To start the day off we went to the training facility for BSM shipmanagement company. I had never really taken too much of an interest into ships and cargo transfer, but I was pleasantly surprised at how this visit went. I thought their facilities were very impressive and the way they explained how they as a company operate interested me very much. Being able to see the simulation equipment they have gave me a greater appreciation of all the small things that go together to make boats and other vehicles work. As a chemical engineer, I won’t have to deal with that kinds of mechanics very often, so it was even more fascinating to me.

I still find it crazy that they go out to see for almost years at a time and don’t return ashore. Also, hearing what happened at the beginning of COVID was very scary. I don’t know how they managed to stay on that boat on lockdown for 11+ months.

I wonder what the parallel would be for a country in America. I bet there are shipmanagement companies in the US but because Cyprus is a small island BSM operate very differently. I wonder how much BSM really has in common with these big companies and other companies like FedEx, UPS, and Amazon.

Afterwards, we traveled to a small village by the name of Omodos. The authentic Cypriot lunch was delicious and featured all kinds of foods. The flavors were all so tasty and unique from each other. Afterwards we were able to tour the backstreets of the village and visit some of the many shops there. We got to feel what a European mountain village was truly like and visit the monastery there. The building itself was extremely old but is in fantastic condition.

The terrain outside going to and from these locations was absolutely stunning. The mountains almost had levels to them it reminded me of a cake. The sprawling fields ran for miles and you could see all the way to the mountains in the north. Every once in a while we could see a house overlooking a cliff or on the horizon and it gave me this intense urge to get out of the bus and experience it first hand. The difference in terrain, especially compared to Pittsburgh, is so cool.