Summer

WAX are already in Finland, I'll be joining them in a couple of weeks time. We've had my quartet with their ladies here for 8 days, we even had a concert! The newsletter for April-June was sent a week ago & on Friday a new family will join the team (they will be staying in our house while we're in Finland). This blog will now return to the travel style I had before - it will only be updated when I'm traveling. Have a nice summer!

1st week of June

1.6---X had fever & had to stay home. I had my 1st physiotherapy session & then went to IKEA to get the cupboards/shelves I needed to store the new TV studio equipment in. X&W's spring letter (the Finnish version) was e-mailed & A had her guitar lesson. In the evening I drove to Larnaca airport to get our sending agency's boss from Finland.
2.6---W had her name's day so we sang for her in the morning. I had my assessment day with our boss & in the afternoon we drove to Larnaca to meet with the Arabic channel's director. Later on our landlady + her daughter came to our home for coffee & mud cake.
3.6---We spent the whole working day at the office, having meetings with my Finnish & Iranian bosses. I chaired our staff meeting & in the evening the two of them went to Ayia Anna for dinner. In the middle of the night I went to get my cousin C & aunt C-H from the airport, they'll be staying with us for 10 days.
4.6---A had her assessment day with our boss & I had a day off due to the many extra hours I had worked for the conference. So I vacuumed the pool & took care of many other things that I haven't had time to do. While the kids had their swimming lesson in the Olympic stadium, I took my boss swimming in the municipal pool. In the evening all 7 of us went to the northern Turkish city by the sea; Kyrenia/Girne to have dinner in one of the harbor's fish restaurants.
5.6---Early in the morning our boss returned to Finland. The rest of us relaxed by the pool & the Swedish version of the kids' spring letter was e-mailed. In the evening we went next door to celebrate our landlord's birthday with salty & sweet cakes straight from the oven.
6.6---This day we showed our guests the UN border zone area & enjoyed theipool there & had lunch at the Syrian Dolphin restaurant. In the afternoon the kids had art club in Old Nicosia & afterwards all the ladies walked around on the Turkish side of the old town for hours - I think they called it "shopping therapy"... thankfully I could stay home & relax in bed with a good book instead :)
7.6---Today we started off by attending St Paul's. Then we to... you guessed it: the municipal pool! When we had worked up our appetite, we went to the Syrian Arab Cypriot Friendship Club for a nice meze meal to celebrate my aunt's birthday. Quite an eventful week once again...

Week 22

25.5---Went to Limassol to see 3 different suggestions for a TV studio. The children's swimming lesson in the afternoon & my last guitar lesson in the evening (A will continue during June)
26.5---Had a meeting with the principle of the American Academy & a meeting at work regarding the studio suggestions. Took our guest to the UN pool & had dinner (Swedish meatballs / Scandinavian salmon) at IKEA
27.5---Had a full day at the office: 1st the technical staff were shown the new TV studio equipment & then we had our regular weekly staff meeting. The kids had their last dance lesson where they got a certificate & the moms brought snacks. During the evening I drove our guest around in different neighborhoods as he wanted to get a feel for where he would like to settle in the autumn when he returns with his family
28.5---Our guest flew back to USA & I had my last doctor's appointment: thankfully my slipped disc won't need more sick leave from 1st June onwards! The 1st physiotherapy session was also booked. And more good news: today the municipal swimming pool in our part of town officially opened! They have redone the bar & restaurant area & the new owners are very nice
29.5---Today the twins didn't go to Highgate - instead they took part in the school day at American Academy. We parents also had a final meeting with the principle & paid the registration fees. We were also shown a video of the school's "End of the year" program (which was held only a week earlier). In the evening X&W played at a classmate's house with her 3 new kittens while A & I exercised in the municipal pool. When we came back home, we realized that in the town hall next to us, they were just about to start a choir festival concert. So I took the kids with me to hear some Greek Cypriot choirs. Due to our choir background from Finland, we weren't too impressed so we went home to make some popcorn, go down into the basement & watch an animated family movie in our home cinema
30.5---At 11 a.m. I went to pick up a family that had moved to the island (to work with the same organisation) a week ago. They spent most of the day with us, having lunch, swimming in our small pool & getting to know each other. WAX & I totally forgot the kids' art lesson that afternoon...
31.5---Swimming & lunch at the municipal pool, nice :)

So a rather busy month of May. let's see if June will be as intense...

Week 21

18.5---Spent a full 8h day @ work printing the material needed for the conference & participating in meetings. Straight from the office to Highgate for a urgent PTA meeting regarding the closure of the school. WAX had swimming & guitar lessons after school
19.5---X&W had their 9 years birthday! After the morning celebrations, we went to the American Academy. This school needed to test the twins level to see if they can join 4th grade in September. Afterwards we were given a tour of the school which has very big areas for sports & enough room for all sorts of activities (computer, concert hall, indoor badminton court yard, etc). X&W then joined the rest of the Highgate day & I drove to Ayia Napa to have Cypriot Meze with A's brother T near Nissi Beach. He also had a short swim in the ocean before we at 4 p.m. had to go to the airport to pick up one of our producers who was bringing the TV studio equipment that we had bought from USA. However, the custom's clearing agent had already left her office so we couldn't take the equipment with us to Nicosia to set up a temporary studio in our office's meeting room as planned. So I drove the producer to the hotel outside of Larnaca & then had to return to Nicosia to get the rest of the stuff for the Producers' conference. I finally came back to the hotel just in time to set everything up before our 1st session that same evening. Phwef...
20.5---Day 1 of the Producers' conference went quite well, we had full introductions of all delegates & also had the 1st session with our main speaker (who has written thousands of scripts for well known shows in USA like "Happy Days", "Perfect Strangers", etc). At noon the equipment was delivered to the hotel so in the evening I could together with the above mentioned producer go to Nicosia to set up the studio. I also attended an emergency meeting at Highgate where the head teacher explained that the school will relocate to the Rainbow building (Highgate will share the facilities with this Greek private primary). Sadly she couldn't convince me to let my kids continue with her in the autumn although we've really appreciated Highgate's ethos etc. Traffic through the city from our home to the new location is however one of the largest reasons why we will choose American Academy instead.
21.5---Day 2 of the conference in Larnaca (T flew back to Finland early in the morning)
22.5---Day 3: we took all the delegates to Nicosia to meet our staff collegues, they really liked this part of the conference because they now had the chance to put a face to the people they've e-mailed in the past. In the evening we went to an Iranian restaurant near the hotel for dinner.
23.5---Day 4 was the last day of the conference. The GSI team had workshop sessions with the producers during most of the day. After having sorted out all the details with the hotel & gathered all the stuff, I could finally return home to Nicosia after a very busy week. Thankfully the conference as a whole had gone well :)
24.5---I rested. The above mentioned producer (who had spent the night in Limassol with the guys) arrived to live with us for the coming 4 days.

Spring letter from X&W

The Swedish & Finnish versions can be downloaded from the usual place if you can't find the kids' spring letter in your Inbox (e-mail me if you need the address to the download site)!

Week 20

During this week I've been at the office part-time = 4h/day

11.5 X&W started their swimming lessons on the Olympic stadion beside the municipal pool
12.5 Enjoyed an evening at the W family's home
13.5 X&W: dance lesson. At midnight A's brother T arrived to Ercan on the northern side
14.5 Houskeeper V + X&W swimming lesson nr. 2
15.5 Visited the American Academy. At the office I printed most of the handouts for next week's conference. At 5 p.m. all of the girls' classmates arrived for a sleepover birthday party.
16.5 After swimming in our small pool, X&W's classmates were picked up before noon. Swimming & lunch at the UN pool afterwards & while the kids had their art lesson, I continued printing at work
17.5 A & T went to Kykkos

Week 19

3.5 A took S&V to Kakopetria & Troodos
4.5 Our guests visited my work place. I then had a meeting with my boss while S&V went to Old Nicosia
5.5 Dropped off S&V at Nissi Beach in Ayia Napa & then went to the Lordos Beach Hotel in Larnaca to get everything ready for the conference. Had Cypriot Meze for lunch with S&V in Ayia Napa, then back to Nicosia. A had her Greek lesson & I attended the PTA meeting at the school while our guests were "twinguards"
6.5 S&V flew back to Finland during the night. Had a parent's meeting with the girl's teacher, she only had encouraging news thankfully, X&W seem to be doing very well at school. I chaired the staff meeting at work due to both boss & her P.A. being away. X&W had their dance lesson in the afternoon
7.5 A & I handed out flyers for the PTA petition to save the school during many hours of the day (during the times that parents brought their kids to school or came to pick them up). A had Fionnish lessons for the W kids at our place & our housekeeper V cleaned today
8.5 Had a meeting at work with our HR manager regarding my slipped disc, thankfully it seems the sick leave won't need to continue after the end of May
9.5 Swimming & lunch at the UN pool during morning & midday. In the afternoon A & I walked around on the Turkish side of Old Nicosia while the kids had their art lesson. Afterwards we went to St Paul's May Fayre (Fair) & concluded the day with popcorn & a family movie in our basement's home cinema
10.5 X&W woke their mother with a Mother's Day song. I started a project: drying the mullberries that had fallen from the tree in our backyard (the project was officially scrapped 30th May)

American Academy

We will today be enrolling the girls at the American Academy. They will start 4th grade there in September & also spend this day 29th May in their school-to-be.

Producers' conference in Larnaca 19-23 May

I'll update more about the the past weeks as soon as I have time...

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