One more impression on Cyprus of a foreigner - one more advice!
I as a German (I prefer to talk of myself as a European) would like to say at first: Germans have a problem with foreigners in their country and the same could be said about foreigners on Germans.
Hitler tried to re-create something like the pure-German-race. Every historian, though, will tell you that such was an illusion, because the place where Germany is situated in the middle of Europe and has been the place where tribes of various ethnic background settled or passed through - just like in Cyprus.
This melting-pot-situation or fact does not mean that Germans or Cypriots do not have a national identity. However, extreme nationalism is not a phenomenon, which has again resurfaced and become a concern again for Germany.
Frau Merkel, the new chancellor of Germany, who comes from the east of the country, where this problem is grave, may be able with herself as an example to change the attitude of some of these radicals. She gives opportunity for them to think and say: ‘Well, not everything seems to be bought in this republic, obviously one from the east can make his way to the top!’ - and not to forget, Mrs. Merkel is a Frau, a woman. Maybe it needs women as well in Cyprus in power to melt down the distrust and stagnation of centuries?
May our weakest points be our strongest endeavours!
There is supposed to be a German community living or existing on both sides of this island called Cyprus - we do have just now the so called German week in the University of Cyprus, which is being run and organised by the German embassy in cooperation, of course, with the university.
I was told, the separate German communities on the island do not meet, nor do they have something like an ‘official’ contact with one another. I do have to admit that up to now I only know the ones meeting in the Goethe Zentrum, next to Ledra Palace, every first Tuesday of the month. The ones that meet somewhere in Girne (Kyrenia) are said to be people, who refuse to go to the south of the island - and I was told as well that they side with the ‘northern’ view of the bloody events, which ever since they took place here on the island may haunt the dreams of many - most likely -, who have taken part in this actively.
Not all Germans, of course, have such a one-sided view in Girne. In regard of the latter, the ones meeting in the Goethe, their might be a significant difference to the ones meeting in Girne: here southerners (Greek) and northerners (Turk) have and use the opportunity to meet, discuss, drink, laugh and get to know one another - somehow.
Walking through the south-part of the island and talking to others of different nationality about the Cypriots, their impressions - in particular talking to the ones that seek asylum - on the Cypriots is almost always best to be expressed with the word: racist! They often let you know first that they feel they have a problem which has a racial background. Foreigners of the so called West would not join such an impression on the southerners; they seem to be in terms with the population - more or less.
On the northern side talking to foreigners that live there (there were no refugees that I could detect, the general view about the northerners seems to be best summoned up with: often unreliable, but somehow friendly!
In all these characterisations may lay some truth. I believe, for me surprisingly rather unfavourable impression on the Cypriots by foreigners who live amongst them has a lot to do with the fact, that although the Cypriots seem to be very kind, nice and warm hearted it is nevertheless not easy - some state impossible - for foreigners to read the mind-setting of the Cypriots: no matter north or south.
It is often complained about the fact that it is very difficult to get into their inner-circles of daily life. If one looks at the history of the island with its many - wanted or unwanted - visitors, conquerors and settlers, such behaviour or matter of fact appears then to be more understandable?
This strategy may have served the Cypriots well through the centuries and may have secured a - more or less - happy life on the island and must have even given way to integrate ‘those foreigners, invaders’ slowly but surely into the society.
Cyprus, indeed, is a very cosmopolite place. On the northern side of Nicosia, the Turkish side, as much as I understood of it, a place to hold or give congresses ( I am talking about the big ones) is not given - such is the case, if I am not mistaken, in the south, too. For me this indicates already to some extent that the islanders seem to have an obvious problem in communicating their desires and wishes to the outer-world.
Looking at such from a political and cultural point of view, the Cypriots seem to have failed in being the master of their destiny: one side of the island depends on Turkey, the other side on Greece and the EU - and both sides go through a rather dramatic transformation that can be titled or named: westernization. I know some of you would like to add here: it is because the world depends on the US. The latter is true, but cannot be satisfyingly be accepted as an excuse, I would like to say.
It is time - for the Cypriots - to close up from within!
It is time to realise that the island is a place of limited space and that closing one selves kind of automated out, in or away, in a village, on a hill, in a valley full of wonderful trees and magnificent air, when being confronted with whatever comes from the exterior, such a possibility is not really given any longer.
The Cypriots should therefore in future - and hopefully soon - not only build a section of their town halls used common on the so-called Green Line, but moreover build a real big multi-functional congress-centre, best as well a state university run by both sides next to it and learn or face up this way, to open up and lead the discourse amongst - and maybe more important - about them this way, instead of being led by others with - most likely - other dreams and aims.
I, a still foreigner on the island, personally feel, after what has been said before, that I can get somewhere with the islanders (no matter south or north), find a point of mutual understanding, which is quite something, better than nothing, most likely. It seems to be some kind of an interesting social game, in which one has to find the rules as a foreigner, it opens up new insights or understandings on humans and life that is for sure. But since Cypriots live and depend on tourism and its strategic situation it can not be really expected from them much longer that foreigners, who come from complete different social and educational backgrounds have the time, the nerve and the insight to learn the rules of this game - one goes fishing and not: the fish comes to get you!
Excuse this coming one, but it is something that maybe somebody can answer me: is there somebody around, who could possibly explain to me, why on an island like Cypriot no real cheap fish can be served? I do not find 8YTL or 6CYP cheap, not if you want to eat fish more or less daily and not if you haven’t got that much money and no kitchen or - even worse - an idea how to prepare a fish!
In Girne they opened lately a place behind the „kale“(castle) right at the sea: no fish in sight, they serve chicken over there.