Summer all year round: How I moved with my husband and cat to Cyprus and do not miss
When we talk about moving, first of all, we represent the journey from cold Russia to a country where it is warm at any time of the year. Our heroine did just that: we talked with Martha Sakharova, who had moved from Moscow to Limassol three months ago, about what it was like to live in the "eternal summer" and about the pros and cons of Cyprus.
How to quit in one day and not kill the cat by plane
I lived in Moscow for eight years, having moved to the capital from Saratov. And although I have a journalistic education, I did not work for a long time by profession: another financial collapse occurred and wages dropped sharply. As is often the case with journalists, I went to PR and managed to work, including in Museon and Gorky Park. The fact that I was engaged in PR helped me: I am currently in charge of freelancing overseeing cultural events like festivals and concerts. I have the most banal reason for moving (and she probably will not like someone): by and large, my husband decided to move to Cyprus. His company opened an office in Limassol, which he now manages. Everything happened at lightning speed: for example, I quit for one day, because until the last it was not clear whether we are really moving. At the same time, I never dreamed about foreign countries and would love to live in Moscow; but when the old team left the beloved Museone, the change of work was just a matter of time.
Without a visa in Cyprus, you can stay for ninety days every six months - in order to leave you just have to contact the consulate in Russia. You do not need to provide documents or account statements: you can simply write what you want to see the island, and you will be sent back a form that you will need to show at the airport - if, of course, you are kind enough to check it out. Since we do not intend to leave here, we have already applied for a long-term visa in Cyprus: the husband is a worker, and I am a visitor. It's simple: I needed to have a X-ray, a blood test and a few papers. The work visa, of course, is more complicated: for it you need to show that you have rented an office, you have employees, a large amount of money in the account for the company's operating expenses, and so on.
Most of the money and effort had to be spent on transporting things and a cat. Taking twenty-five kilograms with us, we sent the rest on the ship - it went for three months and arrived only yesterday. Someone asks friends to bring in a little bit, someone sends their belongings by plane - but everywhere there are difficulties. Even leaving the furniture in Russia, we paid four thousand euros for the transportation of things. The second difficulty is a cat. She needed to buy a special carrier, make a chip, vaccinations, help for exit - this, of course, is a huge stress for the animal. At the entrance to the country, we had to pay a hundred euros for one more certificate - although, it seems, we just got into the hands of a local veterinarian.
The capital, divided by war, and the Russian diaspora
Now we live in Limassol. Before traveling, I was a tourist in Cyprus twice, and during this time I was able to see much more than other locals: Cypriots rarely travel around the island. The first time we rode a bike from Larnaca to Limassol, then to Paphos and back along the southern coast. In the second trip we hit the northern part of Cyprus. In the seventies, there was a military coup on the island, and since then the country has been divided into two parts: the Turkish one and the Cyprus proper. The Turks call the northern part the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, but the world community does not recognize this state.
The capital of Cyprus, Nicosia, is the only one in the world, divided into two parts, the city even has two mayors - Turkish and Greek. South looks like an ordinary resort and is very different from the north, with military posts and a buffer zone. Much in the northern part of the island remains the same as before, but gradually falls into decay - for example, in beautiful Cypriot houses windows are broken in some places. But the northern part is much more wild and the nature is more interesting there, closer to the very edge of the island there is a national park where there are neither lamps, nor buildings - just an empty road to nowhere. And although Nicosia is the capital of the de jure, de facto life is in full swing in Limassol; Nicosia does not go to the sea, so they mostly study and work there.
The capital of Cyprus is divided into two parts, the city even has two mayors - Turkish and Greek. South looks like an ordinary resort and is very different from the north, with military posts and a buffer zone
There are a lot of people from Russia in Limassol - I often hear that 20% of the population here are Russians; I don’t know if this is true, but there are really a lot of Russian-language stores and schools here. Limassol, in contrast to the rest of the cities of Cyprus, is very diverse, albeit small: there are beaches and clubs, concerts are held - usually they come here on tours. At the same time, unlike, say, Paphos, all life is not concentrated around the beach: there is an old town with a castle part, and a business center with offices and shops for white-collar workers.
But at first I didn’t know it all: it seemed to me that after Moscow I would not be able to live in a city where the main entertainment is the sea. Some of my fears were justified: for example, there are two cinemas here - the benefit of the movie is either in English or with English subtitles. With concerts from Russia come except Shevchuk or "Leningrad". Local photo galleries are also strange: once inside, you realize that this is just a store of reproductions. There is a pretty good museum of arts and crafts, but it only works from eight to two. When, after long attempts, I was finally able to get there, I had the feeling that not all of the exhibits were real: some baskets looked like they were bought in Zara. But if cultural life is not important for you, in Limassol is not bad.
Summer all year round, "Kumbaros" and cheap accommodation
Search for housing in Cyprus is easy: there are several websites of realtors, on which there can be only a couple of dozen ads - but they are all real. Almost all the apartments are good, no "grandmother's repair" - I don’t know, maybe Cyprus paints them so much - it remains only to choose the view from the window. Almost all the housing rent is not the owners, and realtors. For example, our apartment belongs to the owner of the agency, and this is a big plus: he doesn’t torture us with checks, he doesn’t care if we make holes in the walls. In Cyprus, it makes sense to use the services of a realtor also because the landlord pays the agency commission, and not the one who plans to enter it.
Renting an apartment in Cyprus is cheaper than in Moscow: renting a one-room apartment will cost two to five hundred euros. We rent a two-room apartment for eight hundred euros, but in fact there are three rooms: two bedrooms and a living room, - besides, the apartment is large, overlooking the sea. If we talk about prices in principle, then there is cheap and tasty food: there are fresh local vegetables and fruits, meat, seafood. The bill in a cafe starts from eight euros, and a set of food in the store will cost thirty to forty euros. The only thing that seemed expensive to me was clothing, cosmetics, and the like. It seems to me that it is cheaper in Moscow, and the choice is much greater. One more plus of Cyprus for those who work with Russia is cheap and short flights: a ticket costs from ten to fifteen thousand, it takes about two hours to fly. Traveling around Europe is also cheap thanks to low-cost airlines, and you can get to Turkey, Greece and Israel by boat.
The main thing is that Cyprus is always stably warm, not counting a very hot summer: as early as April it was plus 30. Another significant difference from Russia is that there is no corruption at the household level, so neither the police nor the doctors take bribes. True, Cyprus is flourishing "contractual" society: many issues are solved thanks to friends. There is even a special concept - "Kumbaros", that is, "friend". Kumbaros in the police can help get rid of the fine, Kumbaros in the migration agency will put your folder with documents above the rest. Locals believe that it is important to make as many acquaintances as possible. For example, a woman recently drove us to work and immediately wanted to exchange phone numbers with us and told us how it can be useful.
Regular life on the "island of abandoned women"
Cyprus is an island of cars, and if you do not drive, as I do, then this is a big minus. Here are good roads, remaining from the colonial times, and everything is sharpened by cars. Almost every second resident has a car - the benefit of used cars are inexpensive. True, cars are parked where they want: all the sidewalks and footpaths are made, but this does not disturb anyone.
Public transport is very poorly developed: until a certain moment it was not there at all, and when it appeared, it still leaves much to be desired. For example, there is a route along the coast and a pair of intercity buses - it’s still a pleasure to get into them with the crowd. Many classrooms - waterfalls, mountains and gorges - cannot be reached by public transport or bicycle. At the same time, it is difficult for foreigners to obtain rights, since the exam must be passed in Greek.
Taxi here is expensive: a kilometer costs euros. In a city where the distances are small, it makes no sense to move around, and a trip from Limassol to Larnaca airport, for example, will cost seventy euros. Another disadvantage is expensive electricity and water. Water accumulates in reservoirs in the mountains, from where it is drawn for the whole island. Life here seems to be paradise, but in winter it is colder than in Russia: there is no central heating, people walk at home in jackets and wool socks; summer is so hot that it is difficult to enjoy the weather if you are not on the beach.
A “contractual” society is flourishing in Cyprus - many issues are resolved thanks to friends. There is even a special concept - "Kumbaros", that is, "friend"
People in Cyprus are leisurely: all issues are resolved very slowly, even if the case is profitable for them. The local rhythm does not affect me in any way, because I work from home with Russian projects. It was difficult for the husband to reorganize - business processes depend on him. He tells all the time how he cannot get anything in the bank, because they work until one o'clock in the afternoon. Or, for example, he was very angry that mobile communications must be paid in the cabin: there are no machines for payment, as we do. The Internet in Cyprus is not very developed: it is, but people do not use it. Many companies have very bad sites or none at all, and there is only a barely live Facebook page. If you want to pay for your purchase in the online store with a Cypriot plastic card, you need to get a key chain in the bank: when you make a purchase online, the code that you need to enter on the website will come to this key chain, not the phone.
It is believed that Cyprus is an island of abandoned women: wealthy people often take their spouses with children here and leave them for the summer. But I do not miss and do not lose heart: I am not bored with myself. I have a lot of work, I have several projects at the same time and only have time to switch from one to another. When I have free time, I walk, go to the movies. I also began to play sports: in Moscow there is not enough time for it, but here there is a lot of it and the possibilities are endless. The weather is flat, so you can practice water sports, SUP yoga on the board, and windsurfing - the season has opened, so I'm going to learn everything. I also started running and cycling a lot.
If you think about it, despite the move, little has changed: the sun is outside, very cool weather, but my husband and I work and meet only in the evening. There is not much time to communicate with others. The main friends still remained in Moscow, but here we met some local people - we were hiking together, sometimes we meet in the city. We have been here for three months and are not planning to return yet - my husband has a long-term project. While we are satisfied with life in Cyprus: when you wake up in the morning, and the sun is shining outside the window, it is much easier to get up.
