D151 -- Country/Not a country

We woke up at the crack of dawn so we could arrive at the airport at 630 a.m. and check-in for our flight to Cyprus. The flight was with a charter company, which probably explained the dirty condition we found the plane in when we boarded. However, we didn't mind as we were each able to grab three seats and sleep most of the way. My cousins arranged for a driver to pick up at the airport. Cyprus is actually divided into two countries, the Republic of Cyprus (commonly referred to as Cyprus) and the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus (TRNC or north Cyprus). In 1974 Turkey invaded Cyprus and occupied about 36% of the island, eventually creating the TRNC. Turkey, however, is the only nation in the world that recognizes TRNC as a country. My cousins were staying on north Cyprus, and since we were flying in to the south, we would have to cross the border.

The drive to the village where my cousins are house sitting took about an hour and a half. During this time our driver, Ion, told us a little bit about the history of the island. According to him, Turkey invaded Cyprus because the government (controlled by Greek Cypriots) was persecuting and in some cases even murdering Turkish Cypriots.

Colter and Caitlin met us and showed us their home for the summer. The house is set about midway up a mountain that overlooks the coastline – it is probably about 5 miles to the beach from their house. On a clear day, you can see Turkey in the distance, some 40 miles away. The house has a resident dog, Sepp, who is very adorable and reminds us quite a bit of Maddie.

We were treated that night to a fantastic dinner at the village restaurant, and Elva and I enjoyed getting to know Colter and Caitlin a little better. Colter just finished his first year at Texas A&M University, where he is in the Corps of Cadets (and is actually in the same company that my dad was in as a young cadet over 40 years ago). Caitlin will be starting her junior year at A&M, and she plans on attending medical school when she graduates. We're looking forwarding to hanging out with them over the coming days.

-Tom