me

A couple of pictures of me, taken by Graham, when he came to visit me last month. To see more of his pictures click here.

what else?

There are things I've started here which I'd like to continue with when I'm back in the UK.

I've been volunteering for the Cyprus Samaritans, which has been very interesting. There's an Information Day at the Birmingham branch a few days after I get back, which I plan to go to.

I've been a life model at Tekniart (a local art college), which I've really enjoyed, so I'd love to find somewhere in Birmingham where I can carry on.


I'm looking for a Photography course to start in September, as I've been taking lots of pictures here, and want to find out a bit more about how to do it well. I was asked to take photos at somebody's wedding last week, which was great fun.


I'd also like to carry on learning Greek, and maybe take up French again, as I've remembered how much I enjoy learning languages.

I know I said yesterday that I had lots more I wanted to talk about. But today, I'm not sure that I do...

almost forever...

Yes, yes, I know, it's been AGES since I last posted. A month, in fact, to the very day. And many, many things have happened in that month; my head has been too full to write any of it down. But now I feel ready. So, where to begin?

Well, I guess the biggest news is that I'm coming home, although I'm assuming that everybody who reads this already knows that...

Last year, when I decided that I was definitely moving to Cyprus, when I found my house, and started the ball rolling, I thought that it would be really nice to come back to the UK in August - there were a couple of festivals I wanted to go to, and I reckoned that it would be a good time to have a break from the heat (which is already way too intense!). So I booked a flight (knowing that if I left it much longer it would be unaffordable). Of course, at that point, I'd thought that the move would happen much quicker than it actually did, and that by August I'd be settled in a job, and that taking a few weeks off wouldn't be a problem.

But things haven't exactly been going smoothly - the lack of any proper work (and therefore proper money) has been quite a major issue - so after a lot of thinking and difficult sums, I reached the conclusion that staying here was going to be pretty difficult, if not impossible. I could survive for a few more months, but it would be hard, and potentially could leave me in a far worse position.

As I already had the flight booked, I figured that the best thing to do would be to cut my losses and come home - not an easy decision, but (hopefully) the most sensible. So I'll be back in Birmingham on the 1st of August - 3 weeks today!

Once I'd made the decision, at first I was quite down about it. There were a lot of "should have"s and "shouldn't have"s buzzing around in my head; I know that a little bit of self-criticism is healthy, but I can be really harsh with myself. I felt like a failure. But, having talked to a few sensible people, and gotten my head around the situation a bit more, I realise that that's ridiculous. I haven't failed. Just because things haven't worked out quite how I planned, so what?

Living here has been an awesome experience. Perhaps it wasn't the most sensible time to have done it, but the opportunity was there and I took it, and I'm really happy that I did. If somebody had told me five years ago that I'd be moving to Cyprus, I'm not sure I'd have believed them. Before this I'd never even lived outside of Birmingham (well, aside from a few weeks in Dudley, but we don't talk about that...). I've done so many things that I'd never imagined I would (or even could) do. I've experienced a different way of life, another culture, new ideas, I've learnt a new language. I've met some very interesting people. The whole experience, I think, has made me a much stronger person.

There's a lot of things I'll miss about being here, but there are also a lot of things I'm really looking forward to. The obvious one is seeing people - I've missed my family and friends (yes, all of you!) a hell of a lot. I've kept in fairly close contact with everybody, and have probably spoken more to some people than I did when I was there... but it's not the same. I've missed hugging people, that physical closeness, that familiarity. I've missed sitting, drinking tea, and chatting for hours about everything and nothing, but also I've missed being able to just sit and not talk at all, as you can with people you've known forever.

I've missed the British weather. Here, every day, when I get up, I know the sun is going to be shining. I know that it's going to be HOT. All day (and all night!). I miss the wind, the rain, the unpredictability of it all. I miss the thousand different shades of green, I miss the changing of the seasons - I'm so glad I'll be there for autumn, the amazing colours. I'll be able to go for long walks again, without fear of melting :-)

Even though sometimes I've hated living in a big city, there are things that I took for granted without even realising. Going to the cinema, at almost any time of day, and having a choice of films. Catching the bus home. Getting back and realising that I've run out of milk, but there's still a shop open where I can buy some!

This is all taking much longer than I thought it would - I have other things I want to talk about, but right now I need to go to bed. I'll write again tomorrow. Promise...

short and sweet

On Monday night when I went to work, the dishwashing machine wasn't working, so I had to wash everything by hand - bah!

Yesterday I stayed in bed ALL DAY, so last night I couldn't sleep, I read for ages, then it was almost morning, so I got up and watched the sun rise.

Today I've spent all day reading (have read three books in four days).

Tonight I shall go to bed at a sensible hour, and get up at a sensible hour in the morning also.

The hotel have a cheque for me to collect tomorrow.

And Cyta are going to fix my phone line!

quick monday update...

I'm working part-time in the Village Inn as washer-upper - terrible money, but certainly better than nothing. I actually quite like it - just a few hours in the evening, no thinking, no stress, no bringing work home, and lovely cold water on my hands!

The property company I was working at who had to "let me go" are now re-advertising the job I was doing, which seems a little odd, so I emailed them last week to ask if the situation there had changed, but no reply as yet. The hotel haven't paid me, so I emailed them too. Again, no reply. And I found out from Trish (who also worked there, but has just been sacked because she doesn't speak Greek!) that the whole time I was working there they were still interviewing for my job...

I've been doing a bit of exploring. On Saturday I went to Polis and to Latchi (Latsi, Lakki ?), which are north of here, I've been to both places before, they're quite nice for sitting and staring at the sea, so that's what I did. Today I drove to the Mavrokolympos Dam, which is almost empty (kinda scary), and to Akoursos, which is very close, but somewhere I'd never been before. There's not a lot there. Nice drive, though.

My landlord brought me eggs (from his chickens) and figs (which i thought I didn't like, but it turns out I do), and has reduced my rent by €2.15. Bless him.

Finally got in touch with Cyta about my landline not working. Hopefully it'll be fixed soon, and I'll be able to make calls to the UK for 3.54 cents per minute, rather than the 10.62 cents per minute it costs from my mobile - hurrah!

Have been reading a lot. Particularly enjoying "Pies and Prejudice: In Search Of The North" by Stuart Maconie. Has made me want to explore "up north" a bit more. Which I guess is the point.

My sunburnt bits are peeling. I feel like a leper. Or a snake shedding its skin. Or something.

That's about it...

it's been a while...

For those of you who don't already know, things didn't work out with the new job. On my second day, I was told that the company was being sold, and that they would have to let me go. Which was very disappointing, as I was already starting to quite like it there. Ah well...

The following day, I was chatting with one of my friends in the UK, and he said, "Why don't you come back for a few days?" and I thought, "Well, why the hell not?", so I found a cheap flight, and did exactly that.

I had a really good time, although it was a bit weird not having a "base", and living out of a suitcase; it didn't really feel like home any more. But it was great catching up with everyone (well, not quite everyone - sorry to those folks I didn't get chance to see, but I'll be there again in August).

And I found an even cheaper flight back (£19.99 plus taxes!) with easyjet - it was from Gatwick, which wasn't exactly convenient, but even with the coach fare there, I paid less than £65, which was almost £200 cheaper than some of the flights I'd seen from Birmingham or East Midlands.

And now I'm back in Cyprus again, in the middle of a heatwave (high 30s!).

My bougainvillea has gone crazy!


The other thing I arrived back to was BILLS! Now, that might not sound like a good thing, but my electricity bill was €3.85 (about £3) for 2 months, and my water bill was €14.64 (about £11.50) for 3 months, so actually they were quite a nice surprise. They'll go up over the summer - as it gets warmer, I'll need to run the washing machine more often, and I'll have to use the aircon a bit - but even so, still ridiculously cheap!

(Not sure if I've posted about this before, but the water situation here is fairly desperate. Many of the dams are down to below 10% full, and most people I know have had water rationing - in some villages the mains water is only on three times a week, for 12 hours at a time. Although in Peyia we've not had any cuts yet, as our water comes from boreholes rather than a dam, I do try to be careful - once the water I've used for washing up has cooled down, I tip it on the plants in the garden, and I don't flush the loo every time!)

Obviously I'm now back to square one with the job hunting, so I've emailed a few places I had interviews at before, and applied for a couple of things that I saw in the paper. Now I know that I've overestimated some of my living costs, I can be a bit more flexible with salaries, as I can afford to live on quite a lot less that I'd originally budgeted.

Also, as I doubt I'll find another job straight away (and I can't spend every waking hour looking!), I've decided to take a bit of time to enjoy myself, and do some of the things I haven't had chance to do yet.

I spent most of today with my friend Gaynor, at her parents' house, swimming in their pool, sitting in the sunshine, reading a book, and basically just chilling out. I've managed to get a little bit sunburnt (probably because it's the first chance I've had to sit in the sun for any length of time since I've been here), so I'm a tad sore (not quite "lobster" but fairly pink) - it was still a lovely way to spend the day, though.

Tomorrow I'm meeting up for a drink with someone I've been chatting with on one of the forums I'm on, which should be nice.

I want to go out and do some exploring - something I've been wanting to do since I arrived - so I'm going to have a look at my travel guides, see what looks interesting, get in the car and GO!

So, anyway, apologies for the recent lack of posting, but I'm back now! Things have been a little wobbly, but I'm determined not to let it get me down. As one of my friends here said, "It's just Cyprus making sure that you're serious".

news and views

Here's the view I'm not going to have from my office door any more:

(that woman's not always there)

Because I've got another job - woo !!

in the garden

He's a very, very, very nice man

I'm not sure that I've mentioned this before, but since I got here (6 weeks tomorrow! Can you believe it?!), I've had no rubbish collection. Now, that's not as manky as it might sound. There were only six bags outside, and four and a half of them were left over packaging (bubble wrap, polystyrene, etc.) from when I moved in. So somehow I've only managed to produce a bin bag and half of actual household rubbish in six weeks... does this suggest to anyone that perhaps I'm not eating properly? (Well, maybe...) But, I digress. My point is that six week's worth of rubbish is not as horrible as it sounds - it's not like it was starting to stink or anything...

Nevertheless, even though there weren't flies buzzing around everywhere, or evil smells, I'd started to become a little concerned, and had posted on a forum I'm a member of, asking if there was someone I should speak to about it. As is the way with forums, people came back with various "helpful" comments:

"The dust car comes on a regular basis in Peyia most people put their rubbish in the green skips along the roads so dont expect door to door service not many get that have you had a word with your next door neighbors -- have a look to see if they put out their rubbish on certain days."

"We have lived in Peyia for over 2 months now & our bins are emptied twice a week, without fail. The binmen come at 4.30 in the morning."

"Throw your rubbish in the nearest Green bin as they are emptied every week in Peyia."

"Every day where we are."

"We dont have a bin wagon where we live but take the rubbish up the hill to the skip on the main road its emptied every day. It becomes second nature after a while."

"We used to have to take our rubbish to the bin across the main road. Our nieghbour went to the council office and ask for a bin to be put in our road and it arrived the next day. We have some waste ground as you come in the road so it's ok there. Now it's just a quick stroll down the road. Much easier. It seems you can also put nearly anything out and they will take it. We put an old washing line there last week....someone took it anyway."

"...hope you dont mind but we use your bin as for the line -- not guilty"

I was *extremely* tempted to reply with, "Well, aren't you the lucky ones? Doesn't solve my problem, though, does it?", but instead I responded (quite calmly, I felt, if perhaps a touch sarcastically):

"Thanks everybody for the advice.

I've seen the green skips/bins you mean, but not anywhere near where I live. I guess I could put the rubbish in the car and take it to one, but that seems a bit daft... I also haven't noticed any of my neighbours putting out rubbish, or any bags in the road, or anything - hence the original question - and I'm getting worried that I'll become known as "that crazy woman up the hill who hoards all her rubbish bags" !!

I've only been to 3 Greek lessons, and so far we've not learnt "when do the bin men come?" - so I'll check that with my teacher tonight, then maybe go and ask one of the neighbours, although I probably won't understand the reply!"

Anyway, that was my plan. But then, tonight, my landlord appeared. (I'm fairly sure it was coincidence, as I don't think he's been reading the forum posts, but you never know - I suspect it was probably more to do with the fact that my rent was due nearly a week ago!). He picked up all but one of the rubbish bags (one broke and I had to re-bag it - thankfully it was one that contained pieces of polystyrene, rather than rotting fruit pulp from the juicing extravaganza!), and sprinted off down the road, round the corner and up the hill. I followed him to see where he was going with them, and at the top of the hill was ... yep, you've guessed it, a big green bin! I'd not spotted it before, as it's an extremely steep hill and not somewhere I've ventured often - it's almost too steep for my little car to drive up there, never mind walk (or run, as he did!).

So now I know where to take the rubbish. Yay!

He also watered all the plants in my garden (which I have already been doing, but sparingly, with leftover washing up water, due to the water shortgage - I thought I was being good) as he obviously thought they weren't looking too healthy, and pulled up the weeds (I'd not been confident enough that they were actually weeds, and hadn't wanted to pull up anything that might end up being pretty...). And the whole time, he kept apologising, but I don't know the Greek for, "No need to apologise, it's my fault really."

He has invited me to "come drink coffee" tomorrow and "meet my woman" (I think that in Greek the word for both "woman" and "wife" is the same), he tells me that "her English better". He pointed out his house - "long with four windows" - which is on the other side of the hill, more or less opposite mine (I'll take a picture when it's not so dark!). I'm not quite sure how to get there - you can't go in a straight line, Pegeia is very hilly! - but I'm sure I'll figure it out.

I'm very happy that we're able to communicate (and maybe even understand each other, sort of!) despite both his English and my Greek being, well, somewhat limited. There's a lot of waving and pointing involved, but it seems to work.

Talking of communicating, I'd better run, as I have a Greek lesson in half an hour...

disappointment

I really like my job. I'm starting to understand it better, I'm enjoying the work I'm doing, and the people there are great. But... well, there's always a but.

On Friday I was asked to sign another copy of my contract, as there had been a mistake on the original. I'd spotted and pointed out the mistake when I signed the first copy (the start date was 25 May instead of 25 April) so it was crossed out and corrected, and initialled by me, and by my manager, and by the General Manager - and I was told that would be fine. But the Personnel department have said that it needs to be re-signed. So I've been given a new, corrected, contract. However, on the original contract, there were a couple of points that weren't entirely clear. So before signing the new copy, I thought I should take the opportunity to ask some questions (which weren't things I'd thought it appropriate to ask during either of my interviews). And all of the answers I got were not the ones I wanted.

So, there are a few "problems", most of which have only just become apparent to me...

At my first interview I was told that I would have to work "some Saturdays". At my second interview I was told I would be working "Saturdays in the summer". According to my contract I work "6 days a week" (with no mention of summer/winter) - this is, in fact, the case. So the only time I have that is properly "free" is Saturday night and, having just worked 6 days in a row, I am basically too exhausted to do much other than come home and collapse! Most days I've been out of the house for about 11 hours - as well as working 8 hours a day (with an hour for lunch), and obviously getting there and back, I've also had to fit in everything else, like going shopping, and going to the bank, and, well, everything, really - because on Sundays, of course, almost everywhere is closed!

I wasn't told at either of the interviews that I wouldn't get public holidays off work. I didn't find this out until the day before I started - I was a bit surprised but, at the time, I didn't think about it too much. I started on Good Friday, when most of the people I know here were just starting a week's holiday (as Easter Monday and Tuesday, and Thursday 1 May, were public holidays too). So that was a little irritating, but I figured I'd already had a month "off", so what did a few days matter? Then I started thinking, but what happens at Christmas? So this was one of the things I asked. I was told that I could of course take time off at Christmas if I wanted to, but that it would come out of my annual leave allowance (and yes, that does include Christmas Day - unless it happens to fall on a Sunday!).

So I asked a few more general questions about how this annual leave thing actually works. I get 24 days annual leave (based on a 6-day week, this is 4 weeks' holiday). I have to accrue this holiday before I can take it, i.e. I have to work a month before I am entitled to take 2 days off, therefore if I want to take a week (6 days) off, I have to have worked 3 months. I can't (or at least it is "expected" that I don't) take any holiday during the Summer (April/May to September/October) - especially in August, which is the hotel's busiest month. I could "perhaps" take a "long weekend" (i.e. what I would think of as a normal weekend), but any more than this would be "frowned upon". It was "suggested" that I should save my annual leave for the winter, as the hotel is likely to be closing at some point for refurbishment, and therefore there won't be any work for me to do then anyway. Which seems a bit unfair.

I have been told that all of this is "normal" for the hotel industry in Cyprus. But there's another woman who works at the hotel (the PA to the General Manager, no less!) who doesn't work at weekends or on public holidays. Hmmm.

I thought my salary was fairly good, but now that I've worked out how many days/hours I'm actually going to be working, the hourly rate is not that good at all. And it appears that I'm not going to get paid for another five weeks.

So, they're the problems. And the fact that I enjoy the job really doesn't make up for them.

Whilst I understand that a resort hotel's busiest time is going to be the summer (kinda obvious when you think about it, I guess), I didn't realise that meant there would be restrictions on when I could take holiday. I already have flights back to the UK booked - in August - if I stay at the hotel, I'm going to have to cancel them, and lose quite a lot of money, which is rubbish. But aside from that, I don't honestly think I can work 6 days a week for the next 6 months (or so) without any decent amount of time off.

I left my last job due to (amongst other reasons) stress caused by working unreasonable hours, and I moved here for (amongst other reasons) a better quality of life. I don't want my job to be my life. I have other interests, other things I want to spend my time doing. As well as this, I need a bit of "me" time. And if I don't have the time to enjoy and appreciate being where I am, I might just as well be anywhere. (Looking at it another way, if I was working similar hours, days, etc. in a similar job in the UK, I would have more or less the same, i.e. poor, quality of life, but would be earning at least twice as much money...)

Anyway, I'm feeling somewhat misled, but I'm also feeling pretty damn stupid for not having asked any of these questions before I accepted the job. But hey, we live and learn...

So I bought the paper today and have started job hunt number two. Again, I'll be applying for anything and everything - but this time, definitely not jobs in hotels, posh or otherwise! What I want is a nice Monday to Friday job, with a reasonable amount of annual leave (which I can take when I choose to take it!) and all public holidays (of which there are 14 - yes, count them, 14!) - I know that such jobs exist, now it's just a matter of finding one... I don't care if I don't like/enjoy it. Or if it's less money. Or both, even! My quality of life, ultimately my health and happiness (and my sanity!) are far more important.

But it's not all doom and gloom. I borrowed a ladder and changed the dead lightbulb:-)