Im Building a Wall

Ok, so I’m not literally building a wall, although I haven’t ruled out builder as a possible profession here in Cyprus (there are developers and builders everywhere, so I figure they might need an extra pair of hands, and I can get a tan in the process…everyone’s a winner). It’s a rule of Tavli I picked up during my recent “how to play Tavli” lesson.

Sunday everyone flocks to granny’s, where we are still residing due to our lack of permanent home, so we spent the day finding extra chairs and pulling out the “spare” table from upstairs to accommodate the million and one surprise lunch guests. To say I was overwhelmed was an understatement. Aunties, Uncles, 2^nd Uncles, kids of all ages and a dog were not what I had expected on a quiet Sunday in the village. I’m quickly learning, that here in Cyprus granny’s house is open like a 24-hour Tesco and she probably has enough food in stock to rival one.

So what started out as Auntie Maria and YaYa (Greek for granny) cooking for me and Harry, turned into lunch for 10+. In Cyprus, family are your friends and your friends are your family. While I say it was overwhelming, it is also quite fascinating. To watch them all interact with each other is a cultural study in itself. And while I don’t understand what they are saying half the time, I’m slowly understanding the Cypriot way of life. And hopefully by Easter I will be experienced enough with this Cypriot family eating thing. I say Easter because Harry has warned me that this is when every single family member comes out the woodwork, descends on granny’s and it gets rowdy to say the least.

For now I can tell you several things about Cypriots; they like frappe (cold coffee), they shout, they don’t understand red lights and they love a bit of Tavli (backgammon to you). So on Sunday evening I embraced the village lifestyle and let Harry and his Uncle teach me Tavli. I have what harry calls beginners luck. The running score is 10-7 to me. And Tavli is my new favourite game. Only, that is until I start loosing. It’s a far cry from watching the X Factor eviction show that’s for sure.