On our first full day in Cyprus, we started with a tour of the New City of Nicosia. I found this tour to be very helpful in giving me a general idea of where to get food and shop while we are here. It was very interesting to see the contrast between the geometric architecture of some of the newer buildings compared to the more classic styles of the older buildings.

After our break to get lunch, we took a bus to the University of Nicosia, where we had a brief orientation to the program. This was a good refresher on some of the important information that I need to know for the rest of my time in Cyprus. Then, we went on a tour of some of the campus. It seems like much of the University experience is similar to the US, but I am sure there are distinct differences that I will see more of while we are here.

Later in the afternoon, we were given a tour of the Old City. Our tour guide gave us a detailed history of Nicosia, and she explained how this history affected the architecture that can be seen in the area today. One specific area that she showed us was a few restored buildings. These featured architectural characteristics from when Cyprus was part of the Ottoman Empire and when it was under British control. One example of these features is a closed balcony that was built during the Ottoman Empire or an open balcony, which was popular while under British control. Our tour guide also showed us a few different churches and mosques and gave us the details of their history.

After the tour, we ate a large dinner at a restaurant in the Old City. It was very different from eating a meal in the US, but not just because of the food itself. The entire table was served several small dishes over an hour and a half. This is very different from the US, where each person would order their own meal and eat quickly. Even though it was different, I enjoyed eating dinner this way because it gave me time to appreciate each of the many different dishes that I ate.