Eritreans Hansu Tesfamichael and his wife Fesseha Adhana just can't believe they will be starting a new life in the United States. They shared some of their joy with Massimo Farrugia during their last days in Malta.
If the weather on a Monday morning in the second week of January feels as though Easter is over, you're either living in the southern hemisphere or the world's climate is going crazy, faster than we thought it would. Until just a few years ago, climate change was associated with freaky scientists, the likes of who secondary school students at the time saw on documentaries projected in the school media room.
A keen geography teacher, whose haircut earned her the nickname "little mushroom", often had a hard time controlling the noisy boys who became over excited whenever a video session interrupted the dull classroom routine. In fact, they were not quite interested in what the "weirdo" in the video went on about and, as anything that formed part of the future, climate change seemed light years away, despite poor 'little mushroom's' efforts.
Barely a decade later, as I headed towards the residence of the US Ambassador in Attard to meet the Eritrean couple who will be settling in the US, it was strange to feel pleasantly warm in a sweater and a sleeveless jacket when I should have been shivering.
Like climate change, the American dream came sooner than Mr Tesfamichael and his wife ever expected. In fact, they never thought it could happen, as rarely are political refugees in a European country given such an opportunity.
"Soon we will be in Oakland, California, which will become our new home. We are extremely happy," said Mr Tesfamichael in clear English, his Eastern African features expressing joy and incredulity.
"I speak four Eritrean languages, Sudanese, Arabic and English. I had six jobs here in Malta, mostly in hotels, and I helped the Refugee Commissioner with translations part-time."
Wrapping his left arm around his quiet but attentive wife, Mr Tesfamichael, 28, knew that life didn't always smile.
Having fled Eritrea to Sudan in 2002, before heading north to reach Europe, the couple tempted fate when they decided to cross from Libya to Italy. Their hope was that the fierce Mediterranean wouldn't kill them, as it had done to many an African migrant before.
"We were extremely lucky, and we will be eternally grateful to the Maltese authorities for having saved us when we were out at sea. We were about 200 people on the same boat, and it was really bad".
The two landed in Malta on September 17, 2004 and were granted humanitarian protection after some months in detention.
"Detention was tough, of course. It's not easy when you cannot walk out freely. So it was a relief when we were freed at last. During our time, the conditions in detention were quite bad. We used to sleep in a tent and, every time it rained, water flowed beneath our beds. Obviously, the Maltese authorities had little choice at the time because they were not prepared for us," Mr Tesfamichael said, making it clear that his criticism of detention did not mean he was ungrateful to the country that save his life.
Freed from detention, the couple started working hard to make a living and save some money, hoping to gradually improve their situation here. The thought they would some day settle in mainland Europe or the US seemed extremely remote.
"We were surprised and a little frightened when we were told that the American Embassy was offering us the opportunity to live in the US," he said.
Consul Michael Troje, who sat through the interview next to US Ambassador Molly Bordonaro, explained that the couple had to go through lengthy interviews where they were asked about their family backgrounds, occupations, parents, and why they felt they had to leave their homeland. The American authorities needed to make sure the story they told was consistent before granting them access.
But why had they been chosen? From the couple's point of view, it was purely a matter of chance. Mrs Bordonaro noted that the couple were among 30 African migrants who will become US citizens next week.
"The United States takes a number of political refugees from around the world every year. Usually we take refugees from camps in Africa and elsewhere. This year we are taking about 17,000, including Somalis, Eritreans, Iraqis and other nationals as well."
This time, however, the situation was slightly different; as it was unusual that the US accepts refugees from a European country.
"We decided to take a few refugees from here after the government asked us to help with the unique situation that the country is facing given its small size and the recent influx of migrants," Mrs Bordonaro said.
It turned out that among the criteria upon which the refugees were identified and interviewed was whether they had any relatives already in the US. Mr Tesfamichael said his wife's mother and two sisters already live there and, to an extent, their arrival in the US will be a kind homecoming.
As the couple went through nine months of interviewing at the American consulate, their life took another turn with the birth of their baby daughter, Romina, now eight months old. She was left in the care of Maltese friends as her parents attended the interview with The Times.
While both parents worked, in fact, little Romina stayed with a Maltese family who, they said, has been extremely kind to them. "They were of great help to us because they kept Romina from morning till evening, seven days a week until my wife went to work. We will keep in contact with them as we will always remember what they did for us," Mr Tesfamichael said.
Both remarked that they found the Maltese to be extremely welcoming, even if they encountered some problems with certain people. But that was "to be expected anywhere really".
The couple had words of thanks for all those who have helped them.
"We understand it is not easy for Malta to keep so many people on such a small land. Many here went out of their way to help us," the couple said, mentioning Mgr Philip Calleja, of the Emigrants' Commission, the Jesuit Refugee Service, and others.
After the farewells, a new life awaits them on the other side of the world. How did they imagine it to be?
"I would first like to upgrade my education. In the meantime, I will do odd jobs as I did here in Malta. I wish to see my daughter brought up in better conditions, have better opportunities, than I had," Mr Tesfamichael said.
The morning light filling Mrs Bordonaro's drawing room signalled that almost an hour had passed since we shook hands that morning and, indeed, the couple's faces had expressed more enthusiasm and joy than words can ever express.
The final handshakes followed an informal conversation that went on after the tape recorder was switched off. Accompanying us to the residence's front door, Mrs Bordonaro remarked with a smile that the Eritrean couple had already practically packed their entire luggage, even if their departure was still 10 days away.
Outside, the morning mist was gone and the day felt almost like spring.