The thought of finding a great job overseas, packing up the house and moving the family to another country for a year sounds inviting to some, a scary prospect to others.

To Grant and Gina Wright and their kids, it’s a real adventure about to take off as they head out to Cyprus – the country, not the garden resort.

Grant was offered a job he couldn’t refuse, constructing Lindal wood-frame homes there and teaching local craftsman American construction techniques. Grant’s worked building and teaching construction techniques overseas before – in the Czech Republic, Japan and Korea – but this is the first time he gets the opportunity to take his family along.

The Wright family will live in the city of Limassol on the south coast of Cyprus. They’ve heard it’s a slow-paced and friendly place and keenly anticipate finally arriving there. They’ll depart from Portland Sept. 11 on a 10-hour flight that will take them to Frankfurt, Germany. After a 12 ½-hour layover it’s off to Cyprus on a four-hour flight.

The ominous departure date and war devastating nearby Lebanon are no deterrent to the family. The only impact Cyprus has had from the Lebanon-Israel conflict, Gina was told, is the influx of people seeking refuge who have been granted extended visas from the government of Cyprus.

American Kathleen Mohseni and her business partner Panikkos Lapertas started a business as Lindal Cedar Home distributors in Cyprus and were referred to Grant’s employer in Edmonds, Scot Simpson at SS Framing, who contracts with Seattle-based Lindal to build the homes which are shipped as a kit from Surrey, British Columbia.

In addition to the job for Grant, Mohseni is providing airfare, vehicles and a house for the family including Grant, Gina and their children Tony, 18, Chad, 14 and Gage, 5. The entourage will include Tony’s friend, Anthony Driscoll, 19, and the family dog, Haven. They hope Grant’s daughter, Chelsea, will join them later.

Chad and Gage will also have tuition paid to attend a private American school and Tony is registered for guitar classes with a renowned teacher. Gina hopes to spend a lot of time helping out in the younger boys’ classrooms. Though English is commonly spoken, the primary language in Cyprus is Greek. Chad and Gage will be enrolled in Greek language classes and their mom is hoping they’ll learn some vocabulary together.

A glint in North Kitsap eyes

The whole family has a special glint in their eyes that comes from the excitement of jumping into the chance of a lifetime they know will change their perspective in ways they can only anticipate now.

“They’re in for a surprise,” Grant said about his family when they arrive in the foreign country. He acknowledged there will be an adjustment period for everyone to learn to do the simple daily tasks like buying groceries, doing laundry and driving to run errands. Grant and Gina both grew up in North Kitsap and have extended family in the Kingston area.

“I feel supported by everyone,” Gina said. She’s never traveled further than Canada but is optimistic and excited about the challenges they’ll encounter. “It’s not all gloom and doom over there and people saying ‘don’t travel.’ ”

The family has been packing up their Kingston home since July. With their possessions squeezed into a back bedroom, Grant’s brother and nephew will be renting the house while they’re gone. Besides a laptop computer rigged with free Internet phone service, a digital camera, ID cards, passports, international driver’s licenses and a health certificate for the dog, the Wrights are taking just clothes, some toiletries and a few of Gage’s toys on the trip.

“Most everybody is excited for them. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime adventure,” said family friend Dana Goodfellow, who threw them a going-away barbecue at Mike Wallace Park. “They would never be able to travel like this otherwise. You can’t be scared of life and being near a war or you wouldn’t go out your own front door.”

As part of his crew, Grant is bringing along two other Kingstonites, Jeff Stenbom and Carl Watson, and Joe McDermott of Kenmore. Besides framing the house, they’ll install sheetrock, trim, siding and insulation, turning out a turn-key house. It will take them some time though, Grant said, to convert all the U.S. measurements into metrics to teach the locals. Most of the existing houses on the island are some combination of concrete, steel and stucco. Lumber is hard to come by and, Gina said, lumber yards don’t exist.

The birthplace

of Aphrodite

It won’t be all work and no play though. The family hopes to explore the island’s culture, food, beaches, historical sites, and maybe even squeeze in a vacation to Italy during the kids’ two-week spring break.

Cyprus, a 3,400-square mile island in the Mediterranean Sea, is situated off the coasts of Turkey, Syria, Lebanon and Israel in the Middle East; Egypt and Libya in North Africa; and Greece and Italy in Southern Europe. It has a population of about 780,000. Nearly one-third of the island has been occupied by Turkey since 1974, but is separated from the rest of the country, which is controlled by the internationally-recognized government of Greek Cypriots, by a United Nations buffer zone.

As the legendary birthplace of the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite, it’s an auspicious island to call home.

In the next year, the Wrights will send the Kingston Community News travelogues and photos of their life in Cyprus to share with readers as they settle into the routine of their exotic adventure.