Catching up...

I have been berated from certain quarters (people known for their eloquence) for being a k*k blogger (quote - unquote) because of the inactivity on this blog for the past two months. Suffering from high levels of Calvinistic guilt, I have taken the feedback to heart and made a resolution to write more. That is what I do best - make resolutions. I've even made a resolution not to make resolutions anymore and that is why I'm writing this short note to keep the blogging thing active. I have great plans to catch up on a few very memorable experiences such as our Kappadokya trip etc. and I hope that these will be documented soon. Perhaps I should write less and let the photographs do more of the telling. No photographs in this blog though.

Since my last posting the Viljoen family has gone through a torrid time. If you think its hot in South Africa, think again. Or, try to think while your brain is simmering and little clouds of steam whistle out of your ears and other orifices. We've had temperatures in the 40's and sometimes up to 51 degrees in a humid climate. We haven't seen a cloud in about four months (how I miss those wonderful Highveld thunderstorms) and Cyprus does not seem to have any shade - think West Coast. We have tried to have a picnic or two in some olive groves in the mountain, but were met by scores of vicious flies, mosquitoes and gnats whose sole purpose for existence is to rid the island of homo sapiens sapiens. (They have been unsuccessful for the last 10 000 years, give or take a few centuries – but they persist! Got to admire that.) Add to this that large parts of the 'country' is a rubbish dump, and that it is hard to find a spot with shade and without heaps of plastic bags and broken and plastic bottles lying about, the summer presented quite a challenge.

But I shouldn't complain - we came for the adventure and an adventure it is. I should also not complain because I believe that you in South Africa experienced a very cold uncharacteristic winter and I am not sorry that we've missed that. And I know how well South African homes are equipped for dealing with Arctic conditions. My informants tell me that it is getting a little warmer there now and I sincerely hope you get some nice rain soon.

If you thought that just being stung by the little blighters mentioned above was the end of our trials, that is not the case. Some of these things carry nameless viruses that give one intense fevers, joint pains, lethargy, personality modification and the temporary growth of a second head. All of us except Isabella at various times were platgetrek by the virus. But wait, dealing with a virus on its own is a piece of baklava! Add to this that they (the Cypriots, not the gnats) decided to upgrade the overburdened local electricity network in July/August then you have things really cooking. Although our abode has four air conditioners, we couldn’t use them during the day, because we had power cuts from 8 - 8 each weekday for six weeks. Fortunately that seems to be something of the past now. Another spin-off of this delightful situation is that our Internet and computer do not work when there is no electric – as Vince, my English neighbour calls it – electric. (He also says things like “we was...”)

Those of you who know me well, will know that I do not subscribe to a flowery, every-dark-cloud-has-a-silver-lining type of approach. So I’ve decided also to include some bad news in this posting. Lets put it like this – if you and your family decide to go on an overseas adventure, make very sure that the remuneration offered can sustain you and your family. It is painful to dig into SA money to merely survive here. I’ve just read on News24 that a survey found that the fear of not being able to pay debts has overtaken the fear of terrorism. All of our experiences could have been much different, not if we had more money, but if we had less uncertainty (or if we encountered some random acts of terrorism).

Our way of dealing with the incredible uncertainty, other than drinking heavily, is to manufacture our own certainty as far as possible. This means that we do not believe that the GAU will ever honour their promises to improve our situation. To their credit, I must say that they did offer Jeanne-Marie a job, and when she finally gets paid a full month’s salary by 15 October, our last stretch here (2 months) would be a little more pleasant. I may be promoted, and get a salary increase, but at the moment these prospects seem to be no more than empty promises. Tulin, my HOD really wants me to stay on, and had they responded to her and our requests sooner, and more decisively, we would certainly have considered staying here for longer.

The result of this is that we have made a decision to go back to South Africa next year and stay there for some time, before we decide to go on another adventure. Next time we will be better prepared and these ‘school fees’ we are paying this year will hopefully help to make another overseas sojourn less stressful. Jeanne-Marie and I will be going back to TUKS. (Or should I say TURKS?) Both of us are seriously pursuing augmenting our sources of income. We realise that returning might even be a little more difficult than coming here has been. We will need a car (or cars), get used to the rush of city life, get used to the incredible aggression of South Africans (on the roads, for example), see what we make of the crime situation. We will certainly miss many things about this sad little ‘non-country’. Jeanne-Marie feels that this phrase is a little bleak, but to me it seems that things have to collapse here in the next few years. Turkey is between Iraq and a hard place politically. It wants to be party of the EU, but has a strong Islamist component who do not seem to like the idea a lot. North Cyprus always seem to end up as the step child that can be sacrificed. But, I will paint a brighter picture in posts to come. The property market is impossible. There are endless stretches of newly builds – holiday homes scarring the landscape. Overextending the resources and infrastructure, that are not occupied. Tourism is down, the environment is a mess, and the government does not seem to get their act together to sort these issues out. One day I will write a piece about the psychological impact on a nation that is not recognised...

We have a much better understanding of the impossible situation that the Turkish Cypriots find themselves in. (If you are interested to learn more, read the Turkish view - click on
INFORMATION NOTE ON THE CYPRUS ISSUE.) The Greek Cypriots will give another view, but it seems that they base their moral high ground position mainly on the invasion (to the Greeks)/intervention (to the Turks in 1974). They do not talk much about kicking the Turkish Cypriots out of parliament in 1963, ethnic cleansing and genocide and a few minor problems such as these. Other sites attempt more balanced views. In my humble opinion it is quite clear that the official Greek sites are much more emotional and irrational.

Furthermore, the mistake the EU made to admit them give them even more attitude regarding the so-called Cyprus problem. We’ve had, and are having great times, despite the fact that some of you may have noticed some subtle hints of negativity in my writing. But as they say in the classics, it helps to blog. We wanted to go to Germany, Paris and England this summer, but can’t afford it. Travelling with kids does put quite a strain on one’s wallet, although in Cyprus and Turkey, most things (excluding food and travel) are free for kids. We are stretching our Lira to go to Turkey for nine days in the beginning of September. We’ll be going to Istanbul for three days (where we hope we can find a chemistry set for Daniel – there seems to be none in Cyprus, North or South). We will then travel down to Çanakkale (pronounce: Chanakale). By coach to visit the ruins of Troy and the Gallipoli battle sites. (By the way – we saw Enemy at the Gates and if you are into war movies, this is really a good one.) After that we will go further south to Selçuk (Selchoek) near the city of Izmir. There we will relax, visit Ephesus and go on a few day trips. We’ll fly back to Cyprus from Izmir.

When we get back, we will have visitors from Germany – Wolfgang and family. Then, in October, Charl and Gené, Jeanne-Marie’s parents will come for a couple of weeks and also during that time, Jeanne-Marie’s cousin and family will come visit for a week from England. We are really looking forward to see all of them (you) and I am sure the Cyprus experience will be great for all of us. When everyone has left, we will have two more months left. The next posts will be a bit more up-beat and will hopefully give you a glimpse into what our great Mediterranean experience is also like.

I close with words of Atatürk on a memorial at Galipoli. I found it quite touching.

Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives…
You are now living in the soil of a friendly country.
Therefore rest in peace.
There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours…
You, the mothers, who sent their sons from faraway countries wipe away your tears;
your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace,
after having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well.

Ataturk, 1934