What is Malta?

Believe it or not, that's the most common question I get when I tell people I'll be spending 6 weeks this summer in Malta.
Not "where is that?", but rather- "what is that?"....
It was about then I figured that a law school study abroad, to a country that 75% of people I mentioned it to didn't know existed or point to it on a map, would make for an interesting blog. It will also serve as notice to my family and friends that I haven't drowned, been mugged, or otherwise sold into slavery whilst abroad. (details, details..)

First, Why?
I always wanted to study abroad somewhere, and it never worked out in undergrad (if I wanted to graduate on time that is). William Mitchell partners with 3 or 4 other schools and sends students to foreign countries, with professors from those schools, to learn law with an international focus. I'm also down some credits as a result of the program I was admitted on, and need to make it up somehow! I'll be taking comparative international family law, refugee and asylum law, and cross cultural negotiation & mediation (seriously excited about all of them)

What, that's not a good enough reason why? here, how about this---->




If you're not a teenytinybit amazed by how beautiful this looks, you're out of your gourd. No doubt this is an image of Marsaxlokk.. fishing village on the east end of the island, and on my 'to do list' while I'm there!



Second, Where?
I'll be the first to admit- I google-mapped it
when I saw that WM offered a program there.
It's an obscure country in the epicenter of the Mediterranean Sea. See, there it is! --->
(KKoech makes an excellent Vanna White, doesn't she?) It's plopped firmly south of Sicily and Italy, to the west of Greece, and northeast of Tunisia. It's made up of 3 islands actually, and if you think Malta barely is recognizable on this map, you should see Comino, to the northwest: 1.2 x 1 kilometers big (or should I say, tiny). Home to one permanent hotel, and about 6 farms. The third is Gozo, to the northwest of Comino, and the 2nd largeset of the 3 islands.

Third, What (is it all about?)
Malta's population is 350,000 (that's smaller than St. Paul, for those keeping track) and geographically smaller than Martha's Vinyard out east. It rakes in 1.5 million in tourists every year, and is the main source of revenue for the country.
They speak Maltese, and 85% speaks english, predominantly catholic, and adhere to the old-school-philosophy that most women don't work..they are homemakers. Recently became a part of the European Union, and adopted the Euro as the national currency in 2008.
I could go on and on, but I'll just incorporate the rest in later posts.
NO I do not leave for 23 more days, and YES I am heavily procrastinating attending to my beast of a Torts outline. (30pagessinglespacedKILLMENOW.....) but I have this to look forward to!

Stay tuned...
KB