“Two sons, one daughter,” Maro’s husband proclaimed cheerily, popping his head into the kitchen, where Maro, my next-door neighbor, was stuffing me to the point of explosion with delicious κουπέπια (grape leaves stuffed with rice, ground beef, mint, dill, and other seasonings). Maro nodded and beamed in agreement.
I still remember fondly how, within eight hours of my moving in— and eight minutes of meeting Maro’s husband— I had been “adopted” into this Cypriot family. They already had two grown sons. I then became their “daughter.” And I felt right at home.
My house next door to theirs is an old home that is small but comfortably roomy for just one person (yes, for the first time ever, I have a space to myself without any roommates). Let’s get ready to take a little tour of το σπίτι μου (my house)!
First, you’ll need to drive about ten minutes northwest of the southern coastal city of Limassol, which is a very popular destination for immigrants and tourists. As you go, the traffic will lessen and the hotels, tourist shops, and restaurants will become less frequent, replaced more and more by small family homes as you enter Πάνω Πολεμίδια (Pano Polemidia), the 3,000-person village where I now live.
