It started with a cup of tea

Daniela Attard Bezzina is a past student of the Institute of Maltese Studies and the views expressed here are her own

What do you do when you’re past 50, your son has grown up and moved out, and you spend every working day immersed in history because you work at Heritage Malta? You enrol for a Master in Maltese Studies, of course.

I must admit that I had long had my eye on this course—long before I started working at Heritage Malta. The history and culture of our country, and everything that makes us Maltese, have always fascinated me. But one excuse followed another, and I kept postponing it. Until one morning, while taking a tea break in our office kitchenette, I saw a poster on the noticeboard advertising the course.

Coincidence? Fate? Whatever it was, I felt the time had come, and I could no longer put it off.

Although I was no stranger to university study, I had never studied at this level before, and the prospect of undertaking the research required for a dissertation was unfamiliar territory. Yet, encouraged by my family, my colleagues, and eventually my fellow students, I decided to embrace this new challenge.

I remember the first lecture as if it were yesterday. I arrived early because it was being held in a part of the campus I didn't know very well. Not being particularly sociable around people I don't know, I sat alone outside the classroom waiting for the session to begin. That lecture was about the geography of Malta, and I immediately realised two things: I had made the right decision, and the other students were very friendly and we were going to hit it off for sure.

That day, the magic carpet of fairy tales seemed to unfurl before me, lifting me up and carrying me towards discoveries I had never experienced before. It allowed me to explore history from different perspectives, to ask questions, to learn, and to develop an ever-growing thirst for knowledge.

Over the following three years, that carpet took me into the barren caves inhabited by our ancestors, into cathedrals adorned with magnificent treasures, into the world of Maltese feasts and traditions, into the fields alongside farmers, among art and folk culture, and into the stories of those who emigrated from Malta in the mid-twentieth century. And I didn’t want the journey to end, because I was enjoying every minute of it.

I’m not saying it was easy to balance a full-time job, family responsibilities, lectures, exams, and the research and writing of a dissertation. But in this course, the rewards far outweigh the challenges.

Three evenings a week, after a full day of work, I had to switch gears and focus on my studies. Yet these were lectures that encouraged discussion, reflection, and debate, and time seemed to fly. Many sessions were held online, which spared me the frustrations of traffic and parking and allowed me to learn from the comfort of my home.

Together with my fellow students and lecturers, I also spent many Saturday mornings visiting places we had discussed during lectures so that we could understand them better through direct experience. At first, I wasn’t thrilled at the prospect. Saturday mornings are usually my only opportunity to do a bit of housework. But in reality, those Saturdays have become some of my fondest memories of the course, second only to graduation day.

I remember visiting Selmun and exploring the landscapes that inspired Maltese legends; walking through the streets of Valletta and learning how architecture can communicate powerful messages without words; discovering fossils at Dwejra in Gozo; and listening to the stories of the tuna fisheries in Mellieħa.

The 6 March of this year is a date I will never forget. That was the day my classmates and I graduated. We now have two extra letters after our surnames and many new opportunities ahead of us.

Personally, this course has helped me enormously in my professional life. As a communications officer at Heritage Malta, I now have a much deeper understanding of the subjects I write about every day. More importantly, I have developed an even greater appreciation for the past that shapes my identity as a Maltese woman.

I am no longer the same Daniela who applied for the Master in Maltese Studies full of doubts and hesitation. Today, I look at the story of my country through new eyes, and at my own story with pride and confidence.

If you would like to learn more about the course, an online information session will be held on Thursday, 2 July, between 6pm and 7pm. To register visit the Institute of Maltese Studies Facebook page, where you will find the registration link.

The next course intake begins in October, and applications close at 2pm on 22 July. To apply, visit the University of Malta website.

For further information, contact the Institute on 2340 2566 / 2340 3305 or by email at [email protected].