"You Must Know Life to See Decay"

Hello again, readers! Thanks for keeping up with my posts. Tomorrow morning I will be leaving at 5:30am to travel to Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, and France! My journey will last from October 22^nd -November 7^th, and I can’t wait to travel to so many places! I’m not sure if I’ll have time to blog while I’m traveling, so my next update might be when I return. Stay tuned!

Also, I’d like to make a shout out: HAPPY 50^th BIRTHDAY, MOM! Sorry I can’t be there to celebrate. Love you!

 

Now I’d like to tell you about yesterday. I took charge of planning a trip to Famagusta and Salamis, which are ancient cities in Northern Cyprus. I’ve always wanted to visit Famagusta after researching it in 7^th grade, so I was happy to plan the trip!

Kyle, Kristi, Lauren, Danielle, Me, and Katie on the bus to Famagusta!

We left our comfortable home, Nicosia, and headed into Northern Cyprus via the Ledra St. crossing. Since Kyle and I figured out where the bus stop to Famagusta was the day before, we knew exactly where we were headed. Plans changed, as they often do, when a bus pulled up next to us and said it would take us to Famagusta. His price was higher than the bus we knew of, so we were about to walk away until he changed his price and we hopped on. An hour later we arrived in Famagusta, which is called Gazi-Mağusa in Turkish.

Kristi and Me outside the walls

It was so exciting to see the walls surrounding the old part of the city built by the French Lusignans and strengthened by the Venetians. 

 

Danielle, Me, Kyle, Kristi, Katie, and Lauren hanging out on the Salamis ruins

Gymnasium ruins at Salamis

From there we took a taxi to Salamis, an ancient city about 20 minutes from Famagusta. It was amazing to explore the ancient ruins! The ruins stretched across over 2 miles of land, and although we saw a large portion of them, we didn’t get to see everything. I wish we had more time at Salamis because we only had an hour. Our taxi driver agreed to take us to Salamis, wait an hour, and then drive us back to Famagusta at a decent rate, and since our Republic of Cyprus cell phones don’t work in the North, having transportation waiting to take us back to Famagusta after exploring the ruins for an hour was a good solution to the problem.   

Ancient Theatre

Navigating the ruins was probably my favorite part of the day. I got to see the gymnasium columns, roman baths, ancient theatre, fish market, and some other things I have yet to identify because the map was in Turkish. Haha. Exploring something so old makes you appreciate history and the importance of preserving what is left of the past.

posing at the Theatre :)

Photo ops were hard to resist! haha

 

Salamis ruins

 

Being ancient statues

Shadow art at Salamis

Yeah, we took the coolest pictures at Salamis. haha :)

Lala Mustafa Pasha mosque

When the hour was up, we headed back to discover what Famagusta had to offer. Within the walls we traveled through the city and visited Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque that used to be St. Nicholas’ Church, St. George of the Latins, the Sea Gate, the ruins of St. Francis’ Church, and Othello’s Castle. My favorite was Othello’s Castle. The reason it’s called Othello’s Castle is because Shakespeare mentions a fortress/port in Cyprus in ‘Othello’ and it is believed to be this one in Famagusta!

Othello's Castle

Tower of Othello's Castle

Sign on Varosha fence

Abandoned, broken house within Varosha

Next we headed to the Ghost Town of Varosha, which is the abandoned, fenced in area of Famagusta previously owned by Greeks. It is now guarded by the Turkish military. This area has been empty since 1974 when the Greeks fled due to the Turkish invasion, and the Turkish military has left it that way as a bargaining tool for future negotiations. Peering beyond the fence, it was sad to see the grand hotels that used to be the most popular tourist places in Cyprus but are now beyond repair after being bombed and left to the elements since 1974. There are also several cranes in the skyline, halted mid-construction of new hotels. As I learned on this website, there is even a car dealership in the Ghost Town that still houses brand-new models from 1974! Everything beyond the fence is frozen in time and left exactly as it was in 1974, which leaves an eerie feeling in your heart and makes you feel the struggle between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots. My visit to the Ghost town is what inspired today's post title to be from "After the Storm" by Mumford and Sons

Bombed hotel with Ghost Town (Tower of Terror, much?)

We continued to walk around the outskirts of the fence, which brought us to Palm Beach. The hotels along the coast were in the fenced in area, and it was strange to swim in the Sea with the deteriorating city as a backdrop. Nevertheless, the beach was lovely and it was a great way to relax after such a busy day. One of the hotels along the beach reminded me of the Tower of Terror because the elevator shaft was bombed and open to the world.

Palm Beach

St. George of the Latins ruins

Knowing we wanted to catch the 5pm bus back to Nicosia, we left the beach and headed to the station. When we got there the owner was very rude and demonstrated that the next bus was coming at 6pm by waving a clock in our faces. Previously we were told that a bus was coming at 5pm, so we were annoyed that we left the beach early only to have to wait another hour for the bus to come!

Eventually we made it back to Nicosia and crossed the buffer zone into the South. When we arrived in the South, a group of peaceful protestors were parading down Ledra St chanting about anti-fascism.

Palm Beach

It was an exhausting day traveling through ancient ruins, traversing the city of Famagusta, peering into the Ghost Town, swimming at Palm Beach, riding buses, and observing protestors. The more time I spend in Cyprus, and the more I travel around the island on both sides, my understanding of the Cyprus Problem increases and I am left wondering if a solution will ever be found. Being exposed to the Ghost Town in the North and the protestors in the South makes me realize that the issue continues to span generations of Greek and Turkish Cypriots, but hopefully their issues can be resolved one day and maybe the Ghost Town will flourish once again. Only time will tell, of course, but for now I am thankful that Cyprus is in a ‘peaceful agreement state’ that allows free passage between the North and South so I am able to experience the island from the Turkish and Greek perspectives.

As I mentioned previously, I wanted to visit Famagusta since I had to research it in 7th grade. As part of the cross-curriculum research project, we had to write a poem about a city in our chosen country as if it would be printed in a travel brochure. I would like to share that poem with you even though it is not very good and some of it is inaccurate, as I have learned by traveling there.

Fantastic Famagusta

The Sea Gate

By Courtney Haines (2004)

Come to Famagusta, one and all!

Walk up to and touch the mighty wall.

Go to the beaches and surf the waves,

Or have an adventure in one of the caves.

You can visit the many historical towers.

Maybe stop and smell the flowers.

Take your time and stay up late.

Visit sites like The Sea Gate.

Time will fly, so make it last,

But don’t rush through things way too fast.

Eat a good dinner at the Lime Light;

You’ll be in heaven with your first bite.

In Famagusta there’s adventure galore,

And not even that, there’s so much more!

 

I decided to write a new poem to reflect the actual Famagusta I discovered from my visit.

 

 

Faded Famagusta

By Courtney Haines (2012)

So grand an image I used to be,

Where tourists flocked here to the sea.

Born to resist with walls so strong;

Beyond those walls, something went wrong. 

Despite towers and ruins to explore;

My spirit changed in 1974.

Depends who you ask, the South or the North,

To discover how the issue came forth.

The subsequent struggle made my beaches grow dim,

But luckily now, some tourists will swim.

Frozen in time is a city so still;

The desolate scene gives my bones a chill.

I hope one day that city will shine,

And the divided country will have no Green Line.

 I know I’m not a poet by any means, but I wanted to share those with you. As always, thanks for reading, and look forward to posts about traveling through Central Europe!

Till next time!

-Courtney <3

"Staring Down the Stars, Jealous of the Moon"

Hello there! I’ve been back in Cyprus for over a week now, and so much has happened that I’m excited to write about and share my experiences with you! This one is a little long, but I’m writing about a wonderful theatre experience and more, so that is to be expected from a Theatre major. ;) 

Upon returning from Greece and Italy, I had some house keeping to do: I went grocery shopping, cleaned the apartment with my roommates, and did my first load of laundry in Cyprus. It cost me $5.25 for the one load and I opted not to pay the same for the dryer by air-drying my clothes instead. It took almost 48 hours for me to decide they were dry, and my clothes felt a little stiff afterwards. I am already looking forward to having soft clothes right out of the dryer when I return to America!

Katie and I found time for a run through the city, but we got some stares because Cypriots don’t run along the streets like we do; they only run in the gym or at the Park. 

Larnaca Beach!

As a way to relax after so much traveling, we took a trip to Larnaca Beach, which is about an hour from my apartment by bus! I had a nice, relaxing day swimming in the Mediterranean Sea. I even got invited to play a type of Racket ball game with a Greek soldier from Crete named George. I learned that he is serving his mandatory 9 months of military service by living and working in the buffer zone between the North and South divisions of Cyprus. I tried to learn more about his situation, but his English wasn’t very good, so we just played Racket ball. (The rackets were very sturdy and made of wood, so I actually decided to purchase my own to bring home before departing the beach!)

Playing Racket ball game

McDonalds with one of my roomies, Lauren

For dinner we needed to grab something quick because we had to catch the bus back to Nicosia. Conveniently there was a McDonalds right across the street, and I have no shame in admitting we went there. Quite frankly after so many Gyros in Greece, and pasta and pizza in Italy, we all just wanted French Fries!! Besides, everyone needs to visit at least one McDonalds while traveling abroad just to say they did! Haha  : )

Monday, October 1^st was Cyprus Independence Day! Sadly there was nothing extraordinary for the holiday except for the fact that mostly everything was closed. I had a very special day, however, because I got to I spend it volunteering at the Skali Theatre! When I found out about the opportunity earlier that day, I spent an hour consulting 2 maps, google, and the bus schedule in order to figure out how to get there. I am happy to report that I successfully figured out the schedule and map on my own! (Success- woot!)

The bus stop left me in a weird part of town, and I am not afraid to admit I was the tourist girl carrying my map while walking.

Skali Theatre

When I arrived at the Skali Theatre I was rewarded with a beautiful, open air, rounded amphitheatre. I worked there, under the stars and moon, over the next four days, which is what inspired the title of today’s post to be from “Jealous of the Moon” by Nickel Creek. I put in over 24 volunteer hours, and my jobs were placing the props, handing out programs, stopping the entrance music, and cleaning the dishes after the show so we could place them for the next show. Since there was a dinner scene and a lot of drinking in the show, I had to wash 16 various drinking glasses, 4 dishes, 1 bowl, 4 sets of utensils, 2 knives, a serving dish, and two serving utensils. Basically I did a months’ worth of dishes in 4 days, but somebody had to do it, and I was happy to be helping out. 

The play was a premier called “A Slight Risk” written and directed by Paris Erotokritou, which was about a British couple living in the Northern part of Cyprus in 2004. It echoed the issues of the politics dividing Cyprus and of British people living on land that Greek Cypriots were forced to abandon in 1974 when the division occurred. Seeing this play was a great way to learn more about what Cyprus was like at the time I was studying it in 7^th grade in 2004! 

The set for "A Slight Risk"

My partner in crime was Nikos the stage manager, and he congratulated me on my first show in Cyprus. The cast of 6 actors (four from the UK, one from Greece, and one from Cyprus) were very welcoming and pleasant to interact with. Paris, the writer and director, was very thankful for my help and he considered me part of the cast. He even invited me to go to the opening night gathering after the show, and I had a great time. At the end of the run he gave me a copy of the play, in which he and the cast wrote me little notes.  

Here is a video circling the amphitheater so you can see the whole theatre!

Now for a few interesting stories about working at the theatre:

On my first day in Cyprus, we were told that when Greeks talk to each other it is sometimes hard to tell if they are arguing or just talking. During the dress rehearsal, a woman was pacing around the theatre yelling in Greek, and of course I had no idea what she was saying. Was she talking or arguing? I asked around and learned she was the lighting designer and there was a problem with the lights. I guess that’s why they worked on lights from 7-10:45pm instead of doing the dress rehearsal. After that they did two cue-cue runs starting at 11pm, and then the dress rehearsal started at 12:45am! Yup, you heard me right. They STARTED the dress rehearsal at 12:45am, and it ended at 2:15am. That’s a new record for me! (And it was a school night with a 9am….whoops. haha. But I had fun so I didn’t mind losing sleep.)

I set up the refreshment table for the actors and crew, featuring a Frappe station, a traditional cold coffee drink of Cyprus. I learned how to make a Frappe because the director requested coffee and I volunteered to make him one. I made one for myself too, and they are pretty good. (Of course I added so much milk and sugar that you could hardly taste the coffee, but that’s the way I like it!)

Me, Katie, Jessica, Kristi, and Maggie at the Theatre :)

4 of my GLS friends came to see the show and I got to sit with them. And apparently it’s common to pay for your program around here because everyone asked me in Greek how much they were when I was handing them out. When I said free, they seemed so surprised!

Last note about my theatre experience: As I mentioned previously in my post on Wednesday, September 19, 2012, the Turkish Cypriots display a Turkish flag on Kyrenia Mountain. Aside from being painted on, it also lights up at night! I had a great view of the World Record’s largest flag from Skali Theatre, and here’s a video so you can see how it lights up!

Classes started on October 2^nd, but I since I’ve only been to 3 out of 5 classes so far, I have nothing much to report except that all of my professors are really young and wear jeans to class. I am taking International Business, International Marketing, Intro to the European Union, European Cultures, and Photography.

Me and Katie in the garden

One day a group of us decided to walk to the city center, and we discovered a beautiful garden with colorful birds, pomegranate trees, a gazebo, and pretty flowers! It was nice to see such green grass for a change. You discover the greatest things while walking and exploring. And guess what? It actually RAINED in Cyprus! I haven’t seen rain for almost a month, so feeling the cold drops felt refreshing and I didn’t mind getting wet.  It rained for about 5 minutes and then again for 15 minutes.

The group: Ellie, Jessica, Maya, Me, Katie, and Kristi

Yesterday it actually thunderstormed for a majority of the morning through early evening; the lighting against the mountains was beautiful. It was a lazy day of hanging out and relaxing, which was really nice for a change. And I actually decided to submit an application for a summer internship already. Woot! 

I took a video of the lightning cause I liked it so much:

Then Maggie and I went to the 7^th Cyprus International Film Festival, which is held right at our University, 5 minutes from our apartments. I decided to buy the festival pass because it was the same price as seeing 5 films and I want to see a lot!

Maggie and Me at the film festival

The first film was from Greece entitled “Jerks”. It was in Greek with English subtitles about three friends who are planning to “leave Athens and move to Berlin to start a new life there. During the very last night, unpredictable facts reveal aspects of their characters which they kept hidden from each other all these years.” It was an excellent film and was great to see since it was filmed in Athens and I have just returned from there. 

The second film was from Indonesia entitled “Delisa”, which was a very touching story about the deadly earthquake and tsunami that occurred Sunday, 26 December 2004. It made me cry and was a beautiful film about hardship, innocence, religious values, and family relationships. 

I am looking forward to seeing more films at the festival because thorough foreign films and traveling with GLS I am learning so much about the world around me and soaking it all in!  I hope you enjoyed my post today as much as I enjoyed writing it. I wish everyone had an opportunity like this to experience so much culture and art in one week, and I am happy to be able to share it with you through this blog.

Till next time!

-Courtney <3

ps. On a side note, the blog that I am writing for GLS is more professional and shorter, so here’s a link to that if you want to see the writing I’m doing for them. 

"In the Dangling Conversation"

 -->Hello readers! Sorry it's been so long since my last post, but as you know I have been traveling around Greece and Italy and most times I had no internet access. For this post I will update you on my adventures in Greece specifically, and my post about Italy will follow at a later date. 
 

For those of you following the news surrounding Athens, let me assure you that nothing major occurred while I was there. It was strange to see large amounts of Police wandering through the city, and it made me cautious and a little wary about the possibility of a riot or protest. The city layout reminded me slightly of New York, which surprised me, and there was more graffiti than I have ever seen, a lot of it having to do with their current issues. I never felt unsafe or threatened while navigating through Athens, but their economic situation did make things a little difficult at times.

On our first day, for example, our group had to rearrange our transportation plans because there was a Bus and Tram strike for the whole day. Luckily the electric trolleys were still running so we could take those. The only problem with this was that all of Athens had to take them to get around as the cheaper form of quick transportation, which resulted in overpacked, hot trolley rides. Our GLS group had about 20 people total, so we all had to cram into the same crowded trolley to travel together. I squeezed in between several bodies and I swear I was touching at least 6 people at once from all directions. I was really happy when we got off the trolley for our tour of the National Archaeological Museum of Athens.

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Then we were back on the trolley and headed to the Acropolis and Parthenon. Our tour guide was animated and made the experience really fun. As we climbed the slopes of the hill, I was amazed how the Ancient Greeks would do this everyday. They certainly picked the perfect location for the Acropolis and Parthenon because the views of the city were amazing from up there. Standing next to the Acropolis, I felt small and a little insignificant because the architecture was overwhelmingly beautiful with its Doric columns. I remember studying Ancient Greece in 6^th grade, and I was thrilled to finally be able to see their work in person. Later that night I caught a wonderful view of the Acropolis and Parthenon from the roof of our hotel. 

Me at the Acropolis

The great view from the top

Night view of the Acropolis and Parthenon from our hotel

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For my second day in Greece, a group of friends and I decided to take a Ferry boat to the Greek Island Aegina. Luckily the tram was running again after the previous days' strike, so we were able to take the tram from Athens to Piraeus where we hopped on our Ferry boat to Aegina. The weather was perfect and the island was small, so after exploring for a bit, we decided to take a bus to the other end of the island to Agia Marina, a beach connecting to the Agean Sea. For the rest of the day we swam in the clear, warm, (and very salty) water. We were even joined by a friendly beach dog.  --> During our Ferry ride back to Piraeus, we saw a beautiful sunset.

The dog :)

The Sunset from the Ferry

For dinner that evening a friend and I decided to grab a quick meal near our hotel. I was pretty tired from the activities and sunburn from the Island and I was hoping to get to bed before midnight (I put on sunscreen, I swear!). As we were looking around the Greek version of a Subway, a man that I estimated to be around 70 years old started talking to us. He heard us speaking in English and wanted to know where we were from. His name was Demetris Stavropoulos, and I learned that he worked in New York City as a barber for 20 years before he moved back to Athens, his original home. He said he considers America his home just as much as he does Greece. Demetris asked us questions about America’s economy and he wanted to know if it was true that no one is hungry anymore. Of course we informed him that we unfortunately do have many homeless and hungry people in America too.  He left us so we could order our food, but he told us to stop by his table to meet his friends and tell them about America.

After getting our food, my friend and I found Demetris’ table and he invited us to pull up chairs so we could share their table since all the others were full. (I promise I felt safe and welcomed by his company and I knew his offer was in good spirits and not of a creepy nature). Turns out, this was the best dinner I had in Greece because I had a great conversation with Demetris and his three friends. Demetris spoke English very well, however his friends spoke very little, so there was a lot of translating going on between all of us. His one friend, the dentist, didn’t understand something I said about crossing the street in Cyprus, and Demetris translated the dentists’ comment as: “My friend didn’t understand anything that you just said about having to look left first in Cyprus, but you said it so animated with your body language that he enjoyed it anyway!”

Another of his friends was a singer and I told him that I sang too. We asked him to sing something for us, and he started to sing “Maria” from West Side Story. Of course I knew it too, so I chimed in, and his friends were impressed by our duet. They asked me to sing something, and I told them I could hum their National Anthem since it’s the same as Cyprus’ and I’ve known that since 7^th grade from my research (see my first ever post if you’re confused). They started me off, and when they heard that I actually knew it, they dropped out so they could hear me. When I was done they all clapped and Demetris said I was an Angel from God sent to warm his heart with my smile and song. 

Here is a video my friend took of me and the singer friend singing "Maria" together. This is the second time we sang it cause the first time was too spontaneous to catch on video, so we did it again. And it's kind of hard to hear, but at least it's fun to share with you!

Demtris and his friends asked questions about Obama, American education, our economy, the job market, and health care. I explained what I knew to the best of my ability. And I asked questions about Greece's situation, but it seemed that it was a controversial topic for them to share with 'a privileged American' so I didn't learn as much as I would've liked. The dinner down the street from my hotel, that I imagined was going to be quick, ended up turning into a 2 hour conversation with Demetris and his friends which I very much enjoyed and is what inspired today’s post title to be from "The Dangling Conversation" by Simon and Garfunkel. I even learned some Greek from Demetris and his friends: 


 
ime poli kala euharisto   - I am doing well thanks.
signomi      -Sorry
Thelo ena nero    - I want a bottle of water.
to yelio ine igia ed zoi    - The smile is heath and life. (Since they said I had a beautiful smile)



On my third and final day in Athens, I visited the Theatre of Dionysus, the Olympic Stadium, the National Gardens, and The Temple of Zeus. Being at the Theatre of Dionysus was an amazing experience and I loved the idea that I was standing in the same spot where Greek Theatre was created and performed. I was so happy to be there! 

Danielle and I being Comedy and Tragedy at The Theatre of Dionysus

Temple of Zeus (look how tiny I am!)

 We also hiked Lycabettus Hill and stayed up there to watch the sunset over Athens for our last night in town. I can't even describe the view from the top, but it was definitely a sight that I will never forget, especially with the vibrant colors melting over the horizon.

Enjoying the view from Lycabettus Hill

Athens as viewed from Lycabettus Hill

As some of you will find out in a few days, I sent some postcards from Greece, however when I went to buy stamps at the post office, I was required to take a number to wait. My number was 218 and they were on 168. A man waiting in line heard my statements to my friends about not wanting to wait that long to get stamps and he said “This is everyday here in Greece. You’ll wait 40 minutes.” I decided to find stamps somewhere else once I learned that a trip to the post office in Greece is something that actually takes dedicated time. 

Some of the Greek foods that I enjoyed were real Gyros, amazing Feta, Baklava, Souvlaki, and Spanikopita. Needless to say, after 3 days in Greece I had my fill of Gyros and I was ready for some Italian food in Italy! I enjoyed my visit to Athens and I hope you liked the highlights that I chose to write about. Stay tuned for my next post about the second part of the trip to Italy!

Till next time!
-Courtney <3