Summer in Cyprus

Thankfully, the precious moment has come when I have finally made TIME to write a blog.  I often feel so sad that some wonderful parts of our life here get missed in the hectic day to day of 4 kids, school commitments, arvo activities and "what's for dinner Mum?"


So this blog is like a catch up...I'm hoping that as I sit quietly at my desk on this balmy summer evening all the memories of the past couple of months will come flooding back.


I will begin with Sam.  Back in April when Julie Smith was visiting and we were in the car driving along and chatting (intelligently) about home domestics at this stage of our lives; Sam interrupted and said "Mum, do you remember when we lived in Australia and you had to clean the bathrooms?"  Priceless.  Yes Sam, I do, and everyday in Cyprus with Monica cleaning them for me is like a gift.  Hopefully you will remember the wonderful result of this: - that Mummy actually played with you and got very good at Lego as a result.

Sam is back in the pool with renewed spirit this summer; jumping, splashing, ducking under, swimming to the wall and fretting about the plug in the deep-end.  He makes a tremendous amount of noise; I think his volume control is permanently jammed.  I'm hoping he's going to take to the Kids Stage School that's starting up down the road in September.

This July he'll be hanging out at home with us then in August we're travelling to visit friends in Copenhagen and Belgium with a lot of exciting stuff in between.  Sam is already planning the rides he'll be going on at Legoland in Denmark.  Similar to this is his obsession with waterparks, one of which we'll be going to this week for Ross' birthday family outing.   


Now let's move on to Angus.  A tired boy today who just returned home from Camp Jubilee; a 6 day summer camp in the Troodos Mountains.  He had a blast: camp songs, Jubilee dance, ping-pong tournaments, swimming & diving, disco, camp-fire, hiking, fun sports and heaps of group activities with some lively young British students as leaders.  Surprisingly, in a camp of nearly 100 kids, he and Jessie were put in the same small group for the week.  They got along famously on camp which was great to hear however it only took an hours car drive home for the bickering to start again.  What is it with 8 & 9 year old siblings?


Before camp began, he finished third grade, played his guitar in a couple of music concerts (including a solo rendition of "We Will Rock You" by Queen - gulp), went on a Scout Camp, enjoyed competing in many races at the School Sports Day, and has been getting into Judo with a local Cypriot 'sensai'. He's generally like a shark, needs to keep moving to survive:) 

Yellow Belt - passed!

Angus standing 'at ease' in his Cub Scouts ceremony

Anna and I have had a significant week this week.  Our last one 'just us together' before she starts school in September.  She's telling everyone she meets at present "when the summer finishes, I'm going to start Pre-School.  I'm a big girl, yes I am!"  Now that she's out of nappies, our final challenge to prepare her is to get her to eat fresh fruit.

Unfortunately that's not banana we're seeing

Yesterday we took off to the beach together and played in the water and the sand.  I think the sentimentality of the day was far more significant for me; I just wanted something to mark the final day of little one's at home with me.  Lets face it, it's been almost a decade!


Anna has 2 really good friends at present.  There's Katie, whose Mum says needs an "Anna fix" every few days and who cries hysterically every time she has to leave our house.  Then there's Hadley who lives up the road and invites himself over regularly.  She's at that lovely stage of sharing well then fighting then crying then hitting then getting distracted and playing nicely again.  I'll miss that.

Anna had a ball with her Nan & Pop recently.  There was a  game for everything with Nana and Pop was very generous with the ice creams.  What a precious time for a 3yr old to spend so much time with her grand-parents.  Hopefully the photos will serve as great memories in years to come.

Last but not least is Jessie who at present is growing up all too quick.  It's hard to convince an almost 10yr old that staying a kid and enjoying her youth is a good thing.  "But I WANT to grow up quickly Daddy!" she said in a recent conversation just prior to our little 3-way project of culling about 60 "friends" on Facebook.  Her accelerator, our brakes.


Jessie is also hyped but tired from Camp Jubilee this week.  She roomed with a lovely girl called Annie whom she does gymnastics with and came home wearing her clothes and telling me of the website we 'have' to start buying clothes from.  She was surprised to win the award for best camp journal and she surprised us by hugging Sam & Anna and telling them she missed them!  In the same breath, however, she said she didn't want to come home; just stay on camp all summer.

What a week!

Other memories for Jessie this past couple of months...

Jessie: Mum, I just HAVE to play the violin. I just LOVE that instrument.  Can I give up the flute?Mum: "No".  As a result, Jessie has very craftily managed to ask her friend's sister to bring back her old violin from Canada this summer that she can "borrow" for a year.  In Year 5 they all need to learn a new instrument so this will be a good chance to feed her insatiable musical appetite.  She's loved having Anna 'Piana' (a 15yr old) come to our house and teach her piano.  It's all coming back from her lessons when she was 5 and 6yrs and it's lovely to hear the ivories being tinkled regularly in the house.


Jessie is also still loving gymnastics, and recently had a end of year show.  As per normal, the festivities were kicked of by a blessing a long homily in Greek from one of the local Orthodox priests.  Another three or four elderly gentlemen also spoke, apparently making some sort of political statement about the division of Cyprus.  What better a venue for a bold political statement than a children's gymnastics event......

Cyprus is in the full swing of summer now, with temperatures on most days in the high 30's or 40's so the pool has been getting plenty of use.  Still trying to avoid swimming during siesta time, when all the neighbours are asleep.

Well that's the four of them: a busy, loud and enthusiastic bunch, and settling in for a long summer in Cyprus!

Jerusalem and the West Bank

The Western Wall and the Dome of the Rock

Last week I travelled to Jordan, Jerusalem and the West Bank in Israel/Palestine for meetings with our team in both locations. World Vision has had development and relief programs in the West Bank and Gaza for more than 30 years now, with a national office in Jerusalem. World Vision's programs focus mainly on education, agriculture and health. It's always a challenging place to visit, and I think the complexity and intractability of the Israeli/Palestinian situation tests a persons world view, politics and faith like few other places on the planet.  Even the old city of Jerusalem, where three of the most holy sites in Islam, Judaism and Christianity are located within a stones throw of each other, is a place that polarises opinion.  Underlying tensions and the ongoing potential for volatility is evidenced by the significant security and military presence throughout the city. The richness of history in the Holy Land is superimposed with a present reality that is tragic on many levels.  I've always felt a certain heaviness when travelling in Israel and Palestine.  Sometimes you only become aware of this when you leave.  

The Western Wall in Jerusalem

The thing that strikes you most about a visit to Jerusalem and the West Bank is the continued construction of new settlements by Israel, which goes on unabated despite the sanctions of international law.  Construction of these settlements is illegal, and the activities of the settlers themselves results in a situation where abuse of even the most basic human rights is rampant.  It's hard to understate the impacts of settlements and related dislocation of proximate Palestinian communities.  The following clip tells the story of one family in East Jerusalem who is dealing with the loss of their house to illegal settlers.

The separation wall and a settlement

The settlers themselves are driven by various motives; for some it is religious and political zeal, aligned with Zionist cause of laying claim to the former biblical lands of Israel; for others the motivation is more economic, where people are attracted by the various subsidies and incentives offered by the Government to relocate to the settlements.   There are now more than 130 settlements across the West Bank, and the continued development and construction of new settlements is a major obstacle to any future peace process between Israel and Palestine.  Security measures imposed around the illegal settlements are draconian, most recently seen in the construction of a separation barrier through the entire West Bank that has literally cut many Palestinian communities in two, and separated families from agricultural land they have owned for generations.  

Another new settlement

The old souk in Hebron, covered with wire
mesh to protect from rubbish and objects
thrown down from above by settlers
illegally occupying adjacent houses.

There is probably no city more impacted by the issue of the occupation and settlers than Hebron in the West Bank.  Hebron is the ancient city of Abraham, and thus has great historical significance for Muslims, Christians and Jews alike.  Within the old city of Hebron, 500 settlers live in the midst of 30,000 Palestinians.  Radical in their approach, the Hebron settlers have severely disrupted life in the city for Palestinians, and the curfews and restrictions on movement on Palestinians imposed by the 1500 Israeli soldiers based in the city are among the harshest on the West Bank.  Hebron has a tragic history, which continues to play out in the present. 


We visited Hebron and walked through what was once a bustling market.  Now many shops are empty, and above the market a wire mesh has been installed to catch the objects and refuse thrown down from the illegal settlers who now occupy houses above.  Palestinian children are routinely harassed as they walk to school, and there are frequent outbursts of violence in the city.  If you have some time, it's worth reading some accounts of serving in Hebron by former Israeli soldiers at:  www.breakingthesilence.org.il

The tomb of Abraham

A visit to Israel and Palestine raises many more questions than answers in my mind, and prospects for a lasting peace agreement seem distant.  As with everything, there are two sides to every story, or in the case of the Holy Land, probably more like ten sides, but it's hard to escape the underlying root cause issues resulting from the occupation. I believe in a God of justice, mercy and grace, and it's not easy to see any of these elements in the current situation in the Holy Land.  


On a final note, the trip from Tel Aviv to Cyprus is only a half hour flight, but actually takes about 6 hours from door to door because of the time needed to get through security in Israel.  I always feel special to receive some additional hospitality from the security folks at the airport.  The stamps in my passport don't help much.  To quote the security guard last week 'it appears you have visited many of our enemies in the last 12 months'.  Such is the nature of polarised opinion in the Holy Land.

The old city of Hebron

Church of the Holy Sepulchre, built above
what is thought to be the crucifixion site. Note
the ladder below the top right window.  This
ladder has been there since atleast 1852, as the
various denominations who look after the
church cannot agree on who is responsible to
remove it. 

View towards the Dead Sea from the Mount of Olives

A season of visitors

Over the past few months we've been very fortunate to have a number of friends and family from Australia visiting Cyprus.  Julie Smith, Uncle Graham, Aunty Heather and Nan and Pop all spent some time here.  It's been a lovely reminder of home, and a real gift for the kids to reconnect with family.  The spring weather through April and May was also glorious which made for some very enjoyable times together, and we were able to visit some of our favourite parts of the island.  

Sarah and Julie Smith

Jessie and Uncle Graham

Aunty Heather pondering her options to become Orthodox

Nan and Pop (not the aircraft they came on...)

Another visitor to Cyprus last week was the Governor General Quentin Bryce, who was making a 3 day state visit enroute to London for the Queens Jubilee celebrations.  It was interesting to see the streets all decked out with Australian and Cypriot flags.  Made us all feel quite at home!  We attended a reception for the Governor General at the Australian High Commissioners residence last Friday night.  We enjoyed briefly meeting the GG, and it was also fun to meet with a larger group of antipodeans living in Cyprus.  No sign of Alexander Downer at the reception though, which of course left Ross feeling somewhat deflated......

The kids are now in the final throes of school for the year.  Only a few weeks to go so lots of year end concerts and then the 3 month break begins....(gulp)!  They are all ready for the holidays though, and the hotter summer weather has arrived right on cue this week, with the thermometer now nudging 35 degrees during the day.  The pool is starting to get a workout.


A few other recent pictures from our clan and travels over the last month with our guests.

Pop contemplates a hot bath in the
ancient ruins of Salamis

Cooking with Nan

Sam the thespian at work....

My Two Gifts in Cyprus

 Living in a new country brings all sorts of unexpected blessings and this blog is about two of them: Monica (our maid) and Katafiyo (my retreat house in the village).  It's a strange combination of subjects to write a blog about and they are not linked in any obvious way...nevertheless I am extremely thankful for both of them and they will no doubt be significant in my long term memories of Cyprus.

Monica in our living room opening her recent birthday gifts

MONICA is our Sri Lankan maid.  After 15mths working full time for us, she is almost institutionalised as part of our family and we quite honestly can't imagine life here without her.  All credit to her and her ability to manage the high workload, she is still smiling and an ever willing worker.  Her demeanour is calm, she takes initiative and she loves playing with the kids.  Monica is an amazing cook for somebody who had never used an oven nor knew what cheese on toast was.  She takes complete charge of the cleaning, washing and ironing and her eyes light up when I have a new recipe for her to try.  She babysits for us almost weekly and her schedule is flexible.  We trust her implicitly and we like her very much.

More thought provoking however, is the basic experience of having 42hrs of help at home.  In previous blogs I have referred to the fact that it took a lot of adjusting to.  At first I couldn't believe my luck and was ecstatic to drop the title of House Wife and have Monica do everything.  Then came the training phase and teaching her to bake and cook dinner.  Following that came the realisation that I had trained myself out of my own job and couldn't get a working visa to get a job in the big wide world.  Looking back I was taken by surprise by my sense of unproductiveness and how useless it made me feel.  It challenged my personal sense of worth and I struggled to accept the fact that shifting from a do everything Mum to a being Mum was going to work out OK.  Gradually I worked my way through it, improving the structure of Monica's hours, doing a bit to keep in touch with the house so as not to feel totally useless, and taking more opportunities to spend time with the kids and simply be present for them in the afternoons.  It's a real treat to sit down at the table with kids doing their homework and know that I can listen to all their tales of the day without the busy monkey in my mind of what I should be doing.

Looking back, there are a few significant learnings for me:

• managing a worker in my own home takes organisation and thought
• no family is perfect and the maid sees the good and the bad
• how lucky we are to have somebody as gracious in all things as Monica
• daily thankfulness prevents ungratefulness

And looking ahead, there are some challenges also:

• persevering with the children contributing around the house (more on principal than from necessity)
• taking advantage of Ross & I spending some time together regularly as a couple

In short, I have finally accepted to enjoy it whilst it lasts and prepare for a massive shock when I return to Australia!  Here's to enjoying domestic help and selfishly wishing that Australia might allow foreign domestic workers in.

Monica with all the children she knows.  Next year we
promised her we'd throw a party with HER friends!

My 2nd gift in Cyprus is this retreat house, in a village about 40 mins from Nicosia, called Katafiyo.  Managed by the Anglican Archdiocese of Cyprus and the Gulf, it is primarily set up as a place for missionaries to come and rest or seek God for new direction.  Local Christians in Cyprus are also welcome to use it when it is available.

As you can see from the photo, the place just emanates stillness.  I have loved the opportunity every couple of months or so to drop the kids at school and bolt up there for the entire school day and just BE.  I am thankful to Monica for taking Anna for the occasional day and I think Monica is thankful to Katafiyo as I seem to return somewhat more relaxed.

I discovered the retreat house only 6 weeks after arriving in Cyprus.  I will never forget the feeling of driving through the country side to have a half day retreat after all the many logistics and stresses of an international move.  The reality of being in a new country, so far from home, had become very real by that time and it was a relief to be able to stop and take it all in.  The winter was ending and the trees bursting into flower.  Everything around me seemed to say "It is all good Sarah, this change is big but it will be OK".

These days, now feeling more settled on the island, the challenge is to leave the many activities and obligations behind simply to REST.  Often I don't know I need it until I'm there.  My four busy and enthusiastic kids are a delight to have but they are even more delightful to see after a break!

That's all for now....as the good book says: Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God"