Cyprus-Forum.com

[Stout]

There's doom and gloom in the UK because people have been living on credit for the past ten years . . . and it's been raining so much (especially in the South-West ) that people are just sitting in front of their TVs loading up on junk food.

Still, that sort of existence suits some people, but not those who are more discerning.

Cyprus here I come

Many people leaving the U.K. are of the older generation, they are seeking a peaceful retirement and surely deserve it.
In some areas, those people are afraid to set foot outside their homes as a result of the decline in general behaviour.
The fact that credit was made so easily available to those wishing to obtain the trappings of affluence, applies more to the younger generation who were fooled into believing that their earnings would keep pace with their expenditure.
The fact that they were encouraged to live on credit is shameful, many young couples now face the prospect of losing their homes directly as a result of such encouragement, most of whom were advised to lie in order to obtain their mortgages.
One could argue that the young should have had more sense but that kind of sense comes with age and experience, it looks like they will be forced to sit and watch T.V. and eat junk food for some time yet.
You may be one of the lucky ones, there are thousands less fortunate and I would imagine they have their dreams too, they just will not be able to realize them.

[Noaxetogrind]

My comments are not about people leaving Cyprus albeit that I am aware that they are, but about the numbers of people moving to Cyprus.

I have an empathy with Cyprus having lived in Limassol as a teenager in the early sixties and as much as I try to convince myself that it is the place to move to, common sense takes over keeps taking over.

I am lucky that the cost of living in Cyprus is no problem for me but for many it would be important and it is no longer good value compared to many of its competitors . I was last in Cyprus in November and found it downright expensive with drinks and a decent meal costing more than in rip-off Britain.... but probably not if you live in London. You have selected items that cost more in England and you will need cheaper petrol/diesel to help towards the costs of pricier cars. Overall if you keep away from well known brands living will be cheaper but not compared to other beautiful and warm places.

I truly hope Norman is happy with his/her choice but to ignore economics and call people doommongersjust because their thoughts that are not all roses and not what he/she wants to hear as doommongers brings to mind the ostrich with its head in the sand.

There is even some sense in Phoenix's last comment. Having read many of her previous postings on the Cyprus Problem I never thought I would see the day.

Stout is right about the reason why many are leaving the UK and some of our friends have already left with several others considering it but other than my wife and I none have had more than a passing interest in Cyprus.

On another completely different point I thought postings were supposed to be in English yet the word favor is commonplace. I guess it because Microsoft does not realise that the English word is favour (similarly color/colour). lol.

[phoenix]

There's doom and gloom in the UK because people have been living on credit for the past ten years . . . and it's been raining so much (especially in the South-West ) that people are just sitting in front of their TVs loading up on junk food.

Still, that sort of existence suits some people, but not those who are more discerning.

Cyprus here I come

Many people leaving the U.K. are of the older generation, they are seeking a peaceful retirement and surely deserve it.
In some areas, those people are afraid to set foot outside their homes as a result of the decline in general behaviour.
The fact that credit was made so easily available to those wishing to obtain the trappings of affluence, applies more to the younger generation who were fooled into believing that their earnings would keep pace with their expenditure.
The fact that they were encouraged to live on credit is shameful, many young couples now face the prospect of losing their homes directly as a result of such encouragement, most of whom were advised to lie in order to obtain their mortgages.
One could argue that the young should have had more sense but that kind of sense comes with age and experience, it looks like they will be forced to sit and watch T.V. and eat junk food for some time yet.
You may be one of the lucky ones, there are thousands less fortunate and I would imagine they have their dreams too, they just will not be able to realize them.

Stout I am not really gloating at their plight. I volunteered with the CAB and saw some real hardships, and I would not sit in judgement.

The weather really is the key to people's behaviour in my opinion. It leads to overindulgance to compensate for lack of an outdoor life.

I know it's the lucky ones that can afford to move to better climates.

The thread stressed the drought in Cyprus, but I am very positive in that regard. The water shortage in Cyprus will spur the innovative spirit and the problem will be solved . . . just as it was with the dam building program in the 60's.

[Bananiot]

It did Phoenix, and by late 2002 everything was going according to plan and the climate would not be a factor by now regarding water supplies. Themistocleous, the Agriculture Minister at the time, had completed plans for the building of two more desalination plants which would be producing lots of water by now. The opposition at the time did everything to stop Themistocleous in his strides. In February 2003 the new government took over and shelved the plans, because in 2002 we had a rare good winter. As things stand today, there should be water cuts on a daily basis but the forthcoming elections indicate serious political costs for the outgoing President if he implements cuts.

Last week, government mouthpiece "Phileleftheros" came up with a leading story that the government will bring water from a neighboring country, Greece, Syria or Lebanon. This is utter rubbish since it cannot be done, yet nobody dares to tell them to stop kidding us, at least.

Regarding the incoherent noise made by our version of the British National Front, I would say that thickheads like them have no future in Cyprus despite the fact that some people who like to call themselves democratic applauded their fascist cries last week.

[Niki]

Positive aspects living in Cyprus:-

- Low tax rate compared to other 'warmer' countries

- The lowest crime rate in Europe

- The relatively cheap eating out (unless of course you go to tourist restaurants which are very expensive) but you can get a very good meze for €8 - €13 per head in the villages

- The fact that there are few countries where you can be on the beach in the morning and the cooler mountains in the afternoon

- The range of good English schools

- Safety for our children, I feel so much better about them venturing out on their own here

Surely it depends on your particular situation which for me (besides the weather) was that there had to be a good selection of English Curriculum schools, I looked at many warm countries such as The Canary Islands, Spain, France, Italy, Malta, Australia and none matched my own criteria.

In the UK we had a medium sized business but the taxes, the employment laws, the restrictions etc just made having the business not worthwhile. It was a massive headache so we sold out. We now have a small business in Cyprus and the taxes are 10% instead of 40%. The downside to having the business here is that the internet is so slow and we still work for non-Cypriot clients as they have much better budgets.

As someone said nowhere is perfect and yes the water situation does worry me but this is a global problem. For now living in Cyprus suits me and my family very well, warts and all!

[Southerner]

Please then explain why 90%+ of the developments are sold out before they are even started. if the build industry is in such dire conditions. Admittedly, there is some sign of a slow down, but the way you say it, well, we may as well all go and commit suicide to save us the trouble.
Come on you must have something good to say ????
If not, just keep the rest to yourself, no one needs that shit right now, thanks.

Can't see where you get your figures from regarding property sales unless you watch Sky 679, where you are told "You'd better hurry there are only two left"
It is common knowledge that there is a glut of vacant properties both rental and purchase, there are around 11000 available properties in the Paphos region alone, at the moment it is a buyers market with prices falling as well as rentals up for negotiation.

[terrygees]

Niki,
I tried to PM you but the facility is 'temporary unavailable'.
So I have to submit my message publicly hoping you read it.

Your knowledge about schools is of great interest to me. I left Cyprus some six years ago and have now 'settled' in Thailand.
I am currently teaching maths to primary school children in Bangkok.
A motivating factor in taking this position was the opportunity for my four years old daughter to attend a tri-lingual school. However, all that glitters .......etc. it soon became obvious to me that the level of English pronunciation was appalling. The Asians have an irritating habit of stressing the final syllable.
It is a policy of the school that English should be spoken at all times but the kids revert to language one at every opportunity. I want my daughter to be fluent in English and to that end it is imperative that her peer group speak 'native' English.
Having 'said' all that I now come to the question(s):
Is the level of English in the schools that you are familiar with likely to satisfy my expectations?
Cost is also a factor so any help/ advice you can give me would be most appreciated.
I am prepared to move back for two or three years in order that her level of English is satisfactory. Where we go from there will be considered later!! Playing bridge, again, in Limassol would be a pleasent interlude for me.

Regards,
Terry Gallagher.

[Nikitas]

Here in Greece the Euro sceptics used to say pretty much the same as Freddy. The reality is that interest rates dropped, in fact halved, while prices on low cost items were rounded up, ie bottled water doubled in price etc. But I can live with costly bottled water but cheaper cars, houses etc.

While the traditional tourist markets for Cyprus are Britain and Germany the spending per head is highest for mainland Greek tourists. Oddly enough the Turks find the same, the high spending visitors to Istanbul are the Greeks not because they have more money, but are more inclined to do part of their annual shopping when on holiday.

As for rain, etc, well, anyone want to buy solar powered desalinators that produce 5 tonnes of water per day?

[Niki]

Niki,
I tried to PM you but the facility is 'temporary unavailable'.
So I have to submit my message publicly hoping you read it.

Your knowledge about schools is of great interest to me. I left Cyprus some six years ago and have now 'settled' in Thailand.
I am currently teaching maths to primary school children in Bangkok.
A motivating factor in taking this position was the opportunity for my four years old daughter to attend a tri-lingual school. However, all that glitters .......etc. it soon became obvious to me that the level of English pronunciation was appalling. The Asians have an irritating habit of stressing the final syllable.
It is a policy of the school that English should be spoken at all times but the kids revert to language one at every opportunity. I want my daughter to be fluent in English and to that end it is imperative that her peer group speak 'native' English.
Having 'said' all that I now come to the question(s):
Is the level of English in the schools that you are familiar with likely to satisfy my expectations?
Cost is also a factor so any help/ advice you can give me would be most appreciated.
I am prepared to move back for two or three years in order that her level of English is satisfactory. Where we go from there will be considered later!! Playing bridge, again, in Limassol would be a pleasent interlude for me.

Regards,
Terry Gallagher.

Hi Terry

The school that my daughters attend and others in Cyprus have a range of nationalities although at least 50% are British with many more British/Cypriot mix. The english speaking schools are English Curriculum and therefore speaking English is a requirement for entry although I do know some children are less than perfect and have to have extra English lessons. I believe the primary children have a greater number of non-British children.

Limassol has the widest choice of English schools at around 8, Paphos, Larnaca and Nicosia have (I think) 2 English schools each.

My suggestion would be for you to decide where you want to live and contact the schools direct for information, visit them when you can.

Try the following links:-

www.cyprusschools.com/

http://cyprus.angloinfo.com.cy/af/250/c ... oling.html

Best wishes

[terrygees]

Niki,

Many thanks for your help - I'll have a look at the web sites you've suggested.

Please accept my apologies for letting the profession down given my spelling (pleasent) of pleasant!

Me thinks a touch of finger trouble!!