Cyprus Adventure

Some pictures from today:

Olive picking, churches, doorways, pigeon, … enjoy!

posted by David & Marian Sloss @ 10:28 AM 0 comments

110 and counting … 200 to go!
As another week comes to a close, and I reflect on what has transpired, I have a few things which may be of interest.
Friday after school I had taken Marian to the dentist and just arrived when my cell phone rang.

“Hello, sir. Nikki forgot to give you the certificates to sign and we need them for Monday morning assembly. Can you come in over the weekend and sign them?”

“How many are there to do?”

“I think there are about 110!”

“I’ll drop in and do them after the dentist.”

Do you ever get tired of writing your name? I did! But I also was reminded that each student deserved a good one since it was a certificate which was a symbol of achievement for them individually even if I did have to do over 100 of them!

Earlier in the day, Nikki, the office secretary had reminded me that the report cards (200+) were being done next week when I will not be there and they each needed my signature. So, after signing the 110, Marian and I rushed off to a store which makes those rubber stamps and now I am having one made for my absence.

As we discussed the issue the question I was asked was about the color I wanted it to be - black or blue? I answered black but the proprietor asked me to reconsider. In a culture where official documents are desired, and photocopying machines are able to print money, he cautioned against a black one. He said that a BLUE signature was the remaining indication of authenticity - so I ordered a blue one!

Wednesday evening we did something which I really do not place high on my list of things I like to do - go to a reception at the US Embassy. It seems that in Washington they had placed a new lady in charge of the European diplomatic community and she was taking a tour of her new area of responsibility. We went rather reluctantly but had a most enjoyable hour and a delicious turkey dinner as well. In the process of the evening we met the lady and I was able to have a wonderful few moments with her to discuss the Academy as well as the political situation in which we live here in Cyprus. As we were eating our dinner in the living room, she came back and sat down with us? You guessed it! We were able to further discuss some of the issues and had a marvelous evening!

I was also able to meet the man who works with the Ministry of Education in the Northern part of Cyprus. I am not sure why I am making some of these contacts but in time I am certain it will become clear. This particular introduction is significant since we have some Turkish Cypriot students at the Academy. They are for the most part charming young people and do not understand the vitriol to which they are sometimes exposed - not because the school likes it or condones it in any way, but because students will say things which communicate that they do not like something about them. Children can be so hurtful of their classmates!

On another note, Marian and I get out to enjoy the sunshine when we can because we know that soon we will share your horrible, rainy (yes we do keep track of the weather back home!) cold weather! As we walk, I have to keep my eye out for a possible photograph and I found a few again today. But the things which continue to amaze me are the serendipities which we are granted! These are the surprises which are unexpected and so wonderful to remember.

Today it was a priest who motioned over the fence of his residence adjacent to the church where to stand for a picture, I thought! Later I realized he was trying to call a pigeon off the roof of the church. Well, when I return I will have to learn some Greek! But as I often do, I asked if I can take a picture by showing the camera and he said yes. Then he walked into the house to get his priest’s hat and his official cross which can be seen in the picture.

The sun’s lower position in the sky makes for some interesting shadows and its slanted light gives a different perspective to scenes we have seen before. All part of the adventure of getting to know this culture and people - so much more interesting than TV which I have not watched since arriving!

We are heading out to a restaurant for some food and hope that it will be good. I may not post this until we return and let you know! Well Bennigan’s turned out to be OK. Marian’s burger had a sauce which she found too strong but my steak from New Zealand was almost like one in Canada! But when you consider that the bill was $55 CDN for that plus an order of mushrooms and two tea you can see how inexpensive food is in Canada - therefore give thanks! We are learning to only think of pounds as dollars otherwise we would always be feeling guilty!

Please bear with us in the absence over the next month until the adventure returns in 2007 DV!

Blessings to all who read!

David

posted by David & Marian Sloss @ 10:25 AM 0 comments

NOTE: If you click on the pictures below, I found out that they open in another window but are larger so you can see them better. Enjoy!

David

posted by David & Marian Sloss @ 4:41 AM 0 comments

Agros and area, Cyprus.

No captions but I think you can understand along with the story below. Enjoy!

posted by David & Marian Sloss @ 4:32 AM 0 comments

Because of a Name we have a Holiday!

This week was marked by the debate as to whether or not we should have November 13 as a holiday since “all the other schools do.” This request finds its way into my office and I stop to understand the background. Delegations of staff and students arrive asking the same question - this year pronounced by the fact that we have not had any holidays since the beginning of the school year. In a twist of fate, the days which should have been holidays - October 1 and 28 - were both on weekends. So you can understand the pressure exerted and rationale outlined for helping make a decision.

On Wednesday in assembly I did announce that I had decided on Monday being a holiday and the place erupted in applause! You would have thought I had made a really important decision!

The reason for this holiday is because the past Archbishop was named Chyrsostomos and it turns out that November 13 is the name day for that name. Now if you have been reading Marian’s letters, you are aware that a new Archbishop was in the process of being elected - so, would the name date for the archbishop be a different one? The suspense continued as the week advanced. Then, to find that the new one who was just finally elected after two months of wrangling, had the same name! You sometimes just cannot win!

Anyway, I will enjoy the day off as I begin preparations for teaching in Haiti in early December - an assignment carried over from last February due to the election unsettledness at that time. So, as plans sit right now we return to Canada on November 28 and I leave for Haiti on December 1, while leaving Grandma to catch up on her negligent grandmothering responsibilities.

Yesterday we risked taking the car out of the city once more and ventured out into the mountains again. The weather was beautiful with sunshine and mid teen temperatures. We went into a different valley this time and the terrain was significantly different - much more rugged and yet with a certain aura which was attractive. There was little traffic and so we stopped to take some pictures.

The second time we stopped I saw some people picking olives and so wanted to watch the process. After asking permission I entered the property since the owners were some distance from the road. There I (since Marian had stayed in the car) met a couple who spoke excellent English and invited me to see the persimmons on their trees and help myself if I would like. Although this fruit is not overly popular in Canada it is a treat in the Middle East due to the fact that it has a short shelf life and can only be eaten when very soft. I took some pictures and asked some questions (surprise on that!) and then the man said I should follow his wife since she was taking her mother home and I was being invited to come and see the olives which they had in their kitchen.

A few minutes later we turned off the road at a sign which said Rose Cottage which was the name of their country retreat. Back about 1 kilometre from the road and up on the mountain side was this beautiful newer stone house. As we stepped from the car we introduced ourselves and told them we were from Canada. It was almost eerie since it was so quiet - the kind which is so unusual that it is noticeable. Invited into the home we saw a pile of olives, some large, some small, some green and some black with others trying to decide which way they were going to go.

The small green ones are destined for a local pressing mill where they will become the year’s supply of oil for salads and cooking. The others are going to go under the decades old experience of the mother who processes them into the delectable condiment that we have come to enjoy with meals.

As we were invited to look around their property we saw roses, hence the name of the cottage, various herbs whose fragrance makes them an eternal attraction, citrus fruit in the last stages before being fully ripened and vistas which only cause one to be silent and note that God is good, faithful and true.

After a cup of Nescafe (instant coffee) and some pleasant conversation we said goodbye to some new friends and were on our way.

Come to think of it, isn’t there another day soon that we take as a holiday because of Someone’s name! Let us never forget whose name we bear! I was reminded in some of my reading this week that when we become believers, we are the representation of Christ and God to others. When others see us, they see Christ. When they reject us, they are rejecting Him as well. Be encouraged – He is with us! Let us realize whose name we carry and the incarnation which we espouse.

David

posted by David & Marian Sloss @ 4:28 AM 0 comments

Alien S561845 …

I am now in possession of a booklet which states that I am a Cypriot Alien. Move over ET! That word seems so foreign to our usual vocabulary in Canada apart from the movie scene of some years ago. I have not fully come to a conclusion as to whether it is positive or negative in its connotations. But suffice it to say, this is a step beyond being a tourist. Arriving in Cyprus, one is permitted to be a tourist for a period of three months and then must either leave the island or make some other arrangements.
Our applications have been processed and now we have this new designation which must be shown whenever authorities ask to see our passports - so, something additional to carry around. In actual fact, it merely contains the place where we live, along with some official stamps and one of those small pictures which everyone likes to hide from the gaze of others! Two official looking stamps cover the corners of my picture showing that the named individual and the picture have passed offical muster!

But as I have reflected on that word a little, I note that it is used in the Tanack (our Older Testament) but rarely in the Apostolic Writings. Hmmm.... In the early books of the Scriptures we find it used in the context of Abraham being called out from his land to another that the Lord will show him and he is an alien in that land. Certainly there are references to him in this context but the vast majority of referencces are to those who become part of Israelite life either as slaves, or happen to be in their country during feast times. It is interesting to note that in the Jewish society developed under the Mosaic law, aliens were to be treated in a very fair manner and had rights which equalled those of an Israelite.

I wonder whether I would be afforded the same rights here as a Cypriot? I know that at school I am often asked to sign documents which are written in Greek and I have to depend on the honesty of staff in asking for my signature! One can only dream of the possibile outcomes in such cases!

This has been another week which has flown past due to the constant demands on my time for decisions ranging from suspension threats to get students’ attention that their behaviour is unacceptable, to questions as to whether we will have November 13 as a holiday because it is considered a school holiday here in Cyprus as it is the Archbishop’s name day. I do some research and find that this day occured on a weekend last year and so that is why it did not appear on the calendar of special days for the year. What should I decide? On the one hand, due to external exams which tend to rob us of many school days later in the year, so each day of learning is critical, I should have it as a school day. On the other hand, I am the new kid on the block here at the Academy and since this is the way it has been done every other year, it makes me feel I would incur resentment with the former option. I will decide over the weekend and announce my decision on Monday! Guess what it will be!

The rains have come to Cyprus a whole month early this year. Generally they are not expected until late in November. But October was the wettest such month since 1901! So, one has to begin wondering why the change. Speaking of the weather, this weekend,there was the possibility of snow up in the Troodos mountains which we can see out our flat window to the west. Interesting times! Isn’t it comforting to know that our Lord holds the seasons, our time and the whole universe in his precise control? Even the smallest deviation of some distant star or galaxie would mean devastation for us here on earth. Another reason to follow the Scriptural admonition and always give thanks!

David

posted by David & Marian Sloss @ 10:21 AM 0 comments