Yia Sou (Hello) everybody!!! Today was our first official day in Cyprus!

My day started at 5:30 AM, with me walking on the pier with Sebastian to watch the sunrise. Even though clouds mostly obstructed the sun, it was still a breathtaking view. One can even view the blocked view as symbolism for all the beauty we have yet to see during the remainder of our time in Cyprus.

At 7:30 AM we grabbed a traditional Cypriot breakfast at the restaurant in front of the hotel. While I was not expecting bagels and cream cheese, my jaw fell to the floor when I saw the traditional Cypriot buffet lined up on the counter. I was surprised to see vegetables and smoked salmon which left a very savory taste in my mouth. I ate the baby beets for the first time, which was a fascinating experience because it was oddly crunchy and satisfying to eat. Eating fresh vegetables made me feel like I was truly immersing myself in Mediterranean culture.

Following breakfast, we traveled to the University of Nicosia where we had a lecture on the history of Cyprus and a crash course in the Greek language. For me, this was the most influential part of the day because it helped me contextualize the culture. This genuinely prepared me for future business visits because it made me feel more knowledgeable about certain attitudes.

After our time in Nicosia, we went on a walking tour of Limassol analyzing the architecture and developments in the city to supplement and reinforce the lectures we had earlier in the day. Even though what we learned was really interesting, I would love to hear Turkish Cypriots to hear their sides of the story before formulating an opinion.

After the tour, we went to dinner at Tavernaki and I shared a chicken platter with Julia. While the food was beyond delicious, there was no way we could have finished the entire portion so I felt really nad wasting so much food. This put into perspective the privilege we have as tourists from a more wealthy country, because the food we could have left could have fed several people.

We ended the day by going to get gelato and the local mini-mart for snacks, where we put our new language skills to the test. Despite our broken Greek, the local Cypriots appreciated the effort we made and engaged in casual conversation with us. At the mini-mart, the discussion soon turned to American politics with an emphasis on the 2024 presidential election. This conversation gave critical insight into how Cypriots perceive American politics and trust certain YouTube channels as accurate sources.

All in all, today was an extremely eventful day and I cannot wait to see what the future holds!