To Park or Not to Park?

 I've never been much of an easy-going driver, especially in Cyprus where danger lurks in every corner of road and pavement and parking these days seems to be my nightmare. It's not enough that we don't have enough parking and I think it is safe to say this is the case in all towns, there are the traffic wardens to deal with, who have no understanding of the stress that an average driver has to deal with in their efforts to find parking. Traffic wardens relish  in dishing out fines to the whole line of cars clandestinely positioned in and around town.

The weekend is a battle, especially in the summer when everyone is out and about. As far as I'm concerned you've got to plan where you will park and if you are Cypriot you will try and find the nearest possible parking, because quite frankly we don't like to walk. You will see cars parked on pavements, some haphazardly parked in a diagonal fashion as there wasn't enough space to fit the car properly. If there is a designated parking area it will be jam packed and judging from the prices you wouldn't want to put it there anyway because you have to pay a higher price, but you give in because there is no other choice. Parking attendants grab this opportunity to up their price, playing with local desperation.

In Limassol the castle area is always hectic, especially at the weekend. I just wonder what chaos will fall upon us when the Limassol Marina is finished. Logically there will be enough parking. It remains to be seen. I always think what a difference it would make if people used public transport more and with that I mean the buses. Bus services have become a regular thing now with stops in and around town. Cypriots never really use buses, preferring their cars. You will only see Sri-Lankan maids using the buses or old pensioners with no other means of transport. If only Cyprus could be like other European countries where people take buses to work where all the echelons of the population have something in common. God forbid a Cypriot gives up his or her air-conditioned luxury and door-to-door convenience. A Cypriot on a bus? Not in this lifetime. I really think the mayors of the main towns should make more effort to promote the buses. It's a shame they are not reaching their full potential.

In the meantime you just have to deal with the problem of too many cars looking for a space to park, most of which are also looking for the nearest place to park, even if it means creating havoc and congestion in the centre of town. On a Saturday night I often find myself driving around in frustration with all the other poor souls in a similar situation. It's so frustrating at times that I start to wonder, do I keep looking or do I go home and call it an evening?

Autumnal Reveries...

Autumn to me is the first downpour on a late October afternoon. If I was in London it would mean the leaves falling from the trees, of light cardigans being exchanged for winter coats and the central heating being turned back on.

Autumn in Cyprus means the heat still persists even into late November. Little school children half-heartedly give up their summer pastimes for the dull schoolroom, immersed in books and their new bags and stationary. The same old ads will come on inviting mothers to shop school items at affordable prices. The minister of education will make a rare appearance, reassuring the public that books will arrive from Greece on time, this time.

As a teacher to me it is the beginning of the new academic year, a fresh start, a clean slate, new students, new books and a new classroom. For another year I ponder the same ancient questions. Am I doing the right thing? Am I in the right place? Should I be somewhere else? The leaves falling in London with its dull but funnily comforting weather beckons again. Should I really be there? I must admit I haven't yet found my quiet niche, the place I feel at home in, my space, my peace. I'm still struggling with all that and so I wonder am I wrong to live here? Why haven't I settled all these years? Why hasn't my life settled me?

Worryingly there are many young professionals in Cyprus who are posing the same questions. With unemployment soaring many are thinking of moving away where there is more opportunity in their field of work. Unfortunately Cyprus doesn't always cater for all professions, being such a small island and some have no choice but to leave and work elsewhere.

For me Cyprus is paradise but at times can also feel like a prison. Gone are the years when all I saw was through pink-tinted glasses, when with a heavy heart I found myself shopping shiny pencils and colourful rubbers in Woolworth (now Debenhams), preparing myself to go back to England and face the music in my bog-standard comprehensive in North Finchley. Then the picture was a little different to what it is now. Now I have lived here and seen the ugly side, if it must be called that, of social inequality, small-mindedness, unemployment queues, soaring crime rates and ranting politicians, offering us nothing but dead ends.

So, what happened to my dream? To travel the world, hop on a train and travel round Italy? Routine has made me forget what I need. I suppose I can use Cyprus as a base and do all these things.Perhaps. My impulsive side will say get on the first plane and go to England now. Then there's the little voice which says, stick to where you are, things will turn out okay in the end. It's worrying to see however that wherever I turn, young people are choosing to leave the island. Some say things are going to get even worse. Therefore I find myself this autumn in a bit of a mix -up wondering what my next step will be. Do I stick it out here or do I run? Do I leave my island for a new adventurous one? Time will only tell.