Shout out to Laura!
Laura, one of the University of Nicosia coordinators has been so helpful in my attempt to better understand the Cyrpian situation. She answered all of my questions regarding Cyprian history, culture and traditions. She also gave really great insight through sharing her own experience of moving from the United States to Cyprus nearly 15 years ago. I am really glad I was able to talk to her one on one. Our conversation really helped me for the simulation and in considering my plans for after graduation.
June 16: Cyprus So it goes
Upon our arrival in Cyprus, I didn't know much past understanding the island was the divided between Greek Cypriots and Turkish occupation. I had no idea how both communities would look like, sound like and carry itself. My first thought arriving in Cyprus was that compared to Crete, Cyprus is very European in its presentation. This is not surprising due to the United Kingdom's involvement in the region, but I still found the two regions vastly different in the industry and in the community. Staying in Nicosia, we were very close to the borderline, we could see an aggressive form of imagery on the occupied side on a hill facing the Cypriot side. The image was the flag of the widely unrecognized territory. The image of the flag was not shocking, but saddening in the sense of the fabrication of their identity and unprogressive zeitgeist mindset that they are trapped in.
The occupied side had a feeling of melancholy. The streets were bare primarily, with scattered pockets of distractions for tourists. You could feel the disparity between the divided civilization.
A city of concrete was all that remained, and it was accepted.
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