On the night that I arrived in Cyprus, the first impression that I had was completely different from the memories of the day spent in Limassol with my family, back in 1997. When you are a child the perceptions of places, colours, and perfumes are often distorted and somehow magical. That place where I was supposed to live and work as an EVS volunteer for one year imbued me with a sense of disorientation like it was the first time that I was setting foot on the island.
I had the opportunity to learn about Cyprus and its reality from an old Greek Cypriot roommate a few years earlier. Before then, I was completely ignoring the existence of the Green Line that divides the island in the Republic of Cyprus with the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, into two separated sides, different in history, culture, religion, values and traditions. Known simply as Northern part or Occupied Cyprus, the territory is currently recognised only by Turkey and considered by the international community as part of the Republic of Cyprus.
The day after my arrival my roommates took me around for a tour of downtown Nicosia, and that was when I became aware of the fact that checkpoints are part of Cypriots’ everyday life. We went through the Crossing Point in Ledra Street, a major shopping thoroughfare in the heart of Nicosia, which links North and South Nicosia. Once in the North part, we had a Turkish coffee in a bar close to the checkpoint and talked about what had brought us to Cyprus, our backgrounds, personal projects and expectations. Shortly after, we went for a walk through the streets of North Nicosia, listening to the muezzin chanting to call for prayers from the mosque. We finally got to Hoi Polloi, a music and cultural hub where we drank some Efes beers. Back to the South part, we had a meze, a selection of small traditional dishes accompanied by some Cypriot local beers. That was the first “taste” that I had of Cyprus.
A couple of days later, I had my on-arrival training with other EVS also starting their volunteering experiences all over Cyprus. On that occasion, we were asked by our trainers to interview local people in the streets and collect information from diverse perspectives – political, social, economic and cultural – related to the Cyprus issue and a possible future reconciliation of the two communities, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, in a single territory. The result was surprising since we got very different but interesting responses as well as testimonies of personal experiences that gave us more detailed ideas of how living on the island was before the armed conflict and the Turkish invasion. The same day in the afternoon, we had a coffee at the “Home for Cooperation”, a unique bridge-builder community centre located in the United Nations Buffer Zone with a familiar and welcoming environment, contributing to encouraging people to cooperate beyond constraints and dividing lines with a view to peacebuilding, intercultural dialogue and memories.
Now, after almost one year living on the island, it is time to say goodbye. Sad as it is, all the memories of that first week are still fresh in my mind with something more: a touch of cultural awareness shaped by personal experiences and emotions, but above all the hope of finding a reunited and peaceful Cyprus when I will be back.