Every night, people gathered around the piazza (square) and ate, drank and socialised with friends and family. We walked down from my great aunts place every night and went to my granddad's friend's bar called the 'Olympic bar' where we had soft drinks and lots of ice-cream. On Thursday night, there were fireworks set up around the church and these were set off at 11.45pm. They were amazing to watch and an experience I will remember forever.
On Friday, we went out for lunch and later that afternoon most people from the village we live in called Mosta, gathered around the church to watch the statue of Saint Mary be carried around the streets. The marching band and people followed as the statue was walked around and we watched in awe. As the statue came back toward the church about 2hrs later, many people followed her into the church for a mass service.
The day after Santa Maria, it's traditional for most families to head off to the beach for the day. We went to a place called L'Armier and I spent most of the day swimming in the sandy beach with my relatives.
Our first week in Malta was awesome and I can't wait to see what next week will bring.
Hi Mikayla,
ReplyDeleteIt looks like you are having a great time. The celebrations look like it was Baby Jesus being born all over again (Kai). It looked really bright (Breana) and you looked really cute with Kiara (Hannah). It looked amazing (Karina). You looked very happy in your photos (Teneekah). It looks like you are having fun (Taylah). You are lucky to be able to go there (Jaelen). How many priests were there at the Assumption Mass? (Amy). When we look at your photos our celebration of the Assumption in our school hall seems a bit drab and quiet but it was still a lovely celebration. How different are the churches over there from here? (Montana)
It's hard to believe you are going to the beach all the time when it is so cold over here and raining a lot. That cliff you jumped off looks very high. Some of us would be too scared to do it (Hannah, Montana, Nadia, Taylah and Mrs Power) but the rest of us would love to do it (All the rest of 5 Blue). Hope you are enjoying all that ice cream (Hannah). Do you stay up that late every night? (Jacob)
We have just started our bushranger home learning and have been finding out about Ned Kelly in class. We made gold mining cradles with our Mater Dei buddies on Monday because it was too wet to go outside for sport and games.
A circus came to school yesterday and the lion escaped from its cage. Luckily the boys in 5 Blue were able to recapture it and save the whole school.
We miss you a lot (whole class). Write soon.
Hi 5B,
DeleteJaelen I'm not sure how many priests there were. The church was so full that it was hard to see.
The churches here are bigger, older and have paintings on the walls that relate to saints and Jesus' life. The mass is said in Maltese and the format is similar to our masses. I will take some pictures of the inside of our local church and post them. The church is amazing and has a very interesting story.
I was a little nervous jumping from the rock at first, but then it was really fun. I have been staying up late most nights because we have been going out a lot. Tonight we are going to have a BBQ on the beach with our relatives.
Learning about Ned Kelly sounds interesting and I bet the Mater Dei buddies loved making gold mine cradles with our awesome class. I think it would been better than going outside anyway. I have been researching my bushranger like everyone else, but am finding it a little hard to do while I'm on holidays.
The circus sounded like fun and I wished you would have got the boys from our class catching the lion on video. It would've been funny.
I am missing you all too.
Hi Mikayla,
ReplyDeleteHow did the barbecue at the beach go? Is the weather still great? Today it is pouring with rain again!!!!! Katy came back and her hair looks awesome in braids. What is the food like there? What sort of things have you been eating? Do you eat Malteasers all the time?(Josh and Dylan) Can you speak Maltese? What does the Maltese language sound like? Are any of the signs in English or is it all in Maltese? Do many people there speak English as their second language? Could you teach us some of the Maltese language when you come back?
Fr Richard came to visit us today to talk about what it is like to be a priest and we asked a lot of questions but he was happy to answer all of them. He was very funny.
We hope you are keeping safe.
We have to tell you that we told you a little story about that circus. It wasn't actually the boys who saved everyone from the lion - it was the girls.
Talk to you soon.
Five Blue
Hi 5B,
DeleteThe BBQ at the beach was great but I wasn't feeling very well that night, as I had a headache and a sore ear but am feeling fine now.
The weather is still very hot and doesn't seem to change too much. The food here is similar to Australia except for a few Maltese traditional foods like, rabbit, horse meat and snails (which I didn't eat), Maltese bread (which is yummy and the crust is a little bit chewy) and a few other things that come from close by countries like the Wudy sausage. It is basically a Frankfurt with cheese bits inside and when it's cooked the cheese melts in the sausage. They also have these biscuits that are like huge Oreos and they are also very yummy.
I haven't had any Maltesers at all since being here but they do sell them.
I have learned a bit of Maltese and my favourite saying so far is 'nista nighu gelate?' meaning may I have an ice-cream. The Maltese language is a bit confusing and most words sound the same. They always sound like they are arguing even when they're not. Most people speak English, although there is a low majority who don't know how to speak English. I will try to teach you some Maltese when I get back.
The signs here are a little strange and the ones with words are in English. There are some funny signs that don't have words on them like the ! sign. I think it means to be cautious. My favourite looks like a man putting up an umbrella but I think it's meant to mean road works. We often have a giggle whenever we pass it.
Chat soon,
Mikayla
xxx