The streets of Arb

POV, an expat making a fresh start in a new country: "Now is the time for me to be minimalist! No longer will I allow clutter to suffocate me; nor will I contribute to the world's waste. I'm Marie Kondo the second". (She's actually also given up on tidying after having her second kid). Plot twist: that expat has children. Not the classic two, but four of them, all under the age of 10.  So what? You might think. Kids don't need much, materially; they just need their parents' love, guidance and time. I would respond that you clearly haven't had four, or even two kids. On top of the basics, you end up collecting shit. So much shit. There were too many examples of shit to list without boring you, so this is the collective term. Kind friends also gift you more (good) shit that their kids have outgrown. (They also hope for minimalism). So then you need extra cupboards, shelves and boxes, and space.  Clutter makes me feel claustrophobic, but you can't avo...

"The lifestyle to which she has become accustomed" is a line that, in my head, belongs on an American TV show about botoxed, spoilt and entitled housewife caricatures who want to continue buying designer handbags. I thought, I'm tough; I've lived in discomfort and even on the poverty line. Povo. I was a povo student twice in my life. Furniture found on the kerb, the cheapest bread and coffee, once even boxes covered by a sari as a bedside table.  From being university students in a share house to povo immigrants to Australia, we built our careers, savings, family and our own property over a decade. We reached a very comfortable standard of living in Sydney (and in Montreal for 2 years).  In Montreal, we accepted that we would have to buy everything, all of the house things; because the house that we literally bought over Whatsapp without seeing it was empty (as they usually are). (It was our favourite house so far, btw). In Gozo, most houses for rent or even sale are ...

As veteran expats, we're all pretty good at being the first weirdo. I met my best friend in Canada by sliding into her DMs after noticing her posting in 2 Facebook groups I was part of. My Canadian pole instructor, I befriended by seeing my street in her instagram story, and asking her if she lives nearby. She thought I was a stalker, but a pandemic coffee walk later, we were tight. We've made friends in Malta by literally calling hi to them across the street, with no context or excuse. The kids didn't waste time at their new school - they harnessed the attention they received as interesting foreigners, and milked it for popularity.  It's not always easy and we do sometimes feel like outsiders still. Locals, in any country, including Australia, can seem cliquey. I gravitate towards the other foreigner parents at school pick-up, and maybe the locals think WE are cliquey. But to be honest, I feel that expats understand each other's joys, frustrations and sense of humo...

I'm being won over by the earnestness and honesty of Gozitans. A pair of shoes with a price tag of 14.99 Euros was rung up as only 10 Euros as they were on an undeclared discount. A visit to a walk-in clinic for my foreign-born son was free, and I would have been none the wiser if they wanted to charge me. The local council called me to arrange goodie bags of stationery for my kids starting the school year, and for some things, are happy to take your word for it (without proof) that you live in the area. There's no Amazon next-day delivery here, but when your order arrives in approximately 3 weeks, the courier calls you to arrange personal delivery. Part of Gozitan philosophy seems to be simplicity. If there's a simple solution, why complicate things? Most businesses use Facebook rather than creating their own website, and are easily reachable by WhatsApp or Facebook messenger. In fact, WhatsApp is used by businesses in Montreal too - why do Australian companies...