Maria actually wanted to discover the USA with EF, but then the corona pandemic came. So in 2020 she traveled to Malta instead – where she found true love in EF student Thomas.
Hey, my name is Maria, I come from Poland and live in Cologne. My friend Thomas comes from France. In 2020 we met in Malta thanks to EF and are very happy together today.
I've always had a passion for travel and really wanted to travel before I graduated from high school. So I decided to travel to America with EF. At the same time, Thomas was finishing his high school diploma and had the same idea.
A hint of fate
None of us would have expected that our plans would not be able to be implemented due to the corona pandemic. Although our language trips had to be canceled, EF found an alternative for us. This was Malta because there were no corona restrictions there.
Getting to know each other in St. Julian's, Malta
On the first evening all the EF students went to the bars in St. Julian's so we could get to know each other. That's where I saw Thomas for the first time. You can say it was love at first sight.
To this day we laugh about the story of how we met. Neither of us can remember how we communicated with each other in the beginning.
Overcome the language barrier together
I speak Polish, German and English. Although I knew French from school, it wasn't enough to have a conversation. I also really wanted to improve my English in Malta so that I could study abroad later. I managed to do this too. I completed the intensive course at C2 level and also passed the Cambridge exam.
Thomas, on the other hand, speaks French and Spanish. At the time, he only spoke minimal English and wanted to improve his English so that he could study internationally. He started his EF course at level A1 and successfully completed it at C1.
Despite the language barriers, we had a lot of fun and tried to exchange ideas. It was clear from the start that there was a spark between us, so Thomas invited me on a date. I remember the date was very fun. We sometimes had to use Google Translate when facial expressions and gestures didn't work.
However, the effort was definitely worth it. We were able to overcome the communication problems very quickly. After school we always studied together on the beach – he taught me French and I taught him English.
How it went on
We were both very satisfied with our host families. We were also able to visit each other at any time. As our course came to an end, we had to discuss what to do next. We have decided to continue to stay together.
Since I was very satisfied with EF, I spontaneously came up with the idea of taking a language course in Paris. This allowed me to really get to grips with the French language. So after my language trip to Malta, I lived in Paris for three months. I always went to see Thomas and his family every weekend.
How are we today?
I'm still in the process of getting my high school diploma in Cologne. Thomas started studying in Lille. So luckily we're not that far apart. We also visit each other regularly and plan to move in together again soon.
We are very happy that our friends and families support our relationship. Since our unforgettable language trip, we have become real travel buddies and have already visited several countries together. We are also planning to go on a trip to Europe this summer. Our common dream is to renovate a van and travel the world with it.
