Sometimes this question comes as a surprise: Cypriots are very friendly! That's how it is. But after living for some time in Cyprus, you understand that the path from friendliness to a dear guest to bosom friendship is very far. And not even a bosom, but just friendship.
Talking to a foreigner and helping him with something is a normal thing for a Cypriot; people here like to help. But then family, a bunch of relatives, colleagues, “kumbaros” and so on. There is no place for a stranger to hide here, he will not understand and will not help in any way.
What will help you join their society? Here are a couple of ways.
Learn the names of different villages, city districts, and iconic places. And when you meet, ask your new acquaintance where he or she is from. When they tell you, try to remember and maybe ask about this place.
Every Cypriot has a database in his head of who is from which village and who is related to whom. When two Cypriots meet, the name and information of an acquaintance from the same village as the interlocutor is retrieved from this database. This is how a common foundation is laid. Look, you are already relatives.
Try to create such a database too. Remember who is from where, where their relatives live, what they do, where they work. Then, when you meet, you can say: “Oh, I know the village of Tseri, my hairdresser’s sister and my neighbor’s uncle live there.” A great start to a friendship.
What else will help you make friends: if you learn to take your time, don’t push and relax. Cypriots do not like impudence. A lazy, slow conversation about the weather, about food, about your favorite football club - that's all you need. And even if you are calling on business, ask how things are going, joke, hurry up in a good way, and everything will be “endaxy”.
And one more thing: if you don’t know what to talk about or what to ask, then ask a Cypriot what he is going to have for lunch. Or what you've already eaten. Will cook or buy. And if he buys, then where. And is the food delicious there? Maybe he'll give me the phone number. And a full-fledged conversation has already developed!
And of course, learn Greek. Even the nicest English-speaking foreigner will remain a bit of a stranger. And the more you master Greek, the more familiar you will be to the locals. Even just inserting phrases and exclamations in Greek will be great.
Don’t be afraid to smile at strangers and invite someone for coffee. There is no better way to make and maintain friendships than sipping a life-giving drink while talking leisurely about Cypriot villages, distant relatives and what we will eat for dinner.
Author: Alina Moseykina
About coffee
It's not that other countries don't drink coffee. But... in Cyprus they don’t drink it, here coffee is a way of life. Continued here.
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