The blog posts have become less frequent for the simple reason that everyday life has taken over and as we settle into a routine of life in Cyprus, we don't have as many blog worthy activities to inform you all about - unless your interested in how much the water bill is and what we buy every week at the supermarket.
We have been here for just under 5 months. Thats nearly half a year since we left England which is a bit scary when I think about. Its safe to say we are well and truly at home here. Our flat is definitely our own now, with photos on the wall, cushions on the sofa, candles on the coffee table and Harrys art, all littering the place, it feels like this is really our home. Every payday means another trip to ikea for "home furnishings" and the spare room is now fit for guests.
Work is going well. Unemployment here is not to the scale of England, however with the HR assistant who sits next to me receiving countless phone calls everyday with desperate people wanting jobs, there is a problem here too. So while I was stressing about being unemployed for around 2 months, really I did pretty well to find work so quickly after moving here. Everyday is busy and there are endless tasks which keep me on toes. Working in a completely new industry, understandably, i'm still learning new things all the time, which I like! I think my favourite place at uni was the library (and Rhino obviously) so reading about the industry i'm now working in and learning all the time is good for me! Harry has a job interview on Monday, for a visual merchandiser position with Adidas, so we have our fingers crossed for a positive outcome. While the pay increase would be nice, the company car is also a bonus and he would have weekends off which, with summer coming, means trips to the beach!
My Greek is making very slow progress. While I have learnt some new sentences recently, and I am continuing to understand what goes on around me, I wish I could just wake up with a fully operating, Greek speaking brain. Unfortunately i'm going to have to do it the hard way it seems. Its the only negative thing about living here; my inability to communicate properly, which so far hasnt been to much of a hindrance, but for my own happiness the sooner I learn the better. A mini crisis could be on the horizon otherwise.
While I thoroughly enjoy living here, and I wake up everyday happy because I know we made the right decision to come here, missing family and friends and being unable to speak the language are the things that still getting me in a bit of a stress. And although skype, facebook, emails and blogs keep me in pretty much constant contact with everyone, there are those times when you just have a bad day and when you realise how far away from home you are, and you have very few people here to talk to, it is a bit of a wake up call. However those days are rare, so lets focus on the positives.
Especially as my trip to England is just around the corner. I have already written my list of Boots products to stock up on and I will be making a definite stop at HM (the one high street store they are lacking here) on my brief trip. While I am very excited to come to England, part of me is slightly concerned I won't want to leave. I may need someone to escort me to terminal 5 and physically put me on the plane.
So, it's Saturday, I have cleaned the flat, and have spent the afternoon in shorts sitting on the balcony. Yes I know you dont want to hear about that but it was 24 degrees so it had to be done really. The weather has picked up and the sky is blue so summer is definitely on its way. Im sure when we are enduring 45 degrees and dealing with unbearable humidity in the city, we will be praying for cold and rain.
So tonight I am going out with some girls from work. With a different culture here, thats not centred around alcohol, but coffee instead, I have had very few nights out since we got here. I am looking forward to a laugh with the girls, and if this week at work is anything to go by, we will be laughing a lot. This week we have gone slightly loopy. I have a theory on this though; the weather changed!
So with the weather imporving, me and Harry went to the beach last weekend for the first time since we arrived. Walking along the beach in the sun on a Sunday afternoon reminds me why we moved here. Living in London, the beach is probably one of my favourite places as its so far removed from what im used to, a congested concrete city!
So, for the foreseeable future we are permanent residents in Cyprus. Which reminds me, I received my official confirmation of residency from the immigration department. A yellow piece of paper, with a lovely picture of me on the front and a id number, means I am officially, a temporary resident of Cyprus. And in 5 years, I can apply for permanent residency. Permanent sounds a bit scary, but then again, so does thinking 5 years into the future!
