EC Malta English Language School

Malta is well known for its extraordinary diving sites. Many people travel from all over the world to explore the wrecks, caves and reefs that surround the island. Malta’s underworld consists of rare marine life as well as shipwrecks dating as far back as the 3rd Century, and the 1st and 2nd World Wars. EC Malta has a partnered up with ‘Divewise’, one of Malta’s top diving centres just minutes away from the school. They provide various packages from tasters and PADI courses, to day dive packages to suit everyone’s needs.  Why not combine your English course with diving lessons? Don’t miss out on this exciting experience with a professional dive centre which gives safety top priority at the cheapest rates possible. Learn English in the morning and dive in the afternoon or during the weekend! Check out EC student rates below and come book your dive at our EC reception!

As I am reaching the end of my stay here in Malta I would like to thank everyone that has got me here and helped it to be such an amazing experience. I did, of course, originally have some fears about coming here, but I can now genuinely say it has been 10 of the best weeks of my life. My job placement gave me the chance to experience new things as well as being able to spend time with many of the international students. I have gained so much by meeting the wide variety of people here at EC Malta. Perhaps the thing that really made my experience so amazing is the residence where I have been staying. Every day has been fun and interesting and I have made some friends that I hope I will stay in touch with for the rest of my life. Malta is a beautiful island, and I can’t imagine having picked a better place to do my internship. I have enjoyed my stay here more than I can express and my only wish would be to stay for another 10 weeks.

On a beautiful day on Saturday the 9^th May EC’s junior department held its training for leaders for the forthcoming summer. Each summer, EC Malta hosts a successful junior programme for young learners of English. After some introductory talks from various members of staff and Maurice Rizzo about the high standards expected of them in the summer, the fun began. We descended on Paradise Bay beach for a barbeque-style lunch and a glass of wine or two before changing into swimwear for the ‘Pimp My Boat’ activity. This entailed the leaders being put into groups, making a raft out of household items and then racing them. All was well until halfway through the race a leader managed to dislocate his shoulder! After being heroically ‘rescued out at sea’ by Michael Pisani and put in a sling the winning group was congratulated before rafts were dismantled and the rubbish cleared away. It was the end of a successful training day!

Taking time out from their English course on a sunny day on May 6, Italian students and their tour guide hit Mdina for the afternoon. First on the agenda, was a quick photostop at the breathtaking Dhingi cliffs. One could have stayed there all day, looking out across the ocean, but we swiftly moved on towards the Catacombs. Ghost imitations and zombie noises were all on the cards in these dark caves, but also information on their origins from our knowledgeable tour guide. Next, we advanced towards Mdina and once we arrived there we got off the bus to walk through the town. It was like nothing anyone had ever seen before, the high walls and narrow, cornered streets made it feel like we had all gone back in time. After walking around the old capital Mdina, we headed for the long awaited Mdina experience. Before we knew it 45 minutes had passed and we were now all experts on Mdina’s rich and ancient history.

Its Tuesday the 5th of May and some of our young Italian students hit Valetta for a brief tour. First they stop to eat lunch at the gardens near the entrance to City Gate. From here they look out at the magnificent view across the Grand Harbour and towards the 3 cities. Then, after lunch at the Valletta gardens is a quick stop at the Prime Minister’s Palace. Next the group are taken to marvel at St John’s Cathedral in the square and are then given some free time to visit some of the numerous shops and stalls. The last stop was then the Malta Experience about ten minutes away. The problem was, that we were running late for our 3 o’clock showing due to distractions from the stalls during free time! Indeed we missed our 3 o’clock showing by a good quarter of an hour, however this just meant extra time to look around the souvenir shop and buy a slushie or two before the next showing at 4 o’clock. Here we sat back, relaxed and learned all about how Malta became the way it is today. All that was left now was the short journey home after an enjoyable day in Valletta!

On Wednesday 06th May 2009 EC Malta School received a visit from the Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism Hon. Mario Demarco and Parliamentary Secretary for Public Dialogue and Information, Hon. Chris Said as part of the activities commemorating the 5th anniversary of Malta’s accession to the EU. After meeting the EC team, and being shown round the school, a presentation was given by CEO Andrew Mangion. During the presentation the benefits EC Malta gained from EU funds, namely the creation of a new web portal which has enhanced EC’s presence on the internet thus making its brand better known worldwide, were highlighted.

Photos Jeremy Wonnacott – DOI

Yesterday Qube hosted another successful EC  Malta night. This week the theme was pirates so eye patches and cutlasses were a common site! Wednesday nights at the vodka bar are always good and last night the club was packed with people. Here are some of the photos!

Last Wednesday, Qube saw plenty of EC students enjoying a Hawaiian themed party. The club was decorated with palm fronds and the students emerged in flower necklaces and grass skirts. Everyone loved it, here are some of the photos of the night. This week should be even better with a Pirate Party!! Come at around 10.30, See you there.