Given that I constitute about 8% of this forum, I guess I should be braver that Mr. Thrill (there's a challenge for you MT
) and front up here.
I'm 29 years old, English (sorry Lana... British) and currently about to embark upon my final year as a Ph.D. student studying the impact of European Union accesion on the political parties and societies of Cyprus (both sides
)
I was born and raised in Kent in south-east England and went to the local grammar school. After school I went to university and did a BA in Politics and International Relations and a MA in International Political Economy. I did both not with the aim of entering diplomacy, but through pure academic interest in the subjects. To tell the truth I didn't know what I wanted to be at that stage.
After completing my Masters I was recruited to join PricewaterhouseCoopers as a trainee management consultant, but hated it so much that I gave up after 2 months... bored me silly. At that point, I had the opportunity to go and work on an aid project in the Gaza Strip, which I grabbed with both hands and went out there for 4 months, which proved to be the most eye-opening experience of my life... seeing real poverty and oppression at close hand. It forged a deep affection for the Palestinian people and helped me to understand why some people in the occupied territories go to such great lengths to struggle against the Israeli's, something I could never have understood had I not seen it first-hand.
When I returned to the UK I got a job working in London as a Management Consultant, which took me lots of place and which I enjoyed, but as a kid brought up in the country absolutely hated London and the daily grind of commuting in and out of the city, which I found totally draining and soul-destroying. One day I looked at the passengers around me on the tube and said to myself "Do I really want to look like these poor souls in 20 years time", whereupon I decided that I would return to my first love - education - and study for a doctorate, whereupon I plan to pursue a career in academia, which when I think back has always sat there in the back of my mind. My father has always said that I'm a 'dusty professor' type, so I'm planning to fit the stereotype at long last.
I met my now-wife in December 2000, she is a Greek Cypriot and we got married in Cyprus in September 2004 in front of about 1,000 close relatives (99% of whom were hers!). Hence my connection with Cyprus, which beyond my grandfather being stationed on the island many moons ago, I had none other. It's been a funny process of integrating into a large GC family, especially since my experience of family has largely been the nuclear unit with sporadic contact with other relatives, but according to everyone I've made the transition very well - I listen to more Greek music than most, love sheftalia and make a mean souvla, so I'm pretty much there.
My Greek is still shockingly bad, but I'm starting formal classes next month, so hopefully it will rapidly improve. I also want to get proficient in Turkish so I can communicate with all Cypriots, I think that's fundamentally important and something that I will definitely want to pass on to my kids. We're not planning kids for a couple of years yet, but we got a little Westie pup in January, who we effectively treat like a baby and she's honing our parental skills (at least that's what we like to believe). Ultimately, we're planning the move to Cyprus in a few years from now, it's just a case of getting experience and then finding jobs over there. Hopefully if the government allows the higher educational system to expand, the opportunities will be there.
My parents have just bought some land at Vavla, near Choirokitia and plan to build a house there, so all things being well, most of the family will be 'Cypriots' in years to come. I for one, can't wait to leave the UK, having seen many countries and peoples around the world, the UK is certainly one of the most morose societies I can think of. Even many of the dirt-poor Palestinian kids I met during my time in Gaza were happier souls than most of the spoilt rich brats over here.
I don't really have any favourite music, I listen to everything from classical (favourite piece is 'Nulla in mundo pax sincera' by Vivaldi, I highly recommend it, it's a beautiful piece of music) to rap. Favourite music to drive to has to be zeimbekiko (much to my wife's distaste who hates most traditional Greek music), somehow the rhythm goes perfectly with my driving style. Despite my bad Greek, I found myself the other morning inadvertently singing 'Se Pion Galaxia' along with Mitropanos and Terzis
Bit of a self-description - very blue eyes, light brown/blonde hair which I'm losing at an ever-increasing rate
, just under 6 feet high and a little too podgy for my own liking, although walking the dog twice a day is slowly helping firm up the flab
My skin burns literally within a minute of exposure to the Cyprus sun, so you'll spot me quite easily on the beach wearing a vast hat, t-shirt, long shorts and covered in sun-block... such a sight, but I'd rather not get melanoma thank you.
I don't smoke and can't stand most forms of alcohol, except zivania, of which I consumed 16 shots at my wedding party and led ritualised drinking of the same with all my koumbaros' (all 6 of them) and numerous other brave souls who joined in. The guys at the bar were so impressed that they gave us all the shot glasses as a present, so I now have about 200 sitting in a cupboard at my parents-in-law in Lefkosia.
Anyway, I'm rambling. Cyprus is my second favourite place in the world after the Canadian rockies, hence my affection for moose.
Enough from me, over to the rest of you... Bro', where's your description gardesh???
Page 45 got me...
