Today, our agenda included a site visit to Famagusta in the northern” occupied” area and the beach in Protaras on the eastern coast. Again, we had Demitria as our guide for the day. Today, we learned a great deal about the complicated history of the relationship between Greeks and Turks, especially in Cyprus. We knew the country was divided and that Turks and Turkish Cypriots made up the majority of the northern section. There is a militarized border, the “green line”, between the two halves of the island, but everything is peaceful and you can cross the border with a Passport. However, getting to experience crossing the border and hearing the perspective of a patriotic Greek person was more eye-opening than I expected. Hearing her side, you would think that the Turkish invaded the island and forced the Greek Cypriots out of their homes. The Greek Cypriots believe that is their land they are entitled to, and from what I can tell, still harbor resentment towards anyone from Turkey. That is not to say that this is wrong, because if I were in their shoes I would think the same thing. However, most of the Turks in Cyprus are not there to try to conquer, they were offered more affordable housing by their government. Again, if I were in their shoes I might take that offer. This just goes to show that there are always two sides to every story, and hearing just one side will almost never give the complete picture. 

Some noteworthy things Demitria said when we were driving down one way streets the wrong way (that were not quite labeled properly) are as follows. “There is no tour without adventure”. Yes, we should embrace when things do not go according to plan and see what will happen as opposed to getting mad or frustrated. “This is one bus against an entire army”, she says as we pass a Turkish military vehicle going the wrong way. 

Once in Famagusta, we visited the section that had been abandoned by the Turkish when they took over in the 1970s, or “ghost town” as most people call it. Here, there were dilapidated buildings, and overgrown greenery over everything. I was surprised to find a gorgeous beach with light sand and blue water for miles when we got to the coast line. My first thought was about how much economic gain the country of Turkey could make from tourism if they did not abandon the town. So many things in this world are motivated by money, so why wasn’t money enough of a motivating factor to occupy this town? Even though we’ve learned a lot about Cypriot history, I know there is still so much complicated history behind these sites we are visiting. 

When we were leaving, there was a stray dog that seemed to be intrigued by our group, or he was smart enough to know some of us have a weak spot for dogs. He followed us all the way to the bus, and that is where the cover photo is of. It was hard saying goodbye, but he seemed well fed and he had water, so it was alright. I will always love Corn Dog though. (What we decided an appropriate name was as he picked up an ear of corn and carried it with him.)