Hi!
My name is Mila and I am in my third year studying to become a children’s instructor. Last May, I went on a four-week exchange to Malta.
My accommodation was arranged through the school and I lived in a small apartment building where I had my own room. There were two other people living in the apartment, with whom I shared the kitchen and toilet facilities. I lived in a town called Msida, which was a short bus ride from the nursery where I worked. I learned bus schedules and routes quickly.
I worked in a nursery with children aged 0-3 years. There were four groups in the daycare centre, all of which I got to know. However, I spent most of my time in a group with children aged 1-1.5 years.
The language of the nursery was english, so every adult spoke English more or less. The daycare centre was also very international, so there were staff and children from all over the world. Also the children spoke English as much as they could.
I was well received and the staff were happy to welcome an early childhood education student. I really enjoyed my internship, even though I was nervous at first.
The number of nurses in the groups varied, some groups had 3 nurses and others only one nurse.
It was already very hot in Malta in May-June, but we still went out every day. Outdoor activities usually took place in the morning, as it was often too hot in the afternoons and it was not possible to go outside. Children under 1 year old did not go outside at all. Compared to Finnish daycare centres, the yard was very small. However, locals told us that this is a big yard compared to many other yards in Maltese daycare centres. The children also liked the yard very much, and I quickly got used to it myself. We played a lot of water games outside in hot weather.
Malta is a really beautiful country and I would definitely go again. Four weeks even seemed a little too short.
