Sunny Sunday morning walking down the road, I peered in the crowded café windows around me.

They were all full of people not only enjoying their favourite blend but also lost behind piles of papers, staring at computer screens or writing diligently in notebooks. What were all these people doing?

Tucked away in pleasing environments like Costa Coffee or Gloria Jeans the wild growth of technology has allowed the worker to break free from the standard four walls of the office and venture out into the world and newer more pleasing environments.

As they drank their latte they surfed the Internet, watched video, checked emails or downloaded multimedia applications using Wi-Fi technology. All they need is a Wi-Fi-enabled laptop or PDA.

Enthused by the coffee shop work phenomenon I decided to explore further. So one day I decided to go to Costa Coffee and Gloria Jeans to talk with people that do this and see why they like it and how it helps them.

I headed straight to Gloria Jeans as it is the newest cafe in Nicosia.

“Good morning.” The young man dressed in a black uniform smiled at me.
I nodded my own hello and went straight to a young man perched on a comfortable chair, peering into a laptop screen.

“Excuse me, can I bother you for a moment?” I asked. “But could you tell me why do you work here?

“I like the informal working style here more than in an office.” “I’m accessible online and it is quite and comfortable here in the morning. Moreover, it is very close to my house so I am here in 5 minutes, and sipping a piping hot coffee in ten minutes”

After thanking him for his time, I approached another man hidden behind a pile of papers. After explaining that he was a professor, he showed me the piles of grading he had and said, “. “I like coming here in the morning more than the other cafés because of the good coffee, the good service and the music that helps me concentrate.”

I strolled out and, I popped next door to Costa Coffee and couldn’t help smiling at the slogan printed in each table. “Enjoy your coffee and stay connected”!

A dozen or more customers aged twenty to sixty spread themselves around the comfortable tables inside and outside. A table of teenagers leaned over a laptop downloading all the latest songs,another group at another computer played games. Other tables were full of older people reading newspapers, working on laptops or sipping coffee and enjoying the atmosphere.

And surprise surprise, I met another college professor “I like to come here because I like working in a coffee shop environment. When I have a busy day, with a lot of things outside the office I like coming here first to have breakfast and then I start my day”. He also told me “I like the way the café is designed, the colours and the layout of the café”.

After I thanked the gentleman I left and I was feeling that I should try this once too, because what they do is really working. From what I found out you can work from cafés in all towns and in many other cafés in Nicosia.
Why don’t you try it once?