Our Cyprus adventure continues. In the humanities class that each student is required to take, one special assignment that each student has is a short one-minute video summarizing the tour days when we're traveling. You need to check this out--- Following is a link to Cyprus' Day 1's video made by sweet HUGer Jordan. Dont' tell anyone, but it might be my favorite student-video so far because Jordan's artistic talents almost come through the screen at me (I can tell that art is a gift of hers through her creation here):
https://replayapp.com/v/IjgktKTy23/
Here are my personal thoughts (reporting and reflecting) from Day 2:
We rode through Northern Cyprus today. Our eyes took in oleander, which lines the roads and is about to burst with color. The fields are yellow, and the almond trees are full of blossoms - the first signs of spring in this part of the country. The forests of pines and olives bring green to the mountains through which we travel.
Sail boats and fishermen boats lined the harbor where our bus dropped us at our first stop of the day. An ancient castle welcomed us, and we were allowed to see a recovered boat and explore the grounds before many of us met for a coffee back at the row of tables near the water, seemingly calling to would-be guests and inviting us to sit and admire the sea.
https://replayapp.com/v/IjgktKTy23/
Here are my personal thoughts (reporting and reflecting) from Day 2:
We rode through Northern Cyprus today. Our eyes took in oleander, which lines the roads and is about to burst with color. The fields are yellow, and the almond trees are full of blossoms - the first signs of spring in this part of the country. The forests of pines and olives bring green to the mountains through which we travel.
Sail boats and fishermen boats lined the harbor where our bus dropped us at our first stop of the day. An ancient castle welcomed us, and we were allowed to see a recovered boat and explore the grounds before many of us met for a coffee back at the row of tables near the water, seemingly calling to would-be guests and inviting us to sit and admire the sea.
At the abbey we toured right before lunch, the stone walls held the cool temperature and our voices inside the cathedral. After we sung Mary's Magnificat, our Cypriot guide said in his gentle voice, "That was beautiful. I'm flying. I'm on wings." I was, too. Oh, this group can sing. What a gift they give. That particular song makes my eyes water every single time, and I'll never hear it again without thinking of this special group in this special place.
Lunch today began with a fresh salad, dressed with a balsamic vinegar blend. There were five dips - creamy, humus, cheesy, spicy, and another one I can't name - served with warm bread. The chicken course had a creamy sauce on top, and dessert was a syrupy cake with some sort of cream for a middle layer. Our taste buds were well supplied. Our ears were filled with music, and our eyes took in the view from up high - homes on the green mountainsides, white buildings in the village below near the sea, the blue of the sky merging with the same shade of blue of the sea. Our tables were on the grounds of the abbey, in whose church we had just sung before lunchtime and under whose archways were white and purple blooms purposefully planted in the tightly edged flower beds.
Three midday quotes:
"I want to move here."
"Let's start HU in Cyprus."
"You know you've seen beauty when you can't tell where the sea ends and the sky begins."
Lunch today began with a fresh salad, dressed with a balsamic vinegar blend. There were five dips - creamy, humus, cheesy, spicy, and another one I can't name - served with warm bread. The chicken course had a creamy sauce on top, and dessert was a syrupy cake with some sort of cream for a middle layer. Our taste buds were well supplied. Our ears were filled with music, and our eyes took in the view from up high - homes on the green mountainsides, white buildings in the village below near the sea, the blue of the sky merging with the same shade of blue of the sea. Our tables were on the grounds of the abbey, in whose church we had just sung before lunchtime and under whose archways were white and purple blooms purposefully planted in the tightly edged flower beds.
Three midday quotes:
"I want to move here."
"Let's start HU in Cyprus."
"You know you've seen beauty when you can't tell where the sea ends and the sky begins."
Passing through different villages on our way to the next tourist site, the Monastery of St. Barnabas, minarets shoot up into the air in this Turkish-occupied part of the island of Cyprus. Along with the Cypriot cypress trees of the Mediterranean landscape, the minarets interrupt the flow of the view on which my eyes rest. It's as if they're shouting for attention. And they get it in more than one way. We heard the call to prayer a number of times today. I have questions about this: Are the songs/calls the same throughout the day? What about the pauses during each call? Do people respond on their way to the mosques? Are the people who do not observe prayer time during each day viewed differently by other village people? Are they the majority? Is the religious population growing in this part of the world? What about Christianity - are there missionaries here on the island of Cyprus where Paul, Lazarus, and Barnabas once dwelled? Is Christianity growing anywhere on earth? I feel so strongly about Jesus, yet I don't know the answers to these questions that people of other religions may ask of me. I must research.
Between the mountain ranges on each side of us, fields of yellow wild flowers separate the villages. If it were a coloring page from my elementary school days, I'd just grab a yellow highlighter.
We explored the first place that Paul and Barnabas visited on Cyprus - the ruins of Salamis. There we saw a Roman bath and theater and sang together. We drove to St. Nicholas Cathedral in Famagusta that is now a mosque. The gothic architecture was elaborate with curves inside the pointed arches - simply stunning, reminding me of Paris' Norte Dame, with its two high, square cylindrical columns welcoming in the pilgrims. Of course, now a minaret is on the left side of the open front door. We took off our shoes to have a look inside and hopped back on the bus to return to the hotel for a late supper and much needed rest.
Between the mountain ranges on each side of us, fields of yellow wild flowers separate the villages. If it were a coloring page from my elementary school days, I'd just grab a yellow highlighter.
We explored the first place that Paul and Barnabas visited on Cyprus - the ruins of Salamis. There we saw a Roman bath and theater and sang together. We drove to St. Nicholas Cathedral in Famagusta that is now a mosque. The gothic architecture was elaborate with curves inside the pointed arches - simply stunning, reminding me of Paris' Norte Dame, with its two high, square cylindrical columns welcoming in the pilgrims. Of course, now a minaret is on the left side of the open front door. We took off our shoes to have a look inside and hopped back on the bus to return to the hotel for a late supper and much needed rest.
It's been a long and full day of all kinds of beauty and appreciation - of God, His creation, and each other. These students are making the most of their overseas semester. They are academically responsible, they are polite and thankful to the adults in their lives, and they are developing relationships with each other on a deep level. They are sharing experiences which allows them the chance to form bonds that only they can completely understand together. It's beautiful to witness, and we're blessed to be a part of this particular chapter in their lives.
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