As a Maltese émigré I am different from other Maltese people: I have left the island and chosen not to return, as a consequence my experience of Malta is different to that of other Maltese.
1. I have a very clear idea of what I miss, of what makes me homesick when I am away.
2. On my return I am able to compare my memories with the reality I am faced with, and in doing so I notice change.
3. I am able to compare the state of the country with that of my new ‘home’.
My relationship with Malta is one of homesickness and frustration, a result of the differences between memory and reality.
Note: I wish to be cautious about being yet another colonizer, who arrives and assumes they know better than the locals.
*I refer to myself as an émigré, this is a French term that refers to a person who has “migrated out,” it often carries connotations of politico-social self-exile.
