Getting to know the city

September 12, 2010

Day 1: As most of you know, I finally made it to Nicosia!  My apartment is actually in the suburbs outside Nicosia, in Makedonnista.  As soon as I made it to my apartment I felt right at home.  It's in a great location, convenience wise.  I love my roommates and have already made great friends with the people in the program.  The first day we all went to eat gyros and shop for groceries and such.  This is about a five minute walk from Maro, our apartment building.  Crossing the street is not exactly something I enjoy, but I'm sure we will eventually get the hang of it so we all feel a little safer!  Unfortunately, not as many people speak as much English as I had expected, considering Cyprus was colonized by the British.  Because of this, I think I have decided to take Greek.  I have learned a few words like Yasus (pronunctiation, not actually spelling) is hello for older people, goodbye, etc., Yasu is for younger people, and that is all I can really remember at the moment!  A language with a different alphabet makes things difficult!  The rest of the first day we spent getting to know each other and later we went out for dinner.  The local food will definitely take some getting used to, but we all want to immerse ourselves in the culture as much as possible.

Day 2: Saturday our program took us on a tour of the city.  We took a bus tour and also did some walking around in the old city.  We rode along the wall originally used to seperate the Greeks from the Turks, called the Green Line.  We are on the Greek side but eventually we will take a trip to the Turkish side, which I'm very excited about.  We also saw the Arch Bishop's mansion and went inside a greek orthodox church, which was elaborately decorated.  Next, we went to what we would call a farmer's market.  If I could speak greek I would have asked what all the different kinds of fruit were called.  I have never seen so many strange looking fruits and vegetables.  I am already enjoying how different this island is from anywhere I have ever been before.  I love walking around and seeing the locals.  We came to Cyprus at a great time because there are essentially no tourists.  This way we can observe the island in it's natural state.
Still struggling with jet lag, we all took it easy the rest of the day.  Sadly, we have already gone back to our american ways and ordered Papa John's for dinner.  Greek food will definitely take some getting used to!  After dinner my luggage came!  I felt like a kid on Christmas morning.  Now I have everything I need and feel so much more comfortable.
Today we start orientation.  It's going to be a long day of listening and taking notes.  I'm looking forward to more adventures!  Before I know it, we will be on our way to Greece, Italy, and Spain in four days!