Meeting the Neighbors

Posted by Sarah Waldrip on Jun 8, 2011 | 2 comments

 

After a week in Cyprus, it is rapidly beginning to feel like I have a new home away from home. New friendships are blossoming all around me, not only among my wonderful roommates and fellow students from Tennessee, but also with the friendly neighbors who kindly shared their knowledge of the island (and their delicious home-made Halloumi from Larnaka) with me last night.

After a frustrating day of wasted film shoots, and a still more frustrating evening of faulty internet connections and missed opportunities to talk to my loved ones back home, I was beginning to think the night was best to be written off as a loss. As I stepped out to my balcony to smoke, however, I heard the familiar sounds of Pink Floyd’s “Division Bell” album coming from the neighboring apartment. I could not contain my excitement for more than a moment, and I caved in to the temptation of poking my head around the balcony wall and saying hello (in Turkish, though, since I was unsure where this encounter might end up as far as verbal interactions go).

Three hours later, Andreas and Stephanos had shared insight and laughter with me about many things, from American cinema to the wild driving habits of the Cypriots to the superiority of their home town (Larnaka, so they said, was by far the best place to be) in comparison to all others on the island. I was delighted to be so well received after such an unusual greeting, leaning around the third floor balcony feeling very silly indeed.

This island is full of surprises. Definitely the good kind. 🙂