Chicken Soup

So the storms have subsided and im sorry to say the sun has returned - no snow and freezing temperatures for us. This week may have been quiet on the blog front but there is lot for you to catch up on. 

On Wednesday I had a 2nd interview for a place called Info Credit Group Cyprus; an international company who deal with providing financial credit information for clients. I ended up there in the first place thanks to a friend of Harry's stepmum, who kindly offered to forward my CV onto the HR department. A few weeks later, after interview one, I was invited for a 2nd. For some reason 2nd interviews make me more nervous than the first, I don't know why considering, they must like something about you to want to see you again! 

The 2nd interview, with one of the managing directors, went well - although you can never really tell what they're actually thinking - and a day later I got a phone call offering me the job (so it did go well).

You are now looking at (ok your not looking at, but just imagine me sitting opposite you please) the new International Sales & Customer Support Agent for Info Credit Group Cyprus. I'm not going to lie; I'm a little nervous as I don't have the business degree they were after, or background experience in business, but as Harry keeps saying - "well they must like something about you". With an induction on the 29th December, and my first proper day on the 3rd January, I have some time to prep. And now I can go about applying for a Temporary Residents Permit (just a formality, as a EU national and now with an employment contract it should be easy peasy, so don't get your hopes up that they will decline me and send me packing).

Other developments this week: while I have been stressing about not working, Harry has been stressing at work, and it seems working 7 days a week has taken it's toll. What started as a cold turned into an ear infection and something called Oxia Merilanthia (some weird throat infection or to use technical terminology,  lumps in your throat). Being a man, the excruciating pain he was in still didn't warrant a trip to the hospital. Waking up about fifteen times in the night in fits of pain didn't make him see the light either. Several days of nagging, increasing pain, and an ever fluctuating temperature broke him and finally at 5.30am on Saturday morning it was off to the hospital. After seven hours of blood test, heart checks and x-rays he was discharged with a diagnosis and an array of medicines to consume at a variety of intervals throughout the day. Some serious ear cleaning at the ear specialist yesterday seems to have done the world of good and last night he actually slept - which meant I slept!! YIPPPEEEEE.

In his hour of need I have made umpteen cups of tea, checked his temperature more times than I can recount, and even set my hand to making him home-made Cypriot chicken soup (yes I'm slowly becoming a Cypriot) which apparently cures everything. For my first attempt I have to say I did a good job. And the patient seemed to approve so I passed that test with flying colours.

As christmas draws ever closer, we finally put up our tree yesterday. While it is more humble than we are used to, it still provided us with those necessary festive feelings we have been lacking. Christmas here doesn't have as much fuss surrounding it as christmas in England, and Santa doesn't arrive til New Years Eve apparently.....(maybe he gets lost somewhere over Turkey and it takes him a few days to find us...?). I dont know if its the lack of cold or fairy lights but I just can't quite believe its christmas on Saturday. There are only a handful of street decorations here, a few people have decorated the outside of their houses and I haven't even had as much as a whiff of a mince pie. So christmas will be a little different this year. But different isn't always bad. I am looking forward to experiencing christmas Cyprus style (and anyway everyone says Easter is the big one here so we better save some energy for that, knowing the Kakoullis clan its going to be rowdy).

So as I write this the sun is shining, the soup is heating up and Harry is pulling silly faces at me from the sofa - I think he is feeling much better today somehow - maybe its the mystical powers of my soup.