Cyprus-Forum.com

[Cleopatra]

Hello,

Thanks for bringing this up. It's some consolation to know others have had the same problems and that you're not alone. Well, I, too, have lived in many places. Different cities, different countries. I,too, also came with the best intentions and no prejudices, unless you count an optimistic, good-willing attitude. After more than six years, I can say that the situation was hopeless fromt the start, both for my personal and social life, and I wish I had had just one person warn me in advance. It's all very easy to say 'just leave', either as compassionate advice or out of chauvinist callousness. If only I could. Truth is, in today's economic crisis, for many professions, it's not easy to do. If you're a friendly, open and unbiassed person, who values friendship, you're going to have a hard time. If you haven't got the bio-credentials of a cypriot genealogy and (a must here) speak the dialect, too, well, then forget about even superficial acquaintances just for socializing. Being a woman is far worse than being a man, and being unmarried is just incomprehensible to the locals, but seen as a sure mark of something being wrong with you. Basically, if you are not Cypriot and not married to one (which would make you just barely tolerable), forget about living a good life here. A good life in the sense of a full life. Of course, the expats also, especially Brits, who moved here with their partners or family, think it's all lovely because of the sun, the food and relative safety. What's really shocking is that even Cypriots who spend some time abroad fail to change their attitudes. The chauvinism is incredible and also inexcusable. Sometimes I think it's just a former inferiority complex turned into fake superiority complex due to a recent period (perhaps now coming to an end) of financial prosperity. Well, at least they are polite and employees and civil servants are polite and fairly efficient. But don't mistake that for hospitality or friendliness. Anyway, it's not their problem if you, the foreigner, don't feel at home or have no friends. They don't need you. They were doing quite well until practically yesterday, geographically isolated and in a family-oriented village society. Oh, and, their biggest hang-up is with anyone from Greece.
So, my advice is to make friends with other non-Cypriots and start looking for jobs in other countries. If you do happen to meet an open-minded and truly cosmopolitan at heart cypriot, that's fine, but you'll be very lucky.

[Kangarooster]

I have no idea what kind of people you have been meeting. It is a JOY for me to meet foreigners. People from abroad have different views on stuff than my fellow Cypriots. It's a chance to brush up on my English or if i'm lucky my Hungarian! I love socializing with foreigners because i know how hard it is to "infiltrate" groups of people with an ethnicity different than yours since i've been in the UK for two years and in Hungary for another two. I'm sorry you had to bump into THOSE kind of people that shy away from interaction with people that are not local :/

I'm willing to make up for everything Cypriots have done to make you think that way Hit me up in a private message or an email at [email protected] and i'll change your mind

[johnny1]

cleopatra you are absolutly right about cypriots and cyprus.
ive been here for so so many years and i can say i dont have cypriot freinds.the only few freinds are either half cypriot or foreignors.
every time i complained whatever i was told..'if you dont like it..leave'. same as you.easy for them to say isnt it.i wish i could leave...i really think i would feel better living in a cardboard box in the streets somewhere in england than staying here.oh how i wish i was not here....i envy every single person not in cyprus

[michalakis]

hello, I'd like to put in my 2 cents

first of all, for the girl that says 'cypriots dont understand that women and men can be friends, they all want to get in my pants'. you are such a cliche. You probably wont listen to what I have to say so I will use other peoples words, as Oscar wilde so poetical put it, “Between men and women there is no friendship possible. There is passion, enmity, worship, love, but no friendship.” And as my highschool buddy friedrich Nietzsche once said to me after a few glasses of vino, "A woman may very well form a friendship with a man, but for this to endure, it must be assisted by a little physical antipathy."


as for the rest of you that characterize cypriots as barbarians and unevolved, you are just generalizing and projecting the bad behaviour of a few on a whole race, its like when one black guy steals something and suddenly all blacks are thiefs, give me a break. When I used to work in cyprus I met the people that you are describing, but they used to be foreigners, and now I am abroad and the same thing goes on here. I have suffered bullying, betrails, backstabbings and anything you can imagine from armenians, polish, dutch english spanish people etc.

this phenomenon is called 'people are all pieces of shit' the sooner you accept that the sooner you will be on the path to happiness, realize that people are not born good and loose their way. People are born bad and have to find the right way. So Just keep looking, and when you find a person that is worthy of your friendship then keep them close.

as a sidenote, some of you are probably just looking out of your own heads, have you ever stopped to think that it might be you and not everyone else? if you are in a room alone thinking 'why is noone talking to me', maybe everyone else is in the other room talking about how you keep avoiding them, it happens to me, I am shy by nature, so I dont talk to people which they mistake as me being snobish. Also have you considered the fact that you really might not be as good a person as you think you are and that is why people do not want to hang out with you?

[Kangarooster]

LOL i thi9nk you're making a much more bigger problem out of it than there is one johnny1 I know alot of foreigners and most if not all of them get along pretty fine. With that sort of behaviour i wouldnt expect you to be welcomed by people in ANY country, let alone Cyprus which is a wee bit behind on foreign affairs

[fig head]

BLA BLA BLA, WASTE OF TIME, cYPRIOTS ARE STUPID AND NOT WORTH YOUR TIME ! END OFF

[yialousa1971]

BLA BLA BLA, WASTE OF TIME, cYPRIOTS ARE STUPID AND NOT WORTH YOUR TIME ! END OFF

[Svetlana]

:shock:

BLA BLA BLA, WASTE OF TIME, cYPRIOTS ARE STUPID AND NOT WORTH YOUR TIME ! END OFF

Yialouser, Looks like you won't be getting a Christmas card from Figgy........

[yialousa1971]

:shock:

BLA BLA BLA, WASTE OF TIME, cYPRIOTS ARE STUPID AND NOT WORTH YOUR TIME ! END OFF

Yialouser, Looks like you won't be getting a Christmas card from Figgy........

I don't care as long I get one from you.

[something]

Maybe the problem is with you and not the cypriots..it takes time like with any relationship you have to take your time gain trust and not be to foward!