The Half Way Mark of Summer Holidays

August approaches and still there is 6 weeks until the return of school.  I'm wondering whether a few homework sheets might be in order (?).  This is the week, that of the 1st August, when the airport gets really busy.  Cypriots flying out and tourists from colder lands flying in.  Actually, given the recent economic crisis, many locals are not going anywhere at all and as a result the island will possibly be a little fuller.  Nevertheless, most people take leave and there is an air of "doing nothing" mainly due to the heat.  Here in Nicosia, away from the beautiful beaches, we start to feel like we've been deserted.  The summer schools are over, most friends have fled the heat, many small businesses close down and the main street is so quiet we might as well all hold hands and skateboard down it.

However, having said all that, I've decided that I like this time of year.  No commitments or obligations, a lot less driving around, and the biggest decision of the day is "shall we go to the pool in the morning or the afternoon?".  What a life!  Interesting to compare how I feel now about the summer and how I felt 2 years ago when I first experienced it.  Back then, it was like a heat malaise.  I was homesick, restless, bored and helpless (the latter mainly due to Menaka doing all the domestics...I don't complain about that now).  Looking back, with clearer vision in hindsight, the change from my life in Australia was quite dramatic.  I think, because things were so much 'easier' on many fronts, I found it confusing that I would feel so lost.  Perhaps change is difficult to adjust to no matter which way it goes.

Menaka has also adjusted to this slow-go mode our family are in.  She turns up early for a few hours in the cool and then comes back to help us with dinner.  She's currently in a dilemma as to whether to return to her son and family for a short break in August.  There is a strong pull emotionally of course however the cost of the trip will take a large bite out of her year's savings.

The children have had a variety filled few weeks.  As well as being around home and playing with friends at the pool, Angus went to Camp Jubilee in the Troodos mountains whilst Sam and Anna went back to the familiar grounds of their school for a week of the summer programme.

Friends and Dominos..

Brothers and Lego...

Jessie attended a two week summer school which involved the complete production of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory with 12 other children her age.  She returned each day exhausted but excited; making new friends, learning new dances and hamming up her acting skills as Veruca Salt was right up her alley.  And I thought I'd seen it all at home....

We've also had a couple of great weekends.  Our landlord invited us to his village for the day and showed us his beautiful old house and took us to their local beach.  He and his family are of the Maronite denomination and speak a language quite close to Aramaic - that which was spoken in Jesus' time.  His family history goes back a long time and he was fortunate enough to buy his Uncle's house in the village who was the Bishop many years ago.  We were treated to lunch at the beach restaurant whilst we watched the kids play in the water.  Being a small village, they knew almost everybody in the restaurant, including our real estate agent (who our landlord went to school with and) who found us the house in Nicosia.  Of course, we couldn't leave without being invited back to his house also for a drink.  Such is the wonderful hospitality of Kormakides.

Recently, we took to the mountains and enjoyed a weekend away with some families of World Vision staff.  Great walks, delicious meals and cool nights.

So the half way mark of summer is upon us; no more structured activities for the children but a lot of family things to look forward to throughout August: more camping in the mountains (I think we miss the Nook!), a trip to Jerusalem and a restful holiday in Turkey. Ross is currently enjoying some cooler climes in Georgia for a work trip, but will be back tomorrow.  In the meantime, we have books to read, games to play, films to watch and about 5 more frozen yoghurt shops to sample!

39 years ago in Cyprus

This week marked the 39th anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus.  On July 20th 1974, Turkish troops landed near Kyrenia and after a few months of fighting managed to occupy approximately 38% of the island.  Over a third of the islands' population (both Greek and Turkish Cypriots) were displaced, and thousands died in the conflict.  Turkey's invasion was in response to an attempted coup against Archbishop Makarios, the President of the Cypriot Republic.  The objective of the coup was to overthrow Makarios and install a pro-Greek government who would fast track 'enosis' or union with Greece.  This scenario represented a significant risk to Turkish Cypriots, and came after years of simmering dissent between the two ethnic communities on the island after the declaration of independence in 1960.  The coup failed, but it was enough to trigger the invasion, and Cyprus has been divided ever since.   

A protest to commemorate the 'missing'

Last Friday sirens sounded out across the island at the exact time Turkish troops first landed, and ceremonies were held to commemorate the invasion.  The issue of the Turkish occupation is highly emotive and sensitive for most Cypriots.  To this date 1614 people remain 'missing' since the 1974 invasion, and countless others are refugees who have not been able to return and who lost everything.  We had dinner at a friends house last week, and there was a protest nearby where people carried lighted torches (to symbolise the missing 1614 people) up to a Turkish checkpoint.   

The issue (or Cyprus problem as it is commonly referred to) remains one of the most intractable problems of division in the world today.  A recent book said that Cyprus has been stubbornly immune to peace and reunification efforts since 1974.  Another commentator referred to Cyprus as a 'diplomats graveyard', in reference to the long list of global leaders and negotiators who have sought to broker a solution here without success.  The latest UN special envoy/negotiator is of course Australia's very own Alexander Downer.  Unfortunately the prognosis is not good, and after 39 years of division major impediments still remain to finding a solution.

A tree near our house: the idealogical ties with Greece
remain strong in Cyprus

Downer meets with Nicos Anastasiades, President of
Republic of Cyprus

Syria descends....

Tim Costello with Syrian refugees in Lebanon

Syria at war.  It now ranks as the world's largest refugee crisis since Rwanda, and the situation continues to deteriorate.  It is estimated that there are more than 4 million people internally displaced within Syria, and more than 1.5 million who have fled to neighbouring countries as refugees. World Vision is responding on a number of fronts, with emergency response activities ongoing in Lebanon, Jordan and now also in Syria itself.  The situation is complex and volatile, and presents significant operational challenges.  But the need is immense, and far exceeds the current funding available or capacity of NGOs/UN agencies to respond.  Tim Costello, CEO of World Vision Australia was recently in Lebanon and Jordan, and wrote the following piece following the visit:

Last week I sat in a tent in Lebanon with a Syrian refugee couple who had escaped with their five children. Tameer and Delal fled with only the clothes they were wearing after three of their neighbours - including a cousin - were killed outside their Damascus home by an aerial bombing campaign. Once they reached the Lebanese border, the family walked for more than a day before finding help through World Vision in the Bekaa Valley.

Tameer and Delal's children cannot go to Lebanese schools due to overcrowding, and when I met them, five months after their escape, the kids were desperately bored. Each of them told me their greatest wish was to go to school.  I asked Tameer if he had hope, because this seems to be profoundly important for many refugees. He said his faith in the omnipotence of Allah had not been shaken, but he prayed each day to return to his Damascus home and lead a normal life as an iron worker. The humiliation he felt as a result of not being able to provide for his family was matched only by the anxiety and strain etched into his wife's face.

As fate would have it, a few days earlier I had been in the company of someone who, if not omnipotent, is certainly one of the world's most powerful leaders. This is a man whose decisions could determine the fate of Tameer's family and millions of other Syrian refugees.  I was in Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in my role leading Australia's civil society response to the policies of the G20. I raised with Putin the urgent need to guarantee humanitarian space in Syria, so aid agencies could reach the 4 million refugees now internally displaced in Syria. I begged him not to keep supplying arms. I did not see how more weapons could mean anything but more deaths. Already more than 93,000 Syrians have lost their lives in this conflict. He was prepared to say he would push for a diplomatic solution at Geneva 2 - a promise he kept the next day when he attended the G8 meeting. But I left convinced the war in Syria is now a war by proxy, with Russia, Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar - not to mention the West - positioning for their preferred political outcome. In doing so, they are flooding an already weapons-drenched region with more arms. It could be years before Tameer can go home.

But hope came to me in a surprise encounter. Back in Beirut I was walking to my hotel one evening and was beckoned into a small workshop and offered coffee by a stranger. The man was a Lebanese Christian named Milat. Sitting in the torchlight was a Syrian Sunni woman and her two sons. Without any place to call home, Milat had taken them in. He explained he supported President Assad as most Christians in the region did but the woman and her sons were praying for the rebels' victory.  Genuinely surprised, I asked how he could live with such political tension and provide food and shelter for them with no end in sight. He shrugged and said they were fellow humans. It was just so simple and his hospitality struck me as a modern-day re-run of the Good Samaritan, a story of 2000 years ago.

Many Lebanese are deeply concerned that the new arrivals from Syria will stay like the Palestinians did after 1948, and many others are terrified by the prospect of Lebanon being destabilised. And yet, thousands of Lebanese like Milat have taken these refugees into their homes.

I wondered how many Australians would respond like this. It stunned me to think that with an estimated 550,000 Syrian refugees now in Lebanon, a country of just 4.3 million people, citizens still find it in their hearts to treat the refugees as humans. It gave me hope and perspective. If only the world's leaders, with the fate of Syria in their hands, could meet Milat.

Tim Costello   July 2013

It is anticipated that by Christmas every fourth person
 in Lebanon will be a refugee

Construction underway for Azraq camp in Jordan,
which will host up to 130,000 refugees.  World Vision
is carrying out all water and sanitation works for the camp.

Makeshift Syrian refugee camp in Lebanon 

Initial shelter construction at Azraq camp in Jordan

British bases in Cyprus

Last week at a dinner with friends, it was interesting to meet a number of families serving with the British army.  In several cases, we met only the spouse and children, as the other partner is currently serving in Afghanistan.  This is one of the more unexpected elements of people you meet in Cyprus.  The British army and airforce currently have more than 3000 troops based in Cyprus, and the island continues to play an important role as a staging post for British forces activities in Afghanistan.  All troops who are either deploying to, or returning from Afghanistan spend time in Cyprus, and a number of families with one member on active duty in Afghanistan are based here.  

The relationship between Cyprus and Britain is complex, and in some ways reflects the broader history of Cyprus as a pawn in a broader strategic chess game between various major powers.  The island has essentially been occupied or under the influence of different foreign powers for the last few thousand years, and the British colonial influence from WWI through to the 1950's is but one chapter in long line of 'occupations' by various forces going back well before the Crusades.  This fact alone makes the history of the island so compelling, and the influences (cultural, architectural, political and social) of different periods of occupation remain highly visible to this day.  

When Cyprus was finally granted independence in 1960, the British extracted their pound of flesh, and signed an agreement over what became known as the Sovereign Base Areas.  These were basically two areas on the island that were to be retained by Britain for military purposes.  To this day both these areas continue be fully utilised by British forces, and provide them with an important strategic staging point in the Mediterranean.  In fact when you drive into either of these areas, you are in effect entering sovereign British territory that no longer comes under the legal jurisdiction of Cyprus.  So if you are booked speeding for example, it's like a British traffic fine, payable to her Majesty's Government.....

British troops in Cyprus en-route to Afghanistan 

It's not only the British who have strategic military interests in Cyprus.  The US also maintain a 'facility' in Nicosia that provides surveillance and listening capability for the Middle East, North Africa, the Balkans, Russia and beyond.  Cyprus has also been a staging point for various UK-US intelligence and military operations over the past 60 years, most recently in reconnaissance and air support for the war in Libya.  

So back to our dinner last week, it was fascinating but also challenging to hear the present reality of families who are dealing with the separation and anxiety of having a loved spouse currently serving in an active conflict like Afghanistan.  Generally not what you hear about with a normal dinner conversation, and certainly provides some perspective.

A radar/listening station high in the Troodos Mountains

Aaaahh....Summer!

Here we are in the middle of summer in Cyprus.  Our 3rd hot season here and loving it. 12 weeks of holidays for the kids, not too many obligations and a lot less people in town make for a much quieter, peaceful existence here in Nicosia.  A different rhythm evolves; one of cool early mornings spent walking or on the bike and evenings spent outside relaxing in the courtyard.  In the heat of the day we do quiet things inside; watch a film, draw, play games or read.  It's great to have a chunk of time to do NOTHING.  No big plans; just take it day by day.

Some of the things that I love about summer are:

• the 6am trip to the fruit & vegie market: the masses of plums, apricots, peaches, melon and nectarines;
• the fans whirring all night long;
• that lovely fatigued feeling the next morning after a day at the beach in the sun;
• the way the kids don't seem to affected by the heat at all (!?) yet it's consistently in the high 30's or low 40's every day;
• family walks after dinner with our dog Zoe;
• a trip into the old town for ice cream and to experience "a bit of humanity" (a regular quote from Ross there);
• the many souvlaki bars that open up on the street in the evenings;
• beach or water parks with the kids;
• the way the place comes to life in the evenings, with everyone out walking, cafes and many restaurants not filling up until 9 or 10 at night

and the list goes on....

Off to Inside Out summer school

This past week, the kids have been at a fantastic summer school called Inside Out.  Each day they were kept busy with a myriad of activities including volleyball, dodgeball, football, swimming, drama, music, Yoga, Hip Hop, Zumba, Pump, art, graffiti and, last but not least, WIPE-OUT.  They came home exhausted and went to bed early.  Perfect!  At the end of the week, they all performed a fun show for each other and Anna & Sam were very excited to receive the awards of The Most Amazing Starship and the kindest, funniest and best Earthling (respectively).  To top it all off; Menaka had a break from cooking lunches and I used those big chunks of quiet time to finally finish a course I'd started back in February.  That's a win-win all-round.

Summer school at home

The week prior to that, it was only Angus and Jessie on holidays.  We combined with 2 other families and created our own 3 day summer school for the kids.  That meant each parent created activities for a different day, and took all the kids.  It worked really well.  The kids loved it, and the parents also managed to get a break for 2 out of the 3 days.

Next week will be a bit different with no structured activities planned, except a day trip up to the mountains.  A necessary time of rest before it all begins again the following week! 

Resting in the heat of the day

A birthday for dad

Anna hits the slides

Dinner by the beach