Somewhere Back in Time

This past month I had the opportunity to visit Nicosia, Cyprus as well as the occupied section of the island and i was surprised to see that one de jure state felt like two distinct de facto nations. The Greek Cypriot side of the country, with its Miami-like beaches, resorts, and nightlife contrasted with the Turkish side’s abandoned cities, mounted guards, and guided tours. The Simulation at the University of Nicosia went well and I’m glad to have had the opportunity to role play as Egypt along with Toby and Elina. The role that Egypt places in the energy game of the Eastern Mediterranean is crucial considering the states vast energy resources and infrastructure. One visit that will stick in my mind is the sight of the abandoned city near Famagusta, Cyprus. In the back of the modern beach resorts and restaurants lies the huge urban complex left abandoned after the 1974 Turkish invasion. The Greek Cypriots left everything where it was and fled to the eastern side of the island. It’s hard to imagine that occurring in such a short period of time and it was something to see the armed guards and barbed wire fences separating the two worlds. How something like that can become so normalized I don’t know. On a less depressing note the food of the northern side is amazing. Myself, Ilias, John, and some others ventured off into the city and found an extremely rustic taverna where we got Turkish Raki and a multi-course meal to go. We would have never stopped there if we didn’t have someone, John, who spoke Turkish and I’m really glad we did. We brought the Turkish food back to the Greek side and ate by the beach. Cyprus was beautiful and I’m glad I had the chance to travel there - hopefully I’ll be back someday.

Matt