Somewhere Between Malta and Sweden
Updated: 1 day ago
When I left Malta, I thought I'd be back after Christmas.
Well, that didn't happen.
Instead, I ended up travelling around Czechia with a DJ friend, working at Christmas markets with my father, and eventually moving to Montpellier to stay with my sister.
And somewhere between all of that, I found myself looking for a job again.
I didn't know it yet, but those few months in France would eventually allow me to move to a country I'd dreamed of since childhood.
But before we get there, there's quite a bit to catch up on.
A Little Detour After Malta
In November 2021, I left Malta with my friend Dosty, his girlfriend, and her best friend.
Dosty was a Czech DJ I'd met while working at Surfside in Malta. He was going back to Czechia to play at various events and invited me to join him.
Two weeks of travelling, music, and unforgettable experiences. Not a bad way to finish my time in Malta.
Travelling through Czechia with Dosty and friends.
Afterwards, I headed to France to spend December with my father and help him at the Christmas markets.
We sold trdelník, mulled wine, and hot orange juice. I really enjoyed the atmosphere, even though there were far fewer visitors than the previous year. It was a shame because the market itself was beautiful.
At that point, I was still expecting to return to Malta after Christmas.
But then a colleague contacted me.
Apparently, things weren't going particularly well at the restaurant. There wasn't enough work, and with COVID still affecting the business, they were even considering closing.
I had no idea what would happen, and I didn't particularly want to return to Malta only to find myself unemployed.
So I decided to stay in France a little longer and figure out what to do next.
I had enjoyed working behind the bar in Malta. Six months of experience, meeting people, making drinks, and learning something completely different. Even having almost no free weekends hadn't put me off.
But staying with my father wasn't really what I wanted either. There weren't many opportunities around, apart from the supermarket where I'd worked before.
And going back there wasn't exactly part of my dream.
December in France, including the Christmas markets.
Montpellier
Fortunately, my sister had moved to Montpellier in southern France a few months earlier, and she was happy to let me stay with her while I looked for something.
Montpellier is a university city near the Mediterranean, and I thought finding work there would be relatively straightforward.
Well, not quite.
I sent applications and went looking for opportunities, but nothing seemed to work out. Some employers wanted years of experience; others required qualifications I didn't have.
It was frustrating, especially after having already worked abroad.
Eventually, I registered with the employment office and continued searching.
In March 2022, I heard about a job fair in Montpellier and decided to go.
My goal was pretty simple: find a job in Montpellier.
As I walked around the fair, I noticed an international section with organizations such as Erasmus+, I-PEICC, and EURES, offering information about working in other European countries.
Now, that caught my attention.
I started looking around, and then I noticed something.
Sweden.
I'd dreamed of visiting Sweden since I was a child. But there was one thing that had always stopped me from seriously considering moving there.
The language.
I didn't speak Swedish, and I assumed that would make finding work almost impossible.
So I went over to the Swedish stand to ask a few questions.
An Unexpected Opportunity
There were two Swedish representatives, and we ended up talking for almost half an hour.
I asked about working in Sweden, especially in hospitality, and whether it was possible to find a job without speaking Swedish.
To my surprise, they explained that Swedish wasn't necessarily required for the type of work I was looking for. English could be enough for some hospitality positions.
That was exactly what I needed to hear.
Suddenly, the country I'd been dreaming about didn't seem quite so far out of reach.
One of the women, Bana, gave me her contact details so I could send her my CV. She would pass it along to her contacts in Sweden.
I sent it, hoping something might come of it.
Not even two days later, I received an email.
It was from Emelie, who ran several hospitality businesses with her brothers. She'd seen my CV and wanted to know if I was still interested in working there.
Interested?
Of course I was!
We exchanged a few emails and arranged an interview.
And that's when the nerves started.
The Interview
I'd already had plenty of unsuccessful job applications in Montpellier, and I really didn't want to mess this one up.
I was nervous about speaking English again after several months. Nervous about saying something stupid. Nervous because, for once, I had an opportunity I genuinely wanted.
Emelie was running a little late, which didn't exactly help.
So what did I do to prepare?
A few push-ups and some good old-fashioned slaps to wake myself up.
Very professional, I know.
And then she called.
The interview lasted around forty minutes. It was nothing as I'd expected.
Instead of trying to catch me out with difficult questions, Emelie seemed genuinely interested in who I was. She asked about my life, where I'd been, what I'd done, and my experiences abroad.
It felt more like catching up with a friend I hadn't seen in years than sitting through a job interview.
I worried for nothing.
The following day, she even emailed me to thank me for taking the time to speak with her.
When does an employer do that after an interview?
To me? Never.
I felt I'd done everything I could, and now all I had to do was wait.
A few days later, another email arrived.
Welcome to Sweden.
I couldn't believe my eyes.
After all those unsuccessful applications, I'd finally received a job offer. And not just anywhere, but in a country I'd wanted to visit for years.
I immediately called my family to tell them.
My mother was a little skeptical. My grandmother was convinced I wouldn't like Sweden because it would be too cold.
My father was very happy.
And my sister?
Well, she was probably just glad I wouldn't be bothering her anymore.
One Last Month in France
I stayed in France for about another month before leaving.
This time, I wanted to prepare properly. When I moved to Malta, everything had happened so quickly that I barely had time to think about what I was doing.
I didn't want to repeat that.
And honestly, my time in Montpellier hadn't been bad at all, even if the job search hadn't gone the way I'd hoped.
Living with my sister gave us the chance to spend time together, travel, and explore southern France.
We visited places such as Perpignan and Collioure, went to Spain and Andorra, enjoyed plenty of good food and sunsets.
And, of course, there was Sky, the sweetest dog in the world.
Exploring southern France.
Memories from my time in Montpellier.
One More Stop Before Sweden
May 22 is my younger sister Luna's birthday, and I wanted to spend it with her.
Since I couldn't fly directly from France to where I needed to go in Sweden anyway, I figured I'd rather spend a few days with my family in Prague than waste nine hours waiting at an airport.
The 2022 Ice Hockey World Championship was underway, and I spent quite a bit of time watching the matches on a big screen in a park in Prague. I took Luna with me.
Although to this day, I'm not entirely sure whether she enjoyed the hockey or just the fact that I kept buying her ice cream and raspberry juice.
Either way, we had a great time.
And then, almost before I realized it, my last evening in Prague arrived.
With my family, we went out for dinner and had a few cocktails.
I remember sitting there, drinking my cocktail, and already looking forward to being the one making them again.
Only this time, I'd be doing it in Sweden.
A few months earlier, I'd been in Malta, expecting to return after Christmas. Since then, I'd travelled through Czechia, worked with my father during Christmas markets, moved in with my sister, struggled to find work, and somehow ended up with a job abroad.
Tomorrow, I'd finally be on my way to the country I'd dreamed of visiting since I was a child.
And I couldn't wait.
A few days in Prague before leaving for Sweden.
Comments