill keep you updated once i do it..this article is very important to me i keep checking it
I’m Maltese and live in South America (I prefer not to say where ghax Malta zghira). I am visiting my family after 3 years delay due to COVID restrictions. I’m staying in a flat in Balluta and man am I disgusted. What filth!! Dog feces every couple of metres, corners piled with pigeon poo — and i mean PILED! — leaking garbage bags, cans, bottles, empty boxes. It’s horrendous! Totally unhygienic and frankly disgusting. Apart from the physical obstacles, the pavements are left stained with whatever garbage was placed there hours (if not days) before. I’ve been here 3 full weeks and I have NEVER seen ONE street sweeper. There were 3 cracked eggs near a residential house last week — it was there for 3 days!
And by the way — the Sliema Local Council is like two blocks away! What a joke!
Many Maltese suggest that I live in filth cos I live in SA. Believe me, I live in a middle class neighbourhood and we have 3 shifts of street sweepers per day. Our streets are impeccable compared to what I’m seeing here. The lack of care and maintenance of the streets is very close to making Sliema/Balluta become a slum area.
This article shall win the best article award that malta ever had.. i hope more people will share their experiences on this ugly corrupt island
I didn’t read your full story but I’m glad that you took the right decision, I’m Maltese and 26 Y/O still living over here because I don’t know what to do if I went to live somewhere else, I always wanted to invest my money which I did but I’m still not satisfied with the results as you said Malta in very small and we have too many foreigners that everyone is complaining about it feels like the government always wants more money but for his own pocket, the foreigners coming here form big counties and they want the best jobs that pays well meanwhile Transport Malta giving licenses to the 3rd country people who doesn’t even speak English language and some of them carrying fake licenses, in 1 flat I saw 10 people which is crazy if you ask me how can they live over there?
once I was talking to this Maltese guy I know him and he’s a really good friend, he went to a minister to ask for a good job opportunity and help him and he replied with the good jobs go for the foreigners cause that’s where the money coming from, I honestly felt like shit telling me this story and wasn’t surprised cause I know that what they say is always bullshit like what they say Malta is for the Maltese it’s the biggest joke and people clap for them..
In terms of investment you can’t do much if you don’t have who really helps you and still, you’re not going to purchase an apartment for 280K in a disgusting area to make money off of it even for yourself I mean 280K could get you a really huge house abroad with a garage included not a flat..
Malta is at it’s last stage and soon everything will fall a part and I hope this day comes true, with the monthly groceries sky rocketed, banks advertising for loans, properties staying empty for sale for years, wages it’s the most disgusting topic, too many foreigners, too many cars, too many corruption and the list goes on.
Agreed, it’s game over for Malta, it’s just that some people are deluded about it. The only clever thing to do is to leave and build a life elsewhere.
Hi im maltese and i keep checking this article
Living in malta has been very depressing and lonley.
When i was a kid it was nice but now im in my 20s.iv seen it all.
Wages are very low rents very high(so i have to live with a toxic family)
Its extremly small and the people are not friendly at all.
Being lgbt is a nightmare here few choice if people and not much where to go without seeing same faces.they all seem to have internal trauma and are extremly judgeful.
No nature just beaches.
I desperately need to leave as its making me depressed. Once pandemic ends in hoping to finally catch that plane and leave forever.
My advice is to leave and not wait until the pandemic is over. This is as good a time as ever to start over.
Jean Galea , I migrated to Australia in Jan 1975 at the age of 25 . I have family and close friends in Malta and I love it . I have been over with family and on my own 13 times in the last 47 years . I hate leaving the island and always thought that one day I would live there 6 months of every year , until my last visit in 2018 . I was shocked with all the changes for the worse that I saw , that some people may call progress , but I decided that I will visit to catch up with family and friends whenever I can , but I could not live there with their archaic mentality and the way they do things . I agreed with most of your article Cheers
Thanks for your thoughts Pauline.
Thank you. Your words made me realize many things about Malta. I work here as Software engineer for over 8 months. This is my first time work abroad. Fortunately, it is Malta. It’s a cool island. However Malta is too small to explore much more about Europe … Besides, most people here I’ve met are just tourists. Because I live nearby Balluta bay, tourists’ area. I met some people then said goodbye no long after they became my friends.
Well. For the moment now, Malta hasn’t got me feeling much bad with it.
Before I came to Malta, I also felt leaving from my country, Taiwan. The difference is I didn’t feel much frustrated in Taiwan actually.
I think sometimes, people just have to leave from where they were born. To explore themselves they have to leave from parents and from the family.
Furthermore, Maltese people are not friendly if it compare to people from other countries.
Thanks for sharing.
It is refreshing (for lack of a better word) to read a Maltese born talk so openly about his country and its flaws. I have been living in Malta for 10 years now & every thing you wrote about, I experience daily. I know that I will leave Malta eventually, when my step-son is a bit older. This is how I keep going.
The one thing you wrote and that resonated through me is about the anxiety and frustration you felt. These are not easy to deal with. But to see one fist raised high up against the lack of reactions on the issues plaguing the archipelago gives me hope. There is some solace after it all. Now it has given me a new determination and reason to prepare our departure. Many thanks for sharing your experience with us Mr Galea. Many thanks.
You’re welcome Armelle.
I only stayed on Malta/Gozo for one month, but I can see everything you’re saying is true.
I couldn’t believe the level of overdevelopment.
Trying to walk medium distances on Malta was an awful experience. Litter, uncared for pathways, no entry signs, or just no option but walking along fast highways.
The air was polluted, and after the fact I saw that Malta is third worst in Europe for pollution.
In addition, jellyfish seem to be an increasing problem, to the extent that a live jellyfish map is becoming necessary.
I certainly won’t be going back I have to say, not my idea of a holiday.
A spot on article.
If i was still young i would surely leave this hell hole.
It is becoming worse every day cause the bright people are leaving in droves and the concentration of idiots is increasing.
I agree with you 100% about your comments, also I want to add That the petard bombs are really annoying for those of nervous disorders, and there is no cure for the Maltese system
Im so depressed living in malta
I cant wait to leave this country
I lived here 28yrs im maltese and its terrible
So small no countrysides nightlife sucks here
Could not agree more to every word said. I could a lot more details on the level of corruption, criminality and hatred that makes up this country that will send you into therapy. Malta operates on a system if two rules and two measures, an apartheid system endorsed by the people it discriminates against, This has been in the making for hundreds of years, creating a toxic situation which the world would do well to cordon off.
Agreed, unfortunately the only solution I can see is to leave and seek a better life elsewhere.
Woah…
I read all this article and I agree with every single word.
Let me give you a short story about me.
I am Elizabeth and I live in Bugibba ( I know, not one of the best places either)
I am currently 29 years of age and I still live with my family.
I have lived abroad for about a year and a half and I loved it to bits. I had such a beautiful life. I worked in Hilton Heathrow as a Front Desk trainee (as I was still a student at ITS) and I had to come back to repeat one single module.
I was heart broken.
I vowed to return but I let family and friends brainwash me to continue studying and I went for a degree. I will not going into more details about this however I guess obtaining a degree is never a bad thing to do.
However those years that I spent in Malta ( I am stuck here right now because of the situation) did not help me and they enhanced my anxiety and fears and I think also initiated my depressive state..
I do not want to sound like a drama queen as I am far from that.
If you get to know me, I love to walk for long miles. I used to live in the UK, Berkshire county to be exact, It might have not been the ideal place to live but I loved it.
I loved commuting to work, I enjoyed walking to the convenience store and pick up food and have a chat with the person working there.
I loved the breath of fresh air that you get every time that you step outside especially in the early morning where I used to witness beautiful squirrels in my back garden.
That was so wonderful. To have your own back garden where you can read your favourite book or sip warm tea and just relax.
No sound of jack hammers and cranes working (all day). No smell of pollution, no people shouting from rooftops.
Anyways, I used to have a good life in the uk, I had made tons of new friends. I had a good job and I had become so independent.
I was cooking for myself on a daily basis and I was cooking good food and not just buy take out or eating pre packed food or frozen goods.
My housemates were all so cool and I got along well with them.
It really hit me hard when I had to return to Malta to finish that module and finish my studies.
I had to go back to living with family and having no privacy (at about 25 years of age). I had to go back to the polluted and dusty air.
I had to go back to the very outdated and bad mentality of the majority of Maltese people.
A clear example of this would be when I had clearly expressed my interest in going to live abroad again and my mum’s friend told me
” Ha terga thalliha lil ommok wara dak kollhu li ghamlet ghalik?”
As if, my love for freedom and happiness is to be held back and be dictated or else,it means I do not care for my family.
Living back in Malta is driving me Insane…
The only thing that keeps me going is reading and painting and applying for jobs abroad.
I go for a walk every single day which is not easy when I have to look everywhere and to make sure not to squash some animal feces as they are everywhere.
Litter is everywhere you look.
I cannot walk in the darkness in peace in Bugibba (which I love) as there ALWAYS has to be someone who tries to chat me up and such.
Another thing that I like to do is trekking. I have been to many lovely areas in Malta however what really grinds my gears is that many of the places that I have been to, either have a PRIVATE PROPERY or NO ENTRY and list goes on. There is ALREADY not enough space in Malta to go for a walk and exercise and the list keeps getting shorter….
In my street there are cranes and also in the street behind me…and in front of me…and nearly every where I go..I see a crane…I am…just fed up of all this construction. It is too much.
There are so many abandoned houses and apartments that could use some brushing up and be used to accomodate people.
Why do we have to keep building?
Wages.
I might not be as qualified as a doctor or an Engineer but that does not mean that I deserve to get paid 5 euros an hour. I am graduated with a Higher National Diploma in Hospitality Management and also a B.A in Tourism studies.
I have worked in hotels since the age of 16 you could say. I had started working as a part-time waitress and as time passed, I quickly found out that I loved to interact with tourists and helping them out hence why I then had chosen to continue studying tourism.
Getting to the chase, The minimum wage in Malta is inhumane.
No one can live with that wage, The only reason why I managed to save up a lot of money is only thanks to my supportive family. If I had to try to find an apartment and live on my own in Malta, I think that I would barely make ends meet.
I am not a shopaholic or anything of the sort and I can manage my money well. I managed it well in the uk and I had to pay rent and buy groceries and pay bills.
I used to work in a 4 star hotel (very renowned) however I will not mention names, I used to work part time since I was still studying however in Summer, I used to work my bloody ass off to be able to save for travels and for a rainy day. I used to work so hard ( about 80 hours a week) and my wage would be about 1,100. Tell me if that is fair?
I know life is not fair but after all my hard work, I deserve to earn more.
This is another reason I am leaving Malta.
I just find it so hard in Malta as the rent prices here are ridiculously expensive and out of reach. I would not dare to live in Sliema or those areas as that is my idea of a nightmare.
Traffic congestion,ignorant fools,overpriced food,dog feces on the pacement,noise pollution,light pollution..list goes on..
I miss walking into forests and parks. I miss going to proper bookshops. I also miss how easy it was to just hop on a bus and be in another country. I miss it all.
I do not think that I would want to live anywhere in Malta, there is not one place that my heart really desires. I prefer to live in some beautiful cottage in the British country side (yes, I am obssessed) whilst sipping a cup of tea whilst looking out the window and not wishing for anything else because I am happy here, I am happy living here. I do not need anything else.
That is a long rant but yes, I agree with every thing that You said Jean.
Do you agree with me?
I hope that you will follow your dream and do everything to live the life you deserve!
Hi Jean, I am Daniel from Malta, Maltese just like you. I am happy to see your article as I can agree with nearly everything, however, I could never bring myself to leave due to my family and a niece growing up.
Tbh, the problems are exceeding due to the high numbers of EU migrants coming here as if we have all the available space on the world yet they complain about our lack of environment (a bit hypocritical tbh, considering the amounts of flats being built to suit their demands).
I believe for a country with limited space we should have a priority towards those from poor countries trying to get a better life rather than some overprivileged Europeans.
Thanks for your comment Daniel. Joining the European Union gave Maltese innumerable benefits, but one of the side effects of union membership is exactly what you mention.
With EU membership we no longer have “our country” while others have “their country”. For all intents and purposes, we are all equal, apart from each individual’s passport. Therefore, as Maltese passport holders we are now free to go anywhere in the EU to study, work and settle in other countries. Conversely, others can come to Malta in the same fashion. Malta is just as much of the Maltese-passport holders as it is of the “foreigners” who have come to Malta from other European countries in search of a better life.
I still think the increase of population needs to be controlled, we can’t have this much of an increase no matter if we’re in the EU or not.
Ever since you were gone, things have changed. We’re up to 100,000 foreigners now, most of which abuse the fact that English is a national language to avoid learning Maltese, not to mention the disasters that lead to some buildings falling due to the unfortunate construction boom.
The lack of help from the EU when it came to migrants began a Mexit movement.
However, some good things happened such as the ban on single use plastics and the new green wall.
Overpopulation and too much construction are the first two things that hit me every time I visit, and the change from when I left is very evident. On the other hand, unfortunately, it’s the deal you get when you join the EU. I am not aware of any other place in the EU that has a control on immigration, and I am sure that it would be unconstitutional to implement such a thing.
Migrants are not the problem. There are plenty of apartments and houses left to fall into disrepair so they can be written off as unsafe and then turned into bigger apartments so the can ignore the rules on historical buildings. There are plenty of part built apartments just sitting there not being completed to avoid taxes.
If you need all the extra apartments being built to house the migrants then why are there so many houses and apartments left empty?
It isn’t the migrants causing this it is the people who see the property boom as the way to make money.
If you are so sure it is migration from the EU causing all your woes you can stop it, there are ways to limit it written into the EU regulations. I can go look them up again but I know they are available because I looked them up to argue against that point when people tried to claim it as a reason to vote for Brexit.
Agreed.
Europeans constitute most of the migrants and it is undisputed that their population EXPLODED to unsustainable rates these last few years. Though, I am interested to know what you mean regarding ” there are ways to limit it written into the EU regulations”. Tell me more.
Daniel, the problem is that there are too many restaurants and other tourism bases businesses with too many cheap labour, not the EU experienced migrants bringing actual money to the island. And yeah, I am an EU migrant who gets money from HIS country, paying taxes and VAT to your goverment, but that is gone, I am sick of locals, their approach and generally that shithole. I am bringing everything, closing the business here and will be paing 9% in a normal country. With regards to being overpriviled, educate yourself and learn some useful Languages and maybe you will be given a job, although it it known Maltese are not welcome in EU oriented ocmpanies, guess why?
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I was considering moving from Norway to Malta but I were somehow expecting all downsides you mentioned. Now the question is, for a EU citizen, where in Europe one can find a balance of weather and quality of life.
-Spain and Greece seems to be suffering from corruption as they always rank in top of corruption index.
– Cyprus seems to be quite small and suffers the same downsides of Malta.
– Italy needs a miracle.
This leaves us to Portugal, and southern France. Only the language barrier I might guess.
Any thoughts and suggestions are highly appreciated 🙂
Hey Aly, check out this post, you should find the answers you need there. Spanish taxation and business mentality sucks, but it’s one of the best places to live in the world. Portugal has an entrepreneur-friendly attitude and great tax incentives, but is plagued by bureaucracy and a big divide between the locals and expats in terms of income and net worth, which can be problematic in the future, and even now you can see the resentment building up.
Hi Jean,
From time to time I come back to this page on your blog to see whether there is something new to read.
I noticed from other articles written by yourself on your bog that you are a person of various interests and that also in regards of literature.
As a Maltese yourself, you surely know about the National Book Prize which is awarded on various sections for Maltese writers. Because of the pandemic this year, the awards have been delayed until yesterday. The reason for why I mention this to you on this particular page is what follows.
There is one book among those which have been short listed for the awards but didn’t get awarded because, as mentioned in the article, the section Poetry in English was not awarded.
Because the book was recommended to me by the author herself and I have read it, I like to recommend it to others too.
It is the book
Lethe: A Rhapsody of Life Remembered by the Maltese author Louise Vella
It costs €10 and can be obtained from this website:
https://bdlbooks.com/product/lethe-a-rhapsody-of-life-remembered/
As it happened, she works at that place herself and recommended it to me.
More information about the book can be obtained via the link inserted above.
The book is written in poetry and is poetry, but there is more to it and one has to read it to get behind what I mean. I say nothing more than that I still find it highly recommendable to everybody who loves poetry, but also to everybody who loves books of good qualtiy and are a good read in regards to diction in language and the story that is told in the poems The book is also written in a way that it works like a cycle and also has a beauty that enfolds itself while reading.
I have tried to bring this book to the attention of the media in Malta (by sending emails as reader recommendation to the Times of Malta, The Malta Independent and Malta Today) in early March 2020, but the first case of Covid-19 coinciding with my emails has rather led them to ignore my emails. Therefore they were never published.
Having been in virtual contact with the author herself I have tried to bring this book to the attention to a company with chain book shops here in Germany, one small book shop in my town, and also to one renown one in the UK.
This wasn’t going with success and for such things are rather left to the author itself to deal with book shops regarding the promotion and selling of their work, nothing came about it afterwards.
In the end I send the second sample of the book that I also purchased from the shop where she works for promotion initiatives, I asked a library in the UK whether they would accept this book as a donation from me and they did. So, one sample of that book is already there, but that isn’t anything that is of some avail to the author herself. She knows about that cos I have always kept her up to date about my initiatives and activities regarding that.
I am posting this because I am still convinced about the talent of the author herself, a natural one, and I wasn’t asked for doing this. It is my own initiative cos I think that on whatever grounds the jury of the National Book Prize decides who wins (I have no idea on what criteria they decide), this book had deserved to be awarded as well.
Maybe others might give her the attention on her work If so, you would be doing the literature community in Malta a valuable service. There are many talents in Malta, but she certainly belongs to them too. That is for sure.
Maybe by chance and interest, you might have a look into this and if you are inclined to publish this message of mine on your blog, it would be much appreciated by myself. In that case I would of course write her about it cos I up to this day, I have never mentioned your blog to her before.
In all those visits to Malta and also from the few internet contacts there, I noticed very often that there are some talents in Malta, not just in literature but also in crafts and although many posters on this blog page come here to tell about their negative experiences in Malta, this story is another one in regards of how the National Book Prize is awarded (of which I have no idea regarding the proceedings and the way of how the jury decides), but it also has a positive aspect and that is the natural talent of the author Louise Vella herself.
Thanks for reading this and I wish you a Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year.
With best regards,
Thomas
I’ll be honest, the only reason I considered moving here was because it seemed like the easiest way to get back into the European Union after brexit.
I wish i had enough money to leave Malta and start a new life somewhere else such a nice island Can’t lie but it lacks in everything 🤣🤣 Like its all about political stuff and nothing else
I don’t know how I have this much hate living here such a boring island full of political shit
U do literally 1 thing here and everyone comments on it
Hi Jean
I’m a South African (with EU citizenship) who’s been living in Malta for just over a year. In general, South Africans are under the impression that the grass is greener on the other side and so decide to emigrate from home. I for one was such a person.
Upon arriving in Malta, I came to realise all the positive aspects of South Africa. Even though South Africa is deemed a third-world country, its cities are so much better than Malta (and many European cities) in every sense. The weather and food are better, the people are friendlier, the cost of living is lower, the average salary of a skilled worker is higher in many instances and the natural beauty is unrivaled.
I am grateful for having come to Malta, as it has cured my urge to be away from my home country. Malta is frankly filthy, poorly developed (in terms of quality and architecture) with no town planning, the weather is miserable (too hot and humid in summer; too cold and humid in winter) and corruption is rife (and this coming from someone who lived through a Zuma-era government in SA).
I intend to return to South Africa in the next year.
Well said. Also goes to show that you can’t believe the news and marketing these days. South Africa has been on my radar for a long time and I plan to visit, but I think it’s been given a very bad reputation in the general media.
I’m sure there are dangerous areas but what you hear about in the media does not match up with the experiences of people I know who have lived there or the many friendly and well-educated South Africans I’ve come across.
Hi, Jean, I just want to say thank you for an excellent article about Malta. You covered everything we wished we knew before settling here. A young lady who is also a bit disillusioned at this time just posted your article on an Expats Malta post as someone asked the Expats for sound advice before moving here. Your updated version is spot on too. You write beautifully btw. If ever you come back to visit your relatives, please look us up as very likely we will still be here. My email address should be good for that. Yours sincerely, Jacqueline
Thank you for your kind comments Jacqueline.