Nicosia BeerFest

Nicosia has a lot of outdoor events during the summer, including a festival organized around different beers.   There was a (loud) rockband, a lot of different food stalls, and plenty of high tables to stand around.  The elementary school teachers (all 6 of them) invited all AISC staff to the event.  It was fun, but we all had sore throats by the end after yelling at each other all night.

from left:  Mare, Irene, Laramie, Laura

Home for Cooperation

Cyprus became independent from British colonial rule on Aug 16, 1960 (the 50s and 60s were the time that most imperialist nations lost their possessions in Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia). The Greek and Turkish Cypriots had been united in their desire to remove British control of the island.  A constitution was created, but neither side was very pleased with it.

What can be very difficult for an outsider to understand is that everyone here is Cypriot, but either of Greek or Turkish national origin.  Just like American citizens are American, but of varying ethnicities and origins.  In 1963, the Cypriot leader (of Greek origin) proposed changes to the constitution which would eliminate some of the protections provided to the Cypriots of Turkish origin.  The Turkish Cypriots in the government were removed from their positions, and the violence began.

It's very complicated, but at various points in history, both the Greek and Turkish governments sent troops to fight on the island.  A good brief history can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Cyprus_since_1878

Cyprus joined the UN in 1960, and called up it's help in 1964.  The UN maintains a constant presence on the island.  In 1974, the UN created a demilitarized zone (called the Green Zone) the length of the island.  The violence decreased until 1999, when another set of peace talks were held.  These days, the Green Zone is more open- it is easy for tourists to cross, and some people, including an AISC tech staffer, live on one side but work on the other.

The city of Nicosia is divided in half, but there have been a lot of talks that began with the sewer system which is shared by both sides. We live in a desert, so responsible water usage is in everyone's best interest.   The current presidents are working together towards re-uniting the island, and there are many optimistic people who think it might happen.

I got to visit the Home for Cooperation, a non-profit organization in the Green Zone.  They run programs to increase cultural understanding, like language programs (Greek, Turkish, and English), music and dance classes, and a lot of youth sports leagues which bring Turkish and Greek kids together to play on the same team.  At the H4C, there are Turkish and Greek staff working together towards the goal of peaceful understanding and reunification.  It gave me hope.

an actual olive tree, full of olive branches, decorates the entrance to H4C

it is in the middle of the Green Zone, so is surrounded by barbed wire and bomb protections on both sides

Saturday morning in Nicosia

1. Start with a lovely cup of tea on the balcony

2.  walk by the huge Starbucks that is always busy

3.  appreciate the greenery everywhere, providing a lot of shade on this desert island

4.  wonder, yet again, why and how there are plants growing from the walls of this building- using gray water, maybe?

5.  enjoy the random Greek architecture around the city

6.  rejoice that Laura now lives in Cyprus, so has access to the postal system

7.  get a can of iced coffee from a street vendor, because it's 36 degrees Celsius 

8.  walk by the mens-only backgammon games taking place outside of the market

9.  shop the huge farmers market, and revel in the amount of local produce

10.  bring home this haul for 8 euros total.

9. clean the dirt off of the unprocessed, non-GMO, legitimately produced potatoes

Whole fish

My principal has told the entire staff a lot of stories about Lulu's trip to Cyprus.  I wonder if everyone thinks I am a crazy cat lady?  But I was the only new hire to bring a pet this year, so let the storytelling commence.

At our Taverna Mezze dinner, there were whole fried fish.  EVERYONE insisted that I bring some home for the cat.  I told them she wouldn't like it- and I was right.  She pawed at it for 10 seconds, totally perplexed, and then walked away.  So I threw away the fish and gave her salmon-flavored cat food, which she scarfed down.  Silly cat.

The beach at Larnaca...

..is VERY close the airport. AISC took the new hires out for a traditional Cypriot taverna mezze dinner, and we had some time before dinner to beach walk, put our feet in the 95 degree water, and watch the constant flow of airplanes.  When the sun had set, the airplane lights looked like alien ships coming to abduct us. 

The Green Zone

On a bench outside of the checkpoint between the North and South (also called the Cypriot and Turkish sides, also called the Cypriot and Occupied sides)

UN peacekeepers checking on the Green Zone (DMZ) through the middle of Nicosia

The 20 ft divide, full of abandoned buildings, makes up the Green zone.  People live on both sides, proudly displaying their flags.  

Nicosia pedestrian zone

    Full of lovely shops and good restaurants.