9.From Turkey to Cyprus

 When we returned to Turkey after visiting my children for the mid-summer vacation, the inflation there was very high. Luckily, the summer vacation was not over yet. What should I do? I was thinking about going back when I got a phone call from Cyprus. An old friend of mine works as a dean at a university there. It was him. We called him before going to America. Among many other things, he mentioned the inflation in Turkey and other things. Suddenly he said, are you interested in coming here? Then we can arrange a reasonable salary. In any case, just go back after completing the vacation you have taken. We are starting a new course and department. We are starting the Electrical Electronics Engineering Department. It would be good if you could join as its head. What the doctor ordered and what the patient wanted became one. I thought to myself that it would be enough to avoid the trouble of having to bring money from home to go back. He quickly gave me detailed information. It was a new department, I would not see any of my subjects in the first year, I would have to teach some other subjects, there was a flat with all the facilities to live in nearby, and I would give half of my salary in dollars or pounds. I was very happy. So I decided to leave from Turkey. Turkey is full of flowers and greenery, a place to meet many friends and good people.

Before leaving, I remembered that I had not accepted the invitation to Abdu's house, which had come to pick us up at the airport. Abdu was a teaching assistant in the department. He lived a short distance from the university with his second wife and mother. A nice rural atmosphere. The house looks like a house with vines around it. Large, ripe grapes hang from the vines. If you reach a little closer, you can get a grape in your mouth. Abdu has grown this to the second floor of the house. Abdu's mother and wife do not speak English very well, and I only know a few words of Turkish. However, language was not a barrier to communication between us. The usual Turkish food was served in a hearty form. We enjoyed it more than the food in the star hotel. Abdu's wife Amina was pregnant. However, she came with us to take us back home. Her hand was in mine the whole way. I felt the closeness of my own daughter. Once again, I felt the pain of leaving these good people. They all knew the reason for leaving, but where could they go? They have to experience the good and bad of their country.

Before leaving, it was found that Mrs. needed a medical examination. Friends from the university made it easy for her to do so. When she went to the medical department, a nice woman, about the same age as Mrs., a gynecologist, was surprised to see his saree, like all women. The hospital premises, which were kept very clean, were decorated with flowers and plants. She said that even when he was laid on the table for examination, the doctor and the nurse were discussing his saree. . After a detailed inspection, they said that there was nothing wrong and gave us a copy of the test report and kindly came to our door. We have no complaints about the special consideration given to us, whether because we are foreigners or Indians.

To Cyprus: A Sea Voyage and a Little History

We can travel from Adana to Cyprus by plane or by ship. Since many of our belongings from America were still packed and quite heavy, and because we had never travelled by sea before, we decided to experience the thrill of a voyage. From Adana, it is a three-hour bus ride to the ancient port of Mersin. Our fond memories of whale watching in America encouraged us to choose the boat, though we soon realized that the reality would be quite different.

Leaving was difficult. We lost six months' worth of rent on our house, and the furniture we had purchased was sold for a pittance or given away for nothing. With heavy hearts, we boarded the bus with thirteen packages. Upon reaching the port, we saw a massive vessel capable of carrying cars on its lower deck. Many wealthy students travel to Cyprus this way, and the port was crowded with BMWs, Renaults, and Mercedes-Benzes.

The journey itself was grueling. Because the sea was rough, all doors and windows were sealed, and the air conditioning failed. The cabin became sweltering and overcrowded. Soon, the rhythmic tossing of the boat led to widespread seasickness. My wife felt terribly ill; she curled up with her head in my lap, unable to move, while other passengers around us were getting sick into plastic bags.

Finally, after a "hellish" journey, we reached the port in Cyprus at 5:30 PM. After passing through customs, a university vehicle drove us to our accommodation. We were housed in a two-story building with other foreign teachers from Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Russia, and Germany. While most were single, we were the only family. Aside from one friend, we were the only Asians there.

A Divided Island

There are two distinct parts of Cyprus. We arrived in Northern Cyprus, which is under Turkish control. The island’s name is said to derive either from Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, or from the copper (Cu) that was once mined there in abundance. Historically a haven for pirates, it later became a British colony due to its strategic importance. Today, the north is predominantly inhabited by Turkish Muslims, while the south and west are home to a majority Christian Greek population. It is a fertile land, famous for its oranges and grapes.

When the British—the "rulers of the empire on which the sun never sets"—finally departed, they left behind a complex political situation, much like they did in India. To prevent conflict, a 1960 constitution established Turkey, Greece, and Britain as guarantors of peace. However, tensions rose under President Archbishop Makarios , who began removing Muslims from government positions.

In 1974, following failed warnings and continued unrest, Turkish forces invaded the northern part of the island to protect the Turkish Cypriot community. This led to the formation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). While recognized by Turkey and Pakistan, it remains unrecognized by the UN. Today, a UN-patrolled "Green Line" separates the two sides. While the South has joined the European Union, the North remains under an economic embargo, struggling to export even its fruit juice and relying heavily on aid from Turkey and remittances from relatives abroad.