I read with interest the letter from a Scottish lady who left Cyprus, returned to Scotland, and regrets this move homeland for the reasons given and misses Cyprus and the benefits of living here (in her opinion).
I look at this issue from a different perspective: my experience of living on this island has obviously been very different from hers.
From the moment I bought my apartment in Paphos from one of the major developers my troubles began and have never stopped, two and a half years later.
I have been cheated, overcharged, lied to, shown no respect as an honest British woman, definitely not rich, and now a great deal poorer. I was very naive when I bought my apartment, but now I’ve ‘wised up’.
I have taken nothing from this country, have invested all my money into the property and have recently sold it at a loss, but was so relieved to do so; to escape from the expat scene and a huge concrete development lacking in any beauty whatsoever and with no green or garden to speak off.
The complex was built for us gullible British in mind, and the teething troubles experienced by the residents were endless. Basically once the developer has got you to sign on the dotted line, all decent customer service goes out of the window!
To sell my property (at a knock down price) just for peace of mind I paid a five per cent fee to the Property Agents, who were, I add, very good, £850 + VAT to my lawyer, who was closely connected with the developers, and just short of £1,800 to the developers for the cancellation fee, as I did not have the title deeds.
Am I a ‘whingeing Brit’ or have I justifiable reason to complain that there are very avaricious developers, lawyers, and so and so on who have made themselves millionaires at the expense of people such as myself?
To complain about the driving here is quite natural; the road casalties speak for themselves.
To complain about racism and human rights in this country may touch a raw nerve; nevertheless, Cyprus, in general, is a very racist country and treats immigrants extremely badly, especially if they have a different colour skin. There is little or no protection from the police and immigration bullies, when they pull someone off the streets because he has a dark skin.
Am I a ‘whingeing Brit’ or have I just stated what is obvious to many people, who choose to turn a blind eye or are too apathetic to want to say anything? And, of course, the immigrants themselves, are very scared – I now this for a fact.
The Cypriots’ general treatment of animals is callous and very often cruel and, of course, I could go on and on with different cases to prove this statement.
I end this letter with a plea to those who see injustice, inhumanity, cruelty to man or animal in this country, whatever your nationality, to speak up and try to help change things for the better. Cyprus is part of Europe now; but it’s hard to believe that the incidents of bad treatment to humans and animals can exist in a European country. It is shocking and has to change.
I am not a ‘whingeing Brit’ just a ‘caring Brit,’ and am, obviously, not going to stay here, but hope to make a difference before I leave this island for good.
A.S., Paphos
Copyright © Cyprus Mail December 11 2005
