Winter Study Abroad: Exploring Cyprus & Cross-Cultural Dialogue
By Xavier Aparicio
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If you are a student at UMass, you know that we have long winter breaks. While this time may be relaxing for some, you may also feel idle or unproductive during the whole month of January that UMass gives us to recuperate from the fall semester.
However, there are a multitude of programs that the International Programs Office, or IPO, has established that offers UMass students the valuable opportunity to study abroad for several weeks during the winter.
One such program is the Cyprus Winter Program, which is supported by the IPO and Commonwealth Honors College. During January 2024, Honors students traveled to the Mediterranean island nation and participated in a four-credit Honors course called Cross-Cultural Communication, taught by senior lecturer of international studies Madalina Akli, all the while exploring the beautiful island.
I had the opportunity to interview several students who participated in the Cyprus Winter Program during the last winter break. Their perspectives on the program reflected on all parts of the Cyprus program, from initially hearing about the program in the fall, to experiencing the program itself, and what they took away from their experience.
After hearing about their experiences, I might consider applying myself! Here’s what some students had to say about the Cyprus program:
Hearing About the Program
Trey Andrews, a sophomore marketing major, had found out about the Cyprus program through his HON 201H: Ideas That Change The World professor, Nicole Nemec. Trey is also a part of the International Scholars Program.
He shared that he felt “very unfulfilled in the crazy amount of time that UMass gives you between the fall and spring semesters” and he wanted to make the winter feel “like a semester in itself.”
Initially, he was on the fence about whether to apply to the Cyprus Winter Program, especially because he was afraid of the potential financial cost that poses a barrier to many students, preventing them from studying abroad.
However, the Cyprus program, along with the International Scholars Program, offers scholarships for study abroad: “Scholarships took a ton of stress off me in that it was going to be affordable. I wasn't going to break the bank to do this.”
He also explained that he saw that one of his best friends was applying for the program at one of the many fall Info Sessions. Andrews learned that during their stay in Cyprus, students live in a “single apartment style dorm with their own kitchen”; and that he was able to “have the time to spend with family and friends for Christmas and New Year's”.
Overall, Trey believes that “even if you don't think you can’t do a full spring or fall semester studying abroad - that doesn't mean you can't go abroad. They make the [Cyprus program] super easy, in my experience. So just for everyone, try to get out there if you can!”
Experiencing Cyprus
Lydia Haddad, a sophomore hospitality and tourism management major, had a lot of great things to say about the program.
First, she talked about the great living arrangements, which were in the dorms at the University of Nicosia, which is the capital of Cyprus: “It was basically a whole studio apartment to yourself, there was a bathroom and a kitchen, bed, desk, everything, which was really nice for being abroad.
She also very much appreciated the Cross-Cultural Communication class: “We met almost every afternoon, and [it] went by really fast, even though it was two hours long. It was about what we can do as good global citizens, how we can learn about other cultures and use our own knowledge to build upon what we learn.”
She recounted her experiences taking trips around the island as well, which she found both formative and insightful: “We explored the island a lot. I feel like we went to every corner and we saw a lot of churches and monasteries, which I really liked because there were Orthodox Christian monasteries, and I'm an Orthodox Christian, so I was like, "Oh, wait, this is actually my culture. This is really cool!"
She also shared that food and recreation costs weren’t an issue, despite being abroad: “Also, food was not that expensive. You didn't have to have a crazy budget to be able to have a good time and experience the food, the culture, and get souvenirs and other things like that.”
Overall, she said that “It was all so worth it…I think the biggest thing is your mind can be opened from studying abroad because it's a place you've never been. It's a place where you don't know the culture as well. It's different — different in a good way.”
Reflections: Overcoming Others’ Bias
Pankhudi Gupta, a senior speech, language and hearing science major, reflected on how the program was fundamental in her learnings of defying stereotypes and new worldviews.
For example, Pankhudi discussed how she immediately unlearned notions of social norms when she arrived. She said that she was told by some friends: “Don't feel as though Cypriot people are being rude to you when they don't look at you, when they don't make eye contact with you.”
In response, she said that, “As someone that's Indian myself, that's something that's very common in my country. We don't really just smile at everybody like we do here, but when I got there, everyone's smiling at me and everyone's laughing… and teaching me little words in Greek Cypriot. It was amazing.”
While Pankhudi had studied abroad in Canada before, she shared that she felt that it was even more impactful to study abroad in a more distant country: “You're going to be very surprised about the place, the people, So I feel like it's a very different, good cultural shock that you should put yourself through now and not later in your life when you're forced to go through this cultural shock.”
For context, the island of Cyprus is politically divided into two separate areas, where South Cyprus is Greek and predominantly Orthodox Christian - which is where UMass students stayed for the month. North Cyprus, on the other hand, is under the control of Turkey and is predominantly Muslim.
Pankhudi shared that she “would hear South Cypriots say that they did not have a bias about the North side, but they very obviously did. To someone who knew nothing about [the divide], I could sense that they were saying the northern side was bad, the south was good - stay in the South.”
She further explained that,“the way that they said it, I was like… your first go-to is ‘Oh my God, these are bad, people.’ But that's not the case. I got a tattoo in Cyprus and I got it on the North side. I went all by myself and walked 20 minutes to this tattoo shop. I didn't speak the language, but I also saw beaches and mountains, it was a great experience.”
In reflection of this experience after coming back to UMass, she said: “I feel like my biggest takeaway is people are not who you think they are or what they're made out to be - you can only experience that by being present in their communities”. In my view, this is precisely the type of critical experiential learning that this program is striving to achieve.
To conclude, she said that, “overall, the trip was very friendly and inclusive, and I cannot recommend it enough to anybody.”
If you are interested in learning more about the Cyprus Winter Program, you should reach out to Madalina Akli, learn more about the International Programs Office, and check out Trey’s student blog!