So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye

Over recent weeks, the one word I have most frequently, and reluctantly found myself uttering has been ‘goodbye’. Yes, it’s the summer holidays here again at RAF Akrotiri, a time where, traditionally, as the temperatures rise the number of familiar faces declines and families finish their tours and pack up their houses to move on to the next posting. There is a distinct whiff of Domestos in the air as the poor individuals battle with the rigours of the march-out, preparing their homes for the arrival of ‘new blood’ in the weeks to come. This year, I’m feeling the sting as it is my third summer in Cyprus, and a large number of very good friends who arrived on the island in the same season as my family and I are reaching the end of their time here on the island. This is where the life of a civvie has its downfalls. Yes, you do get to spend longer in the sunshine on this beautiful island but the price is watching friends come...and watching them go. It’s a bitter-sweet situation.
It’s definitely friendships and the great community feeling that keeps places like Akrotiri alive. The base is populated by hundreds of families all flung thousands of miles from their familiar lifestyles – friends, family, the support systems we all surround ourselves with. Everyone here is in the same boat and soon becomes apparent that it’s ‘sink or swim’ if you wish to spend a fulfilling and enjoyable term here. Fortunately, the people here have worked very hard to set up a variety of little ‘life-boats’ and are always on the look-out for the strugglers. If the welcome had not been so warm when I first arrived, then I am sure we had not have applied to be extended, but, I’m delighted to report that I have always felt and continue to feel a great part of the community here. Sometimes, too much so, that it tugs quite heavily on the heart-strings when goods friends have to leave.
Friendships here are formed quickly and strongly, it’s incredibly important to know you have people to turn to when a long-distance call back home just doesn’t cut the mustard. Also, it’s all too easy to feel isolated when you feel unable to turn to a neighbour, friend or relative for practical help in moments of crisis. The residents of Akrotiri seemed to have a deep, ingrained understanding of this need to connect and are always willing to reach out to one another. As a Community Support Clerk, this is profoundly important to me, for, there are times when I know to refer our customers not to formal organisations or a faceless system, but just to give them a phone number of a kind individual I know for sure will offer their services above and beyond the call of duty out of kindness and empathy. A prime example of this is the Headless Chickens group formed by a group of mothers all affected by being left at home with children while their partners were posted out of area, sometimes for up to six months. Although the Welfare Office does a sterling job in providing practical help, the Headless Chickens go the extra mile in arranging child-friendly dinner dates, getting together for coffee mornings, and supplying a support network amongst their members for child-minding etc. They also understand each others’ situations much more specifically and deeply than those not affected by the enforced absence of a partner ever could. They can be found on Facebook and are well worth looking up.
Other similar groups include Akrotiri Friends, aimed at providing meet-ups for newcomers, especially the singlies, to the Base, The Akrotiri Blokes Club who are a bunch of house-husbands that meet monthly to (and I quote) “ drink beer, discuss sport and exchange childcare tips....borrow tools and get advice on fixing your motorbike/ computer/ other broken stuff.”, and Akrotiri Ladies’ Events whose aim is to organise a variety of events (ranging from Red Carpet cinema nights, to Fashion Shows, Watersports Days, etc) the profits of which are used to provide grants for the myriad of other clubs, organisations and special interest groups that exist here.
The Community Support office itself also offer a CAMEO (ComeAndMeetEveryOne) session every fortnight where people who have recently arrived can come and chat over free drinks and ice-cream and learn about what’s happening at Akrotiri and exchange hints and tips about Cyprus Life (naturally, the important things such as the best discount shoe shops and who does the best kebab), the kind of info you won’t find except through word of mouth. The sessions aren’t restricted to newcomers, anyone is welcome whether they have something to say or want to make new friends.
The sheer tightness of the community and the proximity of all its’ residents has caused some people to bemoan what is referred to the “fishbowl syndrome” After all, it is hard to maintain your privacy when you are likely to live a few doors down from your childrens’ teacher or the colleague you had to reprimand that day, or you may find yourself rubbing shoulders at the local fish counter with the doctor who performed your smear test. But frankly, I have welcomed the opportunity to shake off the typical British stand-offishness that has polluted so many societies back home. Having lived in London and its environs and not even knowing the first names of my next-door neighbours I find it a refreshing change that every day there is always a smiling face greeting me not too far away. I think the sunshine helps, warm weather makes you smile. A friend (yet another departed from here) likened living in Akrotiri to living in a 1950’s movie, perhaps a little like the fictional Bedford Falls in Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life”. A town where, ultimately, the residents pulled together to make it a better place for everyone, what better compliment can there be?
The only downfall I can consider is that, inevitably, every time I go to the local supermarket on base I find myself engaged in a chat with someone about their lives, their stories etc. That’s utterly fine until you remember that you’ve been standing chatting for fifteen minutes or more in 38 degrees heat with a tub of ice-cream in your bag that has now reverted back to milk.Oh, and the other downfall...when fantastic friends have to go. I’ll never get used to that. Although I have to say the technological wonders of Skype can soften the blow, and visits to the UK are never dull as we have friends to revisit in almost every corner of the British Isles.
So I’m dedicating this blog entry to all those who have recently seen my signature in a goodbye card, exchanged hugs over a farewell kebab and who have enriched my lives ten-fold. You know who you are, don’t be strangers and thank you for being a valuable part of my time in Akrotiri. Good luck in your new postings, wherever that may be.