Bye bye Malta! :)))
Another way to say "bye bye Malta" ;). Cliffs on Comino.
czwartek, 8 października 2009
Internet connection - goodbye!
Today between 8 and 12 a Melita guy comes and cuts our Internet umbilical cord. Therefore, next post (if there is one) - in Poland, on Monday!
Bye bye Malta! :)))
Another way to say "bye bye Malta" ;). Cliffs on Comino.
Bye bye Malta! :)))
Another way to say "bye bye Malta" ;). Cliffs on Comino.
wtorek, 6 października 2009
How is Malta a "highly developed country"?...
...and why is it in the EU? I've never been wondering harder about both things than now.
As I read a few days ago in Wikipedia (don't really remember where exactly), Malta is recognized by OECD as a "first-world" country, which basicly means, that it's "highly developed". Why is it so?
1. Work and business environment is like a third-world thing. People get paid differently than they agree on, noone has a contract, people tend to cheat one another all the time (customers cheat companies, companies customers, employers employees, employees each other). For instance, yesterday we went to Mistral to get our last payment. As I counted on my own, I should get between 551 and 569 EUR overall. However, the check stood 531 EUR. I checked the payment sheet: three (!) mistakes with basic counting (multiplying or summing). Also, the manager told the accountant (which apparently is also a person with a problem with counting) to make the pay only for basic ours, with no regard on overtime. For instance, one day I worked till 2:30 in the morning - he says, I only get paid till 1:00. But it was not my desire, for heavens' sake, to stay till 2:30! It was a different manager who made me stay. I said I'm not taking the check and I want to talk to him. Let's see what he tells me.
2. Noone seems to know basic maths, people have trouble writing and reading, using a calculator is a chore, not to mention using the till. A lot of mistakes with basic summing, people speak English but can't write nor read in it (I wonder if they have the same problems with their own language), a lot of mispunching on the computer.
3. Public transportation is a disaster.
4. Roads are disastrous. Road signing is inadequate and sometimes inexistant. People are horrible drivers, all of them. Everybody drunk-drives!!!
5. No lifeguards on beaches. I have never seen even one.
6. Almost no police in the streets. Luckily, the crime levels are not very high.
7. Services (Internet, telephone) are on a very low development level.
8. Tap water pressure is very low, everywhere.
I can write twice as much horrifying things about Malta. I'm just pissed off by this hopeless country. Hopefully I'll never come back to work here.
Cat-cuddling in a restaurant in Ħaġar Qim. Cats meowing for food in a restaurant. Employees and managers letting them to do so. Highly-developed country, my ass.
edit: notice the plastic tables covered with table-cloths or oilcloths :)))
As I read a few days ago in Wikipedia (don't really remember where exactly), Malta is recognized by OECD as a "first-world" country, which basicly means, that it's "highly developed". Why is it so?
1. Work and business environment is like a third-world thing. People get paid differently than they agree on, noone has a contract, people tend to cheat one another all the time (customers cheat companies, companies customers, employers employees, employees each other). For instance, yesterday we went to Mistral to get our last payment. As I counted on my own, I should get between 551 and 569 EUR overall. However, the check stood 531 EUR. I checked the payment sheet: three (!) mistakes with basic counting (multiplying or summing). Also, the manager told the accountant (which apparently is also a person with a problem with counting) to make the pay only for basic ours, with no regard on overtime. For instance, one day I worked till 2:30 in the morning - he says, I only get paid till 1:00. But it was not my desire, for heavens' sake, to stay till 2:30! It was a different manager who made me stay. I said I'm not taking the check and I want to talk to him. Let's see what he tells me.
2. Noone seems to know basic maths, people have trouble writing and reading, using a calculator is a chore, not to mention using the till. A lot of mistakes with basic summing, people speak English but can't write nor read in it (I wonder if they have the same problems with their own language), a lot of mispunching on the computer.
3. Public transportation is a disaster.
4. Roads are disastrous. Road signing is inadequate and sometimes inexistant. People are horrible drivers, all of them. Everybody drunk-drives!!!
5. No lifeguards on beaches. I have never seen even one.
6. Almost no police in the streets. Luckily, the crime levels are not very high.
7. Services (Internet, telephone) are on a very low development level.
8. Tap water pressure is very low, everywhere.
I can write twice as much horrifying things about Malta. I'm just pissed off by this hopeless country. Hopefully I'll never come back to work here.
Cat-cuddling in a restaurant in Ħaġar Qim. Cats meowing for food in a restaurant. Employees and managers letting them to do so. Highly-developed country, my ass.edit: notice the plastic tables covered with table-cloths or oilcloths :)))
czwartek, 1 października 2009
Fatigue replaced by boredom
Hi all,
So it happened - we both finished working and now we're on holiday :).
It doesn't look great though. The weather is unpredictable - today it was sort of nice in the morning, so we decided to go to Anchor Bay (we were laughing that we're going to Angkor Wat - yes, we're stupid like that) to swim and catch a bit of sun-tan. However, as we got there (about 11:30), it started to be cloudy and windy, so our plans of getting a tan were buried.
Therefore, we decided to go to Valetta to grab a bite and maybe visit some museums. The Fine Arts Museum though happened to be overrated - we thought there might be a lot of Caravaggio, but as museums flyer told us, there are works of people we absolutely don't know. And paying 5 eur to see three chambers with some unknown arts? Impossible.
We went to city gardens on the north and I tried to make a panorama of the outstanding view that happened to be there. We'll see how it looks, I'll try to upload it as soon as possible.
The weather changed again now. There has been a storm (finished by now?). No plans for tomorrow - we don't know what the weather might be like...
It's quite boring to be on Malta when the weather sucks. What to do? Stare at the computer screen for a few hours? Horrible. Grab a couple of drinks? Expensive and not rewarding. Sleep during the day? Not my style...
I'll perhaps take a book from the pub downstairs to read in English, they take 50c for every rented book and they give it to charity... I don't really give a damn, but 50c is not a big price for killing the boredom, is it? ;)
So it happened - we both finished working and now we're on holiday :).
It doesn't look great though. The weather is unpredictable - today it was sort of nice in the morning, so we decided to go to Anchor Bay (we were laughing that we're going to Angkor Wat - yes, we're stupid like that) to swim and catch a bit of sun-tan. However, as we got there (about 11:30), it started to be cloudy and windy, so our plans of getting a tan were buried.
Therefore, we decided to go to Valetta to grab a bite and maybe visit some museums. The Fine Arts Museum though happened to be overrated - we thought there might be a lot of Caravaggio, but as museums flyer told us, there are works of people we absolutely don't know. And paying 5 eur to see three chambers with some unknown arts? Impossible.
We went to city gardens on the north and I tried to make a panorama of the outstanding view that happened to be there. We'll see how it looks, I'll try to upload it as soon as possible.
The weather changed again now. There has been a storm (finished by now?). No plans for tomorrow - we don't know what the weather might be like...
It's quite boring to be on Malta when the weather sucks. What to do? Stare at the computer screen for a few hours? Horrible. Grab a couple of drinks? Expensive and not rewarding. Sleep during the day? Not my style...
I'll perhaps take a book from the pub downstairs to read in English, they take 50c for every rented book and they give it to charity... I don't really give a damn, but 50c is not a big price for killing the boredom, is it? ;)
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