A cartoon to ponder

Those who follow global politics might appreciate the cartoon below, which appeared in the Economist about a week ago. Portrays the current dynamics in the Middle East brilliantly.  Grab a coffee sometime and study the cartoon closely if you want some insight into the present power and relational dynamics between the Middle Eastern players.


Cyprus sits somewhere in the middle of this, so never a dull moment in this part of the world!

The latest events for Sam Piper

And here's ME!

Guess What?  Today I caught the bus home from pre-school ON MY OWN!  Jessie & Angus had Judo after school and I got to catch the bus with the other big kids.  The best thing was meeting Mummy off the bus and talking to her without having to wait my turn.  I got to tell her something I did today: "I licked the wall!"  Mum asked if it tasted alright (?) but that wasn't really the point.  (it's actually OK; I didn't get caught because the teachers weren't looking). Sorry....I don't have a picture of the wall.  But I CAN tell you it was red.

Here's my school bus that I take every afternoon.

This next photo of me is from when Mum thought I had lice.  I'm not sure what all the fuss was about.  I was just itching like crazy.  Anyway, the stuff she put on my hair STUNK.

A few weekends ago, we spent the day "exploring".  This means I sit at the very back of the car and keep my eye out for whether any chips or biscuits are being handed around.  I wouldn't want to fall asleep or else I'd miss out.  This has actually happened before and I WAS NOT happy.

We saw this old church...

Mum got really excited when she saw this donkey

And both Mum & Dad kept admiring the big pots...

and the old doors in the village.

We found a pretty nice beach on the way home and I got to play in the sand.  That made up for all the exploring in the car.  It was a good day out because, as Dad always says: "we're all together as a family".  I suppose he's right.

Not much else to say I think.  Oh, wait a minute, did you know that Ms Maria now sends me upstairs to "The Clever Caterpillars" group for phonics?  Jolly Phonics I should say.  We get to rub our tummy as if we're hungry and that's the letter M!  I've also got a homework folder and get to sit with Mummy at the table some afternoons like Jessie & Angus.

On Mondays and Thursdays I go with Jessie to gymnastics class.  At first I didn't like it because some things hurt and make me tired but now it's better because I can do more.  They speak Greek in the lesson but I just follow along.  If I'm naughty they seem to be able to speak to me in English.

My little sister Anna is getting more fun to play with but she's starting to take all my toys.  It's getting to be a bit of a problem because whenever I get angry with her and maybe just give her a little whack she goes and tells Mum and I get sent to the bathroom.  Maybe I'll start hiding my toys in there....

My Week by Jessie

On Friday we went on a school trip to Santa Marina Retreat in Limassol (Lemesos).

There were lots of activities to choose from and I chose high ropes (sky trail) and golf.

It was very fun the high ropes were fun but scary on the trails with no ropes like a gymnastics beam!

On Saturday morning Dad took me out to the old town on the north. We brought some shorts for Dad and some pretty dressy outfits for me.  When we got home we had lunch, watched an old movie and then I decided to do some gymnastics. (there is also a video of me doing gymnastics attached to the blog and will also go on youtube.

I am really really enjoying gymnastics class, we do walkovers excersises and much much more.

Anyway I hope you enjoy the video and you can watch it on youtube as well.

Korucam

A few weekends ago we crossed the border and headed for north-western corner of the island.  It was a beautiful clear day with a strong northerly wind.  The wind had stirred up some good waves, and it was nice to see some decent surf after months of a Mediterranean millpond over summer!  All we were missing were the surfboards to complete the picture. The strong wind also brought some clear air, and we had a good view of the mountains in Turkey, some 60km to the north of the island.  

While in the northwest, we came across across a small village called Korucam (or Kormakitis in Greek).  The really interesting thing about this village is that it's small population are a group of Maronite Christians, who have lived in the village and on the island since the Crusades.  Since the Turkish invasion in 1974, the villagers have clung to a tenuous existence and still maintain their Maronite traditions, despite being surrounded and effectively 'enclaved' by the Turkish north.  The spoken language in the village is a mixture of Aramaic, Arabic, Turkish and Greek, and the community still maintain a large Maronite church in the village centre.  It was interesting to see the architecture in the village, which bore many similarities to the much larger Maronite communities in Lebanon.  

Maronite Church in Korucam

The kids enjoyed exploring the village centre, chasing every cat they could find and generally making alot of noise.  We took lunch in the single restaurant in the village.  No menu to choose from, rather a local speciality of slow cooked lamb and potatoes.  

A divided island

Recent events in and around Cyprus have resulted in increased political tensions between the north and the south.  To summarise a few of these developments: 

• Cyprus and Turkey are in the throes of a major dispute regarding exploration rights for oil and gas fields in the seas around the island (the latest development being Turkey's threat to send naval frigates to the waters around the island to protect ocean seismic survey craft).  
• Continued mass protests each night in Nicosia around the President's Palace demanding his resignation in the wake of the ammunition explosion disaster that crippled 2/3 of the island's power through the summer
• A general stalling of UN-sponsored talks in New York to try and broker a lasting solution to the Cyprus 'problem'. Many ultimatums and deadlines have been set and passed over the last 5 years, and there is very little optimism that the current round of talks (brokered by none other than Downer, A.) will deliver any progress.
• The recent breakdown of Turkey's relationship with Israel is adding to general tensions in the region

So all in all, some interesting times for Cyprus and the region.  

1974 abandoned aircraft at old Nicosia airport
(now part of the UN buffer zone) 

Sarah and I continue to be challenged as we learn more about the history of this place.  A few weeks back we watched a documentary called Attila '74, which tells the story of the Turkish invasion from a Greek perspective.  We hadn't reckoned on the extent of displacement that occurred when the island was partitioned.  More than 200,000 (or 1/3) of the island's population were displaced and lost their homes,  livelihoods and communities.  Impacts were felt equally for both Turkish and Greek Cypriots.  The fact that thousands people still remain missing or unaccounted for is an ongoing point of grief and pain for both sides of the divide.  

Untouched and uninhabited since 1974

Families looking for missing loved ones

At a political level, the two sides seem more distant than ever, but there is an active 'bi-communal' movement that is seeking to bring young people from both sides together in an effort to build relationships, bridges and understanding.  


On Monday we watched a great film called 'Sharing and Island, which tells the story of 3 Greek Cypriots and 3 Turkish Cypriots who spend a week living together and visiting different parts of the island.  The film is humorous, insightful but also tragic, and we left thinking how challenging the prospects of a lasting political solution between the two sides will be, even if at a relational level there is much commonality.  See below for brief trailer from the film.