On Saturday June 14, GLS Summer 2008 in Cyprus students went for three days to the beautiful city of Paphos in Cyprus. On our way to Paphos we had the opportunity to visit the spectacular Kolossi Castle and Kourion Amphitheater in Limassol. In Paphos the group visited the Petra tou Romiou, “The rock of the Greek”, which is according to legend is the birthplace of Aphrodite, where we took some wonderful pictures as the beautiful scenery demands. We then continued on to the Paphos Medieval Fort where we visited the famous mosaics and the house of Dionysos.
That’s me at Kourion Amphitheater
During our stay in Paphos we got to enjoy the gorgeous beaches and also work on our tan ☺ Some of us even got together and went out for Karaoke night!
On our way back to Nicosia on Monday, the group had a lunch stop at the traditional village of Lefkara. Lefkara is famous for its local lace called “Lefkaritika” and for its stunning church of the Holy Cross.
- Marianna
As part of orientation, we also went on a bike excursion throughout the city. Our tour guide, Cecile, was very animated and fun. We stopped at many places including Place des Vosges which is the oldest square in Paris. Built by Henry IV, this was also the first royal court and where Victor Hugo once lived. From there we went to the Marais area which is considered the first Jewish neighborhood of Paris. We also rode around the Musée du Louvre. From the courtyard you can see the incredible size of the museum and the glass pyramids featured in the film, The Da Vinci Code. We passed over the Seine and ended our tour with delicious ice cream on the Île Saint-Louis, an island in the city.
I would definitely recommend a bike tour to anyone visiting Paris because it is a great way to learn - both informatively and directionally - more about the city.
- Ashley
The GLS graduation ceremony for the Class of Spring 2008 students based in Cyprus took place on May 13 at UNESCO Amphitheater at the University of Nicosia. Everyone was looking forward to it after a great semester, filled with amazing memories.
The ceremony began with a speech by Dr. Andreas Polemitis. Two small presentations followed by the Lefkosia.com student interns and the Cultural Heritage Interns where the students explained the work they did during the semester.
The Ceremony continued with announcing the Photography competition winners. The prize for the winners was adinner for four people at a famous traditional Cypriot restaurant. There was a grand prize winner, 2 runner ups and many honorable mentions. It looks like there is artistic talent in the group!
Next, GLS staff awarded students with their Graduation Certificates for the successful completion of the program. The ceremony ended with a multimedia presentation prepared by the Class Historians after gathering photos and videos from every student in the group. Everybody was very touched by the presentation and tears were inevitable as a wonderful semester was about to end.
After the ceremony, GLS staff and students proceeded to Prosilion Restaurant for the graduation dinner. We all had a great time and already miss you guys! ☺
- Marianna
From Charlemange to Bismark, Nazism and the Berlin Wall, Germany is the Heart of Europe. Students enjoyed Berlin very much and everyone noticed haw clean the city is and how organized the buildings are in the city. We walked along the Berlin Wall and were surprised to see that the Wall is not as tall as we all imagined it to be.
We visited the Holocaust Monument and the Checkpoint Charlie which became a symbol of the Cold War, representing the separation of east and west.
- Mia
Today, our Semester in Europe students go on the Europe trip with me and Marianna. It will be quite an experience as we visit 9 European countries in 2 weeks! You could definitely see the excitement in everyone’s eyes and the big smiles on their faces. The Europe trip was about to begin.
Hungary! Even though it was early in the morning when we arrived there, the sightseeing in Budapest managed to keep all of us wide awake and very eager to see and learn about the “Queen of the Danube”. We visited the Castle District and the River Danube. Budapest is also known for its Spas.
- Mia
On March 22 we left for our trip to the Mediterranean. Students on our Semester in Europe, Global Semester: World Cultures and Semester in the Mediterranean programs attended this trip as part of their program travel. Everyone was very excited and anxious at the same time to finally get to meet this part of the world. Our journey began in Athens. While there, the group had the opportunity to visit the Parthenon and the Acropolis and walk through the Agora. You could see in the face of every student the admiration for the Greek architecture that revealed this ancient civilization. In Athens, we also had the chance to enjoy the famous Greek cuisine and walk around the Monastiraki area (flea market). Some of the students actually had the chance to visit one Greek island on their free day.
The group at the Acropolis
Veronica, Ashley, Caitlin, Anna and Jamie in front of the Caryatides.
Our trip continued to Rome. As soon as we arrived we had an arranged guided tour of the city of Rome. We of course had to throw a coin in the Trevi Fountain and go up and down the Spanish Steps! On the next day we visited the Colosseum and the Vatican.
At the Trevi Fountain
On our way to Florence we stopped to see the famous Laaning Tower of Pisa where of course we had to take the ‘must’ pictures!
Then… my favorite city, Florence! Florence is a gorgeous city. Built in Medieval times you can actually feel the history coming out of the bricks of every building. In Florence we visited the Ufizzi and the Academia Museum, where we admired the Michelangelo’s statue of David. I don’t need to mention the food and shopping? Well, we were in Italy… so you can imagine! ☺
Mia and Marianna in Florence
Last on the itinerary but certainly not least was Venice. Some chose to visit the famous St. Mark’s Square and Basilica, while others preferred to go on a gondola ride. Either way, every one had a great time in Venice and it was a great finish for our trip to the Mediterranean!
On our way to Venice
- Marianna
Given that there is a reasonable probability that Hurricane Felix will pass through Belize in the next 36-48 hours, we and our partner (Galen University), have activated our hurricane response plan.
Specifically:
· The university will be closed starting at 5pm today (Monday) and will not reopen to students until the all-clear is given by the Belizean government.
Tomorrow (Tuesday), university staff will be shutting down the computing and power infrastructure at Galen in preparation for the storm.
· San Ignacio is located in the highlands of Belize away from the coast, so our primary concerns relate to wind damage and localized flooding as opposed to an oceanic storm surge. We also expect that there will be outages to local phone and power service during this week.
· Given this, tomorrow (Tuesday) in the early evening, one of our senior administrators will be moving our study abroad students to a concrete building equipped with multiple backup generators where they will stay until the storm has passed.
While we are taking some prudent steps given the situation, overall, we do not see any cause for concern at this stage. We will post an update if the situation changes or when the hurricane has past and we have returned to regular university operations.
You can reach us at (877) 300-7010 with any questions.
