Dressed from head to toe in casual white, with a Panama hat dangling from the back of his chair, I recognised Dr Carmel Vassallo immediately, although we had never met. His shaven pate and white stubble are familiar: he is one of those people whom you’re sure you know from somewhere but can’t quite put your finger on where.
“I’m occasionally invited to speak on TV discussion programmes,” he tells me by way of explanation.
We are on the outside terrace at The Big Blue, with a great view of the Sliema coastline and the wide open sea in front of us; an appropriate place to interview someone who has always looked outwards, away from the small island where he was born.
We are quickly brought a selection of appetisers which reflect the Mediterranean-style menu.
Carmel is not quite sure why I want to interview him. “I’m certainly not famous.”
Maybe not, but a mutual friend had suggested that he would be an interesting person to meet, describing him as “quite a character.”
When I ask him how he came to teach Hispanic Studies, he heaves a sigh, “it’s a very long story which came about in a roundabout fashion. Why did I end up being the co-ordinator? Maybe because there was nobody else...?” he says with a laugh at his own expense.
Admittedly, Spanish is still considered a relatively ‘new’ foreign language for Malta.
“In fact, it’s considered so exotic that it wasn’t even started off in the Faculty of Arts, but at the Mediterranean Institute, which is a sort of depository for things like anthropology, theatre studies and so on. That’s OK, that’s fine by me. It allows me to use an approach which is different to the normal way that university courses are structured. For example, I have Flamenco dance teacher Rosanna Maya teaching the history of Spanish dance. In my opinion, at University there has been too much emphasis on what you might call the traditional literature-based approach, as opposed to modern studies. Hispanic studies is a recognition of the fact that Spanish and Spain are, after all, just the entrée into a far bigger phenomenon which is Latin, Central and South America. We have lecturers on Hispanic art, film and music while I teach history.”
The courses are held in English, because he is fully aware that there are only a limited number of people in Malta who are fluent enough in Spanish to follow lectures in that language.
“You have to be realistic,” he adds, echoing his own pragmatic approach to life.
The original idea was to offer Spanish within the B.Ed course, but as Carmel points out, not everyone wants to become a teacher, and the course did not attract enough students.
“So the idea was to get people interested in Hispanic studies and then gradually you will get those who wish to teach the language, rather than the other way around. Plus you have to have a demand from students who wish to study Spanish as well.”
While he is speaking I’m trying to identify his accent. It is one of those hybrid unidentifiable ones which has shades of Australian, British English and even American. He explains that it is because he has lived over half his life in different countries: England for 12 years, Australia, Southeast Asia, Spain, France, Israel – the list seems endless.
“It’s one of these international accents. Many people think I’m from South Africa. It also depends who I’m talking to because I end up picking up other people’s accents too... I could be from anywhere.”
In fact, he is proud to say that he was born and bred in Sliema, in the part known as the Lazy Corner, “a Slimiz from the other part of town, not from Dingli Street” he grins mischievously.
And the reason you left Malta?
“I was one of those good old-fashioned, pay your ten pounds and get your ticket migrants! I was probably one of the last ones to be shipped out rather than flown out. On the Achille Lauro in fact, and we had to go all around the Cape because the Suez canal was closed due to the Six-Day war. I really wanted to leave; I had a sense of adventure. My parents didn’t expect it, of course, because for someone from a working class background I had what was considered ‘a good job’ as a clerk with Barclays Bank. Basically, once you join the bank you are set up for life!” he says with a raise of his bushy eyebrows.
When he told the interviewing board at the bank that his plan was to work there for a few years and then emigrate, they smiled at the young man as if to say, ‘dream on!’. Carmel, however, did exactly that.
You probably know people who started with you, who are still there...
“Yes, it’s very strange. I remember one guy who was interviewed at the same time as I was, whose dream was to go to Australia and work on a sheep station and I told him, ‘why don’t you come with me’? But he stayed here. I met him ten years later and he was still in the same post. Sometimes people are really afraid of reaching out for what they really want to do.”
Carmel has certainly never been afraid of ‘going for it’, as he has lived quite a colourful life. The first thing he did was to further his education. He got a part-time job in a library in South London and studied during the day, getting his ‘A’ levels in a year. Obtaining a local authority grant he was able to read for a degree as a mature student.
“It was one of these ‘supermarket’ type of degrees, a new thing at the time, where you can combine all sorts of subjects, so I did economics and development, which included sociology, anthropology, international relations and so on. Nearly 60 per cent of us were foreigners, coming from different backgrounds, which made a lot of difference, because the level of debate and commitment was so high.”
As often happens with people who come to tertiary education later on in life, once he started studying, he couldn’t stop. Carmel began to study Spanish by way of history at the time that Franco was in government. He became interested in a political movement which was very strong during the Spanish civil war, so in order to study it he had to be able to access documentation in Spanish.
Working in a variety of jobs, he eventually built up his own business which was so successful that he ‘retired’ at the age of 35. He then moved to the South of Spain when he married a Basque woman (now his ex-wife). Eventually they re-located to the north because of the children’s schooling.
“It was at this time that I started visiting Malta again for a few months at a time. Once I went to say hello to an old friend Myra Grech who was just starting the IELS school and she asked me to help out.”
Since then, Malta has once again become his base, and he is back living in his hometown. His children, now grown up, come to visit regularly, usually bringing a clan of friends with them.
“I find myself having to cook for all these people,” he says, grumbling good-naturedly.
Aged 55, he still retains a very positive outlook towards life, a joie de vivre which is often missing even in young people.
“I do look at the good things in life,” he admits. “It’s the old adage of choosing to see a bottle as half full rather than half empty.”
Do you ever get restless now that you’re back in Malta?
“Not really, because I still do a lot of travelling. At the moment I’m going back and forth to Brussels working as an interpreter. Apart from that I go to a lot of conferences in connection with my publications on Maritime history. I’m also on several editorial boards in this line of publishing, so that keeps me busy.”
When he is asked to appear on TV as a guest, it often has to do with his stand on the Middle East (he is pro-Israel).
“It all started with a debate on campus which got quite a lot of attention. Apparently it was quite impossible to find someone who was not hell-bent against Israel, period. There are many things I don’t agree with, but there are other things which I feel are good. Of course, there’s a lot of understandable sympathy for the Palestinian cause but similarly I feel that there are lots of goings-on on that side which leave a lot to be desired,” he says, choosing his words carefully. “So I guess I’ve become a sort of a reference point on this issue which is OK, apart from the fact that people look at you in a very funny way on campus,” he says, giving me a demonstration, as he narrows his eyes suspiciously.
Another controversial issue which he has been asked to speak about on TV is divorce.
“One argument I use is that we live in a society where we can choose which car to buy and the kind of house we live in, so really we ought to be allowed to choose the partner we live with as well. If you’re not getting on with someone, in my opinion, there’s not much sense in staying with them.”
He realises that he ‘stands out’ in Maltese society.
“Some of it has to do with my demeanour, even before I open my mouth. Many people don’t think I’m Maltese for a start.”
Well, not many people go around wearing a Panama hat...
I also point out that he has this air about him of simply not caring what people think. The Italians have a phrase for it, ‘me ne frego’ .
He laughs at this, “Yes, I suppose it is an aura, but I wouldn’t say I don’t care. I do care, of course I do, but I won’t be constrained by what people think. We sometimes think this only exists in Malta, but I’ve seen it on the Continent as well, in small regional capitals where mentally, it is a very constraining space and people have very limited horizons. Everyone is concerned with what everybody else is up to. Actually I find Malta no where as bad as other places I’ve been.”
Our main course arrives. The maitre d’ has recommended some fresh grilled pagell, accompanied by a choice of boiled and roast potatoes together with fresh vegetables.
Do you ever wonder how your life would have been if you had never taken that boat and emigrated?
“I have a strong suspicion I might have ended up in politics. I feel strongly about things, I speak forcefully, sometimes excessively so. Who knows? You never know. Have you ever seen that movie Sliding Doors? Getting on a boat, not getting on a boat, missing a train, meeting or not meeting a certain person. I’m a great believer that you make your own choices, it’s not all destiny. It’s a question of will. I believe we have the choice to get up and do what we really want to do, or we can cower within our own persona. You know, most people are not restrained by external forces but by the limits which they impose on themselves.”
As we chat, I find out that Carmel does not own a car, nor does he drive.
Is this possible, to survive in Malta without a car?
He assures me that yes, it can happen.
“However, I consider myself lucky to live in Sliema which is close to so many places. Of course, if you live in Mellieha and have to rely on public transport, then you have a problem.”
Talk turns to his work as an interpreter (which, he emphasised is not the same as a translator). This is highly specialised work which not only demands a fluency in languages, but the ability to learn new terminology very quickly.
“Until recently, there wasn’t much of a demand for interpreters. But now apart from the work related to the EU in Brussels, there is also a demand for interpreters when, for example, new policies have to be explained to Maltese farmers, most of whom understand very little English. Then there are the corporate incentive groups who bring their staff over here for conferences. These types of requests usually come at very short notice, so we are used to the tough sector of the market; sometimes you can get contracted and not even know what the subject is until you get there. You can end up in a conference on medical subjects. It’s not like in Brussels, which is considered more ‘elite’, where you can get up to three interpreters in a booth rather than just two. It’s very well-organised, there’s a site where you can access glossary. It’s sheer heaven compared to how we normally work.”
We finish our lunch and say our goodbyes. Declining my offer of a lift, Carmel walks off, strolling down the Sliema front at his leisurely pace. A free spirit if there ever was one.
The petite Jackie Mercieca has the kind of exotic look that is typical of Mediterranean women – but it is not just her appearance that identifies her roots; she is also passionate about everything she does.
To start off with, this is one lady who loves her food. She had chosen Hibiki because Japanese food is one of her favourite types of cuisine and she cooks it regularly at home (you guessed it, cooking is another passion). Seated at the traditional table with a chef cooking the fresh ingredients in front of us, is all part of the experience of going to a Japanese restaurant. This venue at the Fortina Hotel with its ever-smiling staff, has captured just the right ambience.
The waitress has recommended a selection of their various dishes so our starters begin with a delicious soup followed by sushi and sashimi. Jackie explains the difference: the former is raw fish packed into a roll with rice; the latter is without rice. These delicacies are an acquired taste, but once you have given them a try you will find that Japanese recipes are not only appetising but healthy as well. Jackie is so knowledgeable about them that I am regaled with a running commentary of each dish throughout the meal. She urges me to try the wasabi (Japanese horseradish) the hot spicy taste of which she describes as “a buzz”, but I decline.
“Matthew, my husband, eats red chilli raw, and once I decided to try it because he told me it wasn’t that spicy. It was so hot I almost went crazy. It was demonic that chilli, I tell you! I didn’t know whether to laugh, or cry or jump from the balcony.”
She has a knack for telling anecdotes – her wry humour could easily be that of a stand-up comic.
Jackie started off her career as a stewardess with Air Malta. An unfortunate accident on the job in which she dislocated her shoulder meant that after 11 years she could no longer perform her duties and she was seconded to Holiday Malta, a subsidiary of the company.
“We used to bring VIPs to the island to ‘sell’ them Malta. After that I was seconded to the Crowne Plaza hotel, where I worked in marketing. Then, recently, I was called back to work with Air Malta but I was not happy with the post they gave me so I resigned. It was a hard decision because I love that company, I still refer to Air Malta as ‘us’. If you have never worked there you cannot understand why its employees feel such a part of that large organisation. Recently, I did a feature for the breakfast show about the pilots who have to get up early for a flight, and being with them again and seeing the planes made me cry.”
Although she has studied marketing, Jackie feels that this is one field where you either have a feel for it or you don’t.
“You need to believe in what you’re doing and believe in yourself, you have to like people and like to communicate. Studying the subject is not enough. You also cannot fool people. I genuinely believe that. If a dress doesn’t suit someone, why tell them that it does?”
Although she considers herself a Furjaniza (from Floriana), Jackie’s parents relocated to Santa Lucia and it was there she met the late Mario Ellul who introduced her to television. She appeared in the programme Arzella with Ray Azzopardi when she was just 14, until she left for Germany to study the language under a student exchange programme.
“I’ve studied everything under the sun,” she laughs. “Kung Fu and several languages, including Spanish. The only thing I hated studying was accounts; I had started a management course but I didn’t finish it because of accounts, I think it’s such a dead, abstract subject. I hunger for knowledge and to learn; I think life is a voyage, a journey of discovery and learning. If you stop trying to discover new things you die inside. Studying keeps you young as well.”
Right now she is studying history for an honours degree, after first studying history of art.
“It’s such a beautiful subject,” she says about art. “All you do is study things of beauty. Everything around you starts to make sense, because art is reflected on everything, including politics.”
Hearing Jackie talk, it is easy to get caught up in her sheer enthusiasm for life. Not surprisingly, travelling is another of her great loves.
Northern Europe doesn’t entice her, she tells me, as she reels off the many far-flung places she has visited: Bali, Peru, Indonesia, Thailand, Cuba, Guatemala, Belize, Bolivia, Zanzibar, India. “That’s where all my money went,” she points out ruefully. “Travelling is my drug.”
To look at her you would think she expects five-start comfort, but no, she is a backpacking sort of girl, loving nothing better than to go camping.
“I don’t need to wash every day,” she says, then realising the implications of this, she addresses my tape recorder, “not when I’m at home I mean, OK? I do wash! Matthew is actually fussier than I am – I can eat at a market for example, while he would think twice about it. He likes the finer things in life... which is why he chose me,” she quips with a self-mocking flourish of her hand.
When they first met almost six years ago, she was worried that their travelling styles would not be compatible:
“I mean, I can go for a month with just Lm300 while he spent about Lm500 in just two weeks in Greece.”
From the looks of it, however, they have reached a compromise.
As he is a pilot, they already knew each other from work, but they started seeing each other after Jackie made him a light-hearted bet that he wouldn’t kiss her. Of course he did, and that was that. She describes theirs as a “perfect combination” of Aries (him) with Libra (her).
“My ruling planet is Venus and his ruling planet is Mars so there’s that excitement of all man and all woman, you know?”
They lived together first for four years before getting married a year ago, and she firmly believes that this is the way to do it.
“When you live together there’s no pressure. It’s not like you suddenly find yourself married to this person whom, let’s face it, you hardly even know. When you just meet in the evening, and talk about the house and the furniture, how can you really get to know the person? I would absolutely recommend living together, definitely. If it were me, I wouldn’t make couples take the Cana course – instead, to get married they would have had to live together for at least a year. You can thrash out a lot of problems that way and you can grow together without that pressure of ‘I’m married now, this is it’. At first I thought that by living together first we were taking a lot away from being married, but now I can say that there is a difference. You get closer spiritually, he becomes your real family; he comes first now. I’m married to the relationship.”
Despite her talk of spirituality Jackie is very anti-clerical and doesn’t have much respect for the Catholic Church, particularly its past history.
“I find God more in nature than in the institution that is the Church. Since I’ve studied about what led to the Reformation and Martin Luther, when you know all that, you start to question a lot.”
And yet you got married....?
“In Church,” she answers my question with an ironic smile, realising how hypocritical that sounds. “Because then you have the aspect of God. We both believed in this marriage, we both wanted it and we wanted to do it the real way. We felt that the real way is the whole package, a contract in front of God and the state, and that was the only way we could do it. To have the ceremony you have to do it in church.”
One Breakfast came along this season out of the blue, with a call from Super One suggesting that she present it with Martin Sapiano. She wakes up Monday to Friday at 5am in order to get ready.
“Breakfast shows are tough, but not because of the time you have to get up. As a person, I always wake up very bubbly and talkative so that’s OK. But during the rest of the day, my energy starts flagging. I go to university afterwards, or do errands, or work on some assignment, and I start slowing down and my eyes just want to close. Sometimes I wonder if this was a mistake. By Friday I’m knackered. Plus it affects your life because you can’t do anything in the evening, or even drink a glass of wine at home. Mentally, I’m always thinking about the programme, trying to find new ideas. Of course, according to Zen, you’re only supposed to concentrate on the thing you are doing at the moment, which is very healthy and less stressful. But most of us don’t do it. While brushing your teeth you’re thinking about what you’re going to wear, and so on.”
We both agree that Malta is no longer the easy-going, laid-back island it once was.
“As if!” she exclaims. “I’ve just been to an island called Iona in Scotland and I tell you there they really live a calm, simple life. One-lane roads, they make their own jam, everyone has time to say ‘good morning, how are you?’ In my opinion, Malta and New York are the same. First of all, Malta has become just one big city, because the towns and villages all converge with one another. Secondly, just look at people in the street with all our traffic, there is so much tension, everyone is impatient, insulting one another, it’s too fast.”
And yet, with all its faults, and with so many other beautiful places in the world where she could live, Jackie has to admit that she just loves Malta too much to leave. At the same time, her own patriotism makes her uneasy.
“It’s not healthy, this pull that we Maltese have towards our country. Maybe we are so attached to it because we’re a small island? I think on the whole, we hate change, even with jobs, you still have people who cling to the same company for life. It’s the same with the younger generation, ultimately, the most they change is the colour of their hair. I compare it to the farmers and how they hold on to their land – we’re very conservative and insular in that way. Whereas if you take up new opportunities they give you enthusiasm and energy.”
Jackie seems fascinated by the traits that make us Maltese:
“It’s a strange combination of still being servile and colonial: the idea that the foreigner does everything better, but at the same time we have this overblown self-confidence and importance which might be due to plain ignorance.”
More food arrives at this point. Chicken with peanut sauce, pork, beef and lamb, prawns and tuna plus noodles all mixed with different herbs and spices.
“This is divine,” she keeps saying, enjoying every mouthful. “I love different tastes mixed together. Twistees and chocolate, sausage dipped in jam, cheese with jam, peaches with cheese. Matthew just thinks I’m being a downright pig. Of course, that kind of mixture doesn’t appeal to everyone.”
Apart from her own TV programmes, viewers may also recall Jackie as a regular guest on talk shows to which she is often invited on the basis of her political beliefs. She is proud to support Labour, but undeniably explodes the myth of what the stereotyped Labour supporter is supposedly like. Someone even went so far as to tell her that “you are too sophisticated to be a Laburista” – which is a backhanded compliment if there ever was one.
“In Malta, there are two perspectives but one is stronger, more powerful and influences society much more. It’s like the Nationalists have a cens perpetwu (a lifelong lease) or some divine right from God to govern and they can never imagine that the Opposition will ever beat them. They also seem to think that they are the ones with the most class, the most intelligence, the best dressed, the most educated, and so on. As for the rest of us, I don’t know how they don’t just bundle us all up on a ship and exile us somewhere. The truth is very different: the greatest intellectuals all over the world have always been left-wing. Artists, playwrights, writers – were always from the left.”
And what about that everlasting label of “hamalli” (vulgar)?
“Well, in my opinion you can have a programme on NET TV which is the height of vulgarity, and with all due respect, there are some programmes like that on at the moment. This is just another label. The media perpetuates this as well – they go to film a mass meeting and focus on a woman who is wearing a low-cut top, screaming her head off. But just like you have those kind of people at a Labour meeting, you have them at Nationalist meetings as well.”
Apart from those who never go to meetings of either side.
“I think the Nationalist style of doing politics is very hypocritical. They misquote, they decide when there should be consensus and when we should stop talking about the past – but then they show film clips from the 1980s completely out of context, and it’s suddenly OK to talk about the past. So what type of consensus do they want? About who should be President of Malta, a person who’s supposed to unite the country? These people have become so arrogant that they even want to dictate what the opposition says, when it should criticise, how it should behave, when it should support the government, and that it should not whine so much. That’s another catchphrase: ‘Hallihom jeqirdu tas-Super One’. The opposition isn’t there to make it easy for the government to ride roughshod over everyone just so they can say there’s consensus. The opposition is there to stick up for those who can be adversely affected by government policies.”
I ask her to name the biggest mistake made by the Labour Party.
“That it didn’t accept the referendum,” she says without hesitation. “Not only did it cost the MLP the election, but I feel it was a decision taken in the heat of the moment and it caused a lot of damage, particularly to people within the Party. I was one of those who criticised Alfred Sant on this, but the man is so straightforward, so genuine, that it’s like water off a duck’s back. If I were criticised like that, I would have rebutted, but he just keeps his dignity, says what he has to say and doesn’t play games. Personally, I don’t agree, because if I’m playing a political game with you, I have to play it. The Labour Party is sometimes too idealistic. It’s like when Dr Sant as Prime Minister tried to leave people in their posts, even though they had been appointed by the Nationalist administration – in the end it backfired on him.”
How come she never got involved in politics herself?
“I love it, but politics is so demanding that you never have time for yourself or your family. Matthew right now is number one for me, and I don’t want anything to come between us. We criticise politicians, but they do make a lot of sacrifices after all. Also I think women have more guilt about not having enough time for their family, whereas a man will say ‘heqq, it’s work hu?’ He’s not going to feel guilty.”
I thought our meal was finished but the chef comes by again and cooks us beef flambé and rice cooked with a beaten egg.
Jackie seems happy at the appearance of yet another dish and admits to having a big appetite – where she puts all the food, I have no idea.
We talk some more about her work on television.
“I take people’s advice, and I think I manage to communicate with viewers. I love my audience, I think it’s an honour that they chose to see me... so we need to give them something back, whether it’s information, whatever. If I can share what I’ve learned, but not in a patronising way, then they can take it or leave it. From the SMSs I receive, I think people realise I’m genuine. What you see is what you get. Can you imagine what a strain it must be to put on a mask every day to appear to be something you’re not in public? No! I couldn’t do it.
Even in the way I dress, although I’m a non-conformist, I do try and make sure I don’t offend anyone – I don’t need to go in the morning dressed as if I’m doing an evening show. I often get messages from people who are depressed so I try to talk about the important of being positive, of doing something worthwhile. From the feedback I get, I think viewers like me... I hope!”
This is not to say she has not been at the receiving end of negative feedback.
“It has happened to me at my place of work. It’s not just that they don’t like you – they actually hate you! And you wouldn’t have done a thing to them, it’s just because you’re different. It tends to come more from women, unfortunately.”
Could it be envy?
“Well, if it is, I don’t understand it and it hurts me.”
Well, attractive women sometimes bring out the cattiness in other women...
“Personally, I value personality and brains more than looks. There are millions of beautiful women, but how long can you keep looking at them? A beautiful mind and personality is what makes someone beautiful.
I think when some people see that a woman is not stupid and is not ugly, it puts them off balance.
If you are lively, or pretty, or bubbly or whatever, you have to be stupid so that for sure they will have something negative to talk about. But why this bitchiness? Of course, being the fighter that I am, I fight back. Once you provoke me, I’m not weak at all. I’m selective about friendships and very wary about who to trust, but once I’m comfortable with someone then I’m OK.”