Following her heart led Wen from her home in El Salvador to be with her then-boyfriend (now husband) in Malta. Read on for a glimpse into this Salvadoran expat's life in the town of Sliema: what she likes about living in Malta and some of her career development plans there.	wen

-Where were you born?
El Salvador

-In which country and city are you living now?
Sliema, Malta

-Are you living alone or with your family?
My husband.

-How long have you been living in Malta?
Almost two years

-What is your age?
27

-When did you come up with the idea of living in Malta?
I married my Maltese boyfriend.

-Was it hard to get a visa or a working permit?
No, because I am married to a Maltese citizen.

-Was it difficult for you to get medical insurance before you went there or when you first arrived?
I paid for medical insurance before leaving El Salvador though it quickly expired. Now I have insurance which is provided by my current job.

-How do you make your living in Malta? Do you have any type of income generated?
I checked the job vacancies ads in the newspaper and found a tailor-made job for me. I found a job about two months after getting married, and about one month or less after receiving all my documents to start looking for a job without any problems.

-Do you speak Maltese and do you think it's important to speak the local language?
I speak English fluently but I am still trying to learn Maltese which is an extremely difficult language to learn. I think it is important to speak Maltese because most people prefer to speak in Maltese. Though practically all Maltese speak English, when among friends, they prefer to speak Maltese and you can feel somehow left out.

-Do you miss home and family sometimes?
Yes, I miss my family and my friends. Sometimes I also miss the food and the tourist places but I am fine in Malta and I am enjoying it! I love the Mediterranean Sea, the food, the Maltese tourist spots, and the very nice people.

-Do you have other plans for the future?
I plan to build up a career in the place where I am currently working. And for that I need to study and get a lot of work experience in the place and area too!

-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?
We are currently renting and rent can be very high, around half our salaries goes to rent. A flat in my area with two bedrooms would cost about 250 LM and though there are some cheaper places in other areas, we don't have a car so we can't live too far from where we work.

-What is the cost of living in Malta?
I believe Malta is a very expensive country especially because the salaries in general are not that high in my opinion.

-What do you think about the Maltese people?
Maltese people are very nice towards tourists and thousands come here every year! There are also many students who come to study English but some of them don't behave very well so some Maltese don't really like them that much.

-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in Malta?
I love how safe it is. I love the food, the health care system, the tourist places. The fact that Malta is very, very small can be both a positive and negative aspect at the same time. What I don't like is the Maltese public transport and the fact that to go to other countries tickets can be very high. Unfortunately there aren't any other options unless one takes a tour to Sicily by boat.

-Do you have any tips for our readers about living in Malta?
Get ready for the Maltese summer which can be very harsh because of the humidity level. If I were a tourist thinking of coming to Malta I would definitely avoid Summer. Public transport is not that reliable nor comfortable and this can be especially felt during Summer and heat waves. Renting can be very expensive so it is better to check the real estate market before coming.

-Do you have any favorite Web sites or blogs about Malta?
www.ladelirante.blogspot.com is my blog. The other blogs I can think of people living in Malta have already been featured here: Sabine who also mentioned Grego's blog. So far I don't know of any other blog belonging to a foreigner living in Malta.