Photo above and feature photo by glen bowman
Even after my return from a semester in Cyprus, my friends still ask me how Greece was.
“Cyprus,” I correct them.
Spending four months on a tiny and obscure island in the middle of the Mediterranean wasn’t anything I expected it to be — but it was still the best. Experience. Ever.
Here are seven reasons I recommend studying abroad in Cyprus.
Photo by greenacre8
1. Nobody really knows where or what it is.
How many people do you know who have studied in Madrid? Beijing? London?
Then ask yourself how many people you know who have studied in Cyprus. Probably none, right? It’s truly a one-of-a-kind experience — you’ll have stories to tell for life.
2. The price of living in Cyprus is incredibly reasonable.
Unless you’re heading to fine dining and scuba diving lessons on the regular — which you totally can do in Cyprus! — you’ll spend a lot less than you would have spent studying in a major European city.
It’s easy to eat cheaply, taxis charge fairly, and once you start getting to know the locals you’ll barely pay a dime for the nightlife.
You literally have the world at your fingertips.
Europe’s to the west, Asia’s to the east, and Africa’s to the south. During my time abroad, I traveled to all three continents — a trip to Israel, a trip to Egypt, and a trip through Europe during my spring break.
Others in my program took individual trips to everywhere from Turkey to Malta. Even though we often booked flights last minute, they by no means broke the bank.
Photo by aiace
3. You’ll get to experience more of one country than you could anywhere else.
Because Cyprus is so small (seriously, check it out on a map — you may have to squint), not only will you be able to experience all the touristy things, you’ll become very familiar with your surroundings and get to know the locals quickly.
After a semester in Cyprus, it’ll really start to feel like your home away from home.
4. The weather is gorgeous year-round.
I’m a California native and certified weather wimp; European winters would not have been my thing. Cyprus didn’t dip below 55 at any point during my stay, which suited me perfectly.
My east coast friends were practically crying with joy because they could work on their tans in February.
Photo by aiace
5. There’s a reason Cyprus is a vacation destination.
It’s home to some amazing beaches, and there’s something magical about that Mediterranean water. Ocean swimming, jet-skiing, banana boating, cliff diving – there are lots of ways to play in the sea.
(I spent so many weekends on the beach that back home they now call me “The Bronze Goddess.” With Capital Letters.)
6. Cypriots know how to party.
It’s safe to say that they inherited the celebratory nature of the Greeks. That’s right — Cypriots hit the club on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
Not that there’s any shortage of people at the bars on Monday and Tuesday.
If you happen to go abroad during the summer, just imagine your first semester of college all over again… with Greek music, beautiful people, and large bodies of water.
Photo by greenacre8
7. You’ll meet people from all over the world.
I had professors from France, Egypt, and England as well as classmates from literally everywhere.
My Facebook friends list became remarkably multicultural this past semester, and should I ever find myself in Lebanon, United Arab Emirates, Nigeria, or Syria, I now allegedly have a place to stay!
Interested in studying abroad in Cyprus? Here’s a comprehensive list of programs that are offered. If you’re primarily looking to brush up on your Greek or Turkish, try spending a summer studying at the language school in Limassol.
The most popular program for American students is with Global Learning Semesters, which offers studies at the University of Nicosia, Cyprus with the option of additional multi-country travel throughout Europe or Asia.
Community Connection
Matador community member Denise has lived in Cyprus for about 3 years. Member SierraKiloEcho is currently traveling in Cyprus, Turkey and France.
Connect with them and the author of this article – Teresa Wu – through the Matador travel community.
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18 Comments... join the discussion!
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Yeah, I can imagine parents being like, “Wait, isn’t there a civil war going on there or something?”
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I’m not even sure my mother knew what Cyprus was prior to my studying there! While the country is divided, and UN soldiers still patrol the border, it’s not so much a civil war that’s actively being fought — more of a lingering conflict/tension. There was no violence, and I never felt endangered at all.
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I studied with Global Learning Semesters on the southern side in Nicosia. We did cross over a couple of times to shop on the northern side of the border. My program also took us to the harbor and castle at Kyrenia, which were absolutely beautiful.
The divide was definitely a culturally sensitive issue — while in the south, “the occupied side” was the preferred term rather than “the Turkish side,” lest we wanted disapproving stares from the Cypriots!
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Oooh, not a place I had considered, but it will definitely have to be on my list of places to go in 2010.
Thanks for the heads up!
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hmmm…looks like rents aren’t bad!
http://www.lettingscyprus.com/long-term-rentals/
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Nice piece! A free “field trip” to Cyprus was the carrot dangled by my university in front of students to convince them to study Geology. It worked! I remember Cyprus as being as hedonistic as it was beautiful. I don’t remember what rocks we were forced to look at!
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sounds very educational
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It was actually sort of disgraceul how badly we all were behaved. Picture a group of 40-odd Geology students, about to graduate from one of the most prestigious universities in the world for geology, on a field trip to an island with (apparently) fascinating geology. Within 30 seconds of arriving at our first location (on Mount Olympus), the first snowball had been thrown (it hit the lecturer, though where it was aimed I don’t know), and things just deteriorated from there. Highlight of the trip was having a bamboo jousting competition in some gorge somewhere … that, and dancing on the tables in the evening! Yep – study in Cyprus (just remember the “work hard” part of the mantra)!
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haha, field trips can get pretty rowdy – teachers have to lay down a hard line. My students aren’t allowed to touch alcohol.
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A free field trip? That’s pretty awesome incentive. But I can see where “hedonistic” might have come in — we had a good time in Cyprus. Probably too good of a time.
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Great post. I have to say Cyprus was not on my travel radar…but the point about the proximity to Africa, Europe and Asia got my attention. Blue skies and blue bays are a big plus too!
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Thanks — I never thought I’d visit Egypt OR Israel while I was there, but flights were just so affordable, I couldn’t pass them up. Cyprus is absolutely beautiful — even if I couldn’t study there, I’d definitely go for a vacation. In fact, I probably will.
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Wow…the pictures alone are enough to convince me! Great article, thanks!
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Teresa,
Thank you for the wonderful article.
If you come back please let me know, and please come to the office and visit us.
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Wow, I’m from Cyprus and never thought that someone would find it such a great place to study! Most people want to leave the country and study somewhere else. And considering most of the places to study are in Nicosia which isn’t by the coast and that you definitely need a car to get around.
But I agree with the points you mention above.
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Very good read, great info
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