Cyprus
Jasi Toor
Cyprus… when I think of this place, I don’t know how to describe it other than a little Island heaven with all the comforts of western society. In my opinion, Cyprus is whatever you want to make of it. The island is absolutely beautiful with breath taking beaches and panoramic cliffs and views that would be well suited to family vacations and trips for the children.
Fig Tree Bay in the town of Pretoras is an incredible, family friendly beach that is sure not to disappoint. If a beautiful view is what you’re after, head to Cape Greco and take a dive off a cliff or capture an iconic selfie in the small cave.
At the same time, if a party is what you’re after, look no further than Ayia Napa. The main square has tonnes of bars and nightclubs. Most often, you will see people begin with a lounge in the square and head to a nightclub around 11:30 PM or 12 AM. The nightclubs have differing hours but when one closes another is always open! Typically, a set of them will close around 3 AM, at which point another set will become busy for the much sought after “After Party”.
During the busy season, pretty much anywhere you decide to go will be busy but during the shoulder seasons typically only one or two nightclubs (Pirates, and Encore) are busy – that being said, we went during the shoulder season and had an INCREDIBLE TIME.
The vast majority of the Island residents speak English, so if you’re looking for things to do or ways you can help out in Cyprus it’s easy to make connections. Sherry from the profile above, is the Vice President of Cyprus Samaritans – an organization that provides people that need it a listening ear for literally any reason at all.
They mentioned that they’re looking for more Greek speakers to volunteer some time listening on the phone. If you’re interested in reaching them, please see their website here: https://www.cyprussamaritans.org/contact-us/. In addition to Cyprus Samaritans, there are tonnes of people doing incredible work for their communities and most of them will speak English so just ask!
Cyprus is a phenomenal island and it seems that the tourists leave their worries at the airport as they head into the city. You are sure to meet people from across Europe (especially more affluent western European countries), and the Middle East. Due to the distance, you typically don’t see very many North Americans but if you’re considering taking a trip over the pond, I can assure that you WILL NOT REGRET IT!
Jaafer Khani
As Jasi summed it up above, Cyprus was an incredible island nation. A lot of Europeans vacation there as it receives over 300 days of sunlight each year? We went there to kick off Give Back Globally’s return to travelling post Covid-19. Well, its not really over but we are vaccinated and are taking full precautions. We arrived there with our friends from Canada and had an absolute blast soaking up the sun.
We had the great opportunity of meeting Cherry, who is the Vice President of Cyprus Samaritans. They are a non-profit organization that have a hotline for anyone to call if they want to talk about their problems and just destress. Suicide prevention starts with just a simple conversation in a place free of judgement and always willing to listen. To support the hotline, Cyprus Samaritans have various shops, where donated items are resold and all proceeds go to supporting the hotline. For those thinking of visiting Cyprus, please consider visiting Cyprus Samaritans shops and if you want to volunteer, they are always welcoming people. Thank you as always for reading and see you in the next country!