Cyprus-Forum.com

[humanist]

Mate, if your going to Cyprus forget the expats .... experience something new and learn about Cyprus, to do this you may need to travel to the small villages scattered in the centre of the country.

Happy working holiday

[Pathos]

Absolutely spot-on advice from Humanist.

Integration is the key. If all you do all day is speak English, meet English speaking people, your world will remain forever English. In outlook, experience, attitude. Give something back to the land you choose to live in, and learn the language, even if a little. Too many people go to countries where they become disillusioned with life there simply because they can't exist outside their 'normal' parameters.

I know people that have slated their 'adopted' country for being too 'hard' to live in, while doing nothing at all to integrate. They drive UK registered cars, speak English all the time, too lazy to try anything different. Bad attitude. Always complaining about the UK, as well as the country they're living in. Taxes are too high, too difficult to understand. The cost of living is too high, not what it used to be. When you ask them 'why don't you go back to the UK?' their answer's usually along the lines of a tirade of abuse against the government for taxes, immigrants, high cost of living etc. These kinds of people won't be happy wherever they choose to live.

[LENA]

Absolutely spot-on advice from Humanist.

Integration is the key. If all you do all day is speak English, meet English speaking people, your world will remain forever English. In outlook, experience, attitude. Give something back to the land you choose to live in, and learn the language, even if a little. Too many people go to countries where they become disillusioned with life there simply because they can't exist outside their 'normal' parameters.

I know people that have slated their 'adopted' country for being too 'hard' to live in, while doing nothing at all to integrate. They drive UK registered cars, speak English all the time, too lazy to try anything different. Bad attitude. Always complaining about the UK, as well as the country they're living in. Taxes are too high, too difficult to understand. The cost of living is too high, not what it used to be. When you ask them 'why don't you go back to the UK?' their answer's usually along the lines of a tirade of abuse against the government for taxes, immigrants, high cost of living etc. These kinds of people won't be happy wherever they choose to live.

and if you ask all this people they are going to tell you how much they suffer in Cyprus but they didnt make any effort to adapt themselves to the environment!!! I know few people that live in Cyprus for 10 years now and they might understand what you are telling them but they are going to reply in English...not even once...not even just a word...even if they know what good morning is in Greek and how you pronounce the word .... they dont tell you "KALIMERA"

If you are going to move to Cyprus or to any country you have to try learn their language and try to adjust yourself their. Nobody will expect from you to learn the language from the first month or have a perfect pronunciation but at least in a period of a year you have to learn at LEAST 30 words.

And as somebody said before you shouldn't compare all the time with the past...baby chef...if you made your mind just do it!!!!

[Svetlana]

Integrating into a foreign culture is not always as easy as it sounds; firstly, many of the Brits coming to Cyprus are of an age where they are both set in their ways and too old to take on a new language - well at least one as difficult as Greek. I know very few foreigners, over the age of say 50, who successfully learn Greek, unless they have a Greek speaking person in their family.

For those who do not live in Cyprus and believe that integration is easy - and I hear many stories from people arriving here saying they are going to do just that - it is not. I have lived in a very Cypriot community and found it so very different from my own, I moved away. I am not saying the Cypriot lifestyle is wrong anymore than mine is right, but without the ability to speak Greek, integration is not easy, however friendly Cypriots might be.

So no, I am not integrated; I have many Cypriot friends, I speak my 10 words of Greek as the occasion arises, I love the Cypriot lifestyle and I eat my Souvla.

So be warned you 'foreigners' who come here thinking you will become 'white Cypriots', after a couple of years you may wish to integrate with other ex-pats!

<Just to say, I loved my neighbours but the noise of: dogs tied up all day/chickens in the garden and long jolly dinners starting at 9pm on my neighbours' front porches, proved too much for quiet loving me! LOL
I am talking about a village environment; towns may be different.>

Lana

[LENA]

Integrating into a foreign culture is not always as easy as it sounds; firstly, many of the Brits coming to Cyprus are of an age where they are both set in their ways and too old to take on a new language - well at least one as difficult as Greek. I know very few foreigners, over the age of say 50, who successfully learn Greek, unless they have a Greek speaking person in their family.

For those who do not live in Cyprus and believe that integration is easy - and I hear many stories from people arriving here saying they are going to do just that - it is not. I have lived in a very Cypriot community and found it so very different from my own, I moved away. I am not saying the Cypriot lifestyle is wrong anymore than mine is right, but without the ability to speak Greek, integration is not easy, however friendly Cypriots might be.

So no, I am not integrated; I have many Cypriot friends, I speak my 10 words of Greek as the occasion arises, I love the Cypriot lifestyle and I eat my Souvla.

So be warned you 'foreigners' who come here thinking you will become 'white Cypriots', after a couple of years you may wish to integrate with other ex-pats!

<Just to say, I loved my neighbours but the noise of: dogs tied up all day/chickens in the garden and long jolly dinners starting at 9pm on my neighbours' front porches, proved too much for quiet loving me! LOL
I am talking about a village environment; towns may be different.>

Lana

Sveltana you are so right...it is very difficult indeed...but you do not sound like a person that just do not want to learn...you just found it difficult...thats something different...our language...our way of life...our culture...our believes are different from a lot other countries...but I dont think that anyone force you or expect you to become a Cypriot...You are what you are...American, British, Chinese...and everyone have to respect that...you have your traditions, your religion, your way of life...dont change those things because you changed country...but try to be friendly and open minded...I wrote those things because I had a family friend that she judge us all the time, she never try to reply to us in Greek and she always compare with her believes..."we are old fashion people...we are racists...we are...bla bla bla". You know what souvla is and you know how to tell it...but she tell us..."that big kebab piece" and she mean souvla!!! And you wrote it correct...not suvla!!!

[Svetlana]

Hi Lena

I hope people do not misunderstand me, I dearly love 'my' Cyprus and regard it as a privilege to live here.


Lana

[LENA]

Hi Lena

I hope people do not misunderstand me, I dearly love 'my' Cyprus and regard it as a privilege to live here.


Lana

no need to apologise Svetlana...your message was clear...you really like Cyprus as you said and you have good friends and neighbours, is not their fault about the noise

And you live in a village which is really difficult there even for us sometimes

I dont think anyone will misunderstand you!!!