Malta: A Journey of Growth and Discovery

You know that feeling of never wanting to go home again? Well, that is exactly what we are feeling right now, writing this article that will mark the end of what has been our Erasmus experience.

For some of us it was our first experience away from home and family, for others it was our second Erasmus experience, but one thing that united us all was the excitement of having a new adventure, meeting new people and exploring places we had never seen before.

Malta presented itself from the start as an enchanting island, far removed from the rainy Po Valley. Its beauty, a mix of wilderness and breathtaking scenery, surprised us every day. Rich in spectacular natural sights, such as the Dingli Cliffs, St Thomas and St Paul Bay, the Blue Grotto and the island of Comino with its famous Blue Lagoon, which gave us moments of pure enchantment, but also a fascinating history and cities full of charm, including the wonderful capital, Valletta, which entertained us with its colorful carnival, the noble city of Mdina, Mellieha and Monsta with its imposing cathedral, where every corner told a story. Every place we visited left an impression, every landscape made us feel more and more a part of an adventure that seemed never to end.

But, if we must be honest, perhaps the thing that impressed us most was our workplace and the people who welcomed us into it. Our colleagues, bar none, were not only very helpful and open to us, but also genuinely interested in getting to know us and creating a dialogue with us. They have been an incredible source of knowledge and support, teaching us and accompanying us in our work activities: from administrative support, to creating logos and graphics, to those of us who have worked in the tourism industry, those behind a reception desk, and those who have worked as guides inside a museum. These work experiences, even the smaller or less recognized ones, gave us immense gratification, because they made us grow and gave us the opportunity to test ourselves in completely new contexts.

Everything we have learned in this experience will become a valuable store of soft skills that will accompany us for the rest of our lives: independence, adaptability, but above all a great desire to discover, to put ourselves on the line to improve our skills and, why not, even ourselves along the way. Erasmus was not just a trip, but an opportunity for growth that enriched us in every way, making us discover not only a new culture, but also a new part of ourselves. The challenges, difficulties and joys we experienced together bonded us in a way that we will hardly forget, and surely each of us will carry a piece of this experience with us forever.

In the end, what remains of it all is not only nostalgia for the places visited, the people met, but the knowledge that this experience changed us, made us ready to face the future with different eyes and a more open mind. An experience that, with time, will become one of the most beautiful and meaningful of our lives, which we will always think back to with tears in our eyes.