Cyprus-Forum.com

[The Saint]

Maybe because it has all been said before,and our fellow forumers are giving The Saint the benefit of the doubt.
By the way The Saint,are you the Roger Moore version or the other guy.

The "other guy" was NOT the Saint.

You may guess...it's Roger Moore. And he's not a version...he's the REAL Saint!!!

By the way, I hope I haven't offended anyone with my posts. That was certainly not my intention. I'm feeling the water here and only saying what I have heard. As I said, I stand to be corrected.

Prior to 3 years ago I hardly knew where Cyprus was, Now my whole future is revolving around the island (at least the souther part of it anyway).

[purdey]

Roger Moore..excellent.
Welcome to the forum,and I doubt you have offended anyone.

[The Saint]

Roger Moore..excellent.
Welcome to the forum,and I doubt you have offended anyone.

PHEW
That makes a change

[Bill]

As I said before, I don't think Cypriots hate the British over here. There is a lot of mistrust for Cypriots however. The post below is from that other forum and the guy makes an interesting point.

A little background...He was back in the UK and his car got stolen in paphos...his neighbours only called him about it 20 days later cause they thought he was back and didn't pop in to say hello. He began a rant about his neighbours but then THIS came out.

KG wrote:
Quote:bill
I have no doubts that life in Cyprus will be better than in the UK and I have every intention of making Cyprus my home -- but at least I know what life in Cyprus is really like from the average Cypriots point of view --
KG wrote
Your views don't get any better from the re-editing

Racism isn't very pleasant wherever it comes from. I don't think you will find life any better here for living here. I'll give you two years ... tops ... before you move on.

Bill wrote
As a relatively good speller I rarely edit my posts -- on this occasion I edited it to put it in bold text to emphasize my point of view.

Are you saying that I'm racist ?? that's a strange view seeing as you don't know me at all and how you can relate that to me complaining about my neighbours couldn't care less attitude about my missing car I don't know.

I always wonder how criticism can be classed as racism when your not talking about your own kind -- seems strange to me -- criticism is what it is -- race doesn't even come into it.

My neighbours in Cyprus are shite -- and that's the most honest way I can describe how I feel about them at this moment in time.

If anything you will find that the Cypriots are one of the most racist people you will find in the modern day world -- most of them believe that Cyprus is the centre of the universe and they are the best -- everybody else is inferior.

How they are going to cope with the EU laws on equality I don't know -- they will probably ignore it like everything else .

Read my post again and remember it for the future -- I promise I won't say "I told you so".

Moving on in two years -- Hmm I don't think so -- I'm in for the total journey -- but at least I have a idea of what I'm letting my self in for which it seems that sadly others don't.

Don't underestimate the Cypriots and don't be fooled by their smiling faces as a lot of them really hate you but you just don't know it yet.

I was going to write "wake up and smell the coffee" in my post but thought "donkey dung" was more appropriate.

The truth seems to hurt but to be fair the average Brit in Cyprus shouldn't be worried about Cypriot attitudes to them as they will rarely if ever see it and it will appear that everything is Rosy in the garden -- what you don't know about won't hurt you after all it's only words and opinions.

Bill

Well you got me there DT ~~ I made that post and I still stand by it based on 30 years experience of Cyprus and Cypriots ~ I will admit that I was pretty pissed off at having my car stolen and the couldn't care less attitude of my neighbours and the post obviously reflected this feeling ~ by the way the car was stolen from Larnaca not Paphos which is a place I could never see myself living I have filled in the missing word ***** it was "shite" ~ why it was removed I don't know as I thought it was pretty tame really considering how I felt.

As a matter of interest one of my neighbours promised to look after everything and to repay his apparent kindness I would bring him a box of cigs and take him and his wife out for a meal ~ he lives next door and obviously is very aware of whether I'm there or not as we can see each other ~ he knew very well that I was not in Cyprus when the car was stolen ~ but I have to give the guy full marks for picking up the car cover and putting it in his garage so it was safe until my return ~ I actually called him to ask about my car and it was then he told me that the car disappeared 20 days previously ~ it's just rather sad that he didn't think it was important enough to tell me .

I feel that the problem is that in some instances Cyprus is getting like some area's of the UK where folk are singularly concerned with what is happening to them and them only so really haven't the time to bother with others problems

I only found out that the car had gone when my ex next door neighbour from the other side drove past and seeing the car missing thought I was in Cyprus ~ he called me on my Cyprus mobile and when he received no reply he feared the worse and called me on my UK number ~ my ex neighbour being the good ( Cypriot ) friend he is reported it to the police for me even though it was inconvenient as he has young children and it was getting pretty late.

My Cyprus home is in a Cypriot residential area of Larnaca town and to be honest expected more ( in fact much more ) from my neighbours

Like any country in the world there will be a distrust and dislike of foreigners in varying degrees and Cyprus is no different ~ Cyprus with it's often non to happy experience of British rule plus the refusal to help when the Cypriots needed it the most has left a lot of people very bitter with their experience of the British .

The post you have quoted is in response to another post stating that Cypriots love the British to death and really want and need them in Cyprus ~ there are some British that think they are the cream of the universe and are worshipped and welcome where ever they go and the particular forum if chock full of that type especially in Paphos ~ you also have the Cypriot mentality of the Cypriots feeling they are the best and better than everybody else .

It doesn't matter which country you go to the indigenous population will always have this feeling and of course a mistrust of Johny foreigner ~ it's human nature to mistrust something you are not familiar with and Cyprus is not immune from this especially given their recent history and they are not bound by the often over the top racial rules like the UK.

I have a few friends that openly admit that they hate the British ~ not only the government but the population to in fact one friend will not under any circumstances touch British money ~ it's a good job he's not in banking .

I'm still amazed that some British immigrants feel they are doing the Cypriots a favour by coming to live here and that the Cypriots are so grateful that they love them to bits ~ it's the every thing's rosy in the garden syndrome.

The word immigrants also prompts a problem with some British as they don't feel as they are as Cyprus was once a British colony ~ all very strange ~ one English lady I know was most upset that I referred to us as immigrants in Cyprus her reply was "I'm not black and I'm not a immigrant ~ an absolutely priceless comment.

And yes there are a lot of Cypriots that smile whilst harbouring a deep dislike towards the Brits and to be honest after what they have been through I don't really blame them and to be honest won't affect most British immigrants to Cyprus.

Anyone wishing to question my remarks is more than welcome either by PM or preferably in open forum ~~ I'm fully aware of most Cypriots attitudes and thoughts on the recent influx of foreigners and not only the British so fire away.

Bill ~ very happy in Cyprus ~ and not wearing my Cyprus is absolutely wonderful specs .

[miltiades]

Im not at all surprised that the "English " lady reacted as she did by being referred to as an IMMIGRANT.
Bill , sorry mate but I think you are well of the course here mate.One associates immigrants as generally economic migrants , the type we have here in the UK , people from Pakistan , Bangladesh , Vietnam , Thailand and other economic immigrants from mostly third world countries. When I cane to the UK in 1961 I WAS an immigrant , what drove me to leave Cyprus and come to the UK were reasons VASTLY different from the reasons that the English lady and the thousands of other English people came to Cyprus . Absolutely irrefutably NOT IMMIGRANTS !!
I have lived with my English wife for almost 45 years , during which time she spend a great deal of time in Cyprus .Again I reiterate , She has NEVER encountered animosity because she is English , looks English and does not speak Greek . My sister in law , married to my brother for more than 45 years has also NEVER experienced rudeness or anti Englishness against her person. The Cypriots will react according to how they are treated , in other words just as we would react in the UK against ""real immigrants"" who try to shove down our throats their medieval cultures .

[LENA]

That was a great post Bill. I saw Cypriots comment against the British with a bad way and at some point dont blame them when those British who live in Cyprus they feel like Cyprus belong to them and they are above the Cypriots because Cyprus was British colony once. I am not over-reacting to that. One of my mums patient who was British she refused to say anything in Greek to nurses even if she was living in Cyprus for years and she was acting like everyone were her servants. Of course not all the nurses speaks fluent English and my mum is one of them. At some point my mum argue with her telling her that she understand that she must be in pain and that cause her uncomfortable but she could talk with the nurses in Greek since she were in our country and since they knew she could speak Greek so they could help her better.

The next word that came out of the lady's mouth was "Sugnwmi" (=I am sorry) and she then asked for water in Greek with adding please, all in Greek.

Sometimes is not because of our history that Cypriots dislike the British but is because of their attitude as well. Of course we have Cypriots that dont need any reason to dislike the British, the fact that British hold and control areas of the island is enough to hate them.

As for what Cyprusgrump notice at Saint's post, I think we dont even have to comment on that. If I am not mistaken he is British and obviously he have the idea that Cyprus belong to the British or we should be grateful to the British who saved us from the Turks or something like that.

[BC Numismatics]

Lena,the British were the best of all the foreign powers that ruled Cyprus.The Ottoman Empire was virtually bankrupt in 1878,due to the wars that the Ottomans fought & lost.

The Cypriots should be grateful that the British didn't hand Cyprus over to Greece,as Greece would have ethnically cleansed Cyprus,& turned it into a typical isolated Greek island.

Aidan.

[LENA]

Lena,the British were the best of all the foreign powers that ruled Cyprus.The Ottoman Empire was virtually bankrupt in 1878,due to the wars that the Ottomans fought & lost.

The Cypriots should be grateful that the British didn't hand Cyprus over to Greece,as Greece would have ethnically cleansed Cyprus,& turned it into a typical isolated Greek island.

Aidan.

I will say thank you to every British I meet tomorrow.

Re Aidan, really I do not disagree that British done some good things in Cyprus and I am not talking only about the economy but other things as well. But to be honest I can see lots of bad things as well apart from all the killings and apart from how much the Cypriots suffer that period. I dont think that British have done anything good because they loved Cypriots. It was their politic to change things to their colonies, not because their plan was to fix things up and then go but they wanted to fix things because "belonged" to them. You can tell which one were British colonies by the way we drive, our system etc etc. Through the years we changed few things but we still have lots of things and laws that British establish on the island.

By the way, just a question. What is the other typical isolated Greek islands?

[BC Numismatics]

Lena,no colonial power was perfect.Far from it.The British were no exception.They were trying to do their best to fix things up under the circumstances.

The Cypriots should be encouraged not to hate the British,as what was done is done,& they should draw a line under it & move on.

About the isolated Greek islands,there are some located near Turkey.

Aidan.

[LENA]

Lena,no colonial power was perfect.Far from it.The British were no exception.They were trying to do their best to fix things up under the circumstances.

The Cypriots should be encouraged not to hate the British,as what was done is done,& they should draw a line under it & move on.

About the isolated Greek islands,there are some located near Turkey.

Aidan.

Weird how you change your opinion Aidan. Earlier you said that we need to be grateful for all the goods they gave us and now that I pointed out that there bad things as well you told me that we just need to forgive and move on. To be honest my opinion is not far from that but not for every Cypriot. The British areas in Cyprus dont help much the Cypriots to draw that line. British are still there and they control those areas. If something happen in those areas is not up to the Cypriot government to sort it out. Sounds like the Turkish rules north of the island with a lot more friendlier way.

As for the Greek islands can you name them and why are isolated? Is it because of the Greek government or because of the people who are scared to live in those islands or are too rocky? Dont forget that those island that are close to Turkey often come to arguments and they have Turks threaten them all the time. Last summer I was in Cyprus listening to the news I heart about the Turks who destroy the nets of the fisherman from those islands.