Carnival time

A visit from good friends John and Nikki Wallace

The start of Lent is marked by a number of traditions in Cyprus.  This includes Τσικνοπέμπτη or 'Fat Thursday', which is traditional meat feast held on the last Thursday before Lent.  On 'Fat Thursday', the smell of lamb and pork souvla barbecuing wafts around the streets and all the restaurants are full as people partake in a final feast of meat before Lent.  We learnt about this the hard way when we headed out to a restaurant on the Thursday with good friends from Australia John and Nikki Wallace who were visiting for a few days.  Suffice to say, absolutely no room at the inn at any of the Cypriot restaurants we tried, so we ended up at another favourite haunt aptly named 'the Syrian Arab Friendship Club'.  

Bazookis and guitars at the ready for this meat feast

The current season is also marked by Carnival, which takes place in towns across the island this weekend, with the main event taking place in Limmasol.  It's basically an excuse to dress up, so it's common to see people in shops, bus drivers etc all in fancy dress for a few days.  Given Sam's penchant for all things dress-up related, he is particularly enamoured with the carnival season, and has spent the last 5 days in various states of fancy dress.  This coming week Cyprus has a public holiday known as 'Green Monday', which officially marks the start of Lent.  It's tradition on Green Monday that children fly kites all across the island.  Our kids are ready to go with their prototypes.


Sarah, Jessie and Gus have been at Lake Tahoe in the US this week visiting Sarah's brother Roger, Bonnie and their two boys Ben and Bryce. They're back this coming Monday night and by all accounts it sounds like they've had a great trip. More from Sarah on this later I'm sure.  

Good winter rains means a very green island at the
moment; a big contrast to summer.

So I've been holding the fort at home with Sam and Anna this week.  We've had a good time together, and I've been amused by Sam and Anna's regular exchanges.  One of their questions whenever there has been a disagreement or fighting is to ask each other 'can I still come to your party'? If the answer is yes, then all seems to be right in the world again and harmony prevails. Exactly which party they are referring to I'm not quite sure, but I assume it relates to the nebulous concept of a birthday party.


It's been cold in Cyprus over the last few weeks.  In fact last Fri we had a tease of snow in Nicosia which apparently is very rare.  The weather will turn quickly though, and even this weekend the thermometer is nudging 22 degrees so warmer weather is not far away.  Spring can't come fast enough for Sam and Anna, who've been itching to get into sandals and crocs for weeks now.  

These characters have been appearing all over town
as part of the carnival festivities

Mariah Carey in rural Armenia?? A strong measure of cognac please sir!

Downtown Yerevan last week

Last week I travelled to Armenia for a meeting of operations directors from across the region.  The Caucasus is having a heavy winter this year, and the capital of Armenia, Yerevan was already under a blanket of snow when we arrived and it continued to snow all week.  We had a few days of meetings in Yerevan, and then travelled to the field to visit some schools and rural development projects in a region a few hours from the capital.  Yerevan is a stately city, with large squares and promenades.  Evidence of former Soviet architectural influence is everywhere.  Overlooking the city are two large cognac factories, Ararat and Noy, for which Armenia is well known, and in the distance the looming presence of Mt Ararat, located in what is now a part of Turkey.

An Armenian high school

Conditions in Armenian schools vary considerably, but many are very run down and have major problems with even the most basic components of infrastructure, including water and heating.  We visited several schools where development and refurbishment projects are either planned or underway. Students and the broader community are active partners in all aspects of planning and implementation of the projects, and it's always good to meet the students behind these initiatives.  Many are doing remarkable things to transform their communities and schools. There was a somewhat surreal moment at one point during a school visit when we were meeting with students and the bell rang to indicate change of lessons.  Then over the loudspeaker system came the haunting strains of Mariah Carey's 'Hero', played at some decibels.   Apparently the song is played at each break to 'motivate' the students (to do what I'm not quite sure).  It would appear that no corner of the planet is safe from Ms Carey's warbling vocals.

The trip back from Armenia turned out to be quite eventful.  I arrived at the airport around 5am Fri with some colleagues to pick up a scheduled flight to Moscow and then Cyprus.  Despite the blizzard outside, we were dutifully checked in, loaded onto the aircraft and prepared with safety briefings etc.  I guess if anyone is going to fly it will be Aeroflot with it's Russian pilots, who spend their winters flying in heavy snow and ice conditions.  After sitting on the plane for a few hours and looking out the window as a snow storm continued to rage outside (somewhat nervous at the 30cm of snow  now sitting on the aircraft's wings), it soon became clear we were not going to fly.  So off the plane and back into the terminal we went, where we were asked to wait for any further updates.  A long delay ensued, with the snow outside just getting heavier.  Some 11 hours later, we were finally asked to reboard the plane, despite the fact that the conditions had not really improved.  So back on the plane again, this time with many of our Russian passengers smelling heavily of vodka and other drinks consumed during the delay period.  As the plane was pushed back it got bogged several times, and graders and men pushing were needed to clear more snow from the tarmac and allow the plane to move.  Then a somewhat convoluted process to de-ice the wings just before rolling onto the runway and we were off, the only plane that managed to depart that day. 

Trying to look comfortable in -23 degrees

Obviously by this stage we'd long missed our connection in Moscow so had to stay overnight in a 'hotel' for passengers stuck in transit but without Russian visas.  It would be generous to describe the facility as a hotel, actually it was more like a detention centre, with heavy Russian security and a menu that consisted of pickled cabbage and spam.  Appetising stuff, especially after you're already 15hours into a flight that should have only taken 2hrs.  I had hoped to take a brief walk or a run to see what it felt like to spend much time outdoors in -23 degrees, but alas our Russian 'hosts' had other ideas, and we were pretty much confined to our rooms or a small common area which atleast had a piano (although badly out of tune.....).  Interesting to see how many of our fellow passengers knew the lyrics and tune to David Bowie's Space Oddity!  Finally we got off the next day back to Cyprus.  I don't think the green fields and turquoise mediterranean have ever looked so good as when we flew into Cyprus, especially after 3000km of a white and frozen Eastern Europe.  It's always to good to come home, but seemed especially so after this trip.

When the kids first saw this photo they wanted to know
why you're not allowed to play trumpets in Yerevan?

Yerevan

Entertainment at dinner one night

A frozen update from Eastern Europe

I'm in the Caucasus this week, and we've been experiencing the full impacts of an Arctic weather system affecting Eastern and Western Europe.  The temperature this morning topped out at -22 degrees.  A little on the brisk side for a run outside.  The WV news article below provides further details of some of the challenges vulnerable communities have been facing across countries in the region as a result of the current conditions.


Snow and freezing weather trap thousands across the Middle East and Eastern Europe
by Dwayne Mamo, WV MEER Regional Communications Manager   Georgia

Harsh winter conditions continue to choke many parts of Eastern Europe. In Romania and across the Balkans, many villages remain closed off due to continued sub-zero weather, heavy snow fall and, in some cases, avalanches, forcing local governments to declare emergencies in some parts of their countries.


World Vision will not be declaring an emergency in any countries where it has offices for the time being. However, individual offices are responding to needs as they see fit.


In Romania, 34 people have died already and average recorded temperatures have been hovering around -25 Celsius since the second half of January. Some 250 communities have been affected so far, 37 of which are completely isolated and 138 of which no longer have electricity, and 1,200 schools have been closed with another 1,400 likely to follow.


World Vision Romania operates in seven counties across the country, five of which are heavily affected by the snow and freezing temperatures. Rural areas and the vulnerable populations within them are often the worst affected in such circumstances.


“World Vision Romania is making efforts to support over 500 vulnerable families – totalling more than 1,100 children from five snow-affected counties. Food, blankets, warm clothing and shoes will be distributed as soon as possible. According to the information we have at this point, children are not in immediate danger, but if the situation escalates, we need to make sure they stay warm and have enough food”, said Eugene Borlea, Emergencies Relief Manager for World Vision Romania.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the situation though not as dire, requires constant monitoring. Over the weekend between one and two metres of new snow fell across the country and will continue to fall through Wednesday with temperatures throughout the week remaining at -15 Celsius, forcing schools to remain closed through Friday. The World Vision office was closed Monday and will close as weather dictates.


“We have assessed the situation, found that in all communities we work in, families are safe and have enough food, water and other supplies to get through this period. The only hindrance is transportation and accessibility that have also affected our national office. All families and children are safe. There is no need of staging an immediate response. We will continue to monitor the situation until accessibility to communities is provided again”, said Hans Bederski, WV Bosnia and Herzegovina National Director.


For other countries in the Balkans the situation is much the same.


In Albania, the northern part of the country is more severely affected than the south, with the north receiving more than a metre of snow over the weekend. Schools are closed in many parts of northern Albania, while schools in the south are open, but only for short days.


World Vision is helping in three areas in Albania where it has programming and is assisting families that are in extremely vulnerable situations. In the north World Vision is working with the government to clear roads to access isolated villages and has given food to two families who had no access to food for days. In the south World Vision has helped over 20 vulnerable families with food, two families with wood for heating, two health centres with heaters, and in one extreme case has found a home for a family of four who had been only living in a tent with no heat, food, and very little clothing.


In Kosovo all schools have been closed until the weather turns warmer.


Cold weather is also affecting Azerbaijan and the World Vision office there is closing as needed.


World Vision will continue to monitor the situation in the communities it works in across the region to ensure that children and the most vulnerable remain safe in this continued cold snap.


– ENDS –

A birthday for Sam

A few weeks ago Sam celebrated his 5th birthday with all of the gusto we've come to expect from him.  This included the 14 day count down, the wish "list" and the countless going over of the food that was to be prepared.  "Mum, have you bought the strawberries yet? Can I do the chocolate dipping?" is what I'll remember!  As is our normal custom, he was allowed to have 'five' friends around for a birthday party.  It was quite the international contingent with a child from Brazil, one from Sri Lanka, one who was American/Cypriot, and another who was French.  The theme was GREEN  and the cake was coloured accordingly thanks to Ross' legendary icing techniques.  Jessie was an amazing organiser of the games and everyone chipped in on the Pin the Eye on the Green Dinosaur drawing.  We only had one set of 'unfair' tears from a child in Pass the Parcel but lets face it; that game has "rigged" written all over it. Needless to say, a great time was had by all, despite the cold weather outside.  The Aussie backyard party brought indoors!


Sam has also decided that now he's 5, he should be able to take one of the communion wafers offered in church each week (but not the wine), he may start sleeping in a bed (rather than on the floor), and it goes without saying that he should now be able to put his seatbelt on himself.  Oh to be 5 again........

Sarah's Week of Training: Critical Incident Stress Management course.

Just had to document the wonderful week that I just experienced; attending a training course all week (out for 11hrs each day) whilst Ross worked half days and stayed home each afternoon with the kids.  For me it was like a mini-holiday (although I missed the kids); for Ross I think it was exhausting.  A great two-way exchange all the same.

Now, about the training: For me, it was a refresher course from a long time ago.  When I worked with World Vision prior to kids coming along, one of my roles was as a Peer Support person.  This basically means that, in addition to your role, you're trained up to get alongside colleagues who might have had to work at the scene of a disaster.  It's assumed that, as a peer, you have been in similar situations and can therefor empathise more readily.  There is a huge emphasis on the fact that the majority of people recover from traumatic situations very well 'without' any formal mental health intervention.  Peers are trained to understand the wide range of responses people might have after working at a critical incident, what's been found to be useful when being with these people and what signs one could be showing that might require some follow up.  The really interesting bit comes when you might have to work with a small or large group of people; the research behind which is fairly extensive albeit a tad controversial. In summary, the whole course was pretty thought provoking and I found it refreshing to be in a learning environment again.
After 3yrs being mostly at home with the kids, the opportunity to refresh my skills and meet a bunch of fantastic and interesting people was awesome.  I met people from Lebanon, Albania, Armenia, Georgia, Bosnia, The Netherlands and the US.  I can't forget sitting next to an American man who told me he had 11 kids, aged 1-17!  All kids to the same wife and no twins.  Zoo-wee-mama!


So now, one week later, I'm back in mother routine and appreciating being home when Sam, Angus and Jessie jump off the bus all a-chatter about the happenings of their day.  They've adjusted pretty well to the cold early mornings since our lazy Christmas holiday and Anna is much easier with her more predictable schedule.  Coming up to 1 year here next week so a few more reflections coming......See ya.

Stalin's favourite vodka......

Kids playing soccer in the snow in Bakuriani

"Would you like to try some of Stalin's favourite vodka?" is not a question you are asked everyday.  But then again, Georgia is a country where they say 'the guest comes from God' and hospitality, food and endless toasts at mealtimes are a national pastime.  Stalin was Georgian, and despite the fact that the Georgians suffered terribly under his rule of the Soviet Union, there is today an element of nostalgia about his Georgian roots.  His home city of Gori hosts a large Stalin museum, and small Stalin 'busts' are available for sale everywhere you go in the country.

Village of Bakuriani

Last week I was in Georgia for strategy meetings with our country directors from Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia.  We met in a high village called Bakuriani in central Georgia.  Bakuriani is an old Soviet-style mountain resort with spectacular scenery, antiquated hotels and ageing ski infrastructure.  Georgia is having a heavy winter this year, so it was a long and icy drive up to the village but beautiful once we got there.  We had productive meetings, managed to get onto the slopes for a few hours of skiing and also enjoyed plenty of 'khinkali', which are a traditional type of Georgian dumpling and chacha. There's a special finesse to eating khinkali, and it's fairly standard in a restaurant to order 10 or more of these per person (and that's just the entree)!

The uncrowded slopes of Bakuriani

Georgia is a fascinating country.  Independent since 1991 and the fall of the Soviet Union, there have been a number of key events over the last 20 years that have shaped the independent country.  These include a civil war, ongoing and unresolved conflict with Russia over the autonomous regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and also the so called 'Rose Revolution' in 2003 that led to the overthrow of Eduard Shevardnadze and rise of Mikheil Saakashvili to power.  Georgia has a growing economy, although poverty throughout the country remains widespread.  The capital Tbilisi has undergone a remarkable transformation since I first travelled there over 10 years ago.  The Government has spent up big to improve infrastructure and preserve the many ancient sites and monuments around the city.  A walk around the old town is particularly impressive at night, when the city and it's many Orthodox cathedrals are lit up.  

Getting around the village in the old style

After a fairly frenetic travel schedule last year, one of my new years resolutions has been to slow down a bit when I travel, especially when visiting several countries on a trip.  I was able to put this into practice in Georgia when a colleague and I visited one of the old Turkish baths in Tbilisi after work one evening.  After resting in a 40 degree naturally heated sulfur bath for an hour or so, we were scrubbed to within an inch of our lives by an old burly and toothless Georgian gentleman with a heavy wire brush.  May not sound so appealing but actually remarkably theraputic.  Perhaps it's the presbyterian and puritan blood in me.  

The Georgian capital Tbilisi

Tbilisi

Map showing the 'breakaway' regions of
Abkhazia and South Ossetia

Georgian 'khinkali'.  Would you like 10 or 20 sir??

Reflections on a holiday from home

Anna not quite 'engaged' with the
whole snow concept!

I wasn't expecting to live in this not very attractive city on the edge of Europe and take holidays at home.  If this had been suggested 6 months ago; it would not have got my vote.  However, as the year went on, as Ross' travel schedule became hard to follow and we all became involved in more activities; I think we all just grew weary.  By the time December rolled by, the thought of just hanging out and relaxing as a family  became very appealing.  Hence this blog.

So, what did we do?  Only one week into the school term and it feels like a blur already.  Perhaps a few photos will spark my memory.  Ah yes, the Camel Park.  Jessie, Angus and Sam were all dead keen to ride a real live camel......that is; until they sat on it and the camel stood up.  Anybody who has partaken of this delightful experience would well know that the 'rise up' from the camels sitting to standing position is nothing short of a LURCH.  Following that rather scary experience one finds themselves up a great deal higher than expected riding a wobbly legged camel who just might be a tad hard to 'bond' with.

As you can see from the picture above; Sam was completely freaked out by the mere movement of the camel and was not keen on persevering with the bonding process.  Much to Jessie's horror, it only took a few of Sam's deafening screams to 'rattle' the camel and before we knew it, the camel was doing his own thing.  A number of twisted zig zag steps and a lot of resistance to the trail leader's insistence that he sit back down again resulted in more pleading cries "I want to get off!"  Meanwhile, Angus and his two Egyptian mates, were oblivious to the spectacle and Ross & I had to smother our laughing because the entire scene was becoming more than comical.  Of course, having had a horse run off with me on it when I was young, I quickly identified with the possibility of exposing Sam to a life-long fear of all large and furry four-legged animals.  So, when it was clear that this wasn't going to be the character building moment that it could have been, we ran to his aid and helped him down.  That left one empty camel on a trail ride which I wasn't prepared to pass up.  All things well that end well!

The rest of the day passed fairly smoothly with us all enjoying the company of an Egyptian family we have come to know; they live close by and also have a couple of energetic young boys.  On the way home, we stumbled across a village with a beautiful old Orthodox church and an enormous open area for the community beside it.

To top it off for the kids,
we came across this amazing play park as well.

The rest of the days passed nicely; a picnic with some other families, casual trips to the park, a noisy play-over and last but not least; A TRIP TO THE SNOW.


When we invited Monica to join us so that she could see snow for the first time, she jumped at the opportunity.  We drove up the mountain, all 7 of us, watching the temperature gauge decrease and taking guesses as to who would hit the jack-pot of the coldest temp. and who was going to see the snow first.  When it was 1 degree and we were 1 km from the ski resort, the snow began to fall and the road became white.  Yeehah - SNOW!  We drove to where we could park near the village and all got out with our beanies & gloves on.  Everybody was happy EXCEPT ANNA.  I know she'll read this when she's older and curse me for writing it but I cannot tell a lie.  Anna was IMPOSSIBLE.  She didn't want any warm gear on and she cried non-stop for the entire time we played around in the snow.  With the 3 adults trying to appease her between snow ball fights and the other kids having a ball, we were not so disappointed when Jessie, Angus and Sam found themselves getting cold & wet and begging to go back to the car.


A second trip one week later, just for the boys, proved to be much more successful in terms of activity.  As you can see from the pics, Sam had a fun time on the sled and Angus fulfilled a long held dream of finally getting to ride a snowboard.  The first of many more trips we hope.

We hope you've had some good relaxing down time; perhaps with a bit of reflection on 2011.  My brief thoughts on the year that has passed are:

1. Yes, it really does take a full year to settle into a new place.  It's not until you get to the end of it that you realize what an up and down process it is.  I have experienced homesickness much more than I anticipated.  Now that this has largely passed however, I'm just glad & thankful we've all made it through in one piece.  Although immensely exciting at times, it has occurred to us more than once that this move was huge.
2.  I consider myself a more alert driver than perhaps I was in Australia but sadly I am not as humble.  Just like all the Cypriots here, I can be hot-headed and intolerant.  I love using my horn when it's warranted and the odd glare into the next car saying "that wasn't MY fault!" is something I'm not proud of.  I call it "blending in".
3. Having a maid is good and bad.  To say it was "an adjustment" for me would be an understatement. How do you go from doing everything in your home to almost needing to do nothing? And then finding that perhaps it's not done quite the way you would want it?  And then wondering how to motivate kids to do their own chores when it's clear that if they don't do it there IS a little fairy who will pick up after them?  Don't get me started here; one day I'll fill up a whole blog on it.
4. On the up side; not being so busy and tired has left room for other things.  More play time with the kids, more focus on us as a family, more relax time in the evenings with Ross and, perhaps some time to build friendships without interruption. As far as lifestyle goes, there has been some improvement for us here.  Something we can work on when we return to Australia. 
5. I have to say this: Skype is a wonderful invention.  Some calls have really picked me up.
6. Greek is a fascinating language but I quit.
7. Cyprus could be so much more if only they would embrace the great array of foreigners here.  
8. The summers are really VERY hot but the beaches around the island, in all their diversity, provide great relief and are truly magnificent.
9. Kids are amazing in how they adjust.  So temporal; just living for the day.
10. I'm glad we are here.  The opportunity to be involved in life changing programs for the disadvantaged is a real privilege.  Sometimes I would love to be more an active part of this but, in a sense, I am and perhaps being there for my kids is more important right now for the longer term.