Today I am dressed in black, mourning the Cyprus I once knew and loved. Today has been dubbed ‘Black Tuesday’. As a dark cloud decends upon our country and we are, for the first time since I’ve been alive, thrown into the news spotlight normally shining on the likes of China and New York. Suddenly […]
In Cyprus, we have three kinds of Traffic Cops. The highway watchmen, the terminator bike cops, and the whistle blowers…. It’s common to see a police car at the side of the highway. Sometimes they help us see them by staying on the hard shoulder with their blue lights flashing, so that those of us […]
So the UK is outraged that they have been being secretly fed horse meat for over 2 years. It has been smuggled into beef burgers and beef mince for years apparently and no one is happy at how they have been duped and possibly poisoned….one man has come forward to say he has a ‘horse bug’. My […]
Where I was from in the UK, I didn’t see alot of luxury. I saw grey council houses, graffiti covered tower blocks, traffic jams that make you want to run screaming to the hills and homeless people looking desperately into your eyes for spare change and compassion. The only luxury I saw was the huge […]
Last night my best friend gave birth in Larnaca General Hospital. The Cypriot Way of giving birth is totally drug free. She was in labour for around 24 hours, and suffered all the contractions without any drugs. No gas and air, no epidural, nothing! The midwives marvelled at how brave she was and said if she was a Cypriot woman […]
I love summer in Cyprus. Coming from the UK I was used to summer lasting 2 weeks if we were lucky. I love that summer here ranges from 3 to 4 months long and not having to remember to take a jumper or umbrella everywhere with me. I love that I can live in flip flops for […]
Growing up and going on vacation with my family, I remember the most important thing my dad used to pack was food! He didn’t care if he only had 1 pair of shorts, or only 1 shirt, so long as he had an array of Cypriot produce packed into his hand luggage he was OK. Even if […]
In a week of news surrounding the terrible riots in the UK, I wish to write about the complete opposite of rioting – sleeping! The Cypriots like to sleep. I had never in my life, before moving here, experienced a siesta. I’d heard that the Spaniards did it, but until I moved here I didn’t understand why […]
Eating is Cyprus’ biggest sport. You have the heavy weight, the middle weight and the featherweight in this sport. We eat at every given opportunity. I remember Christmas growing up was amazing – not because of the presents but because of the food! We’d eat the traditional English Christmas roast; Turkey, potatoes, sprouts etc but all of this […]
I share the sad news with you that on Friday – the day of the Royal Wedding, I had to have a wisdom tooth removed. So while all my friends were joining in the Royal merriment with any excuse to have a drink or four, I was in the dentist’s chair with his hand half […]
Do you know what the problem is with the mosquitoes over here? They have a BAD attitude. The mosquitoes back in the UK were much tamer than they are here. The UK mozzies almost had a laid back attitude, as if they’d spent a bit too long in a beer garden and were a little […]
It appears to me, that on every road, in every village, there is an opportunity to gamble. What is the fascination with gambling in this country? If its not the online casinos its bingo and if its not the bingo halls its the scratch cards and if its not the scratch cards its the betting shops – it seems […]