This may be one of the best well-kept secrets of island living: we are *horny* here. Not like a little bit horny, but straight out, teenage-frenzy-horny. Have you ever noticed that you feel a bit more, ahem, amorous while on a beach vacation? Maybe it’s the sun, sand, and alcohol (a less-than-holy trinity), but the killer combo makes most people impossible to resist a flirty glance, a stolen kiss, or, if you’re lucky, a bit more.
Now take those stolen, sweaty moments and expand it into days, nights, weeks, months, and possibly years. There are plenty of times for the unholy of sanctions to strike. And that is exactly what is happening on my rock. All. The. Time.
I’ve got a few possible explanations as to why we islanders get in-between the sheets more than the average colder climate dwellers…
The Weather
Yes, this one is really quite obvious. As mercury rises, pheromones release, sending us all into the friskiest of moods. There’s something about ladies in short dresses, bare skin, and sweat beading (because it’s so stinking hot) that has men slinking through the streets like alley cats looking for food.
We Come Alive at Night
To deal with the relentless sun, we sleep by day and play by night. With the nighttime comes locally-produced (read: cheap) beer, wine, and liquor. While northern friends may flock to the rock to escape cold, blistery days, we island-dwellers shrink from the relentless sun and then come alive by night. The nighttime living turns into nighttime loving, once alcohol is introduced into the mix, especially if we have all this excess energy to be consumed due to our lethargic, sunny daylight hours.
Vacation Brain
It’s the vacation state of mind. The perma-vaca mood that permeates the islanders has many locals and expats alike howling at the full moon. We can’t help it. There’s a relaxed vibe that does not translate in higher latitudes. With both brains and bodies in chill-mode, we return to our natural animal-mode. We are blessedly stripped from typical Western cultural norms, business attire, and polite banter/behavior.
But while I can go on and on about the weather, the nightlife, and the holiday-mindset, do you want to know the real reason why islanders get it on so much?
There’s nothing else to do.
Really. It’s that simple. In America, where I’m from, we were constantly climbing the corporate ladder, or training for a marathon, or helping in a charity, or starting a business, or taking a child to tennis/track/violin/you-name-it. On our rock, we have no large corporations. Non-profits are feeding a stray dog or cat. And absolutely no one would be stupid enough to train for a triathlon half of the year (it’s simply too hot). So a better form of exercise is… you get the picture.
And there you have it: plenty of time on your hands, no high pressure aspirations for a killer career or a multi-million dollar venture, scant clothing or modesty, plenty of alcohol-imbibing, and nocturnal living. This is why islanders – at least on my rock – are having more sex.
How about on your rock? Have you noticed an exorbitant amount of busy-ness between the sheets in the absence of business on the streets?
Current Rock of Residence:
Cyprus
Island Girl Since:
2002
Originally Hails From:
Virginia
Born a typical Type A stress-basket, Claudia followed all the rules until she spent her final college summer internship working at an import-export firm in Cyprus, which she dutifully quit after a couple of weeks and took up a job as a barmaid at a kick-ass bar in a yacht harbor. It was during that fateful summer (more years ago than she likes to admit) she met her future husband. A dozen years and a couple kids later, the dimpled Adonis convinced Claudia to quit her grueling corporate America finance job and head for the Med. Ah hell, who was she kidding? With fanciful thoughts of being bohemian and breastfeeding naked on the beach, the diaper bags were already packed.
After realizing her two options for a social life on the rock were either drunk tourists and retired expats (looking for a quick lay, endless sunshine, and cheap beer) OR the local Cypriot community (with their shiny cars dotting dusty dirt roads and perfectly manicured brows), Claudia followed the eyebrows and stilettos. And she has never looked back. With their warm culture and pop-in-anytime policy, Claudia finally relaxed and learned to live like an island girl.
If she’s not stepping over lizards and tarantulas in her home, scuba diving with sea turtles, or teaching drama to kids, Claudia loves catching up with friends over multiple glasses of large, chilled wine on her balcony. She spends her days writing her blog Live Like a Goddess and broadcasting her radio show “The Morning Show with Claudia.”
20 Comments