As promised, I am asking to international travellers and people living and working in a foreign country to share their life stories with me to know why they decided to leave families and friends behind to explore new realities and meet new cultures!
Are you curious about how they managed to adapt and settle in their new countries? Then follow my expat interviews categorised by country! Are you an expat wanting to share your tips and experience with the rest of the world and be a source of inspiration? Then fill in the expat interview form: I would love to hearing from you!
“Travelling—it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” Iba Battuta
Let’s meet Srna: living her best life in Malta
Introduce yourself briefly. Tell us who you are!
Hello!=) I am Srna and I am from a small European country called Serbia.
I graduated from University of Science (Chemistry- M.A.) and I have been English teacher for 5 years as well, but I decided to quit that job and I focussed on some other hobbies.
Speaking of my hobbies, I like swimming a lot, cycling, play cards and billiards, learn new things, volunteering, watch movies and plays at the theatre, doing HIT and yoga workouts, but what I like the most is TRAVELING 🙂
️I would like to say, proudly, one day, that I have visited all the seven continents! 🙂 I like to meet new people, new cultures and traditions. I believe in the concept of global family, people who travel have a special sensitivity and empathy for other people, and only they can understand each other so well!
My motto is “If we were born to stay in one place, we would have roots, not legs!” so travel as much as you can, find a fellow soul to travel with and broaden your mind.
Why did you move to your current country?
I am currently located in Malta, and I work here since two years already! I love to live here as an expat!
I couldn’t find a job as a chemist in Serbia, so I gave myself a chance going to Malta to try to find it. I found a really good job in the chemist field and I am quite satisfied with it.
What do you do for a living? How was the job hunting?
During the first few months, I did different kind of jobs in Malta until I found a Chemist related job thanks to my M. A. Diploma of Chemistry.
For my job hunting, I used Keepmeposted and Maltajobs.com
How is the social life in your city, is it easy to make friends?
Social life in Malta is quite good, challenging and funny. There are a lot of Serbian people, I have met many other expats as well and since I am quite a social person, it wasn’t hard for me to find a great deal of of activities with all those people around the Maltese islands.
Why should people move there? Why did you fall in love with this place?
I am still falling in love with Malta… there are pros and cons of living here, but in general, it is quite good country for living: the weather is amazing, people are full of energy, the sea, food, social life, parties, everything is great. For those who like travelling, Malta is the perfect spot in terms of location and to find cheap flights towards other destinations.
What do you want to say to people looking to move there?
So, be ready for nice weather almost the whole year: winter is quite harsh, windy and rainy and the drainage system is really bad.
Prices are quite high but there are a many nice places to visit on this tiny island, lovely restaurants, cafes, bars, activities. Useful websites for expats or to find activities are: expats Malta, Keepmeposted, Maltapark.
How is the health system? Is it a safe place to live in?
The public health system is good, not very expensive but private hospitals are expensive.
I feel safe in Malta even though, there are people of over 80 nationalities living here.
How is the general cost of living, what is the average rent?
The average wage is 1000€, it is one of the most expensive countries to live in Europe for sure.
Apartments are quite expensive considering salaries: for example, a one bedroom flat costs 6OO€, a studio 500€ per month.
Tell us something you don’t like about where you live and the difficulties you came across when settling in
Some bad things about living in Malta are the traffic jams, the high population density, the noise, the left-hand driving like in the UK, but all in all, it’s not bad.
Tell me an unmissable thing to do in your city over a weekend
If you ever come to Malta, be sure not to miss the following places: Mdina, Gozo island, Blue lagoon, Blue Grotto, Form-Ir Rih, Valetta, Tuffieha beach, Golden Bay, Ghar Lapsi.
Did you find Srna’s experience useful? Then check out the upcoming expat interviews in other cities!
