Goodbye Cyprus

What can you say about a place so near and dear to your heart?

I arrived in Cyprus with the intention of recuperating after my frequent health problems (aka diarrhea) in India. I wanted to see if this island, which I visited once before in 2006, could be a home. And I wanted to visit one of my best friends. But life has a funny way of giving you more than you bargained for. Sometimes it does so in a negative way, but in Cyprus it was all positive.

People

I don’t know if I really need to delve into this aspect of Cyprus, do I? You know how Mediterranean people are – laid back, relaxed, wear their heart on their sleeve, kind, hospitable.. in other words, it’s the exact opposite of who I was before I went abroad in 2004!

But yes, when I met people in Cyprus there was very little friend foundation that needed to be built. I felt like people gave me the benefit of the doubt. I felt like it was a place where it was easy to make friends even though, being such a small country, everyone knows each other and everyone has friendships from childhood.

The more I travel the more I realize how much the people make a place what it is, not the natural beauty or the monuments or historical ruins. Cyprus has awesome people.

Nature

Cyprus blew my mind in many ways. How could one place simultaneously grow citrus, bananas, and cacti? Each comes from a very different climate, but it’s a testament to Cyprus’s fertile land.

The mountains are beautiful and hiking in them was an unforgettable experience. There are so many different kinds of flowers, sun all year, not much rain, incredible beaches, etc. What more could you want?

What I’ll always remember, though, is the smell of jasmine wafting through the air.

Food

Some of the best food on earth. It’s an easy proclamation to make, especially when grandma does the cooking. But even if grandma isn’t cooking, the barbecues are incredible. I love all Mediterranean food and Cyprus just seemed to be the perfect melting pot of all of it.

And I’d be excommunicated from Cyprus if I didn’t mention their halloumi cheese here. It’s awesome and despite my lactose intolerance I happily had as much of it as I could.

Conclusion

Obviously there is more to a place than its people, nature, and food. But I don’t want to ruin your experience since you have to come to Cyprus and experience it for yourself. I’m sure I’ll be back at some point. I’d love to live there, but we’ll see what happens. My future is bright because I believe it will be bright, but I have no idea what will end up happening. No matter what happens though, I’ll be back. I <3 Cyprus.