Spring Break Travels. "And in this moment, I am happy"

So I am sitting in my apartment on a Sunday morning with a warm cup of tea trying to procrastinate before my last final exam tomorrow. What better way to procrastinate than to catch up on my blog? Yes, I realize it has been well over 2 months since I took the time to come back to it, and that I am leaving to go back to America in just a few short days, but I need to do this for myself. I have not even really had time to think because I really haven’t been back in Cyprus for that long from all the intense amount of travel we have done and honestly, coming up with the time and energy to process through everything is very hard. I have never packed and unpacked so much in my life.

So far this semester, I have been to 14 different countries (plan on making 15) and everywhere I have gone, I have marveled over the beauty that surrounds me. Let me start with my UK trip:

England.
Tea, tea and more tea. I found for myself a second home in England. My family was absolutely amazing; they opened their homes and hearts to me and I was able to do and see so much with them. I haven't seen them in 4 years, so I am so grateful for that one week there. I couldn’t have asked for more, except more time.

 Here are some true highlights of my time there:
*Going to the point-to-point races with my Uncle
*Spending some time on the farm (dehorned a cow and got to hold a baby sheep to bring it into the fields)
*Introducing my amazing group of friends to my family and showing them around the farm (never in a million years did I think I would be doing that)
*Watching my stubborn uncle be an amazing host by bringing out homemade soups, biscuits, tea (everyone was truly impressed, so that you Uncle Stephen for everything you did)!
*Laughed until my stomach hurt
*Drinking tea and spending time with my wonderful and inspiring grandmother
*Meeting my cousin at Cambridge University (Thank you Hope for having me and being an excellent tour guide)
*Punting down the Cambridge River with my cousin and her friends
*Going to my cousin's formal "Harry Potter" Dinner
*Finding out that I qualify for Dual Citizenship (Thank you Sarah for helping me figure this out, this is something I have dreamed of forever. You were really amazing with everything!)
*Big family meals full of delicious homemade foods
*Going through old family photo albums and reminiscing about our family events
*Trips into London to see my cousin who was an amazing tour guide (It was wonderful getting to spend some time and get to know you Rachel, I had a blast!)
*Going to the pub with my cousin Lee (Thanks for all that you did on this trip Lee, you are one great guy)
*Got to see my beautiful cousin Megan turn sweet 16
*Watching the Sunset at beautiful Becketts








I love and miss everything about England. I really hope to be back there someday soon.

Scotland.
History, beautiful, architecture, kilts, haggis ex...

 Here are some highlights of our time in Scotland:
*I wouldn't say almost missing the bus from England-Scotland was a highlight, but it taught me the art of patience on that 9hr long bus ride
*Trying haggis, neeps and tatties (it had to be done)
*Men in Kilts
*Watching two of my friends buy kilts and then dress up in them to go on our pub crawl
*The Edinbrough Castle
*An underground ghost tour (scared out of my mind!)
*Deep fried mars bars (soo delicious)
*Rock skipping in the Scottish Highlands
*Driving through the highlands (we drove 320 in one day, but it was truly one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen)
*Taking a boat ride down Loch ness
*Meals at “The Elephant House” where JK Rowling got inspiration for Harry Potter
*Bagels! (Some food from home we were all craving)
*A 3hr historical walking tour (our feet killed afterwards, but we got some good food out of it)
*Great dinner conversations with the best travel companions
*The amazing heritage shop where we got our pictures taken in traditional Scottish uniform
*Sitting in my lovely Haggis corner

Ireland.
Music, culture, scenery, beauty. I loved absolutely everything about this remarkable place.

 Here are some highlights of our time there:
*Seeing Jenalee freak out for the first time on the plane
*Beating out Ryanair
*Marveling at the Cliffs of Moher
*Driving through beautiful fields of gold
*Thinking about home
*Temple Bar in Dublin (full of traditional music pubs...had some of the best times there)
*Sitting in the front row at a pub where we were sang to
*Seeing one of my best friends from home who is studying abroad in Galway in all her element (practically jumped on top of her when I saw her). Thank you Colleen for showing us around and putting up with our nonsense. I loved seeing you in your new home environment, it was truly special.
*Watching American Exchange students fill a fountain with bubbles where we all proceeded to play in it
*Fairy circles
The Guiness Factory (coolest factory ever)
*Amazing tour guides driving us through the burren, Conemmara and Cong
*The Kylemore Abbey
*Beautiful scenery
*Grazing sheep and green, luscious lands
*Traditional Irish Music
*Catching the site of a rainbow on our way back to Cyprus













This trip to the UK was everything I hoped it would be and more. I found a second home there and more than anything aim to be back there soon. The city life, the history, the culture, scenery and the beauty really make these places so remarkable. Plus, to add to it, my family and friends made this time even better.

I came up with a saying for this whole trip and what it meant to me. My friends were getting so sick of me saying it, but all I could think about was; "And in this moment, I am happy."

Thank you to my wonderful family and friends for the most amazing spring break I have ever had!

Two and a half to go? Where has the time gone?!

Wow, I haven't updated my blog in weeks. Its hard for me to remember that I need to update it, because there is always so much going on.

A lot has happened since I last updated, but I will try to make this as short and sweet as possible :)

Two weekends ago (March 4th-6th), a group of us went to the North side of Cyprus, but this time we checked out Famagusta. We were told that this part of the island has amazing ruins and beaches and is absolutely beautiful. So, we hopped on a bus and after a little confusion made it there! We became the prime definition of tourists as we shot pictures of everything all around us. We saw remains of an ancient venetian royal palace and many churches. After walking a pretty far distance, we made our way to the beach where we spent the remainder of the day. The water was crystal clear and so calm. This is where we relaxed for a while as we soaked in the last of the sun. Once it started getting dark, we made our way back to Nicosia. We walked a lot faster this time because we all felt a little uncomfortable being on the turkish side at night, but we managed to make it back safely. My roommates and I then went and got some delicious sandwiches and crepes to end our day. The next day, sunday, was carnival. The carnival is a big celebration in Limasol held right before the beginning of lent. All participants go all out in costumes and dress to have one, big, massive street celebration. Being there and seeing the enthuasiam of all the people was really something; confetti was thrown everywhere and children sprayed us with silly string every chance they got. It was the most disorganized, but fun loving carnival I have ever seen. We met some people from the international european exchange program and spent the rest of the day with them before heading back. On monday, we had the day off for a greek national holdiday called "Green Monday." We weren't really sure of the meaning of this, but Colby, Zivilie, Ted, Ben and I spent the day downtown walking around, going to an observatory and eating great food!

Ancient remains of a castle in Famagusta

Beach!

Carnival!

The rest of week involved some school work and my internship. During history of art, we all made mini rose windows that all had a meaning behind them. Our professor went into detail about the power of words and how much of impact they do infact make upon us. She related the entire lecture back to beauty of art and it was truly amazing. I wish I could explain this particular lecture in more detail, but it is all written in my notes.

My mini rose window

"the power of words"

This past weekend, I had some quality "me" time, something I haven't had much of chance to do while being here. All the people in the "Semester in the Mediterranean" program went on thier trip to Greece and Italy and my other two roommates spent the weekend having a fantastic time in Israel. It was quiet, but really great. Instead of traveling, I met up with my new friend from Lithuana, Zivile, and went exploring on Saturday. We went back up to Famagusta to the Salamis ruins. These date way back to Roman period are truly breathtaking. Pictures do not do them justice. As soon as we walked into the ancient acropolis, Zivile and I both gasped for breath. She told me after that she felt as though she could "feel thier pressence there long ago". It was simply amazing. We did not want to leave, but we had a taxi cap waiting for us, so we went back into the city of Famagusta where we walked around more ruins and enjoyed a great picnic lunch. There were even two stray cats who kept coming up to us really trying to steal our meat. :)

So far this week, Monday and Tuesday, I haven't had any classes, so I spent most of my time looking for summer jobs and preparing for my big trip.  I leave tomorrow for the UK after my one class of the week! I was a little nervous to tell my internship that I would be missing a lot of days, but they instead gave me a marshmallow lolipop and told me to go and enjoy my travels! My aunt, Stephanie Cooke, has been on the news twice this week after writing her book, 'In Mortal Hands, A Cautionary History of The Nuclear Age'  about the new nuclear situation in Japan. I tried to find them live, but could only find one. I'm so proud of her and all my prayers go out to Japan.

Gift for missing six days of my internship?!

I've been looking forward to this for a really long time and I cannot believe how fast time is going by here. I realized that this past weekend was my last free weekend in Cyprus until May because of all the travel that is ahead of me. There are many times when my semester seems to be going by very slowly, but for the most part, the end is creeping up so very fast and makes me want to fully immerse myself and enjoy every opportunity I have been given.  I am so grateful and lucky that I get to see my family in England tomorrow and spend a week with all of them; it has been way too long since I spent some quality time there. After that, I meet up with 6 of my friends and we make away across to Scotland and Ireland. This has been an amazing semester so far; I couldn't ask for anything more. I am learning, opening up, growing and can already feel myself changing from a few short months abroad.



"I could tell you my adventures - beginning from this morning, but it's no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then."
~Alice in Wonderland~

A Sunburn in February?

This past weekend, a group of us decided to get out of Nicosia and actually see the true beauty this island has to offer. Tony, a family friend of my roommate, Carli, picked us up at our apartment on Friday afternoon and drove us to Larnaca to see the Flamingos that are waiting to migrate to Africa. Next stop...Aiya Napa.

Tony took us to the caves where we marvaled at the beauty all around us. It felt like a dream. The clouds were coming in and it was truly amazing to see a storm blowing across the Mediterranean. We knew it was going to start to downpour, so we booked it back to the car and barely made it in time. We then went to our hotel which was spacious, beautiful and very Greek-like. We hung out for a while, put in one of my all time favorite movies, "Definitely Maybe" and went off into a mini nap. Later that night, Emily, Zivile, Colby, Ted and I took some wine and went to the beach. The water was gorgeous and it was a great way to spend a Friday night.

My roomates and I by the caves 

Saturday was picture day. After laying out on the beach for a while that morning, we walked all over Aiya Napa snapping photos at practically everything. We found a cool monastery with a recording of monks singing. When we went in, we found out it was the Monastery of Aiya Napa where all the Christians used to hide. It was a really eery feeling going in there, but was so neat! We also found a beautiful harbor filled with huge boats. Our stomachs were growling by this point, so we ate right on the harbor and looked out onto the Mediterranean. This is where we came across some pelicans. They have got to be one of the creepiest animals I have seen; red eyes and very mean. The sign on thier cage said "Keep Three Feet Back...They Bite". We soon found this to be very true when they stuck thier long beaks out at us, going right in for it! In February, Aiya Napa is less than packed. There were a lot of elderly men and women and must have felt weird with all us college students. However, apparantely in May, it gets packed with people! I almost liked it better with no one really there, it was quiet and peaceful and very relaxing.

That night, we were all supposed to go to a club, but after going to the Happy Hour at our hotel, we didn't even make it; the Pina Coladas were so delicious! We woke up and went to the hotel for an amazing buffett breakfast, then laid out on the beach again for a while and got sunburns...in february?! That's something new. We then walked along the rock cliffs next to the beach and basked in everything! I have never been surrounded by so much beauty; everywhere you looked was another incredible view; I could  have just stayed there forever. Jeana, Emily and I found a little cove right by the water and just laid there and looked out onto the Mediterranean for hours. We took the bus back and unfortunatley had to get right into the work mode.

Its weird thinking of school while being here. I completely foget that I actually do have to do work. On Tuesday, I had another presentation and a midterm. It was a long and tiring day, but managed to make it through. In my History class, we were talking about Switzerland and he asked if anyone had ever been there. I was the only that had and he was asking me what I thought of it; of course I had nothing but amazing things to say! What I've also noticed while being here is that many of the professors remind me of the father in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding". According to them, all words come from a Greek root and they will all go into a detailed explanation of it. Its really funny! In Art History this week, we talked about Notre Dame and Chartres Cathedrals since we will be going there later in the semester. It was so cool because it reminded me of my trip there in high school when we sang in them! I can't wait to go again!

My internship is also in full swing now. I go two times a week and its cool to be in an office! However, they all argue in Greek all around me and then end up leaving the room for a few hours. The woman I am working for told me she was going to put me in another room, but that she would be right back. I kept on doing my work and after hours of her not returing, I found out she had already left for the day! So, I guess that was my cue to leave also...it is very interesting to say the least!

Last night, was our friend, Jake's, 21st birthday, so we had a big celebration for him. First we went to a fancy bar and then walked to the club with an open bar. Towards the end of the night, Jake was not doing so well, but he had a good birthday! So, tonight's agenda: Cheesecake from the local bakery and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" with my roommates and the guy's next door. This weekend, we might go to Larnaca to stay at Tony's place for free which would be nice.

Lately, I've been having terrible technology issues. I could go on and on for hours! When in Aiya Napa, my ghetto camera charger messed up my battery, so I could no longer use that one. Thank god my mom had sent me her nice camera from home! However, the batteries in that one had only lasted about half a day. I talked to my photo teacher and he told me what to do, so I really hope something works out!

The biggest thing that happed today: I changed my flight to England! I am now going to be leaving a week early to spend some quality time with my grandma, aunts, uncles and cousins and I'm so excited! It is going to be great to see them all for a while before heading off to Scotland and Ireland! What a semester!

That's all for now! :)

Reinfalls, Switzerland!

A very busy 72 hours in Switzerland!!

So almost a week has past since I went to Switzerland. I can't believe it! It went by so fast and was so much fun! Everything about this country was so beautiful and the people were so friendly and nice. It was a very nice change from Cyprus life! We only had about 72 hours to spend in Switzerland, so the whole weekend was booked and incredibly busy!

My first flight from Cyprus to Frankfurt airport went well, but I almost missed my connecting flight to Zurich. The Frankfurt airport is one of the biggest in the world and they took us on the bus and brought us to the complete opposite side of the airport. I had to go through security again and because of my boots, my shoes went off and I had to be frisked (Dad, you would be proud)! They brought me into a little room and were asking me a ton of questions and my flight was boarding in 5 minutes! I then asked the lady how to get to the gate and she told me to run! So there I am sprinting across the airport to try to make the flight for at least 10 minutes! It was insane! When I got to the gate, I asked the woman if the plane had left and she was like, "you are the last person...go go go!!" Well, I finally made it onto the plane, heart pounding and sweaty but at least I knew I was on my way to Zurich!!

When my plane landed on Friday night, the Grobs were on thier way to get me. Patrizia and I ran up to eachother in the airport like a reunion scene! I was so glad to be there and to see them! After calling my parents to let them know I got there, we were on our way to Patrizia's Grandma's apartment (which is where I stayed). It was probably one of the nicest and beautiful apartments I have ever seen!

Saturday morning, we woke up early for a great day! We had a delicious breakfast with thier whole family and of course I had to try everything! (I think I gained about 10 pounds just from this one weekend!) Patrizia then took me on a little tour of the small town of Andelfingen. It was the cutest town and I couldn't help myself but to take pictures, even though I was completely embarassing her! The town is very small and quiet, but so sweet! Everywhere, when passing on the streets everyone greets eachother by saying, "Gruezi" or "hello".  The train into Zurich had 2 levels, so of course we went to the second one; it was a really fun ride! When we got there, we went to Lindenhof where you could look down and see a gorgeous view. You could see the trains going right along with the sidewalks; it was really beautiful!

View from Lindenhof

We took a little walk along the water and went to lunch! I tried a drink called Rivella which absolutely amazing! It is only made in Switzerland, so now I know I have to go back just to have that again! It is made from some kind of milk product and is absolutely delicious! Hildi ordered me Capuns, which at first did not look very appetizing, but when I tried them, they were so good! It was warm dough wrapped in some kind of herbs and surrouned with melted cheese! Delicious!!

After the restaurant, we walked around some more. I had to get eyedrops and ended up paying 16 Euro for them! At least they will last me a very long time! Patrizia and I found an amazing candy store, where we bought a Gummy Schlange (a gummy snake) and devourded it!

Patrizia with a candy pizza

Next, we went to the Grossmunster Cathedral. We decided to walk up the tower to see the views! However, the walk up was crazy. It was a windy and narrow staircase that not only led people up, but also down. Everyone was pretty much clutching the sidewalls and shimming thier way up. It was so worth it though! When we got up, you could see the whole city of Zurich! I took a ton of pictures and Patrizia and I wrote our names on the top where everyone else had! The walk down was even more intense; it was like breathing a sigh of relief when you finally got down to the bottom! Then we went to the chocolate headquarters! It would not be a trip to Switzerland without buying some chocolate! They were giving away free samples which were incredible!

View from the top of Grossmunster Cathedral

Stairwell

That night, we had a big dinner with their family and had tons of good laughs and memories! We got into a heated discussion as to the correct way to pronounce "scones" and ended up calling my dad! We put him on speaker phone in the middle of the table and when he pronounced it the way Patrizia's Grandma does, she was esstatic! It was hysterical!

Sunday morning, we woke up and had 2 breakfasts with both sides of family! It was so delicious. Switzerland definitely has the best yogurt I have ever tried! When we went to visit the other grandparents for more breakfast, a whole cake was brought out! My eyes got so wide at the thought of eating cake after filling myself up with everything else at about 10:00am. But hey, when in Switzerland....
the cake was incredibly delicious!

We went on a little walk where Patrizia introduced me to the "Zurich Vitaparcours", which is like a little workout in the woods. You run from sign to sign and do the motions they tell you. Later that day, we went to the Reinfalls! They are apparantely the biggest waterfalls in Europe. They were absolutely incredible and so beautiful. It was kind of rainy/snowy, but it was still so enjoyable to see them! I absolutely loved it and wish I could go back!

Reinfalls!

Then, we went to the Schloss Laufen Castle where I got my picture taken next to the armor. I even got hand gear to go with it! We then went to an art gallery. The collection there was really great and we spent a long time going through. After taking art history in Cyprus, I now appreciate art a lot more.

Before going back, Patrizia and I walked around some more and went into a music store which was really fun. We then ran to catch our train to make it back for another incredible family dinner. We had Raclette which is where you grill your own personal meat on a little table party grill! It was so cool and just like everything else I tried, absolutely amazing! I met thier little 5 year cousin, Ana, who is an absolute ball of energy! She wanted to play with us but was speaking in German which made for a very interesting way of communication; Patrizia filmed the two of us trying to communicate with one another!

Unfortunatley, the next morning, we had to get up bright and early to catch the 6:06am train so that I could make my flight. Saying goodbye again was very hard, but I know there are plently more adventures to look foward to! Seeing and meeting the whole family was really great and gave me a good taste of home, which is exactally what I needed. I am so grateful this trip worked out so well! Everything about Switzerland blew me away; it was so beautiful and I hope that I will make it back there someday...

Valentines Day, Sleepovers and Switzerland!!

There is so much that has happened in the past few weeks, I don’t even know where to begin!

Being here on this island has definitely been amazing. I have gotten to know some incredible people and done such great things!

Technology has not been on my side ever since I left to study abroad.  My camera decided to not work again on me in photo class the other day, so I had to bring it to the store. They taught me another way to charge it (let me just say, it is the most ghetto looking charger I have ever seen and the way in which I charge it now is hysterical). But, at least it works!

The past few weeks, we have walked into the Old City of Nicosia a few times which has been a great way to get out and enjoy! The super bowl at the local bar was a really fun way to see what Cypriot life is like here. It was our good friend, Tylar’s 21^st birthday that night as well! We all had a really great time and the next night, my roommates and I made him dinner to celebrate!

Last weekend, the study abroad students were invited to a pre-party at the Italian Ambassador’s Guest House in Cyprus. We did not get to meet him, but it was still a really cool feeling to be standing there. The party was not what I had expected, but we were still able to have fun and went to a club afterwards. Let’s just say my roommates and I really enjoyed the Kebabs we indulged in the next day!

We also had a Valentine’s Day party at our apartment last Saturday night. It was a lot of fun and a really great turnout! We made it a tacky 80s theme; the costumes were great! Around 1am, there were still plenty of people here. My roommate, Carli and I were exhausted from the night before, so we decided to have a sleepover at our friend Kendall’s apartment which was tons of fun! The next morning, we woke up and watched Moulin Rouge. It was my first time seeing that movie and I love it! On Monday night, the boys next door made us a Valentine’s Day dinner. They really outdid themselves by cutting pita bread into the shape of little hearts. It was delicious and so sweet!

Sleepover at Kendalls!

Now to school. All the professors here are very laid back. One of my classes starts at 11:00, however, on Wednesday, the professor didn’t come in until around 11:25 (which is very normal here) and said he needed to leave to go get a sandwich. We all waited another 10-15 minutes for him to even come back! It was crazy; this would never happen back in the States, but is what makes this experience so unique. We were all just laughing at how random and out of the blue that was, but that seems to be the way of the Cypriot life; everyone is understanding and time just does not seem to exist here.

I love all my classes so far though and feel like I am learning so much that I wouldn’t normally get to. Art history has really captured me and seemingly brought me into another world. European Cultures re-instills why I am anthropology major and why I chose to study abroad here. Photography is a great class to take to get me out of the books and into learning about something I love to do; take pictures and what better place than to learn on an island in the middle of the Mediterranean! Sociology of Religion is a really interesting class and let me meet people from all over the world. I have met two really great Irish girls from that class and have been going to lunches with them! Modern Europe is my least favorite class here, but it is still very interesting.  I had my first presentation in that class on Tuesday, so we will see how that went!

I have also been talking to the professor in the anthropology department here and I am going to be doing an internship on religious tolerance in the North Side of Cyprus and on promoting an alternative mode of transportation (no one bikes or walks…EVER! They only drive, and their driving is horrible!) So that will be a really amazing experience! I should start that next week!

Probably the biggest and greatest news that has happened over the past few days is a trip I have been dying to do for years now. My neighbors are going to Switzerland this weekend and after looking for flights for days and days, I finally gave up on the idea because it was all just too expensive. My friends and I ending up booking a trip to the beaches for the weekend. However, at about 3:30am my time, my neighbor from home called me with great news! She had an offer for a round trip flight to Switzerland that I just could not pass up! I had to make the decision right then, because the offer would have gone away at midnight their time. It could not have come at a better time and to make things even better…it barely costs a dime!!! So, in just a few short hours, I will be making my way over to one of the most beautiful places I could imagine, Switzerland!! I am soo excited and absolutely cannot wait! It is going to be so great for me to see them as well, because I will be able to get a little dose of “family” in before the remainder of my semester.

So, Switzerland…here I come!!

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes"
              -Marcel Proust