"Like the Wheel that Keeps Travelers Traveling On"

At the Louvre in Paris

Hangin' out in Salamis, Cyprus

 Today's post title comes from "Like the Wheel" by The Tallest Man on Earth. I started with Tallest Man on Earth lyrics for the Title of this blog, so it is only fitting that I end with his lyrics too since he's my favorite! As hard as it is to believe, this post concludes my study abroad adventure. Those three 

months certainly flew by! Having arrived back in the States on December 18^th after a 17-hour flight journey, I have had time to adjust and unpack. The flight home seemed rather long, and I almost missed the second one due to a short layover in Heathrow and because Heathrow is ginormous, but luckily I got to the gate one minute before it closed after running through the airport.  (Phew!) My suitcase was overweight at 27.5 kilos, but luckily I read on Cyprus Airways’ website that students in Cyprus are allowed up to 30, so I argued my case and didn’t have to pay a cent- Woot! Because I can’t sleep on planes, I watched four movies on the second flight to pass the time, and I was looking forward to seeing my twin sister Cassie and little brother Cameron waiting for me at the gate.  Cameron just got his license in November while I was away, so it was a strange concept to imagine him driving me home!

Cliff jumping in Agia Napa, Cyprus

  Anyways, let’s start wrapping up the tale of Courtney in Cyprus. First of all, a study abroad experience is unique to each individual. I’d like to say that I’ve changed a lot or learned something profound about myself or had some life changing realization, but I’m not sure I can claim any of those things. It’s funny because most people expect me to say something to that effect, but an experience of this caliber is hard to describe to anyone who wasn’t there. I’ve tried to convey my adventures using this blog, but I feel as if even my words cannot fully describe what it was like to travel to so many places in such a short amount of time! I think if I can claim anything, it is that I’ve strengthened my definition of what makes me: Courtney Amanda Haines. I will explain what I mean by this in a second.

The Pyramids of Giza

The Map of my Travels

            With Global Learning Semesters, I truly saw the ‘World in One Semester’ by traveling to 15 countries: Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Vatican City, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, France, Luxembourg, Austria, Belgium, and the Netherlands with GLS, and Egypt, London, and Ireland independently.  Highlights of

 course include seeing the Coliseum, the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Berlin Wall, the Pyramids of Giza, Big Ben, and the canals of Amsterdam, but my favorite moments were the ones that paralleled with a certain trait that defines who I am. For me, studying abroad proved to be the most rewarding when I put my already existing traits into the experiences rather than waiting to see how an experience would ‘change’ me.

Astronomical Clock

Vienna State Opera House

The Cliffs of Moher

Scuba Diving in Paphos

I have a fascination with intricate clocks, so the Astronomical Tower in Prague was a special treat. I love the joy found in a simple bike ride, so renting a bike to ride around the river in Strasbourg made my day. I enjoy attending theatre events, so my trip to see ‘Il Barbiere di Siviglia’ at 

The Vienna State Opera House was perfection. The Sound of Music is one of my favorite movies, so The Sound of Music tour in Salzburg was a magical experience with snow included! I am obsessed with nature, so experiencing the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland was my favorite experience of all time! A good hike makes me happy, so traversing the Troodos Mountains in Cyprus was a highlight. I am independent, so I was able to plan a visit to the Cyprus Handicraft Service on my own. I’m always looking for the next adventure, so scuba diving in Paphos, Cyprus on my 21^st Birthday was better than any birthday I would’ve had at home. I like cultural experiences, so I will never forget trying escargot in Paris, halloumi cheese in Cyprus, Belgian waffles in Belgium, and Grill Cheese and Trdelnik in Prague. Dancing is fun, so I attended a Greek/Cypriot dance lesson, researched the cultural tradition, and wrote a paper and did a presentation on Cypriot Dance for my cultures class. I am an extreme budgeter, so keeping track of my expenses abroad in an excel spreadsheet became an amusing daily activity. As I predicted, food was the largest expense.

The Expenses Chart....haha

Goodbye, Cyprus!

            And last but not least, I am determined, which is how I ended up studying abroad in Cyprus in the first place! For those of you who have been following my blog since the beginning, you’ll know that I started learning about Cyprus 8 years ago in 7^th grade, and after researching the country, it became a dream to visit Cyprus someday. 8 years ago, I never would’ve thought that I would travel to Cyprus before graduating college let alone study there for 3 months in addition to traveling the world! The fact that I have fulfilled this dream makes me excited and inspired to see where else my goals and dreams will take me! Only time will tell, I suppose. Where will I be 8 years from today?! Perhaps there’s another blog in store for my next big adventure.

            One thing I have realized by studying abroad is how big the United States is! Cyprus is the size of Maryland, and traveling so easily between countries in Europe made me think about what I’m missing with so many unvisited states! I hope there are many road trips in the future to find adventures right here in the good ol’ US of A.

            This is the first blog I have ever done, and I am proud that I kept it up to date rather frequently. With over 1,300 page views to date, I must of course thank all of you for reading and being interested in my travels!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

-Courtney <3

"I Like the Salt Water Sting"

 Hello again readers! In this post you’re going to read about my favorite weekend in Cyprus so far, so it might be long, but there’s so much to say!! My motto for the weekend: Experience everything.

Awesome Adventures in Agia Napa

Hala Sultan Tekke

We left Nicosia on Friday, October 12^th for a promised good time in Agia Napa, which is Cyprus’ best beach town. Some even say it’s the best beach town in Europe! On our way we stopped at Hala Sultan Tekke, a famous mosque on the salt lakes of Larnaca. The salt lakes were shiny and pretty cool to see, but the most interesting thing about the mosque for me was the beautiful carpets neatly arranged on the floor. They made me want to buy a Turkish carpet from Northern Cyprus, but I don’t think I’ll have room for that in my suitcase! Haha. 

St. Lazarus Church

Then we visited St. Lazarus Church, which is dedicated to the Lazarus that Jesus resurrected. Lazarus moved to Cyprus and became the first bishop of Kition, which is why his tomb was in this church. His skull is actually placed in an altar where people can pray to him and bless items by rubbing them over his skull. 

The altar with Lazarus' skull

Panas Village Resort

After lunch and some shopping, we were back on the bus and headed to our Agia Napa resort! The set up reminded me of a Disney resort as the buildings were separate and laid out in square sections much like the Disney Movie Resort. There were lovely flowers lining trellis filled pathways to our rooms! I wasn’t impressed with the rooms themselves though.

Kristi, Kyle, and Me swimming at Nissi Beach

For our first adventure in Agia Napa we went to Nissi Beach, where the sand was white, and the water was clear and less salty than at Larnaca Beach. I might be so bold to say this was the best beach I have ever been to! It’s up there with Castaway Cay, that’s for sure! I enjoyed lots of swimming, and then joined the group at the top of the rocky cliff.  I watched as my peers jumped from the cliff to the water below, making sure to jump to the clear spot to avoid the rocks. Assessing the risks of the situation, I decided that I would regret not jumping, so I watched more people do it safely so I knew exactly where to jump. My Nissi Beach experience is what inspired today's post title to be from "In the Sea" by Ingrid Michaelson.

Me cliff jumping at Nissi Beach!

When it was my turn to jump, I climbed up the ledge (which was a lot like climbing a rockwall at the gym, only without a harness) and I stood at the edge looking down. Now, I’m not afraid of heights, and I wasn’t scared to jump, but part of me felt nervous about allowing gravity to deliver me to the Mediterranean Sea. I convinced myself that it would be just like a diving board, and I got the courage to jump as far out as I could to the clear spot in the water below! What an adrenaline rush! I only jumped once because of the actual possibility of getting hurt. Out of the 30 of us who jumped, only one person received a cut on the shin worth worrying about. (I should mention she’s ok!)

Sunset at Nissi Beach

That night we ate at a Mexican restaurant called Tequila, and I got yummy tacos and a virgin pina colada!

At the Mexican Restaurant

Saturday, October 13^th, I was eager to start the day! After free breakfast provided by the hotel, my friend Lauren suggested we make lunches out of the breakfast food so we wouldn’t have to pay for lunch later. The good thing about Europeans putting ham, cheese, and bread out for breakfast means you can make a perfect sandwich. Take advantage of free food!

My companion for the day : )

 My choice of transportation for the day was my little yellow bike, which I rented from the hotel for 8 euro (about $10.50). Lauren, Jess, and I set off for our destination: Cape Greco (Kavo Greko in Greek). We weren’t sure how long the ride was cause we had mixed estimates, but we decided to go for it. My guidebook said 7km (4.4 miles) but it ended up being 14 miles round trip.  At times we had to bike on the left side of the street since they drive on the left, and that felt really strange. 

Found this coastline while biking

We discovered a trail along the beautiful blue coastline, and a dirt, winding road up to the Kavo View Point. After locking up our bikes, we hiked to the top, and the view was amazing! You could see the peculiarity of Cyprus’ landscape: crystal blue water, white rocky formations, dry land of dirt and dust and some green growth in random places. (Definitely different from the views I’m used to from the Appalachians in PA!)

Kavo View Point

Back on our bikes, we headed for Cape Greco. Our timing was perfect because we managed to meet up with our friends who had taken the bus! The Sea caves at Cape Greco were a magnificent sight, and only a picture can show you what I mean.

Sea Caves at Kavo Greko

I couldn’t wait to join my friends in the water, so it didn’t take long for me to prepare for the jump. The cliff was more than twice the size of the ledge from the previous day, but I could see clearly into the water, and there were no dangerous rocks within the jumping area. So, I jumped from the cliff with no hesitation, and it was awesome! I even decided to climb up the rock to jump a second time. After thinking: Who knows when I’ll ever get the chance to do that again?...I jumped a third time. Haha! For some reason I was nervous for the third jump, but I think it’s cause more people were watching.

Before.....

.....during cliff jumping.......

....after! : )

Kyle, me, Jessica, and Kristi cave exploring

We swam in the cove and ventured into one of the Sea Caves to do some exploring. When we entered the cave I couldn’t help but sing “Part of Your World” from the Little Mermaid; I was so happy when my fellow GLS friends joined in! Singing and swimming together is an excellent bonding exercise.

When it was time to bike back to Agia Napa, Lauren noticed she had a flat tire. Luckily the United Nations guys there were leaving soon and could give her a ride back to Agia Napa. Jess said she’d go with her. I, however, wanted to ride my bike back even if I had to do it alone. I knew the way, I had my phone, and I felt comfortable biking along the bike path. So I ventured solo, and it was the best bike ride ever!

Dune Buggy!

Later that day Preston offered me a ride in his dune buggy! It was fast, low to the ground, wild, and dirty cause the dirt splashed up when he took it off road. It was definitely a ride I will never forget!

Riding in the Dune Buggy

Danielle, Jessica and I went out for an enjoyable Chinese dinner at Ji-lu’s were I got yummy spring rolls, vegetable fried rice, and a fried banana split! (My camera battery died otherwise there would be pictures.) It was an exhausting day, for myself and my camera!

Relaxing at Kavo Greko

The Lonely Tree we discovered while biking

Sunday, October 14^th marked my one month of studying abroad! It’s hard to believe that time is going by so quickly! For our last few hours in Agia Napa, we all decided to relax at the hotel pool. I even participated in water aerobics for the first time, which is a great workout!

Sunset in Agia Napa

At one point I noticed two young girls playing volleyball in the shallow end, and they were speaking German. Danielle and I wanted to join them, so I used my High School German to talk to them. I was able to successfully ask the girls if we could play with them, what their names were, how old they were, where they were from, and why they were in Cyprus. Loli was 7 and Laura was 9. They were friends and both in Cyprus for Fall vacation. Neither of them spoke English, but they are learning it in school. They could say their numbers in English, but I counted with them in German so we bonded quite well. It was nice to use my German skills again and see how much I actually remembered. I always liked talking to kids in German because my vocabulary works with theirs and they speak slower. Basically it was wunderbar! Some of my other friends wanted to join in too, so I introduced them auf Deutsch and we played grösser gegen kürzer (tall ones against short ones) as the girls put it. This made me laugh to be considered tall for the first time in my life!

Shortly after, it was time to get on the bus and travel back to Nicosia. I had a great time in Agia Napa and I would definitely recommend it to anyone! I kept my mind open to new experiences and that's why I had such an amazing time! I must admit that my muscles were sore for a fews days from all the swimming, biking, hiking, climbing, cliff jumping, dune buggying, and beaching, but every moment was worth it! 

I hope you enjoyed following my adventures in Agia Napa!

Till next time!
-Courtney <3