Today was our last day in Cyprus, so we packed it with activities to make it a memorable one! First off was a lecture at the University of Nicosia covering Machine Learning & Data Science, where our instructor took us through what data science is (essentially, it’s all about efficient and quick extraction of knowledge…
Tag: Leena Patel
Day 10 in Cyprus: GAP Vassilopoulos, Farmer’s Markets, & Nicosia’s Old Town
Today we started off with our final company visit to GAP Vassilopoulos, a logistics service provider that does pretty much everything a trader could ask for. They provided a very good example of vertical integration (this is when a company essentially becomes a “one-stop shop” for anything that is related to their core business, like…
Day 9 in Cyprus: Byzantine Frescoes & Mountain Villages
Today was our day in the Troodos Mountains, hiking a bit to see both St. Nicholas of the Roof Church and Kakopetria Village. First up was a short visit to the church, which we learned is incredibly important because it’s one of few examples of a Byzantine church that survived the Ottoman rule. Luckily, it’s…
Day 8 in Cyprus: First Classes & Nicosia Nights
I had my first experiences at the University of Nicosia today, and the classes we took were so interesting despite the short timeframes. First up was a lecture on the history of Cyprus, which took us all the way back to 7,400 BC with the first permanent settlements (like Choirokoitia, a well-known example from the…
Day 7 in Cyprus: Aphrodite’s Rock, Mosaics, & Paphos Harbor
Today we packed up and spent the day moving to Nicosia for the final leg of our global experience, with lots of cool stops on the way! Our first stop was on the coast of Paphos, to the birthplace of the goddess of love in Greek mythology. The water was absolutely stunning, and the rock…
Day 6 in Cyprus: Varosi, Famagusta, & Fig Tree Bay
Today was super interesting for me, because I got the chance to cross the Green Line (a UN border that splits Cyprus due to the Turkish occupation that divided the country 50 years ago) and see the northern part of the island. For our first stop, we visited the abandoned ghost town of Varosi, which…
Day 5 in Cyprus: Ports, Cement Companies, & Maritime Research
The past couple days have been very busy with learning about the local companies. Yesterday, we took a break from blogging to focus entirely on our visits at Limassol Port and all of its operator organizations (Cyprus Ports Authority, DP World, P & O Maritime Logistics, and Eurogate Container Terminal). It was really interesting to…
Day 3 in Cyprus: Ship Management & Pharmaceuticals
Today we were back in Limassol down by the Marina to start our first company site visits! To start, I got to see two sides of ship management in Cyprus. First, we heard from Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement Training Center (BSM), where we were given an overview of the larger company, Schulte Group, and what they…
Day 2 in Cyprus: Larnaca’s Religious Sites & Old Town
Another day in Cyprus, and we began with a bus ride out to Larnaca for the day. The entire way, I got to learn more in depth about just how much history Cyprus has—12,000 years worth of different cultures and developments! Our guide again kept the entire time interesting, this time explaining how some of…
Day 1 in Cyprus: Kourion, Kolossi, & Limassol’s Old Town
After a long day of flights, I finally made it to Cyprus—and it was totally worth it! This morning, we went straight from our hotel in Limassol to visit the ancient city-kingdom of Kourion, which is a wonderful site on a natural slope with interesting ruins. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the area,…
Introduction: Leena Patel
Hello! My name is Leena, and I am from North Wales, PA. At Pitt, I am currently a business student majoring in marketing, but looking to explore potential second majors. I am an experienced traveler, but I have never considered going to Cyprus before, so I’m very excited about this experience. On campus, I am…