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Cyprus | Final Thoughts! Physics is Over Forever! No More Gyros!

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BY ARISA DHIENSIRI

Physics is over! The program just ended yesterday and I’m currently on a flight out of Nicosia and to Naples. Yesterday we took our last exam, which was extremely hard, and submitted our last lab reports! The last couples of days were pretty stressful since we were finishing up our final lab reports and trying to cram in as much information as possible. It was also incredibly bittersweet and filled with goodbyes and lots of hugs. A couple days ago we had our farewell dinner with everyone, including Global Semesters and the program coordinators. It’s so sad to think about how we’ve all split from Nicosia, but most people are traveling around Europe afterwards and we’re all trying to make plans to meet up.

I’m really happy to be done with physics but there are several things from this summer that I’m going to miss. I’m going to miss Cow, the dog that lived next door to us, and all of the stray cats on the island. Cyprus is almost overrun with stray cats, and it’s really easy to get attached to all the neighborhood cats. I’m also really going to miss daily gyros and fries, late night runs to the bakery, and most importantly the milkshakes from Pieto’s.

The absolute best part of this summer were my two best friends and roommates. I’m so lucky to have spent the last couple of weeks with two of the most amazing people in the world. My roommates are so incredible, they made studying physics nonstop almost entertaining and are the only two people who could make me laugh when I wanted to throw my notebook across the room. This program really provided me the opportunity to create some a significant and meaningful friendship that I will cherish forever. In a program that’s this intensive and small it’s hard to not make life long friends. We all go to the same classes, eat meals together every day, live in the same apartment buildings, and study together. When you’re in close proximity with the same couple of people every single day they all become really special and so it was a little heartbreaking to have to say goodbye.

Would I recommend this program? Before going on a physics intensive program I would advise that you really assess what you want out of your study abroad experience. If you are looking for a fun study abroad experience to get a couple credits, and to relax I would definitely NOT recommend this program. The physics program has a reputation for being an easy way to get the physics series completed, but in reality it’s pretty difficult. Most of our time and energy was devoted to school since there was an insane amount of material to learn and understand in just a couple of weeks. I WOULD recommend this program if you’re looking for a practical way to get through the physics series, but you really have to keep in mind that this program isn’t really about “being abroad” and more about studying. It’s a really practical way to get through Physics but definitely not the easiest. Overall I really loved my time in Cyprus. I shared it with the most amazing people, had French fries for almost every meal, got to visit so many beautiful beach towns, and learned so much about an island I would have otherwise never visited on my own. I’m so excited to go back to UCLA and reunite with everyone, even though I’ll probably wait a year before having another gyro.

My friend Grace made a YouTube video documenting the last half of our trip!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKQR7upQ86E&feature=youtu.be

Arisa Dhiensiri studied abroad in Nicosia, Cyprus, in summer 2018: http://eap.ucop.edu/OurPrograms/Cyprus/Pages/univ-of-nicosia-summer-science.aspx

Cyprus | Favorite Restaurants and Food Hot Spots

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BY ARISA DHIENSIRI

Food is the most important part of any trip, especially when you’re studying abroad. In this post I’m going to introduce you to my favorite restaurants and food spots in Nicosia.

Cypriot Cuisine

Cypriot cuisine is pretty similar to other Mediterranean food, particularly Greek and Turkish food. There’s a lot of fresh produce incorporated into dishes, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, and olives. One of the most popular dishes is the Village Salad, which incorporates cucumbers, olives, tomatoes, bell peppers, olive oil, and tons of feta cheese. Since Cyprus is an island, seafood is also very popular. Cyprus is also well known for Halloumi, a special Cypriot cheese that’s usually served grilled. In my opinion, Halloumi kind of tastes like an elevated, more sophisticated string cheese. More Cypriot staples are gyros, hummus, and most importantly meze. Meze is an eclectic assortment of small dishes, with multiple courses. Meze is my go-to meal when going to a restaurant, and the amount of food borders on overwhelming so I usually split it between 2-3 people. Meze starts with a Village Salad, pita bread, grilled halloumi and a sampling of spreads such as Tahini, Hummus, and Tzakiki. Throughout the meal various kabobs, specialty meats from the restaurant, and sheftalia- Cypriot sausage-, are brought out. My personal favorite dish is Loukanika, a type of sausage marinated in wine.

Best Nicosia Restaurants

I have three restaurants that are my go-to for meze. They’re all very reasonably priced, and serve an absurd amount of food.

My absolute favorite restaurant is Piatsa Gourounaki, or “The Little Pig”. This restaurant is definitely the touristiest of the three, but is such a stand out. It’s located in the Old Town area of Nicosia. I love this restaurant because the atmosphere is really modern, albeit a little touristy, but the service is amazing and the fries are to die for. They have the best honey mustard and insanely good rosemary herb fries. In Cyprus I’ve had fries served with almost every single one of my meals and none of the fries have come close to The Little Pig’s.

My second favorite restaurant is Estiatorio Euroullas. Estiatorio Euroullas is a really quaint and cozy restaurant in the Old Town and was the first place that I tried meze. It’s in a little alley off of Ledras Street, the main street in Old Town, and is almost hidden. I love this restaurant because everything seems home-y and authentic. Of the three restaurants this place has the best Tzakiki, a yogurt based dipping sauce.

The last restaurant on this list is To Anamma. This is the restaurant we went to for orientation dinner. Like the other restaurants it’s in Old Town. I love this restaurant because the seating area takes you to a different place once you enter. Tables are laid out under a canopy of green vines and it’s so quiet it’s like you’ve left Nicosia and you’re eating in a garden. The chef actually lived in Los Angeles for a couple of years, and so he came by and explained the background and inspiration behind his dishes, which added to the experience.

Arisa Dhiensiri studied abroad in Nicosia, Cyprus, in summer 2018: http://eap.ucop.edu/OurPrograms/Cyprus/Pages/univ-of-nicosia-summer-science.aspx

Cyprus | Our Last Midterm and Limassol Weekend Excursion

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BY ARISA DHIENSIRI

This past week we took our last midterm of the program and we’re officially 3/4ths of the way done with physics! It’s kind of amazing how much physics I’ve managed to cram into my brain in the past month and a half. It’s also unbelievable how much more physics I have to learn before our final in a week and a half, but I’m remaining positive and stocking up on coffee.  

We just got back from our last weekend excursion of the program! This weekend we went to Limassol, Cyprus a metropolitan city on the southern coast. A bus picked us all up in front of the apartments Friday morning. The tour guide that took us through Nicosia during our orientation came along with. Before arriving at Limassol we took two stops and our tour guide explained the history of two historic landmarks.  

The first stop we made was at Kolossi Castle. Kolossi Castle is the most well preserved castle on the island and was used as a Crusader stronghold. It was first constructed in the 13th century and overlooks Kolossi village, a couple of miles outside of Limassol. The castle looks like a tower, and the rooms inside are all identical to each other. After exploring the castle we went to the rooftop to take pictures and take in the view.  

After Kolossi Castle we went to Kourion, an ancient city-kingdom, where we explored the architectural ruins of a Greco-Roman theater. Kourion borders Kouris River and was the site of an ancient Greek city-kingdom. The main attraction is a Greco-Roman theater that is still used for live music and art performances today. Next to the amphitheater is a villa housing mosaics similar to the House of Dionysus. The tour guide explained the mythological significance of the scenes depicted in the mosaics. 

Once we finished touring Kourion the bus dropped us off at the Kapetanios Odyssia hotel. We spent the weekend exploring Limassol and enjoying our last free weekend. Limassol itself is mostly known for being a tourist area with nightlife attraction. During the day on Saturday we went to the Limassol Pier and walked along the boardwalk. Like the rest of Cypriot climate Limassol was extremely hot and humid so we stopped at a Haagen-Daz shop to cool down and have some ice cream and milkshakes. Afterwards we walked around the Old City area of Limassol, which was very reminiscent of the Old City in Nicosia. 

Limassol has a really broad range of Mediterranean restaurants but after a month of gyros I was really craving pasta. My roommate and I went to a TGI-Fridays right across the hotel for dinner. This weekend was kind of bittersweet since it’s the last weekend we’ll all enjoy relaxing together. This summer has gone by so fast and I already dreading having to say bye to everyone, but I’m happy we still all have a week left together. 

Arisa Dhiensiri studied abroad in Nicosia, Cyprus, in summer 2018: http://eap.ucop.edu/OurPrograms/Cyprus/Pages/univ-of-nicosia-summer-science.aspx

Cyprus | Structure of Classes / An Overview of Our Day-to-Day Schedule

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BY ARISA DHIENSIRI

Last week we wrapped up Physics I and right now we’re just getting the ball rolling with Physics II. Most of our time here in Cyprus is mostly spent in lecture, lab, or the coffee shop studying. Since class takes up the bulk of our trip I thought I’d break down our class schedule and take you through what it’s like to be a physics student at UNIC.  

Our week is made up of three different schedules, lecture days, lab days, and a combination of the two. We have lecture days every Monday and Wednesday, lab days on Tuesday, and on Thursday we combine the two.  

Lecture Days 

Most of my days begin at 9:15 am when my alarm goes off for class. We begin lecture every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 10 am, and even though it doesn’t seem early it feels super early. When we were staying at the Altius hotel we would all convene for continental breakfasts in the lobby. However since we’ve moved into the apartments most of my breakfasts consist of yogurt, granola and some cereal. Since UNIC is only a five-minute walk from the apartments forty-five minutes is plenty of time to prepare for the long day of physics ahead. 

Breakfast at Altius

After breakfast we make the short trek to class. En route to class is everyone’s favorite dog, Cow. Cow lives in an apartment near the university and mostly everyone stops to say hi to her before we get the day started.  

We begin lecture at 10 am and end around 1 pm. We usually get a ten-minute break in between the hours depending on how quickly we’re going through material. Lecture is very similar to lecture at UCLA, except the classroom is more intimate and there are only 30 other students. The low-key setting is really nice since the pressure that comes with asking questions in class is alleviated. The hardest thing for me was getting adjusted to such a long lecture and learning how to stay focused but right now I think I’ve somewhat gotten the hang of it.  

After lecture we have a one-hour lunch break until workshop. Most of us get lunch at the cafeteria right underneath the lecture room but some groups make the journey to the restaurants on our meal vouchers. After lunch we have a two-hour Workshop until 4 pm. Workshop is dedicated to problem solving and asking the professor application or theory related questions. It’s similar to a discussion at UCLA, except it’s led by the professor. During workshop we work on Problem Sets, go through confusing concepts from lecture, or finish up whatever material we didn’t have time to go through earlier in the day. Workshop is nice because it has the one on one elements of a discussion but the feedback is directly from the professor. I’ve learned that stamina is the most important part of these days, it’s hard to be involved with the material after 5 straight hours of class, but paying attention in Workshop is a really integral part of tackling the Problem Sets.  

Insert pic of classroom  

After workshop we’re finally free from classes! Except we’re not. Since each day is dedicated to absorbing new material it’s really easy to get behind, and so after class most people head to the library or Coffeeology, the Kerckhoff of UNIC. The library closes at 6 pm, so only two hours after class ends but is a really ideal place to sprawl out and study. Lecture days usually end with dinner at a meal voucher restaurant, and then finalizing the lab reports due the next day.  

Lab Days  

Tuesday is Lab day and is the most relaxed of our week. Labs take place in the RT building, a little off campus, and so Global Semesters has arranged a bus to take us back and forth. Lab lasts about three hours and is led by a TA and two lab assistants. Each lab consists of doing experiments and projects in small groups to apply the concepts learned in class and develop a better understanding. It’s usually set up so that different groups do different experiments within one lab section, and so the lab assistants really bounce around trying to explain each experiment to everyone. Performing labs are easier when we’ve learned the concepts in class beforehand, but sometimes we have to do labs on material we haven’t touched yet. Initially it’s pretty tricky, but it helps when the professor goes through the material later in class.  

Lab Days and Lecture Days 

Thursday is when our long week concludes and our long weekend begins. It also happens to be the hardest day of the week. We have two hours of lecture in the morning before heading off to lab in the afternoon. Time in between is usually spent eating, cramming in the library, or trying to fit in a quick nap. Even though Thursdays are stressful, we end the day preparing for the long weekend which makes it all worth it.  

Right now we’re prepping for our last midterm next week! See you soon! 

Arisa Dhiensiri studied abroad in Nicosia, Cyprus, in summer 2018: http://eap.ucop.edu/OurPrograms/Cyprus/Pages/univ-of-nicosia-summer-science.aspx

Cyprus | Physics 1 Over! Moving into Apartments, Halfway Done with Physics Forever!

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BY ARISA DHIENSIRI

This week we took our first final exam and we are officially done with Physics I! This week was pretty stressful since most of us were holed away in preparation for the exam. However this weekend is a free weekend with no excursions or day trips. Most people in the program are traveling but my friends and I decided to stay in Nicosia and catch up on some much needed rest. We had our last class with Dr. Anastasia Hadjiconstanti, which was very bittersweet, but we met our new professor this week and he seems just as nice. We’re already learning material for our second midterm in a week and a half. Even though the physics seems never ending at least we get this weekend to sleep it off.  

Our last class with Dr. Hadjiconstanti (bottom row, white shirt). We’re going to miss her so much! 

 

Last week the apartments were finally ready for us to move into! As soon as we finished our first midterm we bussed back to Altius Hotel, got our stuff, moved into the apartments, and headed straight back to lecture. The apartments are about all condensed within 5 minutes of the University and surrounded by the restaurants listed on the food vouchers, which is very convenient. Most apartments are set up suite style, two double bedrooms complete with a fully equipped kitchen, a bathroom, and a furnished living room. Most of the girls and the guys live in separate buildings but they are all within walking distance of each other. The apartments are pretty spacious and since they come with air conditioning I couldn’t ask for anything more.  

My friend Grace made a video documenting the first half of the trip, which you can view below!  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5hx8mknKqk 

 See you next week!  

Arisa Dhiensiri studied abroad in Nicosia, Cyprus, in summer 2018: http://eap.ucop.edu/OurPrograms/Cyprus/Pages/univ-of-nicosia-summer-science.aspx

Cyprus | Post Midterm Relaxing, Visiting a Ghost Town and Ayia Napa Weekend Excursion

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BY ARISA DHIENSIRI

This week we completed our first midterm, and now we have about a week and a half until our final. The material slowly gets harder and harder, every time I think I start to get a grasp on a concept I realize that I’m actually six concepts behind. I’m sure that the frustration with physics is a universal thing though. We still have four more chapters to learn before we take our final, and our professor is really doing her best to squeeze it all in. 

Besides physics I’m really starting to understand that sunscreen, cold water, and deodorant are my best friends in this climate. Since it’s mid-July the heat is really picking up and most days the weather reaches just above 100 degrees Fahrenheit with humidity levels around 65%. We spend the bulk of our days inside classrooms or lab, sheltered by the air conditioning.  

This weekend Global Semesters arranged a weekend excursion to Ayia Napa, another coastal beach town. Ayia Napa is listed as one of Europe’s top beach towns, and is the prime tourist spot on the island. It’s mostly known for its nightlife, beaches, and caves. The main beach we visited was Nissi Beach, a very popular beachfront with clubs and beach shacks lining the sand.  

Since we were given the weekend to go and explore on our own my friends and I booked a boat tour with Aphrodite II Cruises on Saturday so we could see all the famous sights and go snorkeling. I had never been snorkeling before and so this was by far my favorite part of the entire trip. The cruise company picked us up in front of the Panas Holiday Village hotel where we were staying and took us to the Ayia Napa harbor where all the boats were docked. The boat took us all throughout the eastern coast of Cyprus and we got to see Cape Greco, the sea caves, and Famagusta, the ghost town. On the boat tour they docked twice and gave us free snorkeling gear so that we could swim in the Mediterranean Sea. The water was so clear and blue I had never seen anything like it. There were so many fish swimming around that would flit away as soon as I got close. Even though I got very sunburnt the boat cruise in Ayia Napa was by far an experience I’ll always remember.  

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The UNIC Physics group also spent a couple of hours exploring Famagusta. Famagusta used to be a main tourist destination before Turkey invaded Cyprus, and now Varosha, the southern half of Famagusta, is completely vacated and empty. Famagusta now is on the Turkish side of Cyprus and we had to cross the border to visit. The town was filled with beautifully preserved buildings and churches.  

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The last stop we made this weekend was to Larnaca, a city nearby the capital. We stopped at St. Lazarus Church to take a group picture and explore the inside of the church. There was a private baptism ceremony inside the church so we got some ice cream and wandered around before heading back to Nicosia. We’ve just moved out of the hotel and into our apartments and so I’ll tell you all about it next time. Until then! 

Arisa Dhiensiri studied abroad in Nicosia, Cyprus, in summer 2018: http://eap.ucop.edu/OurPrograms/Cyprus/Pages/univ-of-nicosia-summer-science.aspx 

Cyprus | Week 2: 4th of July Celebration, Day Trip to Troodos Mountains

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BY ARISA DHIENSIRI

We just completed our second week of physics and we’re gearing up to take our first midterm next week! It’s so crazy to think that after two weeks we’re at the halfway point for our first course. The physics is getting even more intense and fast paced than last week since we have 10 chapters to cover for the first midterm, but luckily the first two chapters are review from calculus.

4th of July

This week we celebrated the Fourth of July with a small pool party! After lecture we made a quick stop at the hotel before we all headed to a local pool about five minutes away. There were a couple of students on other Global Semester programs so it was nice to get to meet new faces and hear about their experiences in Cyprus. The pool was decked out with red white and blue décor, and they served us traditional American food for dinner, hamburgers and hot dogs. The pool party was a really convenient way to blow off some steam and cool off, since it gets crazy hot in Cyprus.

We’ve just gotten back to our hotel from a day trip we took to the Troodos Mountains. The troodos mountains are the largest mountain range on the island. At first I was very apprehensive since I hate hiking but fortunately they had a bus pick us up and drive us around. The mountains were about an hour away from the hotel. Even though the roads were small and windy the view on the way up was so gorgeous. We were able to gaze down on the top of Omodos Village, a small wine town nestled amongst the mountains.

The first stop we made was at the Troodos Geopark where we got to look around the Visitor Center and learn about the local vegetation and geographic background.

After stopping at the Geopark we made our way to Troodos Square, which is the highest point in all of Cyprus. In the square there were tons of kiosks set up selling local nuts, berries, and other souvenirs. The kiosks gave out small samples of their food, and I went home with a bag of honey-glazed almonds that I basically finished before the day was over.

Before getting lunch we visited Lambouri Winery, a winery that specialized in producing a Cyprus tradition: Commandaria wine. Commandaria wine is a sweet dessert wine that is made from the grapes that grow in the Troodos Mountains. The wine is nicknamed “Wine of the Kings” and is the oldest wine in the world. While at Lambouri Winery we indulged in a wine tasting that culminated in trying Commandaria. This was my favorite part of the day, mostly because of the wine, and also because the Winery was so beautiful and scenic.

Once the wine tasting concluded we headed to Omodos Village for lunch and to explore. Omodos Village is cradled within the mountain ranges and is mainly known for producing wine. The village was so beautiful and quaint with really delicate cobblestone streets and rugged stone buildings. For lunch my friends and I stopped at Makrinari, which was a little bit further down from the main center. The streets were mostly empty and except for some shops, local artwork, and lots of cats.

We’ve just arrived at the hotel and most of us are already setting up in the lobby and prepping for our midterm. Wish us luck!

Arisa Dhiensiri studied abroad in Nicosia, Cyprus, in summer 2018: http://eap.ucop.edu/OurPrograms/Cyprus/Pages/univ-of-nicosia-summer-science.aspx

Cyprus | Week 1 and Paphos Weekend Trip!

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By Arisa Dhiensiri
We just finished the first week of classes! It’s definitely going to take some time to get used to a full day of physics lectures but our professors are so sweet. The first day of class was a little jarring since we had to jump into so much material immediately, but it’s to be expected given the nature of the program. The nice thing is that every week class ends on Thursday so we get to enjoy a long weekend. This weekend we took our first weekend excursion as a class! The bus picked us up at 9:00 am on Friday and we headed for Paphos, a beach city about two hours away from the capital. Before heading to Paphos we made a stop at Petra Tou Romiou, the birthplace of Aphrodite. Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love and beauty and it’s rumored that she was born from the foam of the sea and washed upon the rocks along the beach. The coastline along Petra Tou Romiou is really gorgeous and so we stopped to take some pictures and admire the scenery.
According to legend, if you swim around the rock naked three times
under the full moon you’ll gain eternal beauty and find true love.
Unfortunately our tour guide didn’t let anyone try it out for themselves before we headed for Paphos.

After visiting Aphrodite’s Rock we arrived in Paphos and had some free time to walk along the pier and explore the main part of the city. One of the places we visited was the House of Dionysius Mosaics and the Paphos Archaeological Park. The area is the preserved ruins of a wealthy Roman villa, and is lined with mosaic paneling depicting scenes from Greek mythology. The main villa is the House of Dionysius, named after the multiple mosaics paying homage to Dionysius, the god of wine. Directly outside of the House of Dionysius are three other villas. In The House of Theseus the main structure of the villa is really well preserved and there are beautiful column ruins.

After getting lunch at the pier and visiting the mosaics we got dropped off at the Anemi Hotel and were given the rest of the weekend to explore and relax. For dinner my roommates and I walked to a restaurant called The Corner about five minutes away from the hotel. The Corner was directly across the beach and served a lot of seafood, so we all got fish and chips. My roommates and I took this weekend to relax on the beach and hangout near the pool, a much-needed break from the week of intensive physics we just had. In the end this weekend was exactly what we needed, a little bit of sun and rest to recharge.

Cyprus | Introduction, Information and Formalities !

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By Arisa Dhiensiri

Hi and welcome to my study abroad blog! Through this platform I’m going to take you along with me during my summer in Cyprus. However I thought it would be nice to go through some introductions and information on the program beforehand. My name is Arisa and I’m about to start my third year at UCLA as a Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology major and a Global Health Minor. At UCLA I’ve been so lucky to find my home in organizations like Bruins Fighting Pediatric Cancer and Project Literacy, and I’m so excited to continue the Bruin experience outside of Westwood.

Me and my Baby Bruin from Project Literacy!

I just arrived in my hotel at Nicosia, Cyprus, and am really looking forward to settling in. I landed at the Larnaca International Airport, which is about an hour away from the hotel. Global Semesters, the program coordinators, arranged a group pick up from the airport at 6:00 pm, but since my flight came in after the pick up time they set me up with an individual taxi. En route to the hotel my taxi driver gave me a University of Nicosia Global Semesters bag filled with Cyprus brochures, a cell phone, and the daily schedule for the program.

UNIC Goody Bag

Through this program I’m going to be fulfilling my yearlong physics requirement, and finally completing all my lower division courses. This program was designed by UCEAP in coordination with the University of Nicosia in Cyprus, to fit an entire year of introductory physics into 8 weeks. We have Lectures every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and then Labs on Tuesdays and Thursdays. While cramming such a sheer amount of physics into a small window of time seems daunting and absolutely insane, I’m looking forward to never having to do physics again after this summer.

Cyprus is a small island in the Mediterranean with a steep cultural history. It’s said to be the birthplace of Aphrodite, the Greek Goddess of Love. It’s rumored that she washed up on the shores after being born from the foams of the Mediterranean Sea. During my eight weeks I’ll mostly be located within the capital, Nicosia, which is inland. Nicosia is the largest city on the island and like the rest of Cyprus it’s divided into a Turkey Cypriot side and a Greek Cypriot side. The program has been set up so that on the weekends we’ll be taking trips to beach towns like Paphos and Ayia Napa, and other areas like Troodos Village, to truly get acquainted with the island.

For the first two weeks of the program I’ll be staying at the Altius Hotel in Nicosia. The university apartments are currently getting renovated so we’ll be moving into the apartments later on. Global Semesters, the program coordinators, have scheduled a bus to take us from the hotel to class every day until we relocate to the apartments.

Altus Hotel Lobby

Cyprus | Orientation, Exploring Nicosia and Touring UNIC

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By Arisa Dhiensiri

Today we had a jam-packed day filled with museum tours, orientation, a nice welcome dinner and lots of walking. We started the day by eating breakfast at Altius Hotel before heading over to the Cyprus Archaeological Museum. The museum ended up only being a ten-minute walk from the hotel but in the heat it felt like miles. When we got to the museum we were separated into two groups and led on a tour guide. The museum houses the largest collection of Cypriot Antiquities in the world and it was really fascinating to learn about the history of Cyprus. Cyprus, being in the middle of the Mediterranean, is a cross section for so many different empires such as the Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman, and Persian, as well as having really strong Greek roots and influences. The tour guide explained how Cypriot art from specific time periods reflected the empire Cyprus was a part of at the time.

All of us at the Cyprus Archaeological Museum

After the museum tour we walked to the Old City of Nicosia and we were able to see the divide between North Nicosia and South Nicosia. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, the North being Turkish occupied, and the South as part of the European Union. The Green Line is No Man’s Land, and is the distinction between North and South. Directly around the border is the old town, Nicosia’s historic center. Old City is enclosed by Venetian Walls and a little removed from New City, Nicosia’s more modern side. The streets in old town are cobblestone and filled with beautiful historic churches and buildings that are very reminiscent of Greece.

A church in Old Town

Exploring Old Town

For lunch we were able to walk around Ledras Street in the old city. Ledras Street is kind of like LA’s Abbot Kinney, super cute and chic, usually where people go to hangout, and filled with picturesque cafes and restaurants. The tour guide from the Museum came with us to old town to explain the buildings and give some restaurant recommendations that I’m excited to try later on.

Ledras Street

After getting to know Nicosia, we walked to the University to start our orientation and get a campus tour. The university was mostly empty because there aren’t that many students taking classes over the summer. Compared to UCLA, The University of Nicosia is pretty small, however it has a really modern feel. On the university tour we passed by our future apartments and got to check out the restaurants included in our meal plan. Since they are getting renovated we’re staying at the Altius Hotel for the time being, but they told us that future programs would be staying in the new dorms for the entire time. The program coordinators also provided us with meal vouchers that work as our meal plan. The meal vouchers are good for 3 different restaurants located 5 minutes away from the university, and a 24-hour bakery.

We concluded our day with a welcome dinner in Old Town at To Anamma Traditional Restaurant. Here they served us Mezze, which is a huge collection of small dishes. The dishes include a variety of meats, a Cypriot Salad, dips, pita, and halloumi, traditional Cyprus cheese. Through dinner we were introduced to traditional Cyprus food and the rest of the people on the program. The program is mostly comprised of UCLA life-science students, however there are 3 people from UC Davis. The mezze was really the perfect way to end such a long day.

Tomorrow we begin our first week of classes and honestly I’m a little scared for the physics! See you next week!