21st June - 30th June

So this was my last week in Malta, and although it was very emotional, it was also absolutely brilliant!!
At the beginning of the week, we had the best party I have ever been to, as Patrick hired a masssive boat for all of us for the day, which stopped at Comino for us to go swimming next to the caves. We als had Marco doing DJ on the boat, reguarly playing the official ERASMUS Malta song, created by Allison. After diving off the top level of the boat, swimming and snorkelling, it was back off home to relax for the night.

 Soon  after, it was time for Matthew to return home. This wasn't such an emotional goodbye as I know I will see him back in Belfast. However, having the room so tidy and empty is a rare sight that I dont particuarly enjoy to be honest, I supposed I've got used to sharing a room. As Matthew left, Becca's sister arrived and we had some final activities to get on with before returning home.
On one day, we went walking round 'the three cities'. This proved tio be a terrible idea as it was roasting, and we were all absoloutely wrecked by the time we eventually found a bus stop, where we must have waited at least an hour!! Typical of the Maltese buses, that's something I will not miss!!
Furthermore, we also went to St Peter's pool for the first time, where we sunbathed and dived off the cliffs. Rhyss even attempted a superman dive through a rubber ring in the water. Although he missed, it was quite the attempt!
Finally, we also went off to the blue lagoon, where we got a boat trip around all the different caves. This is one of my favourite places in Malta, with an awesome view and the clearest water!!

So as my last week came to an end in Malta, I looked forward to a flight to Dublin with Becca, Sarah and Ellie, followed by a bus journey to Dublin. Saying goodbye to everyone was extremely weird, and it did not feel right leaving the place and people that I had become so used to, it will definitly take some time settling in back home, after such an amzing time in Malta. I can honestly say that I have never regretted my decision to go to Malta. I had an amazing time and met some of the best people, I would not turn t,down the opportunity to do something like this again and I would like to thank everyone who made it possible.

14th June - 21st June

This week was filled with highs and lows as I finished my exams but had to say goodbye to some friends!

To begin with, we went through the same process of revision for our second exam as we printed off loads of pages and began studying the rules and teaching que's of both badminton and tennis. Badminton rules were thanfully rather short and the notes were kindly provided by our lecturer. The tennis notes were very long, however had been made alot easier by the fact that we had been playing alot of tennis reguarly. The exam was in the same format as the first one and again I feel like it went well and was simple enough compared to the exams back home. However, one thing I am worried about is the marking, as we have never had anything marked in Malta, therefore we have no idea of the standard or what is expected!!
After the exam, our whole class went to have BBQ at a private beach that our Maltese friends knew about, we never eben knew it existed!! It was really good spending the night with our Maltese class mates, as they have been so good and made us so welcome on our stay in Malta.                        The way they have treated us makes me feel guilty and not doing more for those who have come to Belfast! Saying goodbye was not enjoyable, as we knew we would more than likely not be seeing them again, so we made sure we thanked them for everything
.

The goodbyes didn't get any easier as three of my good friends, Jordan Adams, Allison and Jordan Savage departed for America. As jordan Adams was leaving, one of the ither guys Lance asked him to play us one last song on his guitar. Of course he only picked a song that was completely depressing, adding to the sadness as he left. It was hard saying goodbye to these friends as they live so far away, and it has showed me the only downside that I have experienced of ERASMUS. My last week and a bit won't get any easier as I wave goodbye to more friends, and the Malta!

 1st June - 14th June

After completing all of my practical assessments and having a few days resting in the sun, it was time to start studying for our first of two exams, which would be on the rules and teaching que's for both softball and hockey. So, I ventured off to the computer/study room and printed off what seemed like a hundred pages on the rules of both sports!! At the beginning, I didn't know how I was going to learn all the different terms and definitions, especially for softball, as I had never played before coming in Malta. However, one of the American guys, Jordan Savage, knew the game inside out and managed to help me with the rules and terms, he even gave me some practical demonstrations!! The teaching que's were quite simple as we had already learnt them for the practical assessment. For hockey, I found it simple enough as I had played the game reguarly in hich school. Plus with Becca's help, it was an absolute gift, as she has played hockey for quite some time. So we formed a study group and were all set for the exam.
On exam day, I felt pretty nervous as I had no idea what to expect. We have a really small class, so we all gathered outside the hall beforehand, to cram in some last minute revision. When we got in, the room was empty compared to the exam halls in stranmillis, as there are always different students from other courses doing exmas at the same time! The exam itself went well, and seemed simple enough. One thing that was particuarly noticable was the fact that it was not in an essay format. This seemed weird as no matter what the subject I have done before, exams are always done in essays. Instead, there was short questions with simple answers, then longer answers were required for the teaching que's. There were even questions that had multiple choice answers to make it easier!!! The exam room was also far more laid back than back at stranmillis. At one stage, Chris walked over to his bag (which was in the room!!) without his shoes on to get a calculator. If i done this at stran, I would probably be accused of cheating!

Aside from the revision and our first exam, the residence has been very mellow as everybody is in study mode, and some of my friends are alot less fortunate than me, some having up to 8 exams!
So, Matthew, Becca and I have started playing tennis, as we are lucky enough to have a court. Becca (having already played reguarly) is putting us to shame, but I think I might take her before going home!!

24th-31st May

This week began with relief as we handed in both our buisness assignements, both of which I am very satisfied with. There's nothing like the feeling of getting assignments completed and handed in, especially when it isn't a night before job. During this week, Becca had her friend Rosalind out, so we entertained her in between our practical asessments. This mainly consisted of going to the beach, as Rosalind was determined to make the most of the good weather before returning home. This was great news for us as we could look over our teaching que's for our badminton/tennis asessment. Studying on a hot beach in Malta sure beats doing it in the dining room table back in Belfast! During this week, Seamus Dee and I also decided we would go scooba-diving. I was a bit nervous at first, but generally thought it would be easy enough.

                                                    However, when I got under water and started sucking up water, I panicked and if it wasn't for the instructor, God knows what would have happened. Once I got over this initial shock though, I was fine (something that can't be said about Dee!). It was amazing to swim under water and we saw plenty of fish and other animals i'm unable to name. This certainly isn't something I could have experienced at home.

On the friday was an early start as we set off to the junior college to get assessed on tennis. My overall tennis ability isn't the best so I was glad to get the opportunity to coach as this would hopefully better my grade. JP and I were coaching the serve so we constructed a lesson plan that consisted of four different activities. The first simply introduced the path that the ball must follow when conducting the serve, the second used the movements of a serve but still without a racket. The third activity introduced the racket, as students performed the serve against the surrounding fence. To finish, we instructed the students to move onto the court to practice what they have learnt. Throughout our session we stressed the teaching que's which were keeping knee's bent, arm straight and keeping eyes on the ball, ensuring there is a full follow through. Miss Larra Tonna was pleased with our session and was particuarly impressed with the way we asked the students questions throughout to ensure they understood. On the following monday, we had our final practical asessment in hockey. We travelled down to a place called Quormi with Chris from our class. The Maltese students often tease us for our pronunciation of this place. Our asessment wasn't until late afternoon and it was the day was the warmest had in a while. Our first activity was dribbling, which I felt went particuarly well as I was rather quick and I am confident with the indian dribble. We then had to display our ability to trap the ball and pass it. I kept remembering that our tutor told us not to tell the ball come to you, but rather cushion it. Our final task was shooting, which went okay considering I scuffed one shot. All in all, I'm happy with how I did in all of my practical asessment's, now I just have to get revising to do well in our two exams.

17th- 24th May

This week commenced with our first practical assessment in softball. Everyone was feeling a bit nervous before we started and this was made worse when our tutor, Dr Attard called us one by one to be assessed, under the observation of everyone else. I feel I did particuarly well in the pitching and batting activities and was even asked to pitch for the other batters, which couldn't have been bad. All in all, the assessment went fine and I would feel confident teaching softball to children. On the tuesday, we had another theory class  with Mr Riolo. I have became very fond of these classes as Mr Riolo is very passionate about physical education. He discussed the developement process of children, making referance to the child, coach and parent as important factors in this process. He often tells us that physical activity is not an inbuilt part of the Maltese culture, therefore people like him have to work harder to ensure interest is generated from children. He also told us that it is important that sportsmanship is integrated into coaching lessons. This can often lead to educating the parent also.
Furthermore, we also had our final hockey session before assessment next week. Our final session was all about shooting and goalkeeping. Saviour (one of the Maltese students) was fully kitted out in goalkeeping gear and we all got an opportunity to ping a few at him.
On thursday, we had another assessment. We were split into groups of two, one group for coaching volleyball and one for uni-hock. I was in the volleyball group. We were to coach around 20 students a particular skill in volleyball. We had already planned our session and included a lesson plan for the tutor. During my session, I intoduced the 'three pass rule' to the children. The first task was simply to get into groups of three, throw the ball between each other and then on the third pass, throw the ball to the oppsong team of three. I then made this more difficult by telling the children that while the opposing team was passing between them, they had to lie on the ground, get up again and recieve the ball before it hit the ground. After my session, Mr Riolo informed me that I had done very well, seemed confident and my positioning was good and instructions were clear . However, he also stated that I could use demonstration to better effect and that this could be done by using one of the more skilled children as an example.

After a hard week of being assessed, it was finally time to have some fun at the weekend. First up, we had a residence prom. This was organised by mainly some of the American girls and they did a great job. Everybody used it as an excuse to get dressed up and we all looked very smart. Going to the prom also meant you had to get a date, whom had to be proposed to in a public way.                                             With this in mind, I decided I would get into just shorts, spraying "Prom?" across my chest with whipped cream, and a flower in my mouth. Mary was the lucky lady....thank God she said yes! At the prom, we all had our chance to get photos with our dates and their was even a prom king and queen, but I didn't win. On the sunday, Ray, the night receptionist had organised a sports day for the entire residence. For most of the events, we were split into our countries. This was all well and good until Becca decided to go with Ireland instead of the UK.....me and Matt were not pleased! So, as the Irish were giving us stick, Matt and I decided to get changed into our Northern Ireland tops and get the flag out, which caused some reacction from not  only the Irish but everyone else, who also seemed to know the rivalry!                                                          

But all was taken in good steam and it turned out to be a great day. I even managed to win an event, the three legged race with Elaine, despite getting off to a slow start (narrowly beating two of the italian girls). After, memorably beating Becca and Matt in the semi after about three replays, we won the final against the favourite's, Federico and Ilaria.
All in all the day was a great success and hopefully more events like this are organised again to get the residence together for some good clean fun!

2nd May-9th May

Our first day back at university after easter was on the 2nd of may, my birthday. Our first class was softball. The aim of the class was to demonstrate the technique of batting. The tutor stressed that it wasn't simply down to hitting the ball as hard as you could. The best way was to have knuckles connecting on the bat, knees bent with the bar being held straight. When hitting, it is also very important to follow through with the bat. I'm not sure if I was having birthday luck, but I seemed to catch on quite quick and really enjoyed battering the ball around the gym hall. Our other class that day was uni-hock and was the final of our theory classes. We discussed how uni-hock varies for different age groups. The tutor advised us of the best suited teaching points for each age group. We also briefly discussed the importance of getting parents involved. Later that week we had a practical uni-hock class which was based on teaching how to make the best use of the space around you. One of the games we practiced involved a group of four, three passing and one retrieving the ball. The aim was obviously to keep the ball from the defender. the tutor emphasised that this is made much easier if the full area is used.Furthermore, we also had a practical volleyball session, in which we learnt how to teach the serve. The main points to focus on were the body posture, keeping the wrists straight and also letting the ball go instead of throwing it in the air, so that connection with the ball is better. Our final class of the week (due to cancellations) was badminton. Mr, Ronald Zammit explained our practical test and let us practice the different skills we would be assessed on. I felt fairly confident in every skill with the exception of the clear. Eventually, Mr Zammit took me aside and broke down the movements for me. He told me that it is important to move the body quickly to ensure that when I am clearng, the shuttlecock is infront of me and not behind. Then, when hitting, ensure that both the right arm and leg come from behind and follow through, so that the shuttlecock will travel as far as possible, making it difficult for my opponent. Mr Zammit's instructins certainly made the skill alot easier to perform.

Outside of class, I was celebrating my birthday with Mary, whose birthday was the day before mine. On the monday, around fifteen of us went to a restaurant called 'Heat', mainly because it's half price. We then went to our local karaoke bar that night, where everyone was very generous in buying me drinks all night. It really was a great night with all my friends around me. If I thought monday night was fun, thursday was out of this world. This was the day that Mary and I had set out to really celebrate. Laura, Becca and Matt had bought Maltese flags for us and got everyone to sign them, wishing us happy birthday in their own way. All the gesture's made me laugh, particuarly Jean's which was just a typical statement from her! We also had a mini-party in room 107. Both Denise and Synne made cakes for us and I recieved other gifts from a few of the other residents. After that we all headed into Paceville. Overall, I'm really glad I had my birthday in Malta, it was great to celebrate with all the different culture's in residence and it really showed how close I was with everyone here. I don't think i've had a better birthday to be honest!

During the first week of easter, my friend Claire visited for a week. This was really good as not only had I not seen in her since leaving, but as everybody was leaving, I had something to do for the week. Claire was staying in a nearby town called Sliema, which was two short bus trips away. During Claire’s stay we did alot of relaxing, with many visits to the different beaches including Comino as she wanted to make the most of the sun. We also managed to visit the catacombs in Mdina.             I’m not sure if its was the catacombs or the spiders but she was certainly a bit freaked out by the whole thing. As for me, I was too occupied by the handset provided at reception which seemed to know every step I was making, as I learned everytime I went near a dark area: “stay away from the dark areas at all times”. Claire wasn’t exactly impressed with the Maltese buses which were always late and absolutely crammed. We even experienced a bus which broke down. The driver wasn’t exactly polite about the situation, just telling us to get off and wait. Not surprisingly, the most impressive thing about Malta for Claire was the nightlife in Paceville which definitely contrasts that of Northern Ireland. Claire also managed to witness my last football match in Malta. At this stage, the senior teams season had finished, so I played some games with the under 19’s as I was still eligible. This was great as it actually meant winning a game and we got promoted with a 2-1 victory against Pembroke, slightly disappointed about not keeping a clean sheet but sure.

After Claire’s stay, it was time for us to leave Malta for the first time as we ventured off to Sicily with Laura and Mary. We left straight after a massive Easter dinner at the residence in which everybody made food. Matt and I just made spuds. The flight was a mere 45 minutes or so long, but we ended up staying in Sicily airport as we had nowhere to stay the first night. After getting a bus in the morning as far as Trapani, the bus driver left us in the pouring rain and thunder with the knowledge that the second bus we needed was not running today. Thankfully we got a taxi. After a day in Sicily, we were then joined by Allison and Jordan who had flew from Amsterdam with some funny stories to tell. During our stay in Sicily we mainly just relaxed at the beach in the sun and went out a couple of nights. We learned that the Sicilians had very little English, making us appreciate how the English was in Malta even more. We mainly relied on Laura’s ability to speak Spanish to pull us through. I would occasionally fire in the odd French word as well such as “Pourquoi?” Our apartment also had one of the best scenery I have witnessed in my life. Basically, it’s a very big mountain.

                        Every picture seemed to be of this mountain, it was amazing. One day we planned to conquer it and climb up, but then we decided that sunbathing at the beach followed by a football match would be better. The football match was the most competitive game I have played in. The teams were Laura, Jordan and I versus Matthew, Mary and Allison. After going two nil down, we changed our formation, pushing Laura back into nets. We fought back to win 5-2, although this wasn’t without witnessing one of the finest saves I am yet to see, one that I would have been more than proud to make. This was after Matthew managed to get past me for the only time in the game, he shot and was about to skip away in celebration only to have that smile wiped of his face by the outstretched foot of Laura. Amazing. I felt our team totally deserved the victory. Their best asset (Matthew) was totally marked out of the game and Allison was just brutal, leaving Mary as their only outlet.
All in all Sicily was a great trip and I have become very friendly with those who cam. It was good to get away from the residence for a bit, especially as it was empty with everyone going home for Easter. On the other hand, I have never seen four people more excited than we were on the plane home. It was great to be welcomed back by everyone and was brilliant to see everyone after two weeks apart. It just shows how close we have become with everyone after just a couple of months.