As we creep closer into fall and winter, it’s weird to see the leaves stay green and the weather stay nice and warm. I hear about leaves crunching under my friend’s feet and their breath fogging up the crisp air in the mornings at Wellesley. Here in Cyprus, tourists could still have a great time at the beach if they wanted to!

The history of ownership here in Cyprus is… complicated, to put it lightly. Cyprus is an area in the middle of three major continents: Europe, Asia, and Africa, and its favorable geography has plunged it into the middle of many conflicts. Recently, Cyprus has been under the rule of the Assyrians, Egyptians, Persians, and Ottomans, and finally gained independence from the British in 1960. Now, there exists a cultural and political divide between the Turkish and Greek portions of the island that began with violent conflict and ended with a UN-manned buffer zone. There is a rich cultural history that surrounds Cyprus, and it’s clear that the vegetation and green spaces here are significant.

Since the weather is nice year-round, people spend their time outside, leading to many green spaces. Even around the downtown square and university campus, there are places to sit outside and enjoy the environment.  Something that I’ve noticed is the multiple city-sanctioned trashcans and recycling on the sidewalks. This makes me think a lot of Disneyland, where there are trashcans every few feet to prevent visitors from tossing trash on the floor. This helps prevent waste from being discarded on the floor, and extra resources used to pick it up. I’ve also noticed that you have to turn switches on and off to use electricity. This is helpful because it not only makes you reflect on when you use electricity, but how much you use it. This contributes to electricity conservation across the country and also energy-saving habits. I catch myself pausing before I turn on the switches in my room, and I’ve only been here for a few months!