Cyprus fieldwork: European integration, nationality, citizenship

Cyprus fieldwork notes extracts

Walking the streets in the west of the old town, at 1pm I noted a tag that consisted of a "swastika with 'Nazi' written inside the spokes".

Then, walking through the new town centre, I spotted a few lines of graffiti that read:

• "enantia stin Evropaiki oloklirosi!!", "against European integration!!", with an anarchist's signature A in a circle;
• "isos dikia mou ithakilia [ithaveneia?] sou moiazei telika", "finally your nationality/citizenship(?) looks the same as mine"; and
• "fuck the army".

At 11.55pm, I decided that,

I should've tried the international bars before. At the end of my tether after the university and estate agents were unable to help, I went to an international bar and jokingly asked someone else at the bar, "you don't happen to have a flat to rent, do you?" He did not, but the barman, overhearing, asked, "what's it you want, mate?" I told him and within a minute I had a viewing arranged.

I'm going to be sharing a flat with a journalist; it's fully kitted out - it even has an ASDL internet connection - and he seems friendly - and a good contact. Sadly, I'm going to be a little strapped for cash for a while, as my hotel expenses and now rent and utilities (paid a month in advance) have used up all of the money I was allowed to withdraw; I may have to live on C£16 for a week.

If I do find a mobile, sim and contract too, it'll have to sit on the card for a while. There is a slight possibility, mooted in the bar, that the security situation and community rrelations are at such a point that I could get photos of the checkpoints; I don't know whether that would be possible on or from the northern side, but I can only cross and find out.