Happy New Year to everyone!

After a couple of weeks to relax, to enjoy family and friends and to start thinking about new plans for the future, I´m back to the routine. There have been two incredible weeks full of high emotional content. Most of the fault is because of my family, I’ve shared a wonderful first week of vacation visiting the island, showing how is my life here and sharing with them a bit of what I’ve lived for nine months. All those friends and people I’ve shared my time during the rest of my vacation also have their part of fault. Without going too far, the day of Christmas Eve I had fun with my colleague, Leonidas, who taught me, among other things, his business, a farm of about seven thousand pigs!

As my family didn´t come to Cyprus until December 26, I had to find an alternative plan to the night of Christmas Eve and Christmas day. My friends from the Organization Politistiko Ergastiri planned to make a big Christmas Eve dinner at home with other friends,  about thirty people in total, so I joined the plan. Providing each one something for dinner, with more food than space to place it and to dinner, we had a very good dinner and afterwards we began with the drinks. Few time later, proceeded to open our gift of the “Secret Santa”. Then we kept going with the party, the good vibes and some drinks at the end of the night.

The next day, my friend Elli invited me for lunch with her and her family in Katidata, the village of her grandparents. Large number and diversity of food, same with desserts. At the end, we went to visit the village of Kakopetria, a beautiful village , typical of a Christmas stamp. A walk through the streets and back to Nicosia.

On Monday, after spending the evening and dinner with my friend Marc in Larnaca, went to the airport to pick my family up. Almost nine months later, again together. We said goodbye to Marc, got a taxi and went back to Nicosia.

During the week of December 26 to January 2, my family and I had time to travel around the island and to make a small summary of what has been my experience here so far. We visited historical places such as Saint Hilarion´s Castle, Kyrenia´s harbour, the Monastery of Bellapais or the old city  of Kourion. We also visited Nicosia, of course, and Larnaca. We could have enjoyed a little more if weather would have been more suitable, but unfortunately didn´t happen. Anyway, the company was the really important thing, so we leave aside any type of complaint.

The day of New Year’s Eve we went with my friends Pavlos and Chrysi for a coffee after lunch, and in the evening returned home to prepare the dinner. That night we shared table with Yarimar and Ezequiel, good Venezuelan friends who are in Cyprus because of work reasons. The menu was varied, with Spanish and Venezuelan products and the main dish we cook were two beautiful octopus in the oven. Near the midnight, we prepared the grapes and pomegranates, Cypriot tradition this last which is about throwing a pomegranate from the front door of the house, and depending on if the grain remains within the peel predicts a good year or not. Of this last I learned a couple of days after, and as not paid too much attention to the result, I am as am. Anyway, starting the year surrounded by people that you care is without doubt the best possible way of doing so.

New Year’s day was a day to relax, since at night my parents and my sister would get their flight back home, and it wasn´t going to be short and comfortable. They prepared their suitcases, then we went to take a coffee, went back home for dinner and around half past eleven, Ezequiel, that so kindly was offered to ride us to the airport, came home to pick us up. Already at the airport, I said goodbye to my family and Ezequiel and I returned to Nicosia.

The week after was basically about time for resting, reading, thinking about new plans for the future and enjoy friends. Great friends as Pavlos, Chrysi, Andria, Elli, Savvia, Yarimar and Ezequiel… and of course, after more than three months without seeing my dear friend Nikos, who was absent during all this time for work reasons.

This last week have returned to work with charged batteries and with many activities and events still to carry out. Very glad also to see my students. We continue with the rhythm.

See you soon!