I don't know if the weather is getting colder or I am just getting older and less able to cope with it, but whatever the case, I just want to curl up and hibernate right now!
Cold in Cyprus is a horrible, horrible experience. We are so utterly unequipped for it in every way that we feel it far more than those in colder countries do. Personally I have been unable to function, have no desire to go anywhere and am eating more. In short I feel chilled to the bone and miserable!
The difficulty in adequately heating our homes is a real issue. Whilst I do have central heating, I still cannot get my home to feel properly warm due to two reasons. Firstly, the crisis has forced us to be more careful with our bills so it is out of the question to leave the heating on all day and night, and secondly - as is the case with many homes here - the windows have been so shoddily installed that our 'double glazing' lets the wind whistle through. And of course, being a generally hot country, our houses are not built for the cold, magnified by an absence of wall-to-wall carpeting in most homes. Half the time it is considerably warmer outside than it is inside my house.
One of the reasons I left the UK was the weather; I don't do well in the cold and wet, but I cannot remember ever feeling this uncomfortably cold in England. I dread going to the toilet or having a shower because sitting on a cold toilet seat or washing my hands in cold water is so unbearable. Brushing my teeth is the worse as I have sensitive teeth, so mouth-rinsing with freezing water is agony, but I am not prepared to waste water by letting the tap run until it is warm. I know it makes me sound like I live in a third world country or the dark ages but that is truly the reality of recent winters in Cyprus!
Unlike other European countries where cold is just a fact of life, we tend to come to a standstill as a society – I haven't taken my kids out properly in weeks and the postman comes even less frequently than usual! But whilst my reaction to the cold is one of complete shutdown, there are some expats who take it in a different way… they seem genuinely outraged and angry that the hot island lifestyle they signed up for has betrayed them!
Family and friends in the UK think we are exaggerating about the cold, as they have only generally experienced summer holidays in Cyprus and are used to well-heated homes in the UK. But the few that have visited during the winter months have been shocked to find that they are actually, truly freezing! And yes, they have commented that they have never felt this cold in England!
I keep reminding myself in these chilly times that come the summer we will all be complaining that we cannot hack the heat. If I hear anyone moan that it is too hot this year, I shall scream. As far as I am concerned, walking around as a sweaty, shiny mass is far more preferable to struggling to type because my fingers have turned into icicles.
Unfortunately, human hibernation is not a real or feasible thing, so please come back unbearable and stifling heat of summer… all is forgiven!
First appeared in The Cyprus Weekly, 16/01/15
