Ansley Godwin

Trip Advisor speaks of Malta in this way: “rickety buses ply Gozo’s roads, making getting about the island an exciting component of your trip.” When we planned our own personal travel, we decided Santorini was too expensive which landed us on Malta early Friday morning around 4:30AM. 

Upon our arrival to Gozo, we grabbed two taxis to our AIRBNB. I got in a taxi with a male driver who drove very fast. He was a little bit reckless and ended up hitting a brick wall with his side mirror! The side mirror popped off, hit the window, and bounced away. The two other girls in the taxi and I screamed and then tried to conceal our laughter!! This was a scary way to start our weekend, but in the end our weekend was wonderful!

Malta was beautiful and picturesque. It was a sweet time with cool wind in the evening and hot sun during the day. During our thirty hours on the island, I was reminded of the privilege of being on this program. Not only do we get to learn new things, but we get to experience so many cultures. I would have never known Malta would be a place of rest and peace for me if it was not for this trip. I will forever be grateful for our boat ride there as an event that stood out to me the most. As our wonderful two days in Malta came to a close, we had to board a flight at 8:50 in the morning on Sunday. 

Here’s where the adventure truly begins. The timeline gets a little sporadic and crazy for the next bit because it truly was a crazy day. We had previously arranged a taxi to the ferry to the airport to pick us up at 4:15AM. Sure enough, 4:15 came and went with no taxi driver. Once we realized he wasn’t coming we switched our plan to ride the bus. Then the departure time of the bus came and went, and we had not even seen the bus! The people waiting next to us during this experience had called their AIRBNB host to get a ride to the ferry, and as they were getting picked up, he informed us that there was a large accident and to move to a different bus stop so we could get on that bus.

After walking down the hill and waiting about thirty minutes, the other driver came back by to offer rides to us! After taking two trips from him, we ended up on the 7:30AM ferry! We were just over an hour from boarding and we thought we might make it! After running off the ferry we found a taxi that would take all of us! Skirting through Malta we skidded into the airport at 8:45. We ran through security; I even jumped over a ladies luggage because she was moving slowly. The gates had just closed when we arrived!! Eventually, three of us ended up on one flight and four of us on another! 

In the end, it all worked out, and it’s an amazing story I will get to tell when I get home. I was even able to have chicken nuggets and fries! I’m thankful for the experience, the lessons we learned, and the time in Gozo experiencing the scenery and rickety rides. If one just has the right mindset the worst problems can turn into an adventure. Let those crazy adventures continue! 

All the best,

Ansley Godwin