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.
Hi Jean,
Just came back from Malta, spending the New Year’s there. This was my 4th visit and I used to live there back in 2008 for a whole summer. I like Malta, but that country has a lot of issues. The ones you mentioned: terrible traffic, jealousy, rude locals and so on. Unfortunately Malta’s beauty is fading. It is not going towards a good direction. Also you can see the signs of the climate change too: summers are way too hot and winter is getting to the extremes too (too much rainfall; heavy storms).
Customer care is crap down there. Prices are getting higher n higher. Vegetation is poor. There are no clear rules in literally everything: busses come as they come but not really according to schedule. There are 4 star hotels which wouldn’t even get 2 stars in other countries in Europe (like in my country, in Hungary).
I could go on and on but I guess you know what I would be writing about.
Good choice you moved away that tiny rock (sorry). All my Malataese friends left it. Now they live in Canada, in England, in Thailand and in Hungary. I wouldn’t move back for any money. Where do you live btw?
Tibi
Hi Tibor,
I currently live in Spain.
this is vary true, i come Malta one year last, is island very ugly and dirty.
if you come Russia it is vary beaty and in Russia we snot have coruptions!!
Hey, I agree on all of it. To be honest I would add more but ultimately it all resonates with what you said, that is, a dismal quality of life.
I am in Belgium at the moment trying out this country for a couple of months and getting a feel. I also lived in England for three years and its true, one winter season there and you already see and feel how much better it is than Malta.
However, one thing keeps pulling me back to Malta and I would like your opinion about it. Family. Call me over attached but I still cannot detach myself emotionally. I am 30 now and my parents are not exactly the youngest folks anymore and need more help and assistance than before be it driving to the hospital, living alone, not to mention the occasional hospital emergency. So tell me how do you deal with it in in your inner dialogue?
Also, how did you vet the country you are in? I have my criteria but I would like your opinion as I think I could benefit to hear your side, perhaps it will make my search easier.
Regards
David
Hi David,
I’d love to know what you would add to it.
You asked two very important questions. The first is about family. I don’t think it boils down to a question of attachment at all. The way I was brought up I was always encouraged to seek knowledge and create the best life for myself. I think this created the framework for me that enables me to take such decisions. Further down the line my family encouraged me to study abroad, knowing very well that that might lead to me staying abroad after graduating. They also supported me in my decision to become a digital nomad and travel the world while building an online business. Following that, they also welcomed my foreign girlfriend (and now wife) into the family with open arms, so I think the possibility of living abroad was always contemplated by them and accepted, with all the emotional hardship that a parent feels at being separated from their children by geographical distance. I hope that helps explain that it wasn’t a sudden decision for me and neither was it that much of a surprise, I suspect, for my family. In the end, children have to build their own life and be free to go down whatever road presents itself. As a new father myself, I now feel the love and attachment that parents feel towards their children, and I know that it would be tough if in the future my children will decide to live somewhere far from us, but I am fully aware of the possibility, indeed I would say the probability is quite high given the rate of globalization and opportunities we now have. Thankfully, technology can help, and we pretty much chat daily over Whatsapp and have calls on Skype every now and then. On those occasions where we visit the family in Malta or when they come over, the bonding and togetherness is much higher than anything I had experienced when I lived in Malta. This is quite natural, after months apart you tend to make the most of every minute of the week you are together, with lots of great conversations, sharing and affection. I think this has been a great positive aspect so far.
Perhaps I should write a separate post about this as there really is a lot to say about it. You do mention one thing that can be a make or break factor for many people: health. If you have family members who have health issues and obviously need your assistance, I understand that it can be very tough consciously deciding to live somewhere far from them. I haven’t gone through this myself so I don’t have much more to say about it, except that I understand both those who decide to go back and stay with their families to assist, as well as those who decide to live in another country while obviously trying to make arrangements so that their family is also cared for and does not suffer in any way. Ultimately it’s a question of having that inner chat with yourself that you mention and decide what’s best for everyone.
With regard to vetting countries, I made a list of 5/6 essential things that I would look for in my ideal country/location, then proceeded to visit 50+ countries in search of that ideal location 🙂 I know it sounds funny and almost impossible for most people, but that’s what really happened. I think those 5/6 items really developed and solidified in my mind during my twenties, and whenever I visited a new country I treated it as an investigation into whether it meets those criteria or not. Once I found a place that hit the bull’s eye and therefore was so much better than Malta for my wishes, it was an easy choice. Luckily my wife’s ideal features list overlapped heavily with mine further reinforcing the idea of moving there.
Hope that helps David and thanks for asking those two questions.
Hi David,
I also moved to Belgium.Give it time,it is actually the best country in Europe (socially,economically,medically etc.)
I have lived in many countries during the last 30years and there is no perfect country.Belgium however comes close and we just had the best summer ever!We might not need the Mediterranean anymore for holiday destinations,who knows?
Regards Pete
I agree completely, the sheep mentality in Malta is enough to make you want to throw yourself off il-Barakka. I’m also considering leaving Malta after i think this all through. Right now i’m trying to find a country to move to, any suggestions? I really like the UK but i got no clue if certain benefits we enjoy in Malta are available there such as going to hospitals for free, safety and no pickpocketing.
I know Spain offers free healthcare but again i’m not sure if it’s just for local residents. Something else we hear often in Malta is that abroad they have higher wages than ours but apparently their rent is also ridiculously high. That’s the one thing that worries me the most about the UK because i imagine it’s not cheap to live in…
Scotland is the best and often overlooked. Its wildly regarded as the Most beautiful place on earth alongside Nz. Its cheap (calculating shopping vs Malta is 47 euros on every 100 cheaper) , eventful, free museums, free tution, Job Market is enormous, free health care, 5/6 weeks leave, lots of 37hr jobs + benefits, best dressed in europe by far, one of the best Christmases and the best new year in Europe, beautiful houses.people are extremely welcoming and go out of their way to help you unlike the (English) and im not being mean to England at all I lived there aswell. Events are mind boggling and the scenery is just too much… Sure its wet and Cold and I mean thermal undies Cold but the place is simply spetecular.
The comment about being best dressed in Europe caught me off guard, would love to see you substantiate that further.
Well, you are right, but as you said about being a kid playing football in the fields is now impossible. It is possible if you live in a small village like Qrendi(I’m proudly from there and children play outside and espicialy in summer),Bubaqra,Bahrija, Zonqor, most Gozo villages and also places like Mgarr, Zebbiegh, Bidnija,Manikata, Benighsa, parts of Zurrieq and Mqabba and also Siggiewi and Dingli. These places espicialy Qrendi, Bahrija and some Gozo villages are full of 10,11 year old children playing in the streets without any parental supervision needed. I am 12 years old and love life in my village and summer is fun playing football and things. Then places like Hamrun and Marsa are zero at those things.
Hope this helped some people.
Thank you! You put into words very well my feelings at this time living in Gozo with a newborn baby, unable to leave.
I am surrounded by tourists, expats and older Gozitans and my wife is from Serbia, a terrible thought for most Gozitans. I lost my job because i defended myself from a drunk policeman.
Its a great place for many who are here (tourists, older retired expats and older Gozitans) but the small pocket of people trying to make a life here are struggling.
It is at least nice to know there are also rational Maltese people, I only fear, like you, many leave the country rather than affect change.
You forgot to mention the MOSSIES! Enough to drive anyone away.
I don’t understand what you mean by that Lisa, could you explain?
I think she is referring to the Spanish sparrows (which I do not really mind).
Mosquitoes … Mossies …
Ah ok 🙂
I couldn’t agree more, we have just come back from a weekend trip. I always wanted to visit Malta, and my girlfriend made it a birthday gift. I am glad I went, absolutely impressed by its friendly people, history and nature. But mankind has kind of ruined the place, and is really fast making it a bit of a bad place to be. Visitors will not mind too much, but living there… no way ! I hope someone gets into power that fixes it a bit, because it can really be a gem 😄
Where are you living at the moment Jean?
Hi. Thank you so much for your article. This is a disaster! I just bought a ticket to Malta for 3 weeks. I am devastated. Everything I hate is happening there…..and those hunters. I don’t like people and now this. How is it possible that we can’t become a better specie on the planet? I am from South Africa. I also liked Spain. Oh dear I really feel your pain.
Hi Alta, you posted your comment in Nov 2018 …. I am just curious to know if you have since done your 3-week trip to Malta ?
I completely agree with these comments. I have just spent 6 weeks in Sliema for the fourth time.The roads,footpaths ,driving and general litter is absolutely atrocious.The amount of construction is also way out of control,the council couldn’t care less and the minister Bonnici is very vague about council responsibilities. Some of the “Footpaths” are made from SLATE, if it rains its slippery if it’s dry with the dust it’s slippery so you can’t win. The ugly buildings(Portamasso) at St Julians are way out of character and more high rises are being erected. The author of this article nails the problems completely. I found the Maltese people fairly rude until you started to speak in Maltese. There are no ques,or general good manners,while there is a lot of history in Malta I don’t consider there to have much of a future.It is a very much third world infrastructure, but as the locals say this is Malta not much you can do.
As a writer, I visited Malta and Gozo earlier this year. Like so many others, I was initially completely charmed by Malta. However, since returning home and continuing my research, I have become very familiar with the assassination a year ago (and lack of investigation or convictions) of Daphne Galizia, as well as the vast areas of corruption on the island.
Forgive me if you or one of your readers addressed this in the many insightful comments but I didn’t see you refer to this other than in regard to the many gambling companies.
Is this something you deliberately decided NOT to tackle for fear of reprisal?
Thank you for sharing your extensive thoughts as a born and bred Maltese:>)
Hi Karen,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. My post was written around a year or so before the incident you refer to. I have chosen not to update my post as it’s not my intention to keep a list of all the things that go wrong in Malta. It was simply meant as a way to clear my head and write about why I left the country myself.
I will say that that incident is a big black dot in Malta’s recent history, and has dealt a severe blow to the island’s international credibility. I can only hope that the case will be solved and the people behind the crime be brought to justice. Unfortunately, as I mentioned in the post, corruption is the order of the day in Malta and I don’t think this tragedy will be enough to change things.
Oh God how I agree with you and it’s only getting worse and worse here! I am looking forward to moving out of here soon and I’m also pretty sure I won’t regret my decision!
All completely spot on. Am living here at the moment and I could not have said it better myself. Am so fed up….
Hi, I think that most of what you wrote is spot on but you did not delve too much in the reason why you actually left.
I am Maltese, have a reasonably good job in Malta but have been planning a move to another European nation that I have not yet been able to finalise. As I am writing this reply I can sincerely say that at 40+ I cannot afford to buy a house, not an apartment or a maisonette, the apartment that we Maltese call differently to overcharge. A house with a tiny garden is what I want. The average reasonable house costs well over €500k whilst renting it requires more than half my monthly salary (I work in IT, not at a gaming company but I still earn over 4k gross per month).
But I digress, the main issue as I see it (I worked in many other countries) is that Maltese people just lack empathy and therefore respect. Rarely if ever, does anyone think, in this forlorn island, how their actions will affect others, as long as they profit from the situation. A quick not very direct example: I have seen, many times, Maltese products, made in Malta, sold considerably cheaper abroad.
Being vegan costs an arm and a leg, and I have had to give up going to restaurants with friends as being an accomplished cook, do not want to pay for salads or pasta with simple red sauce in restaurants. “You are too finicky” is what I am told. No my dears, I care. The animals that you eat have been treated so horribly that I’d rather die of hunger than mistreat them myself. Apart from that, rather than flaunting your “green” new hybrid car, know that your steak is polluting much more than my almond and chickpea burger (apart from being massively unhealthy).
The lack of respect can be seen everywhere, in the large issues as the ones you mentioned (building recklessly, lack of professionalism, etc.) as well as the smaller everyday life issues. As anywhere else in the civilised world, it is against the law to park in front of a garage because you would be blocking access to the same but … “I could not find any parking spot so what should I do…” is the answer I get when I have to park my car over half a km away from my home because nine out of ten times someone has parked in front of my garage. Oh and you know what a police inspector (could have been a superintendent) in charge of traffic said publicly on one of the major radio stations – “It is okay to park in front of a garage as long as it is either for a short period or that you leave your contact details” WHAT!?!?!
At work things get no better – “Eh mela x’naghmel, noqghod naqla l-b-jd nahdem u ta’ fuqi jaqla d-doppju tieghi…” (No way shall I break my b-lls working hard when my boss / manager earns twice what I earn) is the mentality I met in over 20 workplaces that I worked at, both public and private sector.
The only thing that is really excellent, free health services that are all encompassing, is also marred by corruption and clientelism.
I do not like the sun, it hurts my skin and my eyes have a low tolerance for bright light that in Malta is so plentiful. Malta is as dry as bone, but when it rains all the water is left to its own devices to flow to the sea.
So in a nutshell that is why I want to leave. Small things that when added up make a massive monster. I make up excuses for not leaving, valid reasons like my parents’ ill health, etc, but in reality I am just afraid I shall have to return to this land defeated and accept whatever crap deal I get.
I agree on all your points Steve. In Spain I’ve also encountered an excellent free health service as well as very affordable and top notch private health service.
I left because all the points I mentioned summed up together frustrated me in a very deep way and I felt it wasn’t a healthy environment in which I could grow professionally, mentally and physically. Having found other places that suited me much better, it was a no-brainer to leave and settle elsewhere.
Don’t come to Ireland then!
Sadly, I have to say I agree with you. I’ve been visiting Malta and Gozo for almost 30 years and in that time it has changed so much, and not for the better.
I’ve just come back from Gozo and I was struck by how rude and unfriendly people were now. With the influx of people from Africa and the Baltic countries, and money from the EU the attitude of some people seems to have become more insular, rude and selfish.
Malta has definitely lost some of its charm for me but I will go back, just with lower expectations.
I lived in Malta twice in 2011/12 and came back to give it a second chance and stay for 2014/16. I totally agree with you.
At first Malta looked like a perfect place for a young person: working, making good money and having sun, sea and party everyday at disposal. In my first year housing was still kind of affordable, and speculation was just beginning.
After a while during my second stay it became unbearable. The constant disrespect to others embedded in the maltese culture: lack of rules, anything goes mentality, greediness, corruption. The trash on the streets, the difficulty to breath due to pollution, the crowed streets, overflow of tourists, rents increasing and landlords rip off practices, lack of green areas, high prices in almost all products with no alternatives, lack of cultural events. I could go on and on.
And of course, being so small, the island just amplifies these problems. There is no get away at all.
But worst of all is not that Malta had problems. It is that there were no real plans to fix them. No light at the end of the tunnel. And it seems it is still that way.
I cannot be happier were I am living now. I get offers to go back on a regular basis, possibly as a manager or to other higher level roles as my career progresses, but I would rather be unemployed than to go back. Still, there is a shadow hanging around, that one day I may have no option but to go back, as one has to pay bills. I hope that day never comes.
Agreed, would you mind sharing where you are now, just out of curiosity?
Hi Jean, In Spain living close to Gibraltar.
Nice!
I think this part sums it up perfectly:
“The constant disrespect to others embedded in the maltese culture: lack of rules, anything goes mentality, greediness, corruption. The trash on the streets, the difficulty to breath due to pollution, the crowed streets, overflow of tourists, rents increasing and landlords rip off practices, lack of green areas, high prices in almost all products with no alternatives, lack of cultural events. I could go on and on.”
Been here for over a year and while its a great place to work and easy place to find jobs, I constantly shift between being bored and annoyed with the island. To me it just seems like a place where nobody cares. If I want to drill holes in the wall on a sunday morning, im going to do that, if I dont want to pick up my dogs shit, I dont have too. Anyone who has a problem can pack up and leave etc. etc.
True Jean, I left Malta back in the 80’s returned briefly, I wanted to make Malta better Environmentally, reduce waste, spoke about Health and Safety at the workplace. But the Government did not like my experience, because I was to innovative in my ideas. I left and returned back to the USA. I still love Malta, but your view i this article are right on.
Thanks for sharing with all the Expats!
Grazzi Hafna insellimlek!
You forgot a few things (unless they have been already mentioned in the comments – to much to read) such as:
1. People walking on the side of the road instead of using the pavement. The pavement is just a street decoration you see.
2. People who talk and discuss whatever comes to mind when they meet their friends RIGHT IN FRONT OF A DOOR / GANGWAY where people need to pass.
3. People who are ready from an ATM, instead of getting out of the way, so that the next person in line uses the ATM, they would stay there in front of the ATM while the hapless person is waiting for their turn, until this person who is ready from the ATM arranges his stupid money and forget me not notes in his stupid purse and his purse in his pocket.
4. You never dare sing loudly with the choir in church – everyone will look at you as if you are doing something wrong.
5. People cross the road even though they press the button at the pelican light and it is showing not to cross. Then when they cross the traffic lights still would mark red – in vain of course because the idiot would have already crossed.
6. Issue of jaywalking is non existent. If you hit a person and you are a motorist you are at risk of getting a 5 year jail term.
7. The motorist is 99.999999999999% always at fault.
8, Everyone says how important it is to eat healthily. Yet for some unknown reason the food deemed healthy is always the most expensive.
9. I go do the Vehicle Road Test for my car. I prove that my car is road worthy and with a computer printout show that my car does not pollute more than a stipulated limit dictated by my country. However, my license goes up because my car is getting older and hence polluting more. If that is not contradictory I dont know what is.
10. Be at a doctor in a waiting room. A person comes “Who is last?” and everyone,,,he is last… but I was before him….yes and you were before me….and that person was before that one….then an argument ensues. If it is a hospital waiting room – World War III starts.
This is just the tip of the iceberg as they say. It just goes on and gets worse.
What a sad car lobbyist you are. You’re one of those motorists who thinks he owns the road and that they belong to cars. Have you ever been to the most advanced cities in Europe? If so haven’t you noticed that their infrastructure priorotises pedestrians as intended in the traffic hierarchy? You’re blaming pedestrians for not using pavements which are either non-existent, not adequate, or obstructed by cars.
Motorists are at fault? Seriously? We’re the only EU country where the maximum you can get for killing someone on the road is absolutely laughable. Where killing someone while driving drunk, overspeeding and with a suspended licence gets you only a suspended sentence. Road rules are ignored by the majority. Practically all accidents have one common denominator – overspeeding. Once in a while check those decorations with a number on them hanging on the side of the road and compare them to your speedo, you’ll be surprised with the results.
If you try and live with that car centric mentality in any other EU country you wouldn’t survive one week.
I have just returned from first trip to Malta. I was shocked at over development and tacky seaside buildings. Valletta was lovely. I will not be returning.
That is probably the biggest problem, and I believe it will stop many from ever returning as tourists.
MALTA is a SHITHOLE!!
Would be more useful to share why you think that.
No, I don´t think it is a shithole at all. But as a Spaniard, I must admit that it really shocked me first when I started discovering all those things you described in your article… To me it’s a bit like Spain but 30 or 40 years ago. And please, don´t get me wrong. I’m deeply acknowledge to Malta for granting me with the opportunity to have a job here and a comfy living. But it’s totally true when you say one thing is what you see in the travel brochures and a quite different thing is having to deal with these maltese eventualities. Nice article, by the way.
Thanks for sharing Ruben, I am now living in Spain myself and am very grateful about all this country offers, although I find the political situation here particularly depressing and not conducive to the country improving.
Well well . i am not maltese,But i have lived there for many years, and left and back again over a forty year spin .. and wll done you said it all,, Sad but so so true..
Great article! Really enjoyed reading it – from the photos Malta looks like a piece of Paradise, apart from the hot weather, so it’s interesting to hear a different perspective from someone in the know; refreshing. Very sad to hear about the exploitative over-development & building of concrete boxes, which make a greasy profit for a few but depress the hell out’ve the rest of us, it’s like that in my UK city, which is why I intend to move somewhere prettier, in the UK!
Thanks, Malta as an island definitely was like a piece of paradise, but it’s no longer the case. The photos they show on the ads are always the same places like Blue Lagoon, Valletta, Mdina and Gozo. Those places are more or less still unspoilt, but when you live in Malta you don’t spend your time in those places on a daily basis and have to face the real Malta.
I have even heard that Maltese people are losing their apartments because foreigners are buying properties, and raising the price so high, that the Maltese cannot afford paying, and that the foreign companies do not employ any Maltese subjects. Are we being discriminated? You bet!! Like the French and Germans await us to speak their language. If we go to these two countries, you would be forced to speak their language. The should learn our two languages too. We do not have to learn theirs!
I respectfully disagree with these statements. Foreigners should not be discriminated against. Nobody should be discriminated against in fact. We joined the European free market out of our own choice and we operate in a capitalist economy with little government intervention, so prices can and will go up if demand increases, there is no question of discrimination against anyone there. With regards to languages, it’s up to the foreigners to decide whether they should learn Maltese or not, depending on whether it is useful for them or not. I am pretty sure any foreigner who comes to work in Malta is already quite fluent in English, which is one of Malta’s official languages, so there should be no problem there.
Jean thanks for your post, you summarised almost of my thoughts, but I am not Maltase so I can move when I want, but Maltese families will have a big issue whether the economy go up or a crisis arrives.
I would like to add a big issue about rent without any real social rules for the permanent resident.
In my country if you are resident the rent contract is 4 years plus 4 years so the price is blocked for 4 years and after that there is an automatically renew contract with an increase by a percentage decided by the the government. This rule is to help the family otherwise the increase of the rent can be a problem for those families because not all families wage are connected with the market.
It seems that the population is not loving their country.
very well said…so true…..so sad our din l-art helwa ended by this way…iam 58yrs old lived in uk and been in other countries….if i can turn the clock back i would to the same like u did..but with one condition that i stay single while iam living abroad…cause having kids malta is still abit safer then else where???
Thanks for sharing your views Renzo. With regard to raising kids there are plenty of other places that are just as safe and where kids are given a much more holistic education. It’s also worth saying that in Malta there is no real University experience since everybody just attends lectures and goes back home. When I studied at a British university it was a much more holistic experience where students have the opportunity to grow in many ways not just in the subject they are studying. The fact that you’re living on campus plays a huge role in this in my opinion, apart from the activities and groups offered by the university itself.
agree 100% in fact i m going to do exactly the same as you did.
i m just gonna wait abit more cos of my work!
good luck
Hi Jean
I was in Malta last year on a cruise ladder, a full day. In Valletta, really impressive the first impressions of the architecture and the wonderful weather in January.
Your story is authentic, competent and inspiring.
My History with Portugal, my country of origin is very, very, very similar to yours with Malta.
so in the last months I planned to spend a few months in Malta to see if it would be a place for me to live.
About 2 weeks ago I read something on the internet that made me almost change my mind. Now your article has finally convinced me not to go for months, maybe just on vacation.
In Malta as in Portugal as in any Country of the World, I do not think that any foreigner is in a position to really see in depth the true reality of a Country as some natives do!
Portugal is a Country with many problems at various levels, and unfortunately with the EU things have worsened considerably.
the Portuguese government is giving tax exemption for foreigners and several other perks and disfavoring the Natives who are getting poorer and poorer. There are no jobs and the Accommodations are at prices that natives can not afford. finally a disgrace.
On top of that I never appreciated the Portuguese Mentality and now after 30 years living in Switzerland so much less.
I would like to find a country not too far away to spend the winters, and escape the cold and sunless here in Switzerland, but so far I have not found this place.
I wish you a very good time. Best regards from Switzerland.
be blessed
Marie
Thanks Marie. I’ve been to Portugal several times and even to me there were problems that were obvious, probably because many of them are similar to what I found in Malta. The question of attracting foreign entrepreneurs and businesses is a tricky one. I think that if implemented correctly it can be one of the only ways to regenerate a country’s mentality. We all know that it’s almost impossible to create a new mentality just by changing the government or slightly improving education. It’s usually the private sector that can bring about big and quick changes to a country and its workforce.
The problem is that to attract businesses and entrepreneurs you need to offer special incentives, as Portugal is doing. It is only natural that the natives will feel discriminated against. The same exact thing happens in Malta. I don’t think there’s a way around that unfortunately. The natives also have the choice to move to other countries (like Malta) where they themselves would get special tax treatment. The second problem is that you need to be careful what type of entrepreneurs and businesses you will be attracting. For example, in Malta the tax incentives ended up attracting gaming companies, and consequently many highly qualified Maltese people ended up working in that sector just because it paid so much better than the other businesses previously established in Malta. I don’t like the gaming environment and I don’t think there’s much satisfaction in that kind of work, but there are many who disagree with me as well. So if Portugal manages to attract good businesses that employ Portuguese people (but not take advantage of them as cheap labour), then I think the strategy can work very well in changing the way the locals think for the better. Only time will tell, but Lisbon is already becoming a very attractive location in Europe, so perhaps something good is already happening.
How would you rate Switzerland as a place to relocate too?
So true! As retired expats we’ve had enough after 4 years too.The constant noise,dust and dirt ,rubbish dumped everywhere , dogs poo on pavements ,pollution etc.Now,even the sea is ruined from fish slime .Time to go back home .
Oh yes, I think I forgot to mention the fish farming issue in my post.
Slime from fish farms is rapidly destroying perhaps Malta’s only remaining great asset, which is the sea around it. It’s a massive scandal that this goes on uninhibited while the fish farm owners make their millions.
I agree with almost everything you have said. I lived in Spain for 16 years before coming to Malta for work (in the infamous online gaming world) and frankly can’t wait to go back. Like you I find too much traffic, an unhealthy diet, pollution, an unwillingness to accept criticism, expensive rental properties and very poor customer service to name but a few down points. Yes parts are pretty and yes the climate isn’t bad, but overall it is not a place I would advise anyone to settle in.
Thanks for sharing your experience Stuart. Where in Spain where you based before?
Hi Jean,
I spent some time living near Barcelona and then down in the south in Andalucia.
Excellent, both great locations.
Hello to both Jean and Stuart,
I would like to learn more about Spain, I like the honesty that both of you presented about Malta. I am presently doing research about neighboring countries and looking for work (which I imagine is quite difficult for a US Citizen, like myself, to do [with work Visas]. I was wondering if you both could provide similar insight about Spain, as I am looking into the Andalucia region, specifically Malaga and Marabella (however, I am open to any in the southern region).
Thank you again for such truth. It is nice to know the other side of the coin (because, so often, the positives are exaggerated as you two, and many other valid commenters pointed out). I lived in London for nearly two years and COULD NOT WAIT TO LEAVE!!!! It was dreadful!!! I left as soon as I could and lived in Malaga for just over a month. I am fully aware that a month is NOT ample time to learn what I can about a location, so this is why I am asking for further honest information. I want to represent both sides of the coin in my research.
Thank you for consideration and thanks again for your article!
Best,
Nicole
Hi Jean
Where did you choose instead ?
I’ve lived in various countries since I left, and I wouldn’t focus on Malta VS any other particular country or city.