Our last day in Cyprus, or at least our last day of the trip since we were in Cyprus from 4ish hours until our flight left. All of our flights went smoothly, and practically nothing was delayed. Now, I can’t connect this to the supply chain like most shipping companies we visited airports have implemented…

On our final day, we visited the soul behind the shipping industry, the engine for the industry we studied the whole trip. And while we didn’t learn anything about the logistics of the supply chain, the blue-collar workers that train at the BSM ship management center certainly play a large role in keeping the chain…

Today we took a trip to the town of Zigy to explore the cement of Cyprus. Vassiliko Cement is the largest heavy industry planet in Cyprus and the largest producer of Cement in Europe. The company has access to quarries to supply its materials, but it must also import a significant portion of its limestone….

Our first stop was at the headquarters of Medochemie, a company that produces generic drugs. Going into the presentation, I thought medicine companies researched, manufactured, and tested their products. But no, there are companies such as Medochemie that focus only on producing drugs. The main goal of the company is to produce more affordable medicines…

Today we visited the University of Nicosia, where we were lectured by the CEO and two other professors. Antonis Polemitis, the CEO of the university, taught about the implications of blockchain and cryptocurrency in the supply chain. As many fear blockchain, Polemitits assured Blockchain is a valuable asset and will not fall flat. He compared…

Today we are engulfed by the Greek side of Cyprus’ history. Our first stop was Aphrodite’s Rock, where Aphrodite was born. The beautiful beach that was stopped at was deserving of that title. The ocean colors form a blue radiant with the sky making it impossible to see the horizon. Aphrodite’s rock was a sand…

In the United States, we have a diversity of cultures and experiences. Cyprus’s diversity is its history. I make this claim because of the castles that we discovered today. Our first visit for the day was to the Kolossi Crusader Castle. This castle was built, as the name suggests, by the Crusaders. This fact could…

Today we went to the Wargaming Tower, the building that used to be the tallest in Cyprus. Its dark and sleek structure set the mood for the facilities we were to investigate during the visit. The HR employee led us around the gym facilities, where he explained that a large part of the emphasis of…

Today we visited the Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute to learn about the greener or rather bluer ocean. CMMI is a non-profit organization that strives to build more eco-friendly oceans in various areas. The first and, for our class, the most critical sector CMMI works with is the shipping industry. On a large scale, CMMI…

Without being a Greek or Turkish Cypriot, it is hard to feel the depth of the recent Turkish occupation in Northern Cyprus. I can emphasize with the people on both sides and step into their shoes, but I still don’t feel the pain the locals do. When we visited the ghost town in present-day Famagusta,…

Cyprus is the crossroads of the Mediterranean. In all the days leading up to the trip, we would always say Cyprus connected Europe, Asia, and Africa. Today I finally learned why that was. I was fortunate to experience two history lessons in Cyprus; a walking tour and a classroom. Both were necessary as Cyprus has…

This evening a couple of us went to have dinner at a place by the Limassol pier. It was an eye-opening experience. The dinner was great, and I had a nice piece of sea bass. But the food was not particularly eye-opening; it was the atmosphere around the dinner. When we went to the restaurant…

We will spend the majority of the day on the plane. A pain in the back, literally. But flying, for better or for worst, is a privilege. The floors of the airport, as you can see in the picture above, are red, white, and blue, a symbol of America. Airports have been a symbol of…