When I received this wonderful call from Ms Maka Lashki, I was not only surprised but super extra mega happy to be considered as part of the Maltese delegation to Georgia. Georgia was a country that I had heard a lot about through Maka’s narratives and I was always very enthusiastic to get to know more. When I received this call from the founder and director herself, I simply couldn’t say no to such a fantastic offer.
I was sure that with Maka’s guidance this trip was not only going to be informative but also fun. At present, there are no direct flights from Malta to Georgia or viceversa so thanks to Mr Efrem Bilocca of Malta Booking we got the flights through Munich. The only person I knew from the Maltese delegation was Ms Florina Silvio. I had met Ms Florina Silvio a few years back when I had written a review for one of her children’s books. Since then, I had many interactions with Ms Silvio. I could say that we became friends easily over home cooked dinners and/or cocktails. You will hear more about Ms Silvio in a separate blog as there are a lot of talents behind this woman.
On the plane, I was lucky enough o have a seat next to Dr George Said Zammit, Ambassador of Malta to Georgia and Armenia. George, as he asked me to address him, is indeed a humble man. Through our chats on the plane we discovered that we had loads of things in common but first and foremost our love for education given that we both started our careers as teachers. Needless to say, the flight looked shorter than it actually was. Our conversation kept flowing and I immediately knew that this connection was going to be a long lasting one. Another blog will also follow about Dr George Said Zammit and his role as Ambassador.
On the plane, we noted a mature gentleman and we were wondering whether he was indeed the Fr Joseph Cini mentioned on the group email where Ms Maka had mentioned that we would have a Salesian priest with us in the group. We soon realised that the gentleman in the black hat was indeed Fr. Joe or Joe as he asked us to address him. Everyone seemed so keen on being addressed on a first name basis. What a beautiful way to start this trip.
On our arrival in Munich, we soon spotted the other two people with us: Miss Carmen Rossiter, librarian and archivist who helps Fr Joe at the very interesting library of old books and documents in Senglea. This library and all its volunteers are worth a mention in a separate blog for sure so be on the lookout as I will write more in the coming days for sure.
Of course we spotted also Mr Efrem Bilocca from Malta Booking. Efrem is the mind behind charter direct flights from Malta to Georgia hopefully starting to operate as of June 2022 to welcome all Georgian talents on our lovely tiny island all throughout June and July for the duration of the Euro Festival organised by GCC Malta. And if you’re keen to learn more about this festival, just make sure to keep on following my blog as they will obviously all have more than just a mention. These direct flights are also aimed to encourage Maltese people to visit GEORGIA. You really do not need anymore reasons to grab that flight or tour with Brittania Tours this summer.
Once in Munich, we all decided it was a good idea to get together for a lovely lunch. There we got to know each other seamlessly. It all happened in the most natural of ways. There was no need to stress or to create an out of the ordinary team building. We were all heading to Georgia to learn more about the country and to bring back all sorts of knowledge and experience to share within the Maltese cities and villages. This was a toast to creating connections.
This trip was possible thanks to: Director and Founder of GCC Malta Ms Maka Lashki; Director of Malta Booking Mr Efrem Bilocca; Director of Brittania Tours Mr Noel Farrugia; Georgian Co-ordinators & PR Ms Irina Tsertsvadze and Ms Tina Abashidze.
Now this is a country I'd like to visit! Seems like you had a memorable experience Annabel!