Divided but United

One week late here so not too bad. So not to use this as an excuse (because we all know why I haven't been writing) but this is going to be one tough entry to write. Cyprus is unlike any country I have been before. Carly and I arrived Friday late at night and had a tour planned on Sunday. So we decided that on Saturday, we would walk around Nicosia and then on Monday, we would tan on the beach. Therefore, we went to bed after a few glasses of wine so we could wake up early the next day. Saturday, we woke up at 9am (okay, early in Kelsey terms!) and headed to a cute cafe across the street. The owners of the cafe helped us by making us delicious breakfast sandwiches and coffee and calling a bus to pick us up and take us to the border.
The bus was quite the ride. After picking us up, the driver also picked up another woman from Athens and then headed to pick up the last passenger. The last passenger ended up being an alcoholic (we believe) who was chugging whiskey on our drive. She spent most of

the ride arguing with the bus driver and eventually we dropped her off at the hospital. The remaining passenger and the driver helped us find Ledra Street Crossing Point, where we crossed over to the Turkish occupied part of Cyprus.
This experience was unreal; I have experienced nothing like it before. We first had to leave the EU so we handed over our passports to get scanned then were able to walk through the United Nations Buffer Zone. Then we handed over our passports to the Turkish authorities before entering the northern side of the city. After crossing, the differences between the two parts of the city were obvious. It was almost as if we went back in time to a country with little Western influence. It reminded me of the Moroccan markets I used to walk through at Disney's Epcot. There were shops selling designer knock-offs everywhere and courtyards with two levels of stores that were selling knick-knacks made by the owners. It was beautiful.
Yet the oppression Turkish Cypriots were and have been facing was noticeable. We learned a bit more about this the following day on our tour when I started talking with our Turkish Cypriot escort. When Turkey occupied Cyprus, the country told its citizens that if they moved to Cyprus, they would be given many amenities they didn't

have otherwise. Therefore, poor Turkish citizens were moving to Cyprus, now known as the Turkish settlers. The Turkish settlers have a very different lifestyle than their Turkish Cypriots counterparts, which makes living together difficult. However, one benefit for Turkish Cypriots is that the EU does not recognize the Turkish occupation so since the borders are now open and they are considered Cypriots, they can easily obtain EU passports. After walking through the town and enjoying lunch, we headed back to Larnaca so we could have dinner there.
The next day, we woke up to start our 7am tour. On this tour, we visited Salamis, Famagusta Town, and the Othello Tower. My favorite part of the tour was seeing the ghost town of Famagusta and meeting so many interesting people along the way. There were about thirty people on our tour, all of which were from England. I learned during my time on Cyprus that not many Americans go to Cyprus. In

fact, upon crossing the border in Nicosia, someone exclaimed we were the first Americans he had ever met. Since it is a requirement that there be a Turkish escort for all tours crossing the divided line, we had an escort with us at all times. I believe it was the combination of what I learned from our tour guide and our escort that gave me the best understanding of what was actually happening in Cyprus.
Famagusta used to be a lavish town where celebrities and wealthy individuals would go on vacation. From what I was told, it used to be a spectacular place to visit. But since the invasion, no one has been allowed to enter the town. Turkey did not originally want to conquer Famagusta but when they did, they began using it as a bargain tool with the southern side of Cyprus. From what I was told, their bargaining was not successful. Famagusta is currently an army base for the Turkish military. It is frightening to see such spectacular buildings with a beautiful waterfront view that is no longer in use. In fact, there is a soldier based there to make sure no one crosses the fence or takes photographs.
A week has passed and I am still thinking back to my short time spent on this island. I still feel mind-blown and see myself contemplating what I learned on the island. Once I have a better grasp of my thoughts, I will explain them more to you. However, I think the most touching part of this trip for me was to see the Cypriots, regardless of

whether they are Greek or Turkish, want their independence back. They desperately want to be one country again and are terrified that future generations will no longer fight for one Cyprus. To see a place in the world where Christians and Muslims so desperately want to live peacefully together is a beautiful thing.
Photos: The first page shows Ledra Street on southern Nicosia and an image of the EU customs office. On the next page is an image of graffiti in the buffer zone and a picture of the Turkish customs office. The next page displays one of the courtyards in Northern Cyprus, a picture of the mosque we entered with both the Turkish and Republic of Turkey flags, Central Market, and an apartment in Northern Cyprus. The next page displays a photos of the northern part of Nicosia. Next are photos of our tour, including Famagusta's beach, the guard tower on the beach, and another mosque we entered. This current page displays knitting done by Turkish and Greek Cypriots to show their unity and another image of graffiti I found inspirational.