“Malta? Where’s that?”
Not a lot of people know about this tiny Mediterranean island located in Southern Europe. Even myself, a seasoned ex-pat who had spent three years before living in London and Berlin and two years in Seoul. Compared to the rest of Europe, I knew very little to nothing about Malta.
But, as someone who was disgruntled with the fast pace life in London, I looked into finding work in the humanitarian sector. When I received an opportunity to work for an NGO on the island for a few months, I jumped at the opportunity. From a brief Google search, I saw images of crystal blue water, beaches, and sunshine galore in Malta.
I was sold.
However, what happened in those six months living in Malta was far from what I imagined. Even now, a year later, back living and working in Canada, it was hard to forget my trials and tribulations on that island.
But, first let’s start with the elephant in the room: The Migration Crisis. More than a million migrants and refugees have entered Europe via the Mediterranean in the last few years. This influx has sparked a debate across the continent as to how to address the issue. Malta has one of the highest ratios of migrant arrivals in Europe in the past decade. As a result of this influx, this tiny island nation has…
