Another week is quickly coming to a close and we look back with thankfulness for the
wisdom and strength to face all the challenges as well as involvement in the many other
activities which are required.
A visit from the Syrian UN ambassador was a pleasant surprise as he spends most of
his time in New York and only returns to Cyprus for about two weeks, every two months.
But what was more gratifying was to hear of his pleasure with the school as far as his
children are concerned. We are blessed!
This week was an interesting opportunity to celebrate Marian’s birthday! How the time
increasing flies so that years seem like months, months like weeks, weeks as days and
days - where do they go? I had planned a surprise for Marian and had invited two cou-
ples, one English and one Australian that we have come to know, to join us at a restau-
rant. I had kept this all a secret so I was pleased!
But my surprise soon turned to confront me. As we left the apartment and pushed the
elevator button for the ground floor, I reached into my pocket and found I did not have
my keys - school, flat, car - all missing. I asked Marian if she had hers and the response
was, “I forgot to transfer them to this bag.”
I already knew that the other parties would be at the restaurant since we had agreed to
be there on time. What was I going to do? I phoned the landlord and he told me he had
no keys since the flats are all privately owned but that there was a card on the bulletin
board in the foyer with the name of a locksmith - Great! I called our friends from the res-
taurant and asked if they would come and pick Marian up while I waited for the repairs!
The secret was out!
I waited about 20 minutes and we approached the door of our flat. Within 15 seconds he
was in and asked for $40. Ouch - this is already getting to be an expensive evening!
The lesson I learned last evening was that if we place our security in things such as
locks - we are only deluding ourselves! Good to have a greater security than any lock
can provide!
The evening was a true celebration with good friends, excellent food and shared con-
versation from an international perspective! The house even provided a bottle of cham-
pagne to honour the occasion! On the way home Marian expressed how pleasant an
evening it had been and that I had never surprised her with a party before! Good thing I
started before it was too late!
Friday, Marian and I accompanied our two Phys Ed teachers to Paphos which is at the
western end of the island. Although only 150 km away, the trip took a good two hours
each way. Why were we going? To cheer on one of the Academy students who was
competing in the Pancypriot games which brings together regional high school competi-
tors in cross country running. I am pleased to say that Nicholas came in third and was
the only one of his age in the top ten - all the others being a year older. I am confident
that with some coaching throughout the next year, he can probably win the race.
Afterwards we were treated to a seafood meze (a collection of different dishes - small
servings, but lots of food) by his family. They appreciated the fact that we came to sup-
port Nicholas and so provided us with a lunch while we overlooked the Mediterranean -
yes, we did think of the snow at home. Shark, shrimp, cuttlefish, calamari (squid), octo-
pus, crab, oysters, and three different kinds of fish along with french fries, salads and
various other appetizers such as pickled beets, pickled celery, caviar spread, tahini,
cracked olives, tuna salad. Eaten over a couple of hours with lots of good conversation
provides a marvelous way to celebrate a sports victory and to pass a Cypriot afternoon!
That was the second meze this week! The first took place after an evening lecture at the
academy on Learning Difficulties by Dr. Eleni Rossides. This proved to be an informa-
tive evening and afterward we were invited to attend a local taverna with some of the
staff. Once again the bounty provided in small portions never seemed to end! After the
salad, tahini, olives, pita, eggplant, mushrooms, and haloumi (Cypriot cheese) in pita,
the meat started arriving - Cypriot sausage, marinated chicken and pork, shish kebab,
lamb cutlets and a second type of sausage. By the end, over such an extended period,
the appeal of each arriving dish seemed to attract less and less! What a relaxed atmos-
phere in which to talk, laugh, discuss and just plain enjoy the presence of other friends
we have come to know. The shortened night left one tired the next day, but thankful for
the pleasure of shared friendship.
This particular venue was an older taverna in an old village which is part of Nicosia.
When we arrived, going on 9 pm, we were alone but for one other table. Later the res-
taurant seemed to fill with local folks and at one point some even became involved in
our conversations! Yes, there is something to be said for the Mediterranean style of life
and it is more than merely a good healthy diet - I think the slower pace of life with less
emphasis on timeliness allows us to enjoy each other’s company more and value the
friends we have. Sadly, our eating habits in Canada seem to stress the efficiency with
which we approach almost every other task in life.
Let’s take more time to enjoy each other while we can, to talk of things that really matter
and watch our own enjoyment of life increase dramatically!
David
posted by David & Marian Sloss @ 10:35 AM
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