Cyprus-Forum.com

[Jerry]

An interesting article on the north in Cyprus Mail today.


http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.ph ... 6&cat_id=1

[shahmaran]

what part of the article are you implying to when you ask "is this how things are in NC" ?

[Pyrpolizer]

Yeah, quite frustrating. Shah read the second half.

[shahmaran]

second half?

[Jerry]

second half?

This part:-

The TC, family, a young couple, he Anglo/Cypriot and his wife a refugee from Paphos, live in Catalkoy/Ayios Epiktitos. Over lunch in a restaurant at 6 mile beach (no cleaner than any of ours, the beach that is) they claimed that schooling on their side was pure indoctrination (the Ottoman Empire and Kemal), this being the sole reason for moving their children to an English speaking school in the south.

They all get up at 5.30 on school days, deliver their two sons, 10 and 7 respectively, to the Ledra Palace crossing point by 7, where they are collected by a school bus along with many others and driven the kilometre or so to class. At 2pm, one of the parents picks them up by car and drives them home. At 3 they eat lunch. At 4 they do their homework, if any. At 5 they watch TV. At 6 they eat a light supper and at 6.30 they are packed off to bed.

While I contemplated the inconveniences of such a lifestyle, the restaurant served us a delicately prepared meze. Secretly, I find the north’s cuisine somewhat more refined than ours; perhaps not so unnecessarily copious. And the salad, fish and lamb kebab that followed were faultless, the atmosphere congenial and the price reasonable, but by no means any cheaper than I would have expected to pay down south. After lunch we drove off to another beach where the children fought back the waves from the shoreline, while we adults sat drinking coffee and chatting.
The TC family are planning to move to Kuala Lumpur of all places, claiming that the cost of living there is much cheaper, although private education more expensive than it is here in the south.

They have had enough of northern Cyprus, the corruption, the administrative chaos, the endless number of sexpot Casinos purporting to be 5-star hotels, the mainlanders who now outnumber our brothers by 2 to1, the unchallenged annexation of the north to the mainland, the multi-coloured ice cream housing estates, the appalling quality of building, the ubiquitous Turkish army camps, their trucks, jeeps, heavy artillery, the streets alive with conscripts looking for women, etc. and the feeling that they, residents of this self proclaimed state, are being held prisoner in a fortress not much bigger than St Hilarion itself.

Most Turkish Cypriots are indistinguishable from their Greek brothers in their genuine display of hospitality, gentleness and good manners; not obsequious but self deprecating, with their love of this island and its customs, whether Halloumi or Hellim, kaimak or kaimaki, barbun or barbouni. After all, much of our diet, many of our customs and Cypriot words came from our 300-year Ottoman masters!

Yet we shout pointlessly about the withdrawal of Turkish troops and the return of refugees to their homes, not realising we will have to negotiate terms of reunification with 120,000 mainland Turks who, as residents of northern Cyprus, have a right to our Republic’s handouts, whether they be ID cards, free health care or some of those cobblestones we pile ever higher.

“We are leaving,” they told me. “In 10 years’ time you’ll be able to count the number of Turkish Cypriots still here with the roll of 3 dice. And not loaded ones like those in our Casinos.”

I was saddened by their attitude, yet frankly, having lost a seaside home in the north during the invasion, I have no desire to return under present conditions. Partition is an accomplished fact, having happened so long ago now that I no longer care… I will visit Kyrenia again next year and come away feeling the same as I did this time, depressed… Anybody still dreaming of reunification has yet to accept the undeniable change that has been wrought on the north and its people over the past 33 years; if you're old enough, try recalling what it was like here, in the south, back then. I bet you can't!

Yesterday is another country…

[shahmaran]

please be more specific, you are not complaining about our food being better than yours are you?

[Jerry]

please be more specific, you are not complaining about our food being better than yours are you?

Its obvious isn't it, Turkish Cypriots are leaving north Cyprus because they don't like the food.

Seriously Shahmaran, do I need to be specific?

[joderv1]

Having read the article I agree with a few things.

We left the UK and came to North Cyprus for a better life. My husband wanted to come back to his homeland and I wanted to have a different life. I wanted to be able to stay at home and look after my children and to have more family time.

We honestly thought that it would be cheaper to live in Cyprus than in the UK, but it is not.

After numerous problems with my husbands family we also had to deal with the problems of Northern Cyprus.

Admin here is chaos, there is no system and everything takes so long for even the simplest of things. One minute you are told one thing and the next you are told another. The cost of living has risen so much. Food is not as cheap as you might think, electricity charges are apparently one of the highest in the world.

I never had my expectations too high, but even my lowest expectations were shattered. Cyprus is just not for us and sadly we will be returning to the UK.

I hope others have a better experience.

Jo

[Get Real!]

Having read the article I agree with a few things.

We left the UK and came to North Cyprus for a better life. My husband wanted to come back to his homeland and I wanted to have a different life. I wanted to be able to stay at home and look after my children and to have more family time.

We honestly thought that it would be cheaper to live in Cyprus than in the UK, but it is not.

After numerous problems with my husbands family we also had to deal with the problems of Northern Cyprus.

Admin here is chaos, there is no system and everything takes so long for even the simplest of things. One minute you are told one thing and the next you are told another. The cost of living has risen so much. Food is not as cheap as you might think, electricity charges are apparently one of the highest in the world.

I never had my expectations too high, but even my lowest expectations were shattered. Cyprus is just not for us and sadly we will be returning to the UK.

I hope others have a better experience.

Jo

But that is NOT Cyprus you moved to but an illegal Turkish military experimental zone by the name of “TRNC”.

Anyone who thinks that an internationally condemned and unrecognized occupied territory is the right place to move to and bring up kids must be very stupid or very naïve.

You might want to read up on the word “constitution” and discover that it’s the very INSURANCE people have against, anarchy, chaos, and myriads of other problems, as well as being your guarantee to your human rights etc.

Not even the Red Cross or Amnesty International can help you there if the need arises.

[joderv1]

Well thanks very much for being so blunt. I must be as naive as so many other brits that have moved to the TRNC.

I am not saying I went in blind and I understood the history as my husband is Turkish Cypriot. We had been on numerous holidays and his family are still here. Living here is somewhat different to a holiday.

Others are bringing up their kids here and are happy, but we are not.

Jo