Cyprus is a very interesting country, of which I did not know anything at all about until I arrived there. Surely, I had a vague idea of what my time spent there would look like because of the research I did and people’s comments about it that I heard when I announced to them I would be living there soon. However, after having spent nine months there I realized that these were just stereotypes or political slurs. Cyprus has a complicated history, having been involved with many different communities all the way since prehistory. Therefore to understand its culture, it takes a little bit of time and devotion. However, when you finally break the ice with its inhabitants, Cyprus becomes this magical place full of colors, smells and music, that they love to show and let you get acquainted with. The landscapes are very different depending on the region and the season and because of that every time you cross the country it feels like you travel to a different land. The mountains, such as Troodos are covered with beautiful pine trees and hide different villages where Byzantine churches can be seen. In the plains of the lowlands, flowers add colors to the scenery changing depending on the season, as unlike countries like the U.K., winter does not mean that trees loose their trees and flowers disappear, it simply means that other trees start producing their fruits and other flowers start blooming, like for example orange trees replacing the lemons of the summer. Going to pick fresh citruses from my neighbors trees (something they encouraged) was definitely a highlight of the season. The coastal area offered a completely different type of beauty but definitely the one I enjoyed the most. To be able to casually go for a swim end of October or spend Christmas on the beach are aspects of my life in Cyprus I will for sure miss. The amount of archaeology you can simply come across when walking around in the streets is astonishing as well and as an archaeology student to learn about sites that you can visit by taking a 30mins bus route, feels incredible. However, it is not because the island has a lot of archaeology and a rich past that their culture stopped there. People still continue developing the richness of their culture on a daily basis. People learn traditional dancing since they were children and perform it on stage or in the streets very regularly wearing their traditional costumes. Pottery and mosaic workshops can be found everywhere and many exhibitions open regularly in different cities, making out of Cyprus a very vibrant culturally alive country. This attachment to their culture is also linked to the community spirit of the country. Cypriots, or more specifically Greek Cypriots, stick together and it is hard to be integrated in their groups. Family is extremely important to them and their ‘home’ even more so. Many stay living with their parents until quite late and generally rarely are the people who consider leaving Cyprus for longer than a year. However, if you do manage to break the ice with them and get integrated they become very warm people who would do anything for you. As an exchange student I was also able to meet a lot of other international people who taught me a lot about their cultures and their lives and with whom I became very close. Overall, I can safely say that what made my Cyprus experience so great was the people I found and who I will surely miss. A lot. It is hard to compress the experiences of nine months into one blog but I would say that despite the highs and lows of life and the difficulties faced when moving to a completely different country, when you go back to your country, the only thing that you remember are the good times spent exploring, with your friends, laughing and learning. So, for anyone who is going abroad soon, I would definitely say to try and simply go outside, discover everything that is around you, because everything, even the smallest things like the type of insects they have, will probably be new. It does not have to be big days of trying to cram everything , because you will be there for a long time. It is not the same as when you go on holiday, you actually live there even if for a short amount of time and you can therefore take the time of appreciating those small details of everyday life.
Thank you Cyprus and those who helped me discover it. You have my heart.