Malta Diary - part 2

I can say that as of Sunday May 18, I am fully recovered from jet-lag, and this is confirmed by the fact that I am waking up early in the morning without the need of an alarm clock. I've been helping in my parish with Masses and confessions, also because the pastor is by himself at the moment. A priest who is helping him with daily Masses is away for a week, and another priest who was helping for a few days is back in Rome studying. Moreover since my last visit here 2 years ago, two of my childhood priests have died, and so the pastor saw me as an angel, to help him with Masses, which have been reduced to three a day, with six on Sunday. I remember growing up when we had 7 priests in the parish, even though some of them taught in schools, but they were always available to say daily Mass. Besides the parish church, there is a smaller church and a smaller chapel, besides a church run by the Augustinians.

I have been doing some serious photography, going into detail and finding unusual angles and perspectives in my home town and the capital city. Even though Malta is very small, and I've been to every town and village, there is always a surprise in every unexpected place. Moreover many new buildings have been built over the years, and the Maltese topography has changed drastically, with new hotels, restaurants and shops sprouting up in every imaginable spot. Since my hometown of St Julian's is a very touristic place, there is a tremendous attraction to visitors, especially with the young people in a section where night clubs and disco clubs are very common. 

And thank God for chargers so that I can re-charge my IPad and camera battery. Since the voltage in most of Europe is 220 volts, it's always risky charging something without a transformer, but nowadays, every airport is loaded with these international travel transformers, especially with everyone carrying cell-phones, IPods and IPads, besides lap-tops, cameras and every imaginable gadget that runs on batteries, which is just about everything. This coming week I plan to visit more towns and villages, and of course more photography.

Home-cooking is much appreciated, thanks to my sisters and anyone who invites me over. The taste of Maltese food, local bread, homemade soups, local drinks, and soon rabbit brings back many nostalgic memories, and certainly my taste-buds adapt quickly to Maltese cuisine. Besides, many of the local TV stations have popular cooking shows which add to the anticipation of what the next meal will be like. But this teaches me the virtue of patience, of which I have an abundance.