I had a lovely day at the beach today, but it was a challenge getting there. I braced myself for what I knew, to be a chore navigating the Mesa Geitonia roundabout.
Bright and early, just after eight, provocative, village-style Cypriots beeped their horns on the roundabout, as I waited to get the 'safe green light' to go. Their rude and disrespectful beeps were loud and insistent. I beeped back, in defiance. This is the 'lack of European standards,' which I commented on in a previous blog entry. I was fuming, fuming so much, that I would have been glad if their day got off to a bad start.
On arriving at the beach, it was lovely and peaceful. A young Russian family were on my left, and a British mother and daughter on my right. This lasted for a while.
The second 'break' of peace, happened when a Cypriot woman arrived with her two young children, who it was evident, had not been taught how to behave on a public beach. The mother wore dark shades, hooped golden earrings and a black swimsuit. She didn't want her children to bother her and she certainly wasn't playing with them on the beach. The two young sons were so happy to be on the beach, that they couldn't contain their enthusiasm-bless them.
The mother was a 'suicide blonde,' an interesting tattoo on the back of her neck, and a huge tattoo on her right thigh. She was a typical example of a young woman, who had fallen from 'the Cypriot educational net.' A shame, I thought that the Cypriot educational system has failed the mother. Apparently, there is a hope for the younger generation. We will see.
I ordered a coffee and read my book. The third disturbance was behind me. Two young men arrived, one smoking his life away and had a prominent tattoo. The other, was on his phone. They were your typical breed of Cypriot young man-bearded, talking nonsense. Another example of educational failure, and a 'lack of European etiquette.' I thought how on the periphery we are to Europe, balancing on the end of it, like hang-gliders in mid-air.
Meanwhile, the British mother and daughter talked about books, a soothing and calming conversation. The Russian family read their books peacefully. I was protected I thought, to my left and right by civilized human beings. Behind me, lay the remnants of governmental failures and division.
The waves lashed on the shore. I swam twice. I knew it was time to go, just after eleven, as the gardener started to trim the hedges and caused raucous noise for beach-goers, intertwined with the excited leaps and yells of the two young boys.
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