Good morning from my 8th day in Cyprus! Today we started the day becoming a temporary student at the University of Nicosia. We had two different lectures, one about Cyprus’s history, and a second about the Greek language. In lecture, I learned from Dr. Solomon about the British and the rule and influence they had on Cyprus. From 1878 to 1960, the British ruled Cyprus and they colonized this island for its prime location and due to tensions with the Ottoman Empire. Although the British disrupted many Cypriots way of life, I learned that they helped smaller villages often easing the lives of many women living there. Around 1914, the First World War, the British fought against the Ottoman Empire and the British annexed Cyprus. Towards the end of the British occupation of Cyprus, the British started to heavily tax the Cypriots and that’s when the Cypriots really felt the presence and pressure from the British. Finally, in 1960 a treaty was established which allowed Cyprus to become a free and independent nation!
As Dr. Solomon was teaching us about Cyprus’s history, it made me reflect on how resilient the Cypriots truly are. Being in a country that was conquered by so many different people groups for thousands of year also allows Cyprus to have a variety in architecture and a rich culture. One thing that stood out to me was when he said that regardless of the political issues that have happened between nations or people groups, we live in a world that lacks leader with principles. I thought that Dr. Solomon’s words were very wise and applicable to many political world issues happening today. Another thing I thought was interesting was how much of an influence the Orthodox Church had on the people of Cyprus. Throughout the many times Cyprus was conquered, the church brought people together through religion and also helped preserve the ancient language. I didn’t realize how many different countries and empires ruled Cyprus throughout the years which provides so much variety in terms of religion, architecture, the arts, etc. I really enjoyed Dr. Solomons presentation because even though we briefly learned about Cyprus history during our pre departure meetings, I was able to gain a new perspective from a local historian.
After our history lesson, we were able to stop by a cafe and order a drink before heading to our Greek language lecture! I learned so many new things about the Greek language such as the verbs and adjectives are interchangeable in a sentence. Another thing I learned was that there are actually five different symbols that represent then sound of “e”. During our language lesson, we learned many essential phrases such as hi, bye, good morning, yes, no, etc. One phrase that stood out to me was “Parakalo!” which means “You’re welcome!”. But I also learned that parakalo can also be said after you order something. One of my favorite parts from the language lesson was when we learned our Greek numbers. We typically do a count off 1-24 to ensure all 24 students on this trip are attended for and we learned our numbers in Greek. My number, ten, is theka in Greek and I was thankful it was an easy one to remember! Today was very fun as we had a nice free afternoon and a cool walking tour around Nicosia. I can’t wait to go to the mountains tomorrow so stay tuned for day 9!
