Everyone’s experiences are different

I read with sadness in your paper recently about couple from Paphos who are returning to the UK with such bitter memories of their life in Cyprus.

I couldn’t understand all their reasons but sympathise with anyone who has tried to live ‘the dream’ and been so disappointed, not to mention having lost so much money. I wish them the best on their return to the UK. I’m sure they will be happier.

I moved to Cyprus late 2003 and returned in late 2006 to the UK and was very happy to return. When I first visited Cyprus I fell in love with the island, but sadly the love affair ended as the reality of dealing with developers, their arrogant attitude to a single, independent English woman who stood up for herself. There were broken promises once the final cheque was in their hands and problems galore.
Strike any chords with anyone? I absorbed the culture as much as possible– the expat scene was not for me; I shopped in the local market and village shop and tried to learn the language. I also tried to support the animal welfare charities and human rights groups.

I met a few very lovely Cypriot people but generally I found them to bear an anti-English feeling and particularly racist towards those of a darker skin, the immigration police were bullies – as are also many of the police. I witnessed this first hand. The human rights record is very poor and animal cruelty is endemic in the culture.

I left having sold my flat at a knockdown price (I also had a loan on it). I put all my money into Cyprus and took nothing out of the country. I was there for a “life change’ not to make money. I have lost a lot but I am not at all bitter.

It was a steep learning curve for me and I met some lovely English friends, most of whom have moved back to the UK and lost a great deal of money as they cannot sell their houses as the re-sale market is flooded.

I thought the replies to this couple as ‘another whingeing Brit’ rather smug and heartless. We all have different experiences and different priorities. My philosophy is ‘put up’, ‘shut up’ or ‘get out’. I did the latter. Please do not knock the UK so much, some of the replies made it sound so awful. Yes, we have our troubles but it is still a beautiful country – it depends on your opinion.

Anne Yavary
Worthing, West Sussex, UK

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.