Küprose unelm? / The Cyprus dream?

Olen olnud otsingutel ja juba mõnda aega. Mõned kindlasti juba teavad, millest ma rääkima hakkan, aga mõne jaoks on see kõik suur üllatus, nagu kohati mulle endalegi. Peale ülikooliõpinguid, töötasin aasta aega koolis, kuigi mulle üldiselt meeldis mu töö väga, siis mida aeg edasi, sain aru, et ei oska sellest õigesti rõõmu tunda ja tunnen ennast oma töö poolt liialt tihti piiratult. Haarasin kinni peaaegu igast võimalusest, mis andis maiku põnevustele väljaspool rutiini – käisin Erasmus projektiga Türgis ning oleksin peaaegu läinud aastaks Taisse aka Kanadasse lapsehoidjaks (pikem lugu...). Sain aru, et minus on mingi kirg minna ja näha.

Olen kindel, et üksi reisimine on üks parimaid viise, kuidas iseennast paljudest erikülgedest paremini tundma õppida ja seejärel aktsepteerida. Seega tegin otsuse turvaliselt töökohalt lahkuda ja minna ebakindlasse maailma. Kõlab veidi halvasti, aga juba praegu olen jõudnud arusaamani, et tegelikult on siiski igal pool hea ja kindel olla, kui sinu sees valitseb tasakaal ja iseendaga koos on hea olla. :)

Minu otsuseks sai minna Austraaliasse, aga kuna sinna ei tasunud "enne talve" minna, st juuni-juuli-august, siis jäin Eestisse suvekuid veetma. Kuid nagu juba ütlesin, haarasin kinni peaaegu igast võimalusest, mis vähegi uut ja põnevat mu ellu tõi. Seega olenemata sellest, et ka juulikuus olin juba uue suvetöö leidnud klienditeeninduse valdkonnas (sest juunikuus on õpetajad ja teised "kooliinimesed" veel kooliga hõivatud) ja lisaks sain juulis ka esimest korda täitsa ametlikult ühes laste tantsulaagris 4 päevaks tantsutreeneri ametit proovida, siis tuli minu ellu võimalus tulla Küprosele hotelli animatsioonitiimi tööle. Minu ülikoolikaaslane Silver oli siin olnud juba juunikuust alates ning tuli samuti väga spontaanse otsusega, üle 3 päeva ei võtnud me kumbki otsustamiseks ja piletite ostmiseks aega. Ütlen ausalt – palk ei ole küll väga palju suurem kui Eestis sarnases või klienditeeninduse valdkonnas saaks teenida, aga mind motiveeris rohkem see, et meil on organiseeritud majutus ja hotelli söök kolm korda päevas ehk siis kogu palgaraha peaks ideaalis kätte jääma. Teiseks loomulikult Küprose kliima, natuke isegi kartsin seda suurt kuumust, aga päev-päevalt olen harjumas ja läheb kergemaks. Olen avastanud, et näiteks siin rannas käies on mul palju lihtsam vastu pidada kui nt Eestiga võrreldes, sest mõnus Vahemere tuul on täpselt parajalt jahutav, et saab isegi rannal lamada. Minu meelest on Eestis rannas käies tohutult kuum seisev õhk, seega on lausa piinarikas päikest võtta, aga kuna ma tõesti seda "võtmist" harrastan väga harva, siis pole ma kindlasti mingi ekspert. Mõni päev on siin ikka veel minu jaoks liiga kuum, lisaks ka niiskusetase on väga kõrgel. Praegu näitab mu iphone'i weather äpp, et meil on 33kraadi (aga "feels like 38kraadi") ja niiskuslevel 65%, Tallinnas näitab hetkel 52%, üldiselt iga päev jääb tase kuskil 55-75% vahele ja niiviisi iga päev. Öösel võib niiskustase isegi 80% lähedale tõusta.

Mäletan selgelt, kuidas lennukilt maha astudes lõi suur kuuma ja niiske õhu pahvakas vastu nägu (ja kogu keha) nagu oleks astunud kuuma kasvuhoonesse, ainult et isegi öösel ei lähe see tunne ära. Tegelikult on see oluliselt talutavamaks muutunud, ilmselt on mu keha tasapisi kohanenud, aga esimesed päevad olid minu meelest ikka kohutavalt palavad. Ma ei saanud üldse väljas olla, isegi paariminutiline kõnd tundus kohutav. Õnneks minu esimesed päevad olid nagu elu tõelises paradiisis ja elasin luksuses. Kohe kõigest lähemalt.

Kui Paphose lennujaama jõudsin, teadsin, et mulle pidi keegi autoga järgi tulema, sest minu hotell asub Limassolis, mis on umb pooleteist tunni kaugusel. Oma kohvrid (jah, õnneks sain ka oma käsipagasi kohvri somehow Tallinna lennujaamas koos suure kohvriga ära anda) sain tagasi peaaegu üleni märjalt, sest nagu ma ütlesin see niiskus õhus ja kondensatsioon tegi oma töö... Seejärel jõudsin ootealale, kus lugesin hoolikalt silte, mida vanemat sorti meesterahvad käes hoidsid. Leidsin "Maarga Sarap", kindel ei olnud, aga tõenäosus, et see olen mina, oli olemas. Mees rääkis väga kiiresti ja pühendunult telefoniga ning kui tema ette seisma jäin, siis lasi mul pisut oodata, lõpuks näitas näpuga oma sildile kinnitamaks, et see ikka olen mina, noogutasin kahtlevalt. Mees lõpetas oma telefonikõne ja suundusime mu kohvritega tema auto poole. Väljas oli ikka väga soe ja niiske. Esimesed palmid, mida õues märkasin, meenutasid mulle Türgit. Ilmselt sellepärast, et see on mu ainus kogemus sooja maaga. Panime mu kohvrid uude Mercedesesse ja hakkasime sõitma. Isegi öösel võisin öelda, et loodus on väga kuiv, siiski väiksed mäed sarnaselt Türgile. Püüdsin taksojuhiga juttu teha ja tema minuga ka, aga keelebarjäär takistas meid liialt... Pidin kõike kordama 3 korda ja isegi siis ta tavaliselt ei mõistnud. Näiteks uuris ta, kust ma pärit olen, ütlesin, et

"From Estonia"

-"Where?"

"from Estonia"

-"Where?"

"Estonia"

-"Aa Macedonia".

Siin on ilmselt ka teadmistes küsimus, mitte ainult inglise keeles, aga jäi nii ja olen Makedooniast, mis seal ikka. Samamoodi küsisin, kas seal liigub öösel loomi (muidugi pidin küsimust mitmeid kordi kordama). Lõpuks sain vastuseks, et pole seal kedagi, võibolla vahel harva mõni lehm ainult, nagu siis, kui ta Egiptuses käis...

Raadiost tundus mängivat pigem Türgi muusikalaadne, muidugi selleks ajaks polnud ma veel Küprose muusikaga ka väga tuttav, seega eriti tagantjärgi enam midagi kindlat väita ei saa (märkus tuleviku Maarjalt: olnud siin nüüdseks umb kuu aega, tean, et pole väga mõistlik Türgit liialt palju mainida. Sellegipoolest ei hakka ma välja lõikama oma reaalseid esimesi mõtteid.)

Liiklus on siin vasakpoolne. Seega oht varitseb pidevalt paremalt, vastupidi harjumuspärasele. Olen mõelnud siin autoga proovida sõita, seega oleks see hea harjutus Austraaliaks.

Kui ma Paphosest, kus mu lennuk maandus, Limassoli jõudsin (isegi peaaegu tunni ajaga, sest saar ja vahemaad pole nii suured), siis võeti mind väga luksuslikult vastu, ikkagi 5 tärni hotellile kohaselt. Arvan, et esimest korda elus sain tunda sellist teenindust, et ei pidanud ise oma kohvreid kuhugi kaugele vedama. Kui nüüd eriti täpne olla, siis ma ei pidanud oma kohvreid üldse puutuma taksost kuni oma tuppa. Seoses meie animatsioonitiimis oleva segadusega ning korterelamus kohtade puudusega ei saanud ma kohe oma korterisse kolida – sellega on üleüldse üks suur jama olnud....

Aga see-eest vedas mul meeletult ja sain kaheks ööks tasuta nautida selle suurepärase hotellitoa mõnusid, sh imelist õhukonditsioneeri, käia restoranis söömas nagu külaline, võtta iga kell dušši ja nautida ühte parimat patjadekuhja EVER. Nüüdseks on loomulikult see luksus läbi saanud ja reaalsus raputas mind kontrastiks päris tugevasti ning oli tunda, et nii mõnelegi mu tiimikaaslasele ei mahtunud see pähe, et kuidas ma sain alguses hotellis ööbida. Ainus, mis ma selle peale öelda oskan: "oh kadeduseuss, lase mind lahti!"

Mulle väga meeldib kirjutada ja hea meelega jagan mõningaid seiku, mis mu elus toimumas on, aga ütlen kohe ära, et midagi lubada ei saa, et kui tihti see blogikene ilmuma hakkab, sest kui aus olla, siis siin on nii palju asju juhtumas ja tunnen tõesti, et elan täiel rinnal ja sellepärast ma ju tulingi. Isegi olen seda esimest postitust põhimõtteliselt 4 nädalat kirjutanud, aga parem hilja, kui mitte kunagi, eksole? Hetkel püüangi leida tasakaalu selle "täiel rinnal elamise" ning "enesearengutee" vahel, sest need kaks vajavad mõlemad pühendumist ja aega, kuigi need võivad ka teineteist aidata. See tähendab sisuliselt seda, et alguses esimesel nädalal tundsin, et sain peaaegu kogu oma vaba aja iseendale pühendada ning tehagi just neid tegevusi, mis mind kuhugi edasi viivad (lugemine, jooga, meditatsioon jne), aga mida aeg edasi, kui tutvusin erinevate inimestega, hakkas asi kirjuks minema. Paljud soovisid õhtul või vabal päeval kokku saada, aga kõigi jaoks lihtsalt aega ei jagu. Samas, need tripid või ettevõtmised, millele olen siin oma "jah"-sõna öelnud, on jällegi ülimalt suurepärased kogemused olnud.

Uute lugemisteni!

Maaingel

PS! Esialgu plaanin mõlemas keeles kirjutada, sest seda paluti palju, kui mainisin, et kirjutan blogi. Ainult inglise keelseks ma ei sooviks ise jääda, sest tunnen oma emakeelega suurt kontakti, eriti, kuna siin võõral maal saab seda üsna vähe praktiseerida ka.

Mu hotelli basseini vaade / The pool view of my hotel

See armsake tuli mind lennujaama saatma – igatsen! / This cutie came to say goodbye in the airport – miss you!

Päikeseloojang lennukist / The sunset from plane

Seiklused algasid juba lennukis istmenaabritega... / Adventures begun already in plane with seat neighbours...

Esimesed emotsioonid hotellist ja oma hotellitoast / First impressions from my hotel and room

Vaade Vahemerele mu hotellitoast / View to the Mediterranean sea from my hotel room

Hommikusöögi detailid / Breakfast details

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I have been searching for a while. Some people probably know what I am talking about, but for some it is definitely a big surprise, even for myself. After my studies in university, I worked a year in a school, where most of the time I enjoyed my job very much, but as time passed, I realised that I am not truly happy there and somehow my work was limiting me. I grabbed every little opportunity possible to avoid routine – I went to Turkey with Erasmus+ project and at the same time opportunities arised to travel to Thailand or Canada for one year as a babysitter (long story...) this was when I realised how desperate I was to escape what appeared to have become routine; it sounded like a dream.

I am convinced that travelling alone is one of the best ways to learn more about yourself, to recognise your own strengths and weaknesses, and to accept them. After realising that, I made a decision to quit my "safe" job and dive into an "unknown" world. Already now I've come to the understanding that you are going to feel good everywhere, if you are in balance with yourself and feel good in company of yourself.

I made the decision to go to Australia, and it was not beneficial to travel there before the winter (meaning June-July-August). I stayed in Estonia for the first of the summer months. Whilst searching for extraordinary opportunities, along came a job working as a dance teacher in a kids summer camp. Unexpectedly I was contacted by an old university friend and invited to spend a 'summer of a life time' working beneath the exotic palm trees of Cyprus. I made the spontaneous decision to accept the position of an animator working in the area of Limassol. My friend Silver started working from June and said it was one of the best decisions he had made in a long time – it took us maximum 3 days to book the plane tickets. Honestly, the salary is not the reason I'm here, even in Estonia I could make the same or more money in a similar field. I was eager for the experience and also we have free accommodation and meals 3 times per day, so in the dream world all the salary could be saved. Of course I was also motivated for the weather in Cyprus, and I was a little bit afraid of the high temperatures. Day by day my body is getting used to it. I have discovered that going on the beach here is much easier for me to handle the heat than compared to Estonia, because pleasant breeze from Mediterranean sea is refreshing enough to even lay on the beach. The atmosphere is very different here. When I am sunbathing in Estonia it is an unfresh sense of humidity with no breeze, compared to the swishing air sent from the palm trees and the Meditteranean sea whilst sunbathing on Cypriot beaches. Some days here it's still too hot for me, also the level of humidity is very high. Right now my iphone's weather app shows 33 degrees (but "feels like 38") and humidity level 65%, usually it stays around 55-75% like this every day, for comparison in Tallinn it shows 52%. At nights the humidity can raise even up to 80%.

As I stepped out of the plane, I experienced the feeling many holidaymakers crave, the hot air instantly hitting your body like a sauna, instantly making reality hit that you are now in a hot country. Then I realised, this feeling was permanent and a part of life from now on, sometimes even at night it was so hard to get used to, rolling over because I was hot and uncomfortable. I couldn't be outside basically at all, even few minutes walking was unbearable. After a few weeks, my body adjusted to the high temperatures and it is now more tolerable, especially with the help of a small fan. Fortunately, my first days here were in real paradise and I had a very luxurious life. Soon in details.

I knew that someone was supposed to pick me up from the Paphos airport, because my hotel is located in Limassol that is approximately 1.5 hour drive away. When I got my suitcases (yes, fortunately I could somehow give also my hand luggage away together with my big suitcase in Tallinn airport), they were totally wet all over, because of the humidity and condensation. I arrived in the waiting area, where I observed the signs that elder men were holding in their hands. I found one with "Maarga Sarap", which I wasn't really sure of, but there was a real possibility that it was for me. The man was talking on his phone and when I stopped in front of him to ask, he did not pay attention to my actions or queries. He then pointed to his sign to be sure that it is still Maarga Sarap, I confirmed it by nodding to him. The man finished his phone call and we headed outside towards his car. It was dark, still terribly hot and humid outside. The first palm trees that I saw, reminded me of Turkey, probably because it has been my only experience with warm south countries. We put my suitcases into a new-looking Mercedes and started the journey. At night time I could say that the nature was extremely dry and saw some little mountains reminding me again of Turkey's landscape. (A little note from future Maarja: being here for a month now, I know it'd be better not to mention Turkey, but well these were my first thoughts and that's why I'm not gonna cut it). I tried to have a small conversation with the taxi driver and he also tried to talk with me, but the language barrier stopped us from doing it. I had to repeat everything for 3 times and even then he didn't understand me. For example, he asked where am I from, I said:

"From Estonia"

-"Where?"

"from Estonia"

-"Where?"

"Estonia"

-"Aa, Macedonia". Probably the knowledge was playing some role here, not only his English skills. I let it be and from now on I'm from Macedonia. I was also curious about animals at night time (of course I had to repeat my question for many times). His answer was that there are not many animals, but sometimes a few cows, like he saw on his trip to Egypt... Whilst I was listening to the radio in the car, the music reminded me of Turkish music, however I wasn't familiar with what the music was or what it was saying. Traffic here is left-hand-side driving, so the taxi driver needed to pay attention to the right side. Actually, I would like to try to drive here, because I want to do it anyway in Australia.

After I landed in Paphos and arrived to Limassol (even only with one hour, because the island and distances are not so big), then I became part of very luxurious welcome, arriving to 5 star hotel. I was enjoying amazing service, I didn't even have to touch my own luggage from the taxi to my room. As there was a little mess in our animation team and lack of space in block of flats, I couldn't move to my apartment, but I was lucky enough to spend 2 nights in our hotel. The mess with the apartment was carrying on, so unfortunately it was an unfair situation, so I could feel some jealousy from my team. What can I say more, than I was just lucky... But amazing it really was to enjoy the powerful air-conditioning, eat in a restaurant like a guest, take (cold) showers when ever needed and of course to enjoy the biggest and most comfortable pillows EVER. The luxurious life is over for now and the reality hit hard when arriving to my apartment, but I am used to it now.

I really enjoy writing and I'd love to continue sharing my experiences during the journey, but I have to say already that I can't promise anything about how often will I start posting. I really feel I am living here "fully", so life is always busy and that's why I came. I've been writing this post since I came, so around 4 weeks now, but better late than never, right? Whilst being here I'm trying to find balance between living this "full" life and "self growth path", because they both need time and dedication, although they can also support each other. I remember feeling on the first week that I could spend all my spare time on myself doing the activities that I feel really are developing me (like reading, writing, doing yoga, meditation etc), but when time passed, I met new people and lots of them wanted to meet after work or on my day off, so I felt a bit overwhelmed. Like I said, it's about balance and all the experiences here to what I've said my "yes" word, have been more than amazing.

Until next reading!

The Earth Angel

PS! Since many people asked for it, I'll try to write in English also. But because I have a strong connection with my mother tongue, moreover because I can't talk it here, then I'm not switching over only for English.