Moving to Cyprus is a life-long dream for most, but how do you cope with the inevitable changes you will experience?  The answer is slowly, slowly, slowly!

Let me give you some examples.

The other day I went to the Paphos Post Office.  There were several counters but only one cashier was operating.  The queue was out the door and the cashier just carried on chatting away to whoever she was serving, not taking any notice of the number of people waiting.  I watched the reactions.  The Cypriots just started talking to each other, a few raised their hands, but generally they just passed the time chatting.  An ex-pat in the queue became very annoyed and told the Manager to open another counter.  The reply was that he couldn’t because he had no more stamps!  With this, the ex-pat stalked out, grumbling bitterly.

Now here’s a tip.  He will be remembered, and when he wants some help at the Post Office, he’ll find it difficult to get.  Cypriots have memories like elephants!  Although I waited for almost 15 minutes to get served, when I reached the counter, I was cheerfully greeted, the cashier asked me how I was, and we had a little chat.  I learnt very early on you need to adapt, and loosing your temper gets you absolutely nowhere in Cyprus! 

The supermarkets are another place where tempers can rise.  One of the most common problems is that not all goods are priced.  And some are priced incorrectly.  And sometimes the card machines take forever to process a transaction.  But no-one worries about it.  Shoulders are shrugged, and life carries on.  The feeling is why worry about it and cause yourself stress?  It’ll happen in the end….. and that’s the way of life in Cyprus.

Most people leave the UK for a slower pace of life but then find it difficult to slow down and adapt to a change of culture.  Well, you have to here, there’s no choice!  Things don’t happen quickly - it’s as simple as that.

But who’s better off?  We on Cyprus are of course. Stress on this island barely exists, and it’s all due to the slower pace of life and the relaxed attitude. 

Despite a few frustrations, I know where I’d rather be - there’s no contest!