September 2016. 

This month has a special significance for us. Due to various mitigating circumstances and conditions, we decided to start Hosting. I made contact with a couple of local English Teaching Schools and we soon got to know that we needed a permit from the Malta Tourism Authority. After a verifying process and subsequent inspection, we were cleared and a license was issued.

Our first students were from Italy, Sicily, Germany, France and Poland. Although they were quite young, they were very well behaved and so once they left, we were very anxious and eager to meet the next Students. These were from the same countries, more or less. We did have a slight problem with one of the students who insisted on continuously extending the curfew, but this was soon solved by calling the school. They quickly took some disciplinary action with the student. Then there was Anastasia. When she arrived, she seemed very uncommunicative. She stayed with us for a whole month and during this time we saw a transformation in her. Not only did she open up, but we also became so attached to her and her simple yet honest character. Dorka was a thirteen year old from Hungary. Her command of the English language was non existent, We found it hard to communicate with her because if we asked her a simple question, she would try to  guess the correct answer between yes or no. She would try one of the two and observe the reaction on our faces.If her answer initiated puzzled looks, she would hazard the other.

During August, we had a week without any students and then Nadya came. She swept into our house like a much needed summer breeze, with her boisterous nature, positive attitude and significant presence. We immediately took a liking to her and she to us. Susana quickly took her under her wing and mothered her as much as a newly self-appointed mother could. Since it was a Saturday and she had just arrived, she was not yet included in the School Activities Programme, so Susana invited he to a BBQ at her friends’ house. This turned out to be a huge success, with Nadya quickly making friends and adapting to our relatively hot summer quite effortlessly. The next day, we were expecting another student and we were both anxious as well as apprehensive as to whom this person might be, whether she would fit in, whether she would be able to speak English. We need not have worried. Jennifer was tailor made to fit in with Nadya and share the room. She could speak the same languages as Nadya apart from English and she had the same positive can do attitude. These two girls turned out to be so special to us. Not only did we instantly treat them as family, but they also considered us as such. We were blessed and very fortunate to have them with us. We sprung at every opportunity to spend time together, whether having breakfast, dinner, time at the beach, with friends or simply to ask  about how our respective days went. Nadya was the sporty, outgoing, energetic type while Jenny was the intellectual, multitalented, down to earth lady-in-the-making.

During the same time, Darina and Pash were also our guests. While we made every effort to respect their privacy, we managed to find time and opportunity for quite a few stimulating conversations about various subjects. Sharing ideas is hardly ever a negative thing, and when persons from different backgrounds, countries, cultures indulge in pleasant yet engaging parlance, the feeling of mutual enrichment is practically guaranteed. The fact that this Russian couple were quiet, well-educated and well-travelled went a long way in enabling us to cover quite a few diverse topics such as work, travel, literature, sports, exploring the Maltese Islands, Lampuki and Pastizzi, to name just a few. Needless to say, they also became like family to us, and we did treat them as such. We are very happy and consider ourselves very lucky that our paths have temporarily crossed, and we shall continue to cherish the memory of their short sojourn with us for a very long time ahead.