WawMUN

This year's Model United Nations conference was a great success. WawMUN, hosted by the Stefan Batory School in Warsaw, was a relatively small conference compared to what our delegates have experienced in the past. We were hoping the size would allow them to take a more active role in the proceedings, and it did. Most importantly, our students were both confident and pleased with their performances and they gained a lot of experience that should allow for future success in our upcoming models. In addition to the model, we were able to focus on some historical and cultural activities like visiting the Gestapo Headquarters Museum, the Uprising Museum, and site seeing in the refurbished "Old Town".

Unfortunately, flights out of Cyprus are often have horrific departure hours. Our direct flight with LOT left at 3:00 AM. It took me a couple of days to get back on track to only have the return flight kick me in the butt all over again as we arrived to Cyprus at four in the morning. Being overtly dedicated (dumb), I reported to work a few hours later to give four loopy lessons and then play two hours of football with the boys in

Monday training.

Beach Camping with the Squirrels!

No, there is not a lot camping in Cyprus. And there are very, very few places to camp as everything is very built up or is a public beach. The few remote places are a bit off the beaten track. Off the beaten track has an entirely different definition in Cyprus. As no one walks anywhere, this can be somewhere that you cannot park you car on top of. To reach this lovely spot you have to carefully manage a slippery slope rock and gravel. It’s a small horseshoe pitch of sand carved out by the ocean. Most ravines like this are filled with debris and refuse (this one not excluded). It’s only 50 minutes from the house and will be a great alternative to anything we might want to do in Nicosia on a Friday evening. We arrived shortly before nightfall, set up camp and enjoyed the stars. We had planned on being home relatively early the following morning, so we were not too upset about a cantankerous old woman who threatened to call the police because Humita was on a beach (trash whole). This is the truly unfortunate thing about Cyprus. There are a few who are extremely limited in foresight and personality. The lovely Cypriot couple in the trash pit adjacent to ours were enamored of all three of Humita’s meter-long ventures into the sea and did not think for a moment that they could catch mad cow disease by touching the same water from a distance of 100 meters. The old woman didn’t have mad cows- she was a mad cow. I took into great consideration her age and simply smiled and said we were leaving. (I had so wanted to show her what the “Aquatic Ostrich” was all about, but I am nice to elderly people- even this one). Also, for the non-linguists, “xenophobe” ξένος and φόβος – from the ancient Greek- fear of foreigners. She kept calling me English while yelling about Humita- “English” “English” “English”. I’m ‘merican Aunt B.!

TIST Convention Istanbul 2010

When our Mac had an accident last spring, I thought we had lost these photos. Fortunately they survived the hard drive lobotomy. I was able to find a few days over a break and skip out to Istanbul to meet up with some fellow TIST members. Our friend, guide, and nomination for “Nicest person from a former Ottoman region”, Atakan, ran us around the city from restaurant to food stall to football stadium. We had a great couple of days and the quick trip only helped to solidify my love affair with Istanbul. I absolutely love this city- history, architecture, food, people.

Vienna

Needless to say, we had a tremendous time in Vienna. It has wedged itself as one of the leaders of our top ten list. Culture, architecture, history, and modernity- it’s enchanting.
What we loved:
- Museums- almost too many, and all very well presented
- Ease- the layout, public transportation is very user-friendly
- Vibe- sporty people who are very laid back. No wonder it has the highest rated quality of living. Bikes everywhere!
- Green, green parks everywhere. Our apartment was a block from the Danube and between runs and picnics we took full advantage of the nature and the pleasant weather.
- Dog friendly. Viennese love their dogs almost as we do. There was a dog park, the hundezone a block from our place where Humi would frolic with her wiener friends. Humi also entered restaurants, cafes, shopping centers, and became an expert with the metro.

We will return to Vienna.

First Week in Vienna

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Nicosia- The Walled City

We like Nicosia. When most people think of Cypriot cities, and most are essentially towns, they overlook Nicosia. As Nicosia doesn’t have the beaches of boardwalk of Limassol or Paphos, it oozes in history. It is the last divided city on the planet. We love to walk through the city center. It’s divided nature resonates its abandonment. Everywhere you turn you are reminded of the conflict. The derelict and decaying buildings are testament to the people’s subconscious efforts to forget the past.

Luckily a few people are making an effort to restore some of the walled city. With Orthodox churches, Venetian walls, and Ottoman homes, its truly unique.

An unarmed post on the dead zone.

Humi's Winter Wonderland

One doesn't usually associate sun drenched Cyprus with snow, but every winter the Troodos is blanketed by a substantial downfall. Unfortunately school and university work have curtailed our usual weekend outings, but a while back we were able to spend an afternoon playing with Humi in the powder. 

As you can see from the photos, it was stunning. Being from the South, I can't really say I've ever actually taken a walk through a snow laden forest. We loved it, but Humi was probably more enthralled than we were- she couldn't stop running about.

Both a bit cold and Humi soaking wet, we made the journey home for some coffee and then a nice dinner.