To be fair, paved parking lots are less common here than in the U.S., and finding a place to park in the city can be difficult, especially because sometimes there are unspoken rules about where you can and cannot park. For instance, don’t park in front of or even near someone’s house, or else the residents might leave you a less-than-friendly note on your car telling you not to do that again. There may not be a reserved sign in front of a parking space marking it as saved for someone in particular, but that doesn’t mean you can park there! This came as quite a surprise to my friends and me since Cypriots are normally so laid back and friendly.
After at last finding a parking spot (on the sidewalk) at our final destination in Paphos that day, my friend announced that getting a car was both the worst and best decision she had made since arriving in Cyprus. She found it quite intimidating learning to drive in this new way, especially since there are few road signs in Cyprus, and most directions are given only in terms of landmarks; however, driving a car gave her so much freedom and independence that she could never have had if she relied only on public transportation here.
Her words (and the necessity of needing to drive to work) inspired me to get an old used car of my own and learn to drive on the left, too! I may not officially have been a student in school anymore, but life is all about learning new things, and so I went for it. Although I was nervous about the prospect, or idea, of driving on the left at first, I soon overcame my fears. Learning to drive on the left required a bit of extra concentration at first, but I became comfortable doing it very quickly, and now it comes to me naturally, like riding a bike.
