Have you ever thought about what you know about Malta other than being known as a language school paradise or as an alternative “easy way to obtain EU citizenship”? While we were trying to answer this question, we had to admit to ourselves that we couldn’t go beyond 3-5 extra sentences, and we met Zeki Güllüler, the founder of birkucukulke.com, and I’m glad we did! He has been living in Malta for more than 3 years and has all kinds of information to make up for our lack of information on this subject.. So much so that when you search about Malta on the internet, in addition to the language school content that floods you, One Small Country is officially gold and we think that as the number of content increases, it will fill a big gap in this field in every aspect.
Of course, when we get such an opportunity, it would be okay not to do an interview on life in Malta, let’s listen to what’s going on in Malta, how it was and how it wasn’t.
How does one decide to live in Malta, what drove you here?
In 2011, when I had to work with Maltese due to my job at work, I didn’t know much about the country.. When I watched Eurovision, I heard their names, but I didn’t know where the country was, what they did or what they did.. When my Maltese colleagues decided to visit us in Turkey, that’s when I became interested in the country.. When we decided to make a return visit 6 months after they came to visit us, my interest in Malta increased and things progressed to the point that I had to move here somehow.. Saying so, I was in Malta, where I thought I had come temporarily.. I completed my year last October.
We would be lying if we said that we have vast knowledge about Malta.. What do you think stands out? What makes Malta Malta, or what makes you miss it when you come to Turkey?
For me, Malta is much safer than other countries.. Until 10 years ago, people used to sleep without even locking their doors.. They knew that there is no such thing as theft.. Although Maltese friends do not find their country as safe as they used to be due to the immigration they received, Malta is a very safe place for people from high population countries like us.. By the way, I’ve heard that there are still places to sleep in Malta’s sister city, Gozo, but that’s reason enough to love them.
Do you think Malta has the consistency of a European country? We would love to get a local’s comment on this, as people’s general impressions are always “like European villages”! We really wonder if it creates a feeling of being trapped due to being a small country and the country’s “development” level.
Malta is a very in-between country.. On the one hand, the young Maltese, who thinks he is a real European because his country joined the European Union as a child, on the other hand, the adult Maltese, who have nothing to do with the European Union and even remember the days when they were a British colony like it was yesterday.. Deciding whether it is a real European country depends on which part of the country you are looking at.. St with the most students and tourists. If you go to Julians and Sliema you will see a very European and touristic Malta.. Cars stop and give way to pedestrians waiting at the crosswalk, horns don’t sound very often, people walk and jog along the beach with their dogs. Everything is like. But if you come a little further inland, to the Marsa region, you will see people walking on the road not with their dogs, but with their horses (the horse we know), and drivers who do not deign to give way to pedestrians.. So deciding how European the country is or not depends entirely on how you look at it.. Before I came here, I was wondering if there would be a feeling of being trapped, but when I started to use the advantages of a residence permit in a Schengen country, I realized that I was not actually trapped, on the contrary, I had the right to travel without a visa, much more freely than in Turkey, and I tried to take advantage of this opportunity as much as I could. I started. Although Turkey is a very big country and we have thousands of places to see, unfortunately it is not easy for us to go to Europe.. That’s why, as someone who loves to travel, I felt much more trapped when I was in Turkey.
Which region do you live in? Do you think it is an ideal area to live in? Would you recommend this place to people who will live in Malta or just go to see it?
I live in Hamrun, in the interior of Malta]. An ideal area to see real Maltese, but no sightseeing. So it’s not a tourist area.. For me, the best thing about where I live is that it’s close to where I work.
Do you think the living conditions are good? Can we say that there are better conditions there than in Turkey?
There are no homeless people in Malta. Despite hundreds of illegal refugees from Africa, there is no homelessness in the country and the Maltese are far from this concept.. Because the country is small, it is easier to control by the government.. Of course, there are low-income people, but if we are to hit the percentage, I think the living conditions here are better than Turkey.
Is Malta an expensive country? Rent, food, transportation, etc.. Could you elaborate on the subject based on the topics?
As far as I’ve heard, Malta is not very expensive compared to other European countries, but yes, it is an expensive country compared to Turkey.. House rents start from 300 €, go up to 10.000 €. The places that cost 300 € are generally single rooms, places where students live and use of shared bathrooms.. If you want to live in an average, decent house like a normal family, 600-700 € per month should be sacrificed.. Electricity is just as expensive.. 2 people pay around 70-80€ in 1 month. If you go to a restaurant on the weekend, 30-40€ should be sacrificed, including starter, main course, dessert and drinks.
What are the cultural differences? “What am I doing here, man?” Moments, strange memories, you say? Did you have trouble adapting?
I didn’t. I come from Antalya and I have Mediterranean in my blood, so I had no difficulties.. Of course, because our religions are different, our cultures are also different, but they always approached me with respect, probably because I made everyone I meet realize that I respect their culture.. I have come across strange questions from time to time because they are prejudiced against Muslims and Turks, but since I heard the same strange questions about Maltese from Turks, I did not find it strange at all and answered patiently.. Some of my answers were: yes there is an ATM in Turkey, no we do not use camels for transportation, no we do not need a visa to cross from the European side to the Asian side in Istanbul, yes there is a metro in Turkey, etc.
In our country, even Malta’s reputation in the world has taken off in terms of language schools.. Do you think it is an ideal country to learn English?
I find this topic very personal. First of all, wherever you send the student with no intention to learn, they will not learn anything.. The student who wants to learn will learn everything he wants to learn regardless of the conditions.. When I decided to go abroad to learn English, Malta was among the options, but because my time was limited, I decided to go to a country whose official language is English, not English.. I only had 6 weeks so I chose England but if I had 6 months I would probably choose Malta. Because Malta is much cheaper financially than England and its people are much more friendly.. If you come here, spend enough time, spend time not only with Turks but also with foreign people, yes, Malta is an ideal country to learn languages. Otherwise, no matter where you go, the language is not learned anyway.
By the way, what is the mother tongue of the country? Do you have any ideas or impressions about “Maltese”?
Maltese, the country’s mother tongue, is very, very difficult to learn.. As difficult as our Turkish is, Maltese is just as difficult.. I think everyone who hears the language has a common impression; like arabic. Because although Maltese is written in the Latin alphabet, it is actually a Semitic language.. Maltese also know that their language is like Arabic, and even though they generally understand Arabic speakers depending on the region the speaker comes from, they do not want to admit it.. They don’t have much sympathy for Arabs.. Worst of all, they think Turks are Arabs too.
How are friendship relations and human profiles? What kind of people are the Maltese? Did you have trouble meeting new people and making friends?
They are generally friendly, but of course, when I first came, I had a hard time getting among them.. I don’t want to make a heavy accusation like “racists”, but they are “biased” against Turks and other Muslims.. When I first came, there were some who hesitated to drink when I was with me, and there were also those who were embarrassed to ask questions about Muslims and find answers to some of their questions at first hand.. They won’t understand what I wrote, by the way, let me gossip about them. They are very friendly, very loving, but there is one thing I do not like, which is that they live a very isolated life.. There are only 3 Maltese and Maltese channels in Malta, the rest are Italian channels. If a Maltese has managed to transcend himself enough to escape his isolated life, for him life is all about Italy and England. But if they could not get rid of that isolation, unfortunately, they are limited to what they watch on Maltese television, their whole lives and visions cannot expand.. “What about the internet?” You will say, Facebook is the most popular page on the island and unfortunately Facebook does not contribute much to our lives unless we follow educational pages.. Don’t get me wrong, of course not all Maltese are like that.. 90% of my friends are visionaries, but I spent a lot of time finding them.
How is the food culture? What to eat, what to drink? Do you think there is such a thing as “Maltese cuisine”?
Isn’t it… One of the most weight gainers! Fried pastries make up the bulk of their cuisine.. Fried dough with cheese or pea paste, which they call Pastizzi, is the most famous breakfast of the island! Apart from that, there is a dish that they make by putting pasta in the dough, which is legendary! Unfortunately, they have become one of the most obese countries in the world as a result of this.. As a beverage, wine is very important to the Maltese.. A bottle of wine and another gift is always brought to a guest house.
How is an ordinary day in your area? For example, are your activities during the day similar to those in Turkey? Do you feel that you live in an active, vibrant country, or does the color of work change a little more in summer?
As I mentioned before, since I don’t live in a touristic place, my daily life is between home and work, but weekends are a bit I have a more colorful life. With friends, we go to any restaurant in Sliema, Valletta or Naxxar, have a meal and have a long chat at the same time. Of course, I don’t know how colorful this will sound to whom, but it is colorful enough for me.. If we want to “party”, we also go to Paceville, which is very famous among students, once a month and dance.. Apart from that, it becomes a more active and lively country since there is a “feast” in every neighborhood almost every weekend between April and October.. Especially in June every year, thanks to MTV Isle Of Malta, we even have the chance to watch artists such as Nicole Scherzinger and Enrique Iglesias for free.
Finally, there are some things you can say not to try/see while you’re here. is it? Can you give us a few tips?
If you’ve been to Malta, be sure to go to the old capital Mdina and take long tours of its streets. Once is not enough, walk every street at least twice. Think about why those streets are built so much and watch the sun set when you reach the end of the city.. You’ll probably be enchanted, so it’s best to make a reservation at a nearby restaurant before you go and stay there for dinner.. 🙂 Apart from that, take a hearty walk in Valletta, the capital of today, then jump on a boat from somewhere below and go to Sliema and have a look at Valletta from there.. Don’t say “Small country is enough for 3 days”, take at least 1 week to visit. If you say “that’s not enough, I have many more questions”, you can send me an e-mail.
PS: He is very serious about mail. He is very serious about traveling, seeing, getting to know Malta, even if you intend to move there, live there or if you want to learn more details about Malta, Zeki is ready to help you, you can reach him on Instagram: @birkucukulke
