Cyprus                          Limassol               14 September 2024


   At the start of this week, I flew to Limassol for a business trip to
   catch up with the team and work together.  Remote work has always
   reminded me of being an astronaut, communicating with Earth, but only
   from afar.  After three years of remote work, I started to feel like
   I was losing my marbles, which shouldn't come as a surprise.  Total
   social isolation takes a serious toll on mental health, especially
   when you live in an almost deserted town in eastern Germany.  Hence,
   it wasn't long before I had a rather unpleasant run-in with burnout.

   Upon landing, I was immediately hit with the same feeling I
   experienced when I moved to Georgia, and later to Germany.  It was as
   if I were in a dream, where none of this was real, and any moment I
   might wake up in my flat in Wolfen.  My ride from the airport was a
   Georgian driver who spoke Russian, and, as he told me, has been
   living in Cyprus for over twenty years.  I arrived late, and by the
   time I cleared passport control, the sun had already set.  Stepping
   out of the airport, I was greeted by a warm and pleasant breeze.

   I only fully accepted that I was in Cyprus when I saw the sign
   reading "exodos" (with "exit" underneath) in the airport.  It felt
   somewhat surreal to encounter so many signs with familiar Greek
   words, which I seemed to understand purely on instinct.  This only
   added to the overall dreamlike sensation of being here.  Especially
   considering that, in my youth, I had desperately wanted to visit
   Greece, or at least somewhere nearby.

   What felt odd was that the cars drive on the opposite side of the
   road, and the sockets are British, not European.  Luckily, I had a
   travel adapter, though it still took a moment to get used to seeing
   this.  And of course, the ever-present air conditioning, something
   you'd be hard-pressed to find in Germany, even with the scorching
   heatwaves this summer.  Here, though, while the temperature is
   absurdly high everywhere, at least every place is cooled by air
   conditioning.

   The GPS here tends to glitch now and then, and overall, it doesn't
   work as well as it does in Europe, likely due to the nearby British
   military base, which occasionally jams the signal.  The other day, I
   opened my maps and found myself located somewhere in Beirut (or at
   least nearby).  I had to navigate the old-fashioned way, by the North
   Star.  Of course, I'm just kidding, but as the saying goes, there's a
   grain of joke in every joke.  That said, I've only needed the maps
   once so far, to find my way home for the first time.

   The weather in Limassol is always sunny, and clouds are a rare sight.
   The sky is usually just an endless blue canvas with a blazing sun.
   When I left Wolfen, it was drizzling, with that miserable kind of
   rain that makes you wish you were anywhere else.  It's fascinating
   how this contrasts with what I'm experiencing now.  Having spent a
   year in Georgia, I'm fairly used to the heat, so adjusting wasn't too
   difficult.  Plus, as I mentioned, there's air conditioning
   everywhere.

   What feels strange to me is that absolutely everyone speaks English.
   Unlike in Germany, there's no need to ask if they do.  What's even
   more surprising is how much Russian I hear spoken around me, it's
   quite common.  In Germany, I would hear Russian now and then, but it
   was mostly spoken by Ukrainians, and I could count the number of
   Russians I met on one hand.  It's neither good nor bad, just an
   interesting observation.  You even see Russian on signs in some
   places.

   The locals here seem to be in a constant state of semi-relaxation, a
   way of life they call "siga-siga."  It seems this mentality doesn't
   just apply to the residents but even rubs off on visitors, even those
   here briefly.  I soon felt it myself, there's simply no need to rush.
   The sea is always accessible, you can grab a bite whenever you want,
   lounge under the sun at the beach, or just collapse under the air
   conditioning and have a nap.  "Siga-siga" feels like part of the
   local culture, even the traffic lights blink their yellow eye at you
   lazily for a good ten seconds.

   It's honestly a lovely place.  Although at first glance Limassol
   might feel like a big village, it has undeniable advantages over many
   towns in Germany, particularly in the East.  There are plenty of
   people here, they seem content, they're friendly, and they're simply
   enjoying life.  Oh, and there's a warm sea.  For example, it's just a
   fifteen-minute walk from my flat to the beach, which, unsurprisingly,
   has a positive effect on my mood and overall well-being.  It's
   brilliant.  And who knows, perhaps one day, I might just move here
   for good.





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