About
I'm Rhi, curly-haired, country music-loving, cat-obsessed and this is my little slice of the Internet. I'm calling it an expat lifestyle Malta blog. Whilst a lot of it focuses on Malta specifically (how to move to Malta, things to do in Malta, what life is like on this island), you can also enjoy more personal 'living abroad' musings, lifestyle posts, some travel, a few product reviews, follow me on my personal development journey and plenty more.
Who am I?
A 30-something British expat living on the island since 2010. I live with my boyfriend and my cat, Kinnie. Aside from having moved to Malta, I’m quite a homebody. I like tea, tequila and long, hot baths, even in summer.
Why did I move to Malta?
This is a question all expats get a lot and I love hearing other people's stories about this island. For me, I was already working in iGaming in England (a huge industry over here) and wanted to move somewhere sunny, where I could find work and didn't have to learn a new language. My options, back in 2010, were Gibraltar and Malta and here I am! When I left England I was suffering from chronic fatigue, living in a damp, mouldy apartment which in the months before I left, was registering colder than the inside of my fridge. So it didn’t take much to convince me that a new life in the sun was just what I needed.
How easy was it to move to Malta?
Being an EU national (at the time anyway, boo Brexit!) it was very straightforward. I booked a one way flight, packed one suitcase and the journey began. I was lucky enough to have a friend to stay with for the first week or two, but there are plenty of budget hotels and AirBnB options for those weeks before you get on your feet. I had a rough idea of the area I wanted to live in (the central areas were much cheaper back in those days!) and set up a load of viewings with a load of agents and ended up taking the first. apartment we looked at. Paid one month rent + one month rent as a deposit and moved in the next day. When it came to work, I didn’t have a job lined up but signed up to most of the iGaming related recruiters and within a month I had my first job and was well on my way to making a life here.
Will you stay in Malta forever?
Probably not. There were times during these years where I believed I would and could stay here forever but the older I grow the more I yearn to try somewhere new. Malta is great, it's relaxed, the sun is always shining and the salary vs cost of living for my industry is good. But the are a lot of problems on this island. The lack of environmental concern is my biggest pet peeve and will be the ultimate reason I leave. Recycling is minimal, waste control a joke, there is a culture of cars and driving, at any cost to the environment. The government are cutting down the few remaining trees at an alarming rate, all in the name of making themselves richer.
Did you know that Malta has the worst air quality in Europe? The air quality is the second-lowest on the scale of possible air quality. Over 500 people a year die from asthma, and the country is way above the EU average for asthma and allergy sufferers due to the poor air quality.