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THE WEEKLY GLEANER | DECEMBER 13 - DECEMBER 19, 2021 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | FEATURE 11 THE W EKLY GLEAN R | DECEMB R 13, 2021 - JANUARY 2, 2 Neil Armstrong/Gleaner Writer A S A retiree, Avis Dalrymple finds life in Malta idyllic. SHE SAYS the island is small, pretty and interesting, and the weather is similar to Jamaica’s at Christmas time - warm and sunny. “Here, we only celebrate Christmas Day, and most people attend church services, Mass on Christmas Eve. There are Nativity displays around the island .., accompanied by beautifully lit streets across the island,” says Dalrymple, 68, who was born in the UK and lived there for 60 years, before moving to Malta in 2014 as part of her retirement plan. As a single woman who has raised two grown men – Scott, 41, and Jonathan, 34, both of whom are now happily married – the second-genera- tion Jamaican decided it was time to get out and about again and do some- thing a little different. While in the UK, she worked as a senior lecturer and reverend, eventu- ally giving up her day job to pastor her church full-time. Her parents, immigrants to the UK in the early 1950s, moved back to Jamaica for their retirement and had many happy years there. Sadly, some years after their departure from the UK, they became quite ill at different times, and finding affordable and ade- quate medical assistance and care was at times difficult. With both parents being so far away, and her still in the UK, she could not get to them quickly if an emergency arose without spending vast sums of money. “This experience, however, became part of my rationale for finding a retire- ment location that was closer to my family, but also warm and welcoming ... I spent a considerable amount of time pondering on the best retirement op- tions, and 18 months of research later I chose Malta,” says Dalrymple, who has two grandsons, ages 13 and 14. Malta has a population of just over half a million people and is in the mid- dle of the Mediterranean Sea, directly south of Italy and north of Libya. The island is 27km (17 miles) long and 14.5km ( nine miles) wide, with a total area of 246 square km (95 squaremiles). Dalrymple lives in a modest apart- ment on the south of the island in a fishing village. When she first arrived, the cost of living was much less, but in recent years it has become more expensive. However, it is still way less expensive than in the UK, and there is no council tax. “My days are sunny and scenic, and full of adventure and enjoyment. The weather here is warm, the food is great, and I can even buy Jamaican food – yam, plantains, cassava, coco, etc – quite cheaply in the main supermar- kets. Imagine eating this while looking out and over onto the sea; a really good experience.” She says living her entire life in the UK enabled her to settle in quickly with- out toomuch of an adjustment – it was easy and effortless. Dalrymple says learning to relax, to refrain from rushing around and take things at a slower pace, seemed a little awkward at first, but she has no prob- lems with that now. “Getting used to enjoying my- self every day has been a wonderful learning curve; I am still enjoying and enhancing this. Here, I have the joy of waking up each day with the oppor- tunity of doing something engaging and different. “The exquisite joy of choosing fresh food, fish, especially ‘catch of the day,’ is a delightful experience that I still enjoy even now eight years on.” Malta is predominantly Catholic, so there are many Catholic feast days and public holidays that are not in the UK. These special days are accompanied by huge firework displays that are quite spectacular. However, there are also Pentecostal churches, a couple of which have black leadership. She recalls how five years ago, a few Jamaicans decided to celebrate Jamaica’s Independence Day and 77 people turned up – only seven of them were Jamaicans. “The islanders loved our food and our music, and had a great time.” Three years ago, a Jamaican consu- late opened for the first time inValletta, the capital, with a celebration to which Jamaicans on the island were invited. Dalrymple says this is an indicator that there are more Jamaicans coming to Malta. “There are certainly a few more of us here now; and we also have aWhatsApp group where we can keep in touch if we so desire.” In 2019, the Government of Jamaica appointed Dr Kevin Dinglias the first honorary consul of Jamaica in Malta. Merry Christmas fromMalta! Avis Dalrymple CONTRIBUTED Jamaican enjoys retirement, holidays and sunny weather on Mediterranean isle Rohan Jones/Contributor UNION, NJ.: Montego Bay Cricket Club (MBCC) capped off another suc- cessful season as they beat Berbice Royals CC (BRCC) in the finals of the Garden State Cricket League (GSCL) T/20 competition atWatsessing Park in Bloomfield, New Jersey. Sent in to bat by MoBay’s skipper Royston Alkins in overcast conditions and a cool 55 degrees weather, Berbice Royals started off their innings in a hurry. Opening batsman Seth Maughn took 11 runs off the first over, which was bowled by former West Indies bowler Krishmar Santokie. In the second over, in-form batsman Andre Kirton was unfortunately run out off a deflection off the bowler as he was backing up too far. Thereafter, it was all downhill for the BRCC batsmen, unable to negotiate the MBCC bowlers as wickets fell at regular intervals. Skipper Cameron Mirza with 20 and Hugo D’Oliveira, 26 not out, were the only batsmen to get into double figures. Santokie, who bowled three con- secutive maidens after his first over, finished with 4 for 11, while Upstan Edwards took 2 for 17 and former Guyanese youth player Alkins, 2 for 18. In reply, MBCC lost a wicket in their first over as Team USA player Alex Amsterdam was caught off the third ball he faced frompaceman Mike Tyrell for a duck. Tyrell struck again in the third over as he sent back Trinidad youth player Daniel Williams, caught behind for 6 . Jabari Mills, another former Trinidad youth player, did not last long as he was bowled by medium pacer Manoj Lokhnaught for 6. Syraj Sepaul who top-scored with 42, held the innings together as MBCC finished on 82 for 5. Alkins finished on 14 not out. Bowling for Berbice, Lokhnaught fin- ished with 3 for 26 and Tyrell 2 for 8. Santokie was namedMVP for the finals. Former captain Nazir Mohammed, who was instrumental in putting the team together, said he was very pleased with the performance of the team to capture the T/20 title, especially after they were knocked out in the semi-final of the 40 overs competition earlier in the season. It was another disappointing outing for BRCC, having. earlier in the season, lost the 40 overs competition to the TrinJersey Cricket Club. SCORES Berbice Royals CC, 78 all out in 18 overs; MBCC, 82 for 5, in 12 overs. MBCC win T/20 title GSCL T20 CHAMPS 2021. Members of the Montego Bay Cricket Club, the T20 champions of the Garden State Cricket League competition for 2021. CONTRIBUTED