Final words for the assignment

The reason that I created the blog instead of just writing this assignment in a word document is that I was hoping to share my experience with the others and I wish that they can find it useful. The visits to the blog shows that in a short time and with a very few posts it was quite successful :) I want to thank everyone who read the blog and the suggestions and the contributions that I got.  I appreciate all of them.

My journey here is not finished yet, and I hope to get the chance to write more entries and share more of the experiences. Many of them are still in line, but there is a time limit here and I cannot put all of them before the deadline of the assignment. The entries included so far, are just a handpicked version of many. In the past four month that I was working on this report, I traveled multiple times to all the  major cities in the Northern part, and a number of the villages on the way. I visited most of the historical places, which I haven't got the chance so far to write about, I have been to the cool spots in the town, famous restaurants and cafes and I wish to share that with you in a near future.

For now, I need to have a conclusion though. I have been in Northern Cyprus now for more over 9 month and I have learned a lot and have experienced many things. This has truly been an amazing experience. It is interesting that how much a place can change you this quickly, in a way that you do not even understand. One the examples that I have recently noticed, a very simple one, is the changes in my key-chain! 

The first picture is what my key chain style used to be! Then in the other two you can easily see how it changed in a very Cypriot way! and became very similar to those of my friends from Cyprus. 

This may seem like a silly example, but it was one of the instances that I really felt the change that I went through in this short time. There are of course other changes, I have learnt some Survival Turkish, added many items to my favorite lists, such as tavuk dolma (stuffed chicken) to my favorite food list, Oza to my favorite types of coffee and Grup Baria to my favorite performers. I have learned to even be calmer here and if someone who has not seen me in this time sees me, I am sure that they will notice that I have changed a lot.

The experience has been more than wonderful, and I want to thank everyone who has been involved in it so far. I have come to know this island as a second home, and there I wish all the best for it and its residence. One final piece of advice, if you have not visited Cyprus yet, do it as soon as you can, otherwise you will regret it.

All the best

Grup Baria

Grup Baria is a Turkish-Cypriot music group that sings different Turkish and Cypriot songs and performs in different events. They became one of my favorites in a very short time and I got to see their performance 3 times in the past three month. They are loved by the Cypriots that I know and the participation rate in their programs proves that they are a popular group. They are famous for their hats, which is the only mandatory part of their uniform. As a result many of the participants in the concerts and performances wear some sort of head-wear.

Their Facebook and twitter account contains announcements of the upcoming events. 

https://www.facebook.com/grupbaria?fref=ts

https://twitter.com/grupbaria

You can enjoy the following performances by the group.

Oza Coffee

As I promised earlier, I want to explain a little bit about Oza coffee. It is a Cypriot brand of Turkish coffee and some Cypriots even call it the Cypriot version of Turkish coffee. You may wonder why the brand of coffee gets a separate post for itself, and the answer is very clear! Because not only it is a very strong coffee which coffee lovers will enjoy, it is also one the most interesting brands that I have ever seen. Just take a look at this add:

It has a very cool start and then suddenly everything changes! You can see the same mentality and creativity in their website, http://www.ozakahve.com/, and their Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/ozakahve.

How can anyone not fall in love with this brand after just a couple of minutes? :) If you ever get the chance try this coffee and you will be surprised with the quality.

Specially in the city of origin, Magusa in Cyprus. 

The brand has been active since 1984, and was established by a person named Oza of course. The start was very simple and in a very small place, but soon the company grew and is now known even outside of the island and is very popular in the western part. 

Breakfast in Argonya cafe

The New Cyprus Magazine (NCM) describes Argonya as a taste of heaven. I think this is tempting enough on it's own. In the western coast of the northern part of Cyprus, on the road from Guzelyurt to Lefke, there is restaurant and cafe full of wonders. 

Argonya offers breakfast and lunch, and seems to be more famous for the breakfast that it offers. A breakfast so rich, that I am just counting the moments to get back there. The bread is freshly baked and offered in different varieties, the tea is made separately for each table in the traditional way, fried eggs, seasonal fruit, different types of homemade jams and honey, different types of olive and many other options that you may want to have, is served in a beautiful garden. (and I should add, with a great price) There is no surprise that this friendly place has a great 8.5/10 rating in foursquare. They offer Turkish coffee at the end of the breakfast and they are one ofthe few spots to offer oza in the eastern part of the island. oza is a Cypriot coffee which is more common in the west, because it is made in magusa, and I will write about it very soon. There are many other points that I can make about this restaurant but the following pictures are clear enough. If you are interested you can join their facebook page and enjoy their offers and pictures; https://www.facebook.com/ARGONYA.KIBRIS.