Archive for the ‘Larnaca v London’ Category
City Rats day 6
Posted on: February 13, 2014
I stand unnaturally close to people I don’t know. The train is stuffy and mixed scents press me into the pane of glass. I try not to breathe other people’s air but I realise if I hold my breath any longer ill pass out.
I squeeze into myself but I cannot avoid the sardine enclosure. As we approach the train station that leads to the underground the rats shuffle forward anticipating their release into the tunnels where they will again step onto the tube in hoards. I thankfully stay on the train.
I think of the journey I had in Cyprus in my car, sun warming my arm as it hung out the window, music playing loud for the whole village to hear. My view was the expanse of the Mediterranean sea rather than the dingy grey skyline of East London.
The Key to living in Cyprus
Posted on: July 27, 2010
Since my best friend has been here with her kids and her entire family, whom ive all grown up with, I am loving Cyprus! I realise I may have been coming across as very negative about Cyprus lately and I am not trying to be negative. All I want to illustrate through my writing is the good and bad (in my opinion) about life in Cyprus. The problem is; it is so straight down the middle. It really is 50% Cyprus 50% London. It’s not even a little over for either one. That’s what makes it so hard to decide what to do. Since my friend has been here, I have felt like me, I have felt happy, content, full of energy. Saturday night I went to her cousin’s wedding. Normally I hate the Greek weddings over here, they are large, un-atmospheric and boring. This one, because of the people there, was brilliant. We danced, I even danced on a chair with my shoes off, for hours! We laughed, joked, talked, it was fantastic. Sunday I chilled at the villa the cousins are staying in. Got to know the kiddies a bit better. And then yesterday after work, I went again to the villa where my friend was with her kids. I got there at 6pm after work and it felt like 3pm because it was still boiling hot, we were in the pool, in our bikinis, chatting, laughing, it was still daylight. My day felt so much longer. My friend I were talking about how hard it is to make a decision when you are experiencing moments like the one we were living at that moment. The pool filled with kids playing and laughing, the adults talking, laughing, drinking and eating, the sun shining, the sea in our view. What would we be doing in London at 7pm on a Monday night? Probably just getting off the tube and collapsing on the sofa.
My night didn’t end at 9.30 when I went home. I showered and then met up with everyone again and went to Finigouthes at 10.30pm to eat and have a drink. I stayed out till 2am on a Monday night which I don’t think I have done since I was here on holiday 3 years ago. I would’ve stayed out longer had I not had work today. It was so lovely being with real people, people you care about, who are interesting and trustworthy.
It proves to me that you need three key things in Cyprus to be happy. A good job. A good partner. A good group of friends. Once you have these three things, you have the money to experience memorable moments and you have the people you want to share them with. Right now I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else with anyone else.
Life in Larnaca
Posted on: July 8, 2010
The other day I was driving and had to slam on my brakes as a shepherd was escorting his herd of around 100 sheep across the road. He waved his staff at me as a sign of thanks and I smiled a small tear coming to my eye as I thought, ‘now that I will miss’. I love the fact there’s no traffic over here. I love that I can go out at night and feel so safe. I love that I feel I can leave all my windows and doors open and not have to fear my house will be ransacked of all its contents. I love that I wake up to the sea every day. I love that I am tanned half of the year. I love that I don’t get colds and flu every other month.
The city girl that’s in a struggle with the village girl misses Tesco’s buy 1 get 1 free offers (a shop I abhorred when I actually lived in UK), Primark, friends and family, theatres, museums, my friends kids growing up, Brighton, the countryside, the NHS, the rules and regulations, the fact you can get from one side of London to another in an hour by tube.
But if I go back will I be able to adjust? Will I be able to adjust to the fact that I’ll only be able to get sunshine 2 months out of the year? That the skies are grey and the buildings even greyer? That it will take me 2 hours to get home from work instead of half an hour? That I’ll be part of the rat race again. Will all the things I hated about London come screaming back in my ear “what have you done, why did you leave such a peaceful country?”
As an English Cypriot it’s a constant battle. Both countries have equal merit and it’s the juggling of these merits that’s hard, as in different times of your life some merits outweigh the other.
Financially I do believe I’d be better off in UK. But for stress and peace of mind I think Cyprus is the place. But I am bored. Oh dilemmas dilemmas. I’m not going to worry though, I have a plan of action and in my life most things just sort themselves out. The right path to take always presents itself to me. I have complete faith that the right decision will be made for the best.
The Cypriots – my people – have changed so much. They are greedy, unfriendly, selfish…not everyone, you can still go into a beriptero (sweetshop) and if you don’t have any money they will tell you “Eh pay me tomorrow its ok” that trust & helpfulness from a small handful still exists. But when you go to a club for example all year round for free, which keeps them in business when tourist season is low and then as soon as summer comes they want to charge you €20 to get in before you even buy any drinks, you feel cheated. When you are charged €5.50 for a cup of coffee down the main strip of Larnaca you feel like for some people that’s an hour and half wages just for a cup of coffee. It’s ludicrous. Then when you pay €2 for The Sun and you see all the offers that going on in UK you feel sick. Buy 1 get 1 free deals, mobile phones for £20, internet for £18 (around €50 here), meal for 2 for £10, holiday deals for £35, you really resent Cyprus for being so over the top expensive. They complain that tourism is down, that people aren’t coming to the country anymore and they put their prices up even more, and don’t speak to the locals let alone the tourists. Here are my suggestions; flights need to be a lot cheaper. People are coming to Cyprus in the Mediterranean not travelling to USA. Flights out of Cyprus need to be cheaper. How can people live here when it costs half a years wages to go on holiday. Yes we live by the sea but we still need a change of scenery. Restaurants need to stop being greedy. Do deals, give people a reason to visit your establishment. Marketing out here sucks! Convert items using the proper rate. They convert the Cyprus pound to Euro then add a bit extra on top. That’s not a fair exchange. We’re not thick! Don’t round up instead of down! I went to buy a phone case that was €14.95. He said ‘oh lets call it €15’! Like he was doing me a favour! When the locals keep the clubs going in Napa when there are no tourists, don’t then charge us in the summer! Give us at least a discount. We show our ID cards we get discounted entry and drinks. Simple marketing.
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