My Final Week

 My Final week in Cyprus

This last week that I write from home did not consist of much hands on work but collecting, organising and distributing all the photos, information and surveying that we had into the necessary files. We finished our Orthodox Church and Green Man tourist trail, added everything we collected to the ‘water route’ tourist trail that will be further developed, and have contributed to the archives for the lost village of Pano Drys and the Phoenician tombs in the surrounding area. To begin excavations on these sites the community council needs a university to lead the project to get permission from the department of antiquities.

On my last day in Cyprus, we finished with some hands-on work. We were to help clear a nursery forest of the weeds that were taking over. This nursery forest is to encourage the growth of more trees that have been struggling due to increasingly dry winters. The most important one in this area being the almond tree that has been cultivated here since ancient times. The growth, production and consumption of certain agriculture that has been done for thousands of years is an important part of culture. Helping to maintain this production is not only important for sustaining the economy but also sustaining traditional heritage, as we are cultivating these trees in an environmentally sustainable way, the way they have been doing it for thousands of years.

Today I said goodbye to Pano Lefkara and the friends I have made along the way. It has been a fantastic experience being able to live in this wonderful village, to interactive with the locals, learn from them and be a part of maintaining important parts of culture for tourists to learn about. It has been interesting to learn the history of the country and people, to try and understand the differences of the people there from an outside perspective. Everyone was super welcoming and I’ve enjoyed everything from the food to the language.

Whilst I have been here I have had the privilege of experiencing not one but two different cultures. Living with a group of German chefs added a whole other level to my time here and I have gained friends in two countries, which is more than I could have asked for going into this.