Week1
On my first day in Malta right after we landed, we took a few pictures and went to the bus which gave us our case to our apartment. I was placed in the tower gates apartments. On the second day we had to go to Easy Job Bridge. I had it a look around Malta before going to Easy Job Bridge. While there we were given out instructions for our apartments and emergency contact numbers. After that we headed out with John to Valletta where we got our bus passes. We were introduced to our jobs, Easy Job Bridge drove us to the places we needed to be. Charlotte came with us to the workplaces. Firstly, we went to Ozo Group for my job placement where we met our supervisor. I was placed in the HR group. The other girl was placed in the operations department. We were told our first day will be short with a simple introduction and we will start properly on Wednesday. We said our goodbyes then visited another students’ jobs placement. We went back to Gzira. On my 4th day in Malta my classmates and I had to find our way around Malta to get to work using our bus passes. We found it hard to navigate but found our way. On my first day we did some filing, and I made a few phone calls for the company. The first day was simple and we got to meet some of the workers from all around the world. We had food in the lunchroom, and I learned a lot about the company. When it came to home time, we used the bus system. It was fun add an informative day in which we learned a lot. On our fifth day we decided to take the Bolt to work. We arrived a few minutes late and had to find how to enter the building which the companies’ workers helped us with. We given some work to do which was hard as the people I was given to call didn't speak very good English and it was hard to communicate with them. I spent a long-time making phone calls. We also had a booking to go to dinner that evening with John. We had a great night and later headed back to our apartment. On Friday we took the bus to the business. Friday was simple when we got back to the apartment, we decided to go out for food again and went home after. On Saturday we did a tour of Malta and on Sunday we went to the Comino. It was a nice first week in Malta and went by very quickly. Week 2 On my second week in Malta at work I came in on time and we were finally getting the hang of the bus system in Malta and would be a few minutes early to work each day. I interacted with a fellow employee before my shift which was nice. After break room I headed down to my area of work and ended up continuing to call clients until lunch. After lunch I ended up writing emails to the same clients to repeat what was said on the phone call in case there was any misunderstanding and to keep the email as a reminder. After the end if my shift I headed back home. The next day was pretty much the same and we used out bus cards to get to work. I wrote more mails and did some filing. I interacted with some of my fellow employees and later went home. I went out for food with one of my classmates. After it I went to the beach side and watched Valletta light up in the night and then headed home. I started to feel more comfortable at work. I felt like I fitted in, but I still had some issues as the co-workers would refuse to communicate in English around me. After work I again headed home and later went out to enjoy Malta as I did all the other days. On my fourth day I arrived at work and was brought to the penthouse of the building and was given work to do with the owner of the business alongside the Lithuanian woman I met on my first week. She later took me to the Ozo Group Academy and we both worked on the presentation, and I was given the task to complete the company’s induction booklet. When my time came to leave, I left my laptop in her office and left. She made me feel more welcome and appreciated. On Friday I continued to work with her and even stayed later to help her finish the presentation and practised with her. We spent the day making it perfect and adding any needed information. I was also able to write the minutes for a meeting. During the weekend I visited Xghajra, St. Julian’s, Valletta and the Golden Bay beach. Week 3 On third week the first day of it I was placed back in HR and continued my work there as I did the other days. After work I went home and again went out to see some friends. On my second day they informed me about an Open Day in which they wanted me to be part of. So, they wanted me to become familiar with the files and the induction forms. I was getting more familiar with them and had to attend meetings. In between this I had other jobs to do like calls or filing and emails. On my third day I was asked to review the official forms by the manager, he explained what was needed and how he wanted it to be done. I completed the given task and continued to work on the open day paperwork. On my fourth day, I was placed in reception and started to take in the new workers in the manner I was told too. After lunch I swapped with another intern and was asked to attend job interviews. On my last and final day, I stayed in the HR department and did some scanning and filing. I visited the Lithuanian woman for a small chat, gave them my small gifts and left. The three weeks flew by in Malta and if you ask me four weeks was needed. Nevertheless, I am very grateful as this trip was amazing and brought countless memories and experiences. I met some fabulous people that I am sure I will keep in touch with for a long time.
0 Comments
Week 1
Monday The day after we landed, we had a meeting to attend with our hosts in Malta. A friend and I meet and went to explore the surrounding streets and slowly started to make our way to Easy Job Bridge where all the business students had to meet. After finding the location we ventured further and got to know our city and the general way back to our apartments. We meet our host and were introduced the program and rules of the apartments. The girls in my apartment decided to go out and see the night life of Malta, with is just as busy as the daytime. Tuesday After our briefing we were brought to our part time jobs and we were introduced with the staff. I was led to a host company, and I started my inductions and training the same day. I had meet with everyone and made friends with another Erasmus student working there Emanuel, he showed me how to do everything and I spent my day shadowing him. I used the bus to get back, it was difficult, but I had an app that helped me find the right bus stop. Thursday I had been quick to catch on to what I had to do. Today I oversaw digitalising and filling invoices. Emanuel was by my side helping me along and answering all my questions. The day went by quick, I decided I will go exploring the capital of Malta Valetta. Friday We decided to go to St Julian’s, a roommate of ours that has been in Malta for several months suggested several places for us to visit. We went shopping for food and other necessities. Saturday My two flatmates and I decided to buy tickets to a bus tour around Malta. This took us the whole day; we were able to listen to an audio that narrated the history and significant of the places we visited we had decided to hop off in Mdina and explore it for a few hours and get the last bus back to Gzira. I had walked around the city walls and got some food in the restaurants. We ran out of time so we could not explore the catacombs. Sunday We had booked a two-day trip, one was a bus tour around Malta and the second was a boat trip to Gozo and Cimono. My friend and I got up early and left to catch the boat. I felt sick from all the swaying of the boat but managed to make it to the Islands. Gozo looked beautiful but we really wanted to spend as much time in the blue lagoon. There were so many tourists in the blue lagoon, however there weren’t many people going into the water to swim. Swimming in the blue lagoon was peaceful and beautiful. This week has thought me how to be more self-reliant. Week 2 I had progressed with my work and no longer needed to be supervised, Emanuel was given a different job. I was still able to ask for assistance whenever needed. I had to file all the invoices I had digitalise and label each box. We had to find specific invoices and write up missing information about orders into Excel. I had taken the bus to the city close to our home. I decided to walk and got lost, but because of the exploring we did the week before I recognised certain landmarks and was able to make it back home. It was a nice walk so I spent the rest of my stay in Malta going to the nearest town and walking back. We were rarely ever home once I came back from work. I would change and leave to explore Malta, I would go new restaurants or just wander around taking in the beautiful scenery. On Thursday sadly a student who was working with me and had trained me during the week was leaving to go back to Spain, we had a small party for him and were let go from work early. My flatmates and I decided to go to the English coffee in the evening. It was still fun we got to meet many people from all backgrounds, I had made some friends there and had planned to go out some other night. Due to going out to the English cafe and socialising my communication skills and overall confidence got better. I was no longer shy but eager and interested to know more about everyone’s experience in Malta. On Friday after finishing work, I had finally started to get the hang of how the buses worked. I got home and met with a group of friends to get some pizza. In the evening I went to meet with the group of people I meet at the English cafe, we got to know each other and spent the next Saturday hanging out in Valletta. We went to several museums and got the best pasta in Malta. I learned the importance of teamwork and clear communication. Week 3 The last week we really calmed down with going out and exploring. I started to cook dinner and stayed in while the other girls went out as the two previous weeks I did as much as I could and had exhausted myself. I still had difficulty understanding the buses, every morning I would take a bolt which is like a taxi. I would take the bus home after work. I had adapted to the way of living in Malta. I knew most places in our town and surrounding towns. I had learned a lot about the history and the different festivals that are being held in Malta from the locals. For my last day at work, I started at 9:00am as per usual, I had brought several boxes of sweets from Ireland and had made everyone coffee. We got our work done while talking about the difference between Malta and Ireland. Before I finished the office had gathered and handed me a gift bag with several Maltese snacks. We had settled into a routine on the last week, we revisited the places we loved such as Valletta. I could not believe it was our last week. I had gotten much faster at typing and was progressing quickly through the files I had to digitalise. I felt that this trip was too short. I could have learned more skills in my job and explored more of Malta if only I had more time. The weather was only getting better or worse depending how you looked at it, the humidity was rising and so were the temperatures. We all met one last time at Easy Job Bridge, we received our certificates and signed any necessary paperwork. On our last day I would have liked to do some more exploring, but we had to be out of our apartment at 9:30. We cleaned up the apartment and left to wait outside for our driver. We all reminisced about our stay in Malta, we talked about what we enjoyed and what we regretted. Our driver picked us up and we reluctantly gave up our keys. Introduction: Eleven students were selected to travel to Malta, from the following courses: Business Studies, Pre-University Arts, Legal Studies, Business Management, Law & Criminology and Special Needs Assistant courses. The following is a short account of their Erasmus+ experience. Student: Teniola Olaleye
Week 1 Week one in Malta in the books. It’s been a week filled with an array of experiences. Firstly, work experience. We arrived on Sunday evening, not knowing what lied ahead for us but excited and scared, nonetheless. On Monday, we met with the job agency, “Easy Job Bridge”. They had us watch an information video and sign some paperwork and then we were let off for the day. We went back to our accommodation and did our weekly shop (not that it stopped us from eating out every day). Following that, we went into the capital and explored what Valletta had to offer. We had our welcome meeting with our mentor, Chantelle. Later seizing the time we had, we made our way home and took to Msida. There we had lunch and took in the beautiful docks and weather. We are fortunate to have come to Malta when we did, the weather is truly perfect. That evening we went to the English cafe as a business group. We socialised with other nationalities and got out of our comfort zone. Wednesday was our first proper work day. The Maltese have an early start to the day, starting as early as 7 in the morning! This was a shock to the system of a business student who was used to joining her 9am class from her bed. Nonetheless, we joined the Maltese in our 8am start and performed our workday. Like most business internships our duties were largely administrative. Filing, sorting, printing. The fundamental tasks of any office. Our workday finished at 15.30. Thursday we still found ourselves struggling to navigate our way to work. I always took pride in my sense of direction but the Maltese way of getting around is very different to anything I have experienced before. Writing this in week 2 I can, with slight confidence, say I’m getting there. The workday was in and around the same. That evening we had our first dinner as a whole group (Business students, SNAs, and John at Mamma Mia’s which was really enjoyable. We confided in one another about the difficulties of starting a new job in a foreign country which put me more at ease. I would define Thursday as the day I at last settled into the country. I’ve never said TGIF and meant it but today I was truly grateful it was Friday. A funny moment when I came into work in my work pants and blouse only to see a showcase of Levi’s and Converse. To my surprise casual Friday stretched to even the Maltese work culture. It wasn’t too embarrassing, but I would have certainly loved to wear my converse into work! The weekend was spent touring. Saturday we saw the beautiful towns of North Malta, a highlight being the ancient city of Mdina. Mdina offered us beautiful baroque architecture, quaint cafe’s within the city walls and a panoramic view of Malta. It was a beautiful experience, and I am happy I got to have it. Sunday, we took it easy as the song suggests and had a late start to the day. We spent the late afternoon exploring the city of Valletta on Bolt scooters. Malta offers a plethora of ways to see its top sights and we aim to employ them all! Week 2 Week two in Malta saw myself, and seemingly others, finally getting into a routine. This week I could perform my activities without aids. I could get to work without google maps (or a Bolt due to frustration), I knew my buses without checking the Tallinja app, and the FOMO certainly wore off. Usually, when one is abroad there is this “fear of missing out” and desire to do everything and anything tourism related. Well, my desire to rest overrode my desire to get out of the house. Nevertheless, I still seized the opportunity to see a few places remaining on my list. On Monday, I went to Sliema in the evening. I got food with the girls in my flat and walked along the promenade to get a feel of the place. It is a beautiful town with lovely views and restaurants to explore. Tuesday, we as a group were fortunate enough to meet with John, our Deputy Principal and Erasmus coordinator, for lunch. As much as I appreciate the independence it is nice to be able to share our perspectives on this experience to a listening ear. On Wednesday an exciting new development occurred at work. I was given my own personal laptop. Word Processing and Communications were two modules I excelled in during my level 5 course. I was excited to display my prowess. The majority of tasks assigned to me were data related. I was asked to change employee data, transfer information from one database to another etc. Once upon a time, I thought of administration as a daunting field with a plethora of systems and processes to remember. Fortunately, technology has made the job easier to perform. I feel confident I could perform an administrative job upon my return to Ireland. The more confident I get in navigating my various journeys around Malta, the more I discover. After a week and a half, I was surprised to discover that the University of Malta was right behind my accommodation. It is surprising how much you notice when your head is not down looking at a map. It is a beautiful campus that offers a wide range of courses and is known for its international student population. Subsequently after this discovery I began to notice how much of a melting pot Gzira, our place of residence, was! I’ve met more internationals than nationals compared to any other country I’ve visited previously. On Thursday, I attended the English café in Sliema. It was nice to meet different internationals and I appreciate the concept. Friday came quicker this time around and so did my pair of jeans because it was casual Friday. I was not making that mistake again! It is strange seeing people out of “uniform” but a nice tradition that the workplace offers employees to participate in. The weekend was finally here and we surely made it ours. Some of us decided to head off to Sicily for the day. Italy is beautiful, but much bigger than Malta and a day was definitely not enough to do everything. Nevertheless, I can now say I’ve been to all my friends which was my biggest priority. I ended this week with a solo trip to Marsaxlokk. Marsaxlokk is a fishing village in the south east of Malta that is known for its local fishery economy. I had a two-day touring ticket to use as I chose sleep over going to the Blue Lagoon the week before. So, I hopped on the big red bus in Valletta and took a trip to see this renowned place. It certainly did not disappoint. It is a small village, but the tourism keeps it alive. There was such a buzz as soon as I arrived with the smell of fish and saltwater complementing the aesthetic of the village. It would have been sacrilege to go to Malta’s fishing village and not have a fish related meal. I had a lovely salmon carbonara that was as good as it sounds. I then walked on the promenade and absorbed the beauty of the place before heading back to the accommodation. That concludes my week 2 summary. A work-related reflection I have made would be that though I would perform well in a job such as the one I am currently doing, I don’t believe I will take the administrative route. As a law student a lot of my conditioning to choose the legal route came from the fact that I am constantly talking about something. Communication by way of advocacy continues to prop itself up as the career I will end up choosing. All that to say, I don’t regard any work experience as gratuitous. I believe experiences that reveal what you don’t like are of equal importance as experiences that reveal what you do like. I am grateful for this opportunity the same as any other. A general reflection would be that for all my life I have made friends and acquaintances out of convenience. We found ourselves in the same spaces which subsequently revealed our common interests thus forming bonds. I have made nearly all my friends by consistently showing up to places related to my interests and obligations: school, Irish college, summer camps, work etc. Erasmus gave me the opportunity to go abroad with 11 different strangers with an array of personalities, interests, hobbies, morals, and values. It has compelled me to invite different perspectives to challenge my worldview and completely shatter the echo chamber I had created for myself. I have been humbled but stay grateful because it is necessary to step out of one’s comfort zone. With anticipation (and a handful of salt), I look forward to week three. Week 3 As it was the last week, my final days in Malta were spent attempting to soak in all that I could. From the mundane to the thrilling things, I tried to stay in those moments as long as I could. My walks to and from work became more meditative than stressful, the morning pandemonium outside my bedroom window became my natural alarm clock, and the conversations and music from the pub below me lulled me to sleep. A place that once felt so alien morphed into a place I knew like the back of my hand and would soon be leaving a piece of my heart in. We went to see the Blue Grotto on Monday. It is a beautiful natural spectacle. On Thursday we finished our placements and celebrated with dinner at the Hilton on Wednesday. In between, I captured normal pictures of the neighbourhood I was staying in. The pretty trees, painted buildings, and unforgettable blue skies. This week saw a series of goodbyes and lasts. I think the hardest thing to leave behind was the familiarity of it all. I had a routine, a specific bus route, a bin schedule, neighbours, that I would not see or experience again. I also developed an affinity for Amigos Pizza, which I had named the “best pizza I have ever had”. It supported me in times when cooking required too much energy and was certainly the most heart-breaking thing to part ways with! I like to believe I’ll be back, and this won’t be the last time I see these people or experience this country. There is a lot I did not have the opportunity to explore and people and things I want to meet and do again. If not for Erasmus I would never have considered Malta as a holiday destination, never mind as a place I could work and create community. There is a huge international community in Malta that make it so inviting to non-Maltese such as myself. After this Erasmus opportunity I can say, I intend to make plans to come back and work here for a while. I am forever grateful for this experience that has instilled confidence in me but occupationally but also in regard to challenging my independence. There are a lot of places to explore, and people to see, and Erasmus reminded me that this is the time to be partaking in such activities. I want to express the utmost gratitude to those who supported me in this project (it truly takes a village) and helped create this core memory of mine. .Week1:
Flight to Malta from Shannon We met with easy job bridge to meet Charlotte and got a bus to the work placements of each other and got to meet our host/ manager for our 3 weeks here in Malta. On the Tuesday we started our work placement and I have to say it was a lot different from Ireland in the ways of the children being thought through English and not Maltese. During the week of working, I undertook many responsibilities to mind the kids for the duration of my day and it was hard work as some were at different stages of the life some could talk some couldn’t, some couldn’t hold a paint brush some could! On the weekend we went to the blue lagoon and went shopping around the different outlets it was a good experience as we can see the beauty of Malta Week 2: It was a good week overall, but it was exhausting as it was our first full week. It was easier to settle in and the home sickness wasn’t as bad. The workload wasn’t as hard as the first week, but my supervisor was out sick, so I had to step in and take care of the children, know there routine and keep them up to date with their daily goals. At the weekend we went to Sicily and went exploring in Valletta it was good opportunity to see the city outside the apartment. Week 3: I settled-in better this week as I been here 2 whole weeks. I got more familiar with bus times and where I was heading to and from work and where was around e.g. shops I also knew the work schedule much better the week flew though. I am sad to see it come to an end, but I have to say it’s one for the books and I will always remember the SNA GTI trip to Malta 2022. Week 1
On Sunday the 15th of May the SNA students and business students all gathered at Shannon airport, bags packed, excited to start our journey to Malta and begin our Erasmus work placements. It was a 3 hour and 45 minutes flight and we landed in Malta 10:40 pm. As soon as we landed the weather was warm and we were swiftly brought to our apartments by minibus. I was sharing the apartment with the 4 business students and sharing a room with a French Erasmus student that had already been here in Malta for 3 months. Woke up on our first day in our apartment and got ready to leave for our meeting at Easy Job Bridge. The Sna’s had their meeting first and we all decided to meet at a location in the middle between our two apartments and walk the rest of the way to the Easy Job Bridge office together. The meeting lasted one hour where we met our internship coordinator Charlotte. Charlotte then brought each of us to our work placement to be introduced to our supervisors, we were then told about our working hours and basic rules for working with their establishments. After that we were given the evening off and we decided to head into Valletta to buy our travel cards, had a look around the centre and got some lunch. The rest of the week was spent Learning the bus routes, getting to know our workplaces and their set routines. I was put into the group of children who are 3 years old. There are 13 children in this group, and I learned that one of the children is showing signs of having autism. Throughout the week I assisted with feeding the children, toileting, as well as taking part in their Montessori activities. At first it was quite hectic with so many children, learning all their likes and dislikes but as the week went on, I felt more confident in my role and learned their routine. And being able to have the experience with a child who has autism will greatly help me in my future job as a special needs assistant. On the weekend we decided to go see the blue lagoon in Comino, which we took a ferry over. At Comino we got to through a tour of the caves, swim in beautiful, clear water and see an amazing view. The following day we decided to go into Valletta to renew our Tallinja card, travelled all around Valletta on scooters and watched the carnival parade that was taking place that day in Valletta. Overall, I had a very exciting first week in Malta, got to see many beautiful place, got lost and explored, met many interesting people, and worked with some amazing children. I’m looking forward to what this next week will bring. Week 2 During the second week I was a lot more comfortable in my workplace. I was now fully confident with my bus route to and from work. My work schedule was Monday-Friday from 9am to 2.30. It would take 25 minutes by bus to arrive in Mosta where I worked, so I would always arrive at my bus stop by 8.15. I had learned all of the 15 children’s names in my class and knew their routine down to a T. At 9am they would play in their outside garden. At 9.30am they had circle time where all the children would sit in a circle, and we would all sing various songs. At 10am they had a snack, and all the children would come up to the sink one by one, wash their hands and then grab their own plate and eating utensil before sitting down where we would serve them whatever the snack they had for the day. After their snack the children would go to the bathroom and then they would spend and hour and a half playing individually, they would each grab a separate toy for example play dough or blocks and would sit down on a mat or chair and would play. During this time the teachers would also have a separate activity planned where they would take the children individually or in groups to do. After play time they would have Storytime, and after Storytime they would have their lunch. After lunch they had, the children would go to the bathroom and then they would have a nap until 2/2.15pm. When the children woke from their naps they would then have a snack. I assisted with all of these tasks throughout the week, and any free time I found I would help clean and prepare for the next task. When not working I would go into Valletta or Sliema for a stroll. On Saturday a group of us decided to get a ferry over to Sicily for the day. We all arrived at the ferry at 5am and it took 1 hour and 45 minutes to arrive. We organised a taxi to drive us around for the day, went to the shopping village and then spent 2 hours in Syracuse. It was a great experience and we enjoyed ourselves. On Sunday I decided to take a trip up to Mdina, Malta’s old capital, by myself. I hopped on a bus and used google maps to guide me. At first it told me to get off at a stop in the middle of nowhere and then lead me down this road to an Olive oil factory. I eventually found my way to Mdina and backtracking a bit. It was a stunning place to walk around and get lost in one of it’s many streets, and there was a viewing point towards the edge of the city in which you can take in Malta’s stunning scenery. My experience from this week was overall positive. I felt more settled in the workplace, my co-workers were always extremely nice and helpful, and I felt like the children were a lot more comfortable with me. I visited some absolutely stunning places that I would not normally get to see and got to experience different cultures. Although I did get lost on my way to Mdina I felt like it made the experience more enjoyable and allowed me to see a part of Malta I would not normally search out. Week 3 My last week in Malta went extremely smoothly. I was comfortable in work and knew the routine. We worked well as a unit, especially as there was a couple of days where they were understaffed so I would assist the other Montessori teacher at times. It was a busy week but enjoyable and before I knew it the week had flown by, and it had reached my last day. My last day was extremely busy but as it came to an end, I got a bit emotional saying goodbye to the children and the teachers I worked with over the 3 weeks. On Thursday we went to our closing meeting at Easy Job Bridge. During the meeting, each of us received a certificate for completing our work placement in each of our workplaces in Malta. On my off time this week we went as a group to see the Blue Grotto. The bus journey was long, but the view was worth it. It was absolutely stunning, and I wish that we got to see the water as it changes colour. The rest of my off time was spent arranging gifts for loved ones at home, packing my suitcase and making sure the apartment was clean for our departure on Sunday morning. These past three weeks have been incredible. I got to see a different culture and learn about how they work and interact with each other, I got to work with some amazing people and children and they will be dearly missed. I got to see some stunning places as Malta is full of rich history and stunning architecture, and I got to meet some interesting people, some of whom I met for the first time from GTI and many people who moved to Malta from all over the world. I feel like my time there was short, but I was grateful for the opportunity provided by GTI and Erasmus and will definitely be going back to Malta again. Week 1 We arrived late in the evening to Malta after a 3½ hour flight. We were driven to our accommodation by prearranged airport transfer. We settled in and went straight to bed and didn't really see our apartment till the next morning. It was clean and spacious with a balcony and was situated near the main city of Valletta. We mapped out a walking route to the easy job bridge agency and set off but soon discovered that walking in Malta is tougher than in Ireland as the heat is intense, the traffic is crazy, and the footpaths are either really bad or absent altogether. At the agency we were talked through all the necessary information we would need to live and work successfully in Malta. We were then driven to our work placements to meet with our employer. We were given handouts outlining how to get to your job, manager's name, and phone number. Once all the information was given to us back at the agency, we were free to roam for the day to get our bearings. We headed to Valletta to buy our bus ticket for the week and to enjoy some sightseeing. The following day we went to work via the route given to us by the easy job bridge. Our manager has three rooms each with a supervisor and a specific age range for the children. She placed me in with the 0-12months old babies and said we could rotate each week to get a broader experience. She was very friendly and my supervisor was very welcoming and took time to explain to me what to do and how to do it. Week 2 At the end of week one we took a trip to the island of Camino. We took the bus to the ferry port and took a speed boat to the blue lagoon. It was a well-deserved break for the whole group and the girls had a blast. The following day going to work I reminded myself to take one day at a time but also to work on being flexible and adaptable as every day at work was different and I needed to roll with it to be successful at my job. Week 3 By week I was feeling much better in my work placement. I had formed friendships with the staff at the creche and became close with my supervisors as we worked seamlessly together. I grew attached to all the children in my care and understood them better. I began to see strengths and issues within the group and discussed this with my supervisor as to how they would inform the parents. Some milestones had not been met and thanks to my course I knew what signs to look for. I spoke with some of the parents of the children and enjoyed getting to know them and found them to be open and friendly. I grew in my confidence in the workplace as I received positive feedback from the supervisor and the creche manger. On our last day at work placement, we gave gifts to our employer and our supervisors. We got a real boost with the kind words they use to thank us and gave each of us a Maltese stone jewellery box as a thank you gift. We went to easy job bridge agency to receive our certificate of completion. We thanked the staff at the agency then took the afternoon to browse Valletta and take the ferry to the shopping district of Selima. Upon reflection of this experience, I feel tremendous pride in myself and my classmates. For not giving up and for making such a great impression on our employer. I feel we represented ourselves and our college incredibly well and am certain our employers will welcome future Irish interns with open arms. I am very grateful for this opportunity from Erasmus to experience this adventure as a mature student as it provided me with tremendous opportunity for personal growth. I also connected deeply to my flatmate and made a friend for life. I would highly recommend an Erasmus trip to all students as I have watched the girls mature and grow before my eyes. We have all greatly benefited from this experience and we are very grateful. Week One
Our flight was pleasant and we managed to get through all the meetings and settling in fairly well I feel. At first, I was apprehensive of the accommodation when we arrived late at night and were tired but the next morning I found myself feeling fantastic about it. Really the accommodation was gorgeous and the meeting with Easy Job Bridge the next day was fantastic, quick and my questions were answered well. They also were not completely focused on the work placement, they gave us fantastic restaurant recommendations and told us about a variety of places that they thought we would like to go. After that we all went into Valetta for the day and explored, which I loved, I enjoy sightseeing especially now that things are so alive and busy again after the pandemic. Other than that, I went on a few adventures this week, I wandered the towns of Rabat and Mdina, exploring the museums, cathedral, churches and catacombs and really getting a feel for the history both natural and human in the region. At work, I was given full responsibility to co-supervise a class with supervision, from the get-go. The class had 8 kids, 1 of whom has special needs which was directly relevant to my course. My primary duty was to look after the child with special needs, and to support the teacher in supervising the rest of the class. I don’t feel like I have enough of a feel for it yet to be able to say what exactly I am learning most from the experience, but I look forward to next week’s reflection, I’m sure I will have a good feel for the situation by then. One thing I can say for definite is that the opportunity to work with a young child with special needs allowed me to see much of the theory which we focused on in our child development module, in action. This week I feel like I am practicing my skills I did on work placement. Week Two I had a great time exploring, I went on walks around the surrounding area around our apartment most days, enjoyed seeing the area and experiencing Maltese life. I engaged more with Maltese cuisine and enjoyed traditional dishes like rabbit and various pastries from the local Pastizerris. I saw much of the towns of Birkirkara, Attard and Hamrun. At the weekend I saw a small amount of the Carnival celebrations in the form of floats passing by the Msida Marina on my way elsewhere, but I didn’t properly go into Valletta to see more of it. I spent a day exploring the island of Gozo, attending a local vineyard and winery to do a tasting of local wines, and then making my way to a local market to try samples of the various cheeses and cured meats that are locally made from goat milk and meat. I loved every moment of it and had a fantastic time. This week was much more intense and busier than the first week in terms of work, our placement company was short staffed for our arrival and thus we had to help fill in in many cases. I enjoyed the work immensely despite how difficult and tiring it was at times. They recognised myself and the other student on placement with me as capable and responsible people and seemed to feel grateful that they had us to help during this time. I took more initiative this week than I had last week, making sure that the class stayed on schedule and taking full responsibility for all of the care of the child in my class with special needs. I look forward to next week. This week I really felt like I formed a connection with the children, like we were thought in our course, locating the patterns of behaviour of children with special needs, especially sensory reaction patterns in the case of the child I was primarily working with, helped me immensely to care for him more effectively. I figured out ways to communicate with him despite him being non-verbal and picked up on his sensory hyper and hypo sensitivities. This made me feel like I was growing as an SNA and really getting hands on experience in an environment I wouldn’t typically. Week Three This week was really my capstone for the whole placement, I explored Valetta thoroughly, seeing the art museum, the fort builders, the walls, the saluting battery and just wandering the streets from café to café exploring the place. We also went to the southern portion of the island as a group to explore the area around the blue grotto, the view was stunning and looking out across the water it was amazing to know that just barely over that horizon lays north Africa. This week I seemed to notice more and more of the nature of the islands, appreciating the trees and plant’s we would never see at home in Ireland, noticing the lizards, small rodents and even the snakes that scurry around the edges of human life, simultaneously reliant on the people they are terrified of. It was also interesting to see birds I was familiar with at times of year I would not normally see them at home. This week I need to to pick up souvenirs for my family. The experience has been amazing, bringing me such personal happiness and growth even through the homesickness and the anxieties of it all. We met up several times as a group this week realising that all good things must end eventually. I am looking forward to returning home to my family and partner to share my stories of excitement, silly mistakes, embarrassing misunderstandings, and pure aw in the face of over 5000 years of history. I found myself reflecting over these past three weeks, fondly, knowing this experience has helped me to grow. This week myself and the other student in the same placement found ourselves supported to a greater extent than previously, able to see multiple sides of the work. We helped a lot in the office on the admin side, seeing how meticulously kept the records must be and how demanding GDPR standards can be at times. This however really helped me with my own clerical skills, the fact is that this has always been my weakest skill in this field and being able to work on it in a way that I haven’t gotten to previously in my work experience really allowed me to develop these skills and the fact that I was doing so under supervision with correction really allowed me to grow. Week 1
The first day we arrived we were greeted by Charlotte at our Agency. She was very helpful and brought us all to the school we were going to be working in for a quick introduction before the work actually started. The school I was placed in was an hour away from where I was staying, so I took two buses to work each morning. My workday started at 8am and finished at 3pm with a 30 minute break. Throughout the days I was given different tasks to do to help the class teacher. I was working with a group of 5 children during my first week and six children during my second and third week. My first week started on Tuesday 17th May. During the first week I was allocated little jobs in my group such as playing with the children and feeding them. Each day had the same routine. Throughout the morning the children played and had lunch and at 12:00 pm they had nap time. Each child would wake up at a different time so the children who woke up earlier than other would be given a snack and they were allowed to play with the toys quietly until they were picked up. Week 2: By my second week I had begun to develop a relationship with the teacher and the children which allowed them to trust me a bit more. I was delegated more challenging tasks in the second week such as changing nappies, reading them bedtime stories and putting them to sleep. I felt more comfortable and settled in during the second week as I was more aware of what was expected of me. Week 3 In my final week I was completely used to the routine, and I was able to do each task with confidence. I was given some more tasks such as preparing the children’s food and making bottles for them. I really enjoyed my time in the crèche but I was sad to leave the workplace as I felt I had really bonded with the children and the members of staff. I think it was a great opportunity and I learned a lot as I got a first-hand impression of what it would be like to work with children in a hands-on environment. Week 1
On the first day of our arrival in Malta, we meet the agent coordinator Charlotte. She told us about the island places that she recommended we visit and how we could use their bus system to navigate our way around the island. She talked about our work placement and what would be expected of us over the next three weeks. Afterward she brought each of us to meet our employer. They showed us quickly around the building and said they look forward to seeing us in the morning. We all headed to Valletta the capital city of Malta for some lunch. We walked around the beautiful city then headed back to our apartments. After we headed to the local shopping centre where we stocked up on essential groceries for the week. On our first morning at work, we were greeted by the manager who quickly shown around the premises. She had very little time as she had to go and collect each child at the door from parents. Once all the children had arrived, they would sit all the children together in a circle time. They would sing a greeting song that would include each child name. They sang other songs with lots of actions which to our delight we could join in as we knew the words. After the children were split into three groups. Babies 0 to one, two-to three-year-olds and then another two and 1/2 to 3 1/2-year-olds. I was asked to go to the room that had the 0-to-1-year olds with one other member of staff. We sat them around a small table and started to get them ready to have their breakfast. I was amazed that they sat in these small chairs and that some of the children were able to feed themselves. Others needed assistance and it was quite hectic as they were impatient when your attention was diverted to another child that you were trying to feed. After breakfast I helped clean the children and cleaned the floor and table as the place was in a mess. I kept the babies as entertained as possible by showing them different toys but each time I started to engage with a child another a child would fall over, or they would be fighting over toys. We took them outside to a small courtyard where they could play with some tables and chairs, a slide and some little tricycles. They were all brought back into the room, and we fed them their lunch. After we cleaned them and change their nappies they were taken out to another room and told it was sleep time. I was asked to clean the room and wash the floors and then go to the sleep room and help put the children sleep. The next day we arrived at our work placement to see that they had a staff shortage I was asked if I felt comfortable taking the six babies into their room and look after them for the day. The manager really needed our help. In the evening we would try to visit local restaurants and sample some of the local delicacies which were all delicious. On Sunday I visited the beautiful town in Mosta where we got to explore some of the beautiful churches and some stunning architecture. That evening all of us headed to Valletta to enjoy the local carnival where there was lots of dancing and celebrations as this is a big event for them every year. The colours and the costumes and the floats were absolutely beautiful I was delighted we got to see this during our stay. On Thursday there was a new manager and new staff in place in my work placement. I was placed in the office from 12:00 o'clock doing paperwork. On Saturday we got the ferry across to Sicily. After an early start we arrived in Sicily at 8 so we had a full day ahead of us. My fellow students and I went shopping we all bought gifts to bring back to Ireland. On the way we passed Mount Etna I could see the volcano was still very active and it's surrounded by the most beautiful countryside. After we visited Old Town which has one of the oldest coliseums in the world. The biggest obstacle I faced while we were there was the fact that they had very little English. In saying that we were all able to communicate, I found the people to be very friendly and welcoming. We had to be back at the ferry at 8:00 o'clock and we left port and returned to Malta. It was a very long day but well worth it. Week Three At work things became a lot more settled I got to spend time in the older children’s classroom working with the Montessori teacher which I loved. I could see some of the early signs of intellectual disability and how staff must cope with what can be very challenging and stressful behaviour. I found the teacher and I communicated well, and she was delighted to learn about my experiences in Ireland what techniques we would use to calm a child down when they became frustrated. I felt I could put into practise a lot of things I learned while in college. On our last day the manager brought us all into a room and thanked us for our support over the last three weeks. They had brought in some doughnuts for us to enjoy. This was the first time that all of us got to be in a room at the same time together and I really enjoyed this experience. They said they never had students that would get stuck in and helped as much as we did, and they hoped the future students from Ireland will be just as helpful in the future. Overall, I found the Maltese people to have very similar culture and are extremely friendly and welcoming just like the Irish. I was very impressed by their education system as education is free even at university level. They really believe in a good education. I learned a lot from them how they change babies’ nappies while they stand up. I thought this was genius. They don't liquidise all food they just let them eat their food and the fact that the babies were able to do it. I learned a lot about myself while I was away that I was able to adapt to my surroundings very easily. I found that people trusted me easily and valued my opinion that they believed in my capabilities. It has given me new confidence that I will make a good special needs assistant. I’ve come away from Malta with lots of new friends and a friend for life in my fellow mature student and roommate. There were lots of challenges but I dealt with each one and a new confidence and believe and myself was gained. I enjoyed the company of my fellow students so much I could not have asked for better bunch of people to be in Malta with. Going on Erasmus was just the icing on the cake after fantastic year in GTI. Week 1
On Monday we met our host from Easy Job Bridge at 9:00 am and she brought us to meet our host/manger in our workplaces. We had the evening to ourselves to explore. On Tuesday we started our work and were placed into our rooms. At first I was with a toddlers and then got moved to the babies. I was helping feeding them, putting them to sleep and playing with them. On Wednesday I was placed into the baby room again and I started off feeding the children and the changing nappies getting ready for circle time. After circle time it was nap time and I helped put them to sleep. Then they did their activity and then it was lunch time. I also helped feed them. Then in the afternoons I was out in another area with all the children of different ages and played with them and gave them food if they were hungry. I also got them ready for when they were going home. The kids have the same routine really every day. One cultural activity we did was on Friday evening was a visit to Valletta. There was a carnival on so we watched that in the evening. We went to the blue lagoon on Saturday which is a very big tourist attraction. I think the skills I’ve improved this week would be communication skills. I have to communicate well with all the teachers there. On Monday we met our host from Easy Job Bridge at 9:00 am and she brought us to meet our host/manger in our workplaces. We had the evening to ourselves to explore. On Tuesday we started our work and were placed into our rooms. At first I was with a toddlers and then got moved to the babies. I was helping feeding them, putting them to sleep and playing with them. On Wednesday I was placed into the baby room again. After circle time it was nap time and I helped put them to sleep. Then they did their activity and then it was lunch time. I also helped feed them. Then in the afternoons I was out in another area with all the children of different ages and played with them and gave them food if they were hungry. I also got them ready for when they were going home. The kids have the same routine really every day. One cultural activity we did was on Friday evening was a visit to Valletta. There was a carnival on so we watched that in the evening. We went to the blue lagoon on Saturday which is a very big tourist attraction. I think the skills I’ve improved this week would be communication skills. I have to communicate well with all the teachers there. Week 2 We went to Sicily on the ferry. We also visited a shopping centre and saw to an old village for a look around. We also meet John for dinner as he was over in Malta. The skills I improved on would have been commutation skills as I am always speaking to my work colleges. A cultural activity we did this week was at “circle time”. We were singing songs to the children and did one in Maltese also! One challenge this week would have been I was given two kids and look after. It was hard to get into their routine and remember it. But after a few days of being with them it got easier. Another challenge was during “circle time” when they were doing a song in Maltese as I didn’t know the words. I settled in better this week. Week 3 We went to the blue grotto and walked around and had a look around that area of Malta. This week I learnt a few words in Maltese from my work colleagues. Some skills I developed this week would have been my teamwork skills as we are always working as part of a team. One challenge this week would have been I got moved into the 3-year-olds and one of them was having a tantrum. I had no idea how to deal with it as it was my first time with her. But I tried a lot of different things, and nothing was working so I decided to take her to another room and calm and reassure her that it was ok and that she was going to be ok. It was working. We also had our closing meeting with our host at Easy Job Bridge and we all got certificates. We had a dinner all together at a restaurant called the Blue Elephant. I have to say my experience with my internship was amazing and everyone I was working with was lovely and very helpful. Everyone with Easy Job Bridge was amazing and I recommend anyone that gets an opportunity to do an Erasmus+ placement to do it. Week 1
On the first day of actual work which was on the Tuesday I was put into a room with children and babies. The supervisors asked me to change a nappy straight away. I got taught the right way to put on the nappy. Then I was on duty of feeding a 6-month-old baby. I was taught how to prefect the feeding, so the food won’t go everywhere. Also, how to help the little babies to walk or to do tummy time to improve their muscles and enough room to grow. I also had to entertain the older children so they wouldn’t wake the sleeping children. I was on my feet all day. I was able to explore the city after work using the bus passes provided. We visited “The blue lagoon” on Saturday with the group. It was well needed after the week. On the Sunday was a relaxing day. The weather was very sunny all week. Week 2 On my second week in Malta, I was able to do a lot more work with the children and trusted more around them. I got more confident about learning where everything is and trying different cultures. I went on a scooter from bolt all around Valletta with Sanita and Tenolia. During the week, I went to Sicily and we explored the place and our taxi driver brought us all around Sicily for an agreed price. I was a bit seasick on the ferry but it was very fun overall. Also got a bit of shopping in Sicily. We went exploring around old sites in Sicily including the fish docks before we went back to the ferry to go home. Week 3 The last and final week of my Erasmus trip in Malta it was an easier week and I was starting to think about preparing to go home. At work I was looking after 10 babies for a couple of hours as the main caregiver. I learned how hard it was to look after children and the needs of children. I learned that I really enjoyed it all the same. When I wasn’t working, I was going into Valletta or gone to the grotto. I feel like I grew as a person and became the person I wanted to be. I will 100 percent recommend going to Malta again and definitely participating in Erasmus. |
MALTA 2022Teniola Olaleye
Kamile Pasukevicute Modesta Kucinskaite Aisling Hoey Ava McDermott Jacinta Forde Jennifer Comber Kevin McLoughlin Olive McDarby Sanita Hession Rachael O'Neill |