Such Great Heights

as promised, i begin the task of describing a weekend of revelry, daring feats, and incredible chills: carnival on the island of gozo.

carnival is malta's (and europe's in general) mardi gras celebration. the week before lent starts, the island indulges in vibrant celebrations with parades, costumes & masks, and parties & dancing. i had no idea what to expect when i signed up for the adventure through school -- but these experiences are exactly why i am here. in 2004, gozo's carnival was voted the most spontaneous festival in the world because things are so rarely planned - there are no parade routes, no committees. people show up and the carnival begins to take shape. such is malta.


we took the ferry across to gozo, which is infamous as malta's smaller, more beautiful sister-island. i found this to be true, but not wanting to hurt malta's feelings, i will state that i like them both equally. the first night we went out to a party, where people were dressed up just like on halloween in the states. soon the place became too crowded and it was time to head home -- to an absolutely freezing hotel room. this carnival weekend just happened to be the coldest one in over 50 years...and this hotel did not have heating... jodi, ashley, maggie and i pushed 2 twin beds together and spent the night as four spoons for warmth.


the next day, we woke up and began our adventures. we went to dwejra, a small town in gozo that has some of the most spectacular natural scenery malta has to offer. this is the place seen on a lot of the postcards and posters for the country -- the azure window, the blue hole, and crocodile rock. however, just walking around all this limestone wasn't enough for us, and we decided we needed to go abseilling down the side of one of the cliffs. i swear it was very safe, for anyone who would be worried. but honestly, i was absolutely terrified. however, upon touching solid ground i was so happy i did it! what an unforgettable experience.



that night was the actual carnival party on gozo. there were people even more outrageously dressed up than the night before, but we decided to keep it simple with some classy, feathered masks and glitter. all of the outfits we had picked out for the evening had to be vetoed because it was so unbelievably cold. so we bundled up, donned our masks, and headed out for the craziest street party i've ever witnessed. it was held in a town square, right by the cathedral steps in gozo. there were thousands and thousands of people there of all ages and from all over the world. some of the costumes were ridiculously funny, some questionably appropriate, some absolutely terrifying, and some were just awe-inspiring. it was such an insane night of fun, and i fulfilled the song lyrics by spending hours "dancing in the streets".

once again, the night and crowd became overwhelming to us, so we got a crepe, and returned to our ice-box hotel room. it was then we realized we were homesick -- for our apartments in lija, malta. boom. however, when we woke up the next morning (exhausted, sick with colds and headaches, and ready to go home) i realized how pleased and proud i was to have survived the cold, a cliff, and ultimately, carnival in malta.

Abandoned Love

i'm so sorry it's been so long my friends. like i said before, things just keep happening. i guess you should take comfort in the fact that the fewer blogs, the more fun i'm having? anyway, i just got back from celebrating carnival weekend in gozo (one of malta's smaller islands) which i will do an entire post on later - once i can upload pics. the internet is really slow on sunday afternoons.
i finally got my class schedule figured out - which is good, seeing as we're in the fourth week of the semester. i am taking a couple sociology classes and a feminism & anthropology class that should all count back at loyola, and then just a bunch of electives that looked interesting (and not too hard...). i think the coolest class will be my globalization and international relations class because it is made up of students from all over the world -- american, slovakian, british, german, italian, maltese, canadian, japanese, chinese, peruvian. it's like our own little u.n.


i continued exploring this week as i struggle to truly experience all this island has to offer. an open-air market where they sell birds next to lingerie next to dvds next to hand-made lace sort of blew my mind, which was followed by a huge dance-off competition in the streets of the capitol city.

our resident futbol league has made itself official (jerseys and everything) and we played our first game of the semester-long tournament this week. my team (alfonso's angels) won 12 to 5! hopefully, we can keep that up and come home the champions.
**by the way, i am still on the lookout for a shrine or museum or something to honor freddy mercury (the lead singer of queen) who was born here in malta. i will let ya'll know as soon as possible if there are developments on this front.

we just booked our flights to sicily for mid-march and i can't wait. i'm also in the process of solidifying my spring break plans -- which i believe will be spent partly traveling around egypt gazing at pyramids, and partly shuffling around greece and the greek islands. i can't believe this is my life...

i promise, promise, promise to post very soon on the trip to gozo. it was a crazy (absolutely freezing) experience, that i can't wait to tell ya'll about. so, be watching for it. i also promise to not let weeks go by between blogs anymore. i miss everybody so much, and have gotten such fun news about home lately! one, my sisters and aaron have planned their trip to malta officially AND kurt gets to join them! ALSO, anne and christopher are officially engaged, and i get to be a bridesmaid! woo hoo love!

i must go be productive now...this weekend was quite the diversion. miss and love you all!
xoxo, claire

What's the Name of the Game?

oh gosh it's been too long! i'm trying to stay on top of these blog posts, but things just keep getting crazier and crazier here! this week was my first "real" week of classes. in malta, this means you actually GO to the class, although i still am not positive what all i am taking, and MAYBE the professor will show up.... i had three classes where the prof just didn't come... such is malta.

anyway, i am okay with classes being cancelled because i have many other things occupying my time. this week, my roommates and i played a pick-up game of soccer, which was so much fun. after being kicked out of the park by the police, who were the nicest cops i’ve ever come across (not that I come across a lot of cops in my day….) all the girls decided to jump in our residence pool. i decided against it because it is still really cold here - 50s, 60s, and i am too sensible for such adventures. however, some of the boys here decided i couldn't miss out on this bonding experience and chose to throw me in anyway… oh well, it was fun i suppose.

the next day, amelia, ashley and i went to go get our chest x-rays done - a requirement for all new residents in malta. and guess what guys?? i do NOT have tuberculosis! who knew?


classes were cancelled on tuesday for the feast of st. paul's shipwreck – so we spent the day exploring the city of st. julians and eating lunch overlooking the most beautiful harbor i've seen so far. later, ashley, jodi, and i ended up at happy hour in paceville and had the most delicious cocktails in the entire world… i can't wait to go back! we wandered over to valletta for a parade, and the streets were lit up and decorated so vibrantly – the beauty does not read in my pictures. oh well, you guys better just come see for yourselves!




on wednesday night, we all got bundled up and went to the malta vs. albania soccer (er, i mean, "futbol") game. it was soooo cold, but soooo much fun. both teams are actually really bad, and the game ended with a score of 0 to 0; however, it was still a roaring good time.





today both my classes were cancelled, but I DID find the post office and figured out how to use the washing machine, so it has still been a pretty productive day! i have to get used to this laid-back lifestyle. i'm working on it. everything is closed from 1ish to 4ish, or just if the shop owner feels like going home. the buses don't really run on a schedule. professors just don't show up. however, i think adjusting back to the states AFTER this trip will be even harder...!

i’m really excited for this weekend – i can’t wait to get out and see more of this country. but for now my friends, i miss you, and hope to hear from ya'll soon!

love love love.

claire

Make It Hot

baaaaaah - days go so fast here! i'm sorry there haven't been updates recently besides about my ability to watch television....i will do some recapping.

this weekend was one of many adventures. the maltese lesson on thursday night was so fun....however, very few phrases will stick with me i'm afraid. they give out a lot of maltese beer at university events here, which usually does not go too well with lessons. nonetheless, it was a very good time, and i did learn to say "yes" ("iva") which may come in handy!

on friday afternoon, ashley, jodi and i went and explored "the walled city", mdina. this city is unbelievable! they call it the silent city because no one really lives there except nobles. it was absolutely breathtaking. the entire city feels like it's one big castle courtyard. we had lunch at a restaurant that overlooks all of malta, the view was unbelievable. i also tried my first pastizzi here, which is a pastry the maltese are known for. there are 2 different kinds - pea or cheese. i got the cheese cake (which is what it is called, and also confusing if you are looking for the creamy, dessert kind of cheesecake). after lunch we went and explored a little more, and went into st. paul's cathedral, which was unbelievable. it was originally constructed in 60 AD! but after an earthquake they had to rebuild, save a pair of oak doors. i can't wait to go back to mdina and see more.

on friday night a bunch of my roommates and i went out on the town. it was so fun and rather crazy, but a really good time. some major roommate bonding happened, and lots of dancing.

on saturday morning we got up and went exploring again. we took a ferry across the harbor to sliema. we went shopping and had lunch at a place that overlooked the sea. it was so amazing.
we went to paceville again on saturday night, and filled the night with new dance moves - the log roll and the sloth, late night pizza and euros.

today will be a very relaxed day before school starts again tomorrow. i am planning on reading by the pool, cleaning my room, and going to see bride wars with a bunch of girls here... i can't wait. i miss you all so much and can't wait to hear from ya'll!

ohmigod you guys!

guess who figured out how to watch "gossip girl" and "the office" in malta? i die (in a rachel zoe sense of the word). also, they were both sooooo good last night too! i heart jim & pam more than anything...and what da friggg dan and ms. carr!?!??


you know you love me, because i am the best bear - a black bear.

Nobody's Got No Class

well, malta is beyond belief.
everyday i have to remind myself that this place is real...

except for at school, where i count down the minutes until i get away. the class system is confusing, and i have such a hard time concentrating! i still do not have a permanent schedule - but i have another week to figure it out. it's nice to try out classes so i can veto ones that i know i won't be able to sit through.

everything else is amazing. it's beautiful and fascinating. every direction i look i see something i need to explore. it's actually really overwhelming, because i do not want to miss anything. all my plans for traveling may be hindered by my desire to really explore and learn this island - though egypt, tunisia, and morroco are all tugging at my heart strings too.

(i should mention now that my english is already starting to fall apart! please forgive my any grammar errors i make from here on out.)

i finally moved into my dorm room. it's in an apartment with 13 other girls - which is both interesting and so much fun! it is like the freshman dorms all over again, except people are from all over the world and everyone is really nice...sorry loyola.

i thought i should mention that valentine is having a really great time here. he made friends with the chickens that i despise. he is trying to teach me to be more open-minded. he is getting very tan because he sits by the pool all day and refuses to use sunscreen. he misses his friends, but tells me he is in no rush to leave.

tonight there is a maltese lesson here at the residency so we can all learn a few phrases. everyone speaks english, but the effort to speak maltese is appreciated and seen as a sign of respect. i can't wait to learn a bit! then we are off to a wine bar right by school that is so cute! i can't wait to bring my sisters. the drinking age here is 16, which always throws me off a bit. i do not get carded anywhere i go...VERY different from back home!

i should go get ready. i miss you guys so much! i promise to get more pictures up on here soon - it just takes so long! let me know if there is anything you want to hear about on here - give the people what they want, right?

lots of love, claire

I Took A Trip on a Gemini Spaceship

hello my friends.

first of all, i need to update the address that i put on here earlier. the correct address is:

Claire Hill 104A
University Residence
Robert Mifsud Bonnici Street
Lija, MALTA LJA 1405

also, i found peanut butter, so no need to send that, just in case.

not too much new to report yet. i was supposed to start classes today but the system is so confusing and frustrating that i just ended up just coming home! i will try again tomorrow. i am working really hard at trying to see the system as different, not inferior, to the states' - but it is really hard!

i also blew my converter and found out i can't watch "the office" or "gossip girl" here online at all. i am also working on accepting this as simply part of the experience, but ya'll know how much i love blair and jim! i will just have to catch up when i get home.

this is a quick one. i have to figure out my classes before tomorrow. i miss everyone so much and i hope things are great at home.

you know you love me. xoxo, gossip claire