The Circle of Life

Monday was our first client meeting. My group is comprised of three VCU students (Eric and Jenn) and one student from Nicosia (Barbara – pronounced Varvara, since “beta” is pronounced “vita” in Greek). We are glad that Barbara is working with us. She is knowledgeable, kind and we appreciate her knowledge of the local culture. She is a Cyprus native, and her parents are from Northern Cyprus. 

We met our client, Andreas, at the University at 10:00 am. I was not sure what to expect, but Andreas was more wonderful than anyone I could have imagined working with these two weeks. He is a forty-six year old man with a slight build and round, silver rimmed glasses. He appeared shy at first, but I soon learned he is incredibly humble. He manages vacation resort properties on the Mediterranean Sea in Ayia Napa, which is a little over an hour drive from where I am staying in Nicosia. He owns five of the fifteen houses and owns the company that manages these properties, both for himself and for other owners. My group is tasked (broadly) with helping him grow his business. All of his properties are eco-friendly, which reflect Andreas’s personal values about nature. The properties located are on the beach but they also border Cape Greco National Park. Andreas wants to unite the property owners, current renters and future renters into an eco-friendly community that shares similar passions and values. 

Andreas is the most refreshing individual I have met in a long time. He used to work in a corporate environment, working 15 hours a day, seven days a week. He also has a wife and four children ages 17, 14 and 11-year old twins. His family is his life. He realized spending time with family is more important than anything else in his life, so he left his corporate job to manage these properties and to raise his children in an environment surrounded by nature. Andreas said he believes nature is healing, and there is nowhere else he would want to raise his family. Even though he is still an incredibly busy man, he spends every day with his family. It’s always refreshing to me when I meet a rare gem who genuinely understands what is important in life. Spending time with family, learning, and being close to nature are much more important to him than making money.

Andreas insisted my group spend two days in one of the vacation resorts to explore the area for our project and also to thank us for working on this project for him. His offer was so incredibly generous. On Tuesday morning, Barbara picked Eric, Jenn and I up in Nicosia to bring us to the resort. On the way, we passed her sister’s house and stopped inside for coffee and snacks. Her sister is an architect designer who likes to paint, so you can imagine the beauty of her home. I was so appreciative that Barbara let us stop in. When traveling, you typically partake in tourist-like activities. This offered us a rare glimpse into everyday, Cypriot life. We also met Barbara’s two nephews, ages 12 and 3.

When we arrived at the Artisan Resort, we could not believe what we saw. The house we were staying in was located right on the beach, with the large, blue Mediterranean sea as a backdrop. As if that was not enough, the back patio had a small rectangular pool, and several areas to relax in the shade amongst flowers and plants. If you looked up the definition of relaxed in the dictionary, this should be the featured photograph. The house is eco-friendly. All appliances use less energy, and air conditioning is not necessary. The windows are designed to channel wind, and there are always cool breezes flowing through the house. There are several beautiful, large pictures on the wall, which Andreas took himself.

Andreas stopped by about thirty minutes later and asked if we were ready for an adventure. He did not tell us what journey we were about to embark on, but said we needed to wear bathing suits and sneakers.

We piled into his Land Rover and he first drove us to one of the most beautiful beaches in all of Cyprus. We stayed for about five minutes because he said more exciting adventures were awaiting us. 

We then went to a beautiful cliff with a small church perched upon it. It’s one of those white buildings with bold, blue roofs that immediately come to mind when you think of Greece. Behind the church, there were a series of steep steps that led to a cave. We crawled into the cave and took pictures of the sea from inside. 

Andreas then took us off-roading in his Land Rover to show us some of his favorite spots. Each location was always accompanied by an impressive description of history and life from Andreas. He said the best adventure was still yet to come. He took us to another cliff, and told us we needed our suits and shoes. I noticed young guys jumping off of a cliff into the deep, clear blue water below. I personally do not like heights, and my first impression was “no way.” Eric, on the other hand, was immediately ready to jump. I videotaped his first jump as he plummeted off of the rocks into the water below. We all climbed down to where he landed and entered another sea cave. It was dimly lit, and we waded through waist-high water. It was one of the most beautiful caves I had ever seen. Andreas explained that people would have lived in this cave in early times. He showed us where they would sleep and hide. On the way out of the cave, I looked up at the cliff and decided it did not look as high as I originally thought. I traveled all the way to Cyprus, and this was not something I could pass up. Eric stayed in the water below with his camera. It took me about five minutes to actually jump, and I could feel the adrenaline pulsing through my body. I started telling all the Cypriot boys they could go before me when Eric said, “Let’s go!” I inched to the edge of the cliff, looked down, stopped thinking, and just jumped. It felt like it took eight seconds to reach water, but it was much shorter than that. I finally felt the cool water envelop my body and I knew I had done it. I had two firsts that day: exploring sea caves and cliff jumping. 

After that, Andreas brought us to a food truck that arguably makes the best sandwich I have ever had. The owner of the food truck, Louis, has been a good friend of Andreas’s for ten years. As we approached, Louis and another man were smoking and playing backgammon. For the second time that day, I felt like I had a window into real Cypriot life. We sat down and ate and drank Cyprus coffee for thirty minutes before heading back. Andreas proudly showed us how Louis was featured in a magazine for his fantastic sandwiches.

Andreas drove us back to our house and we walked along the beach. He showed us the ancient remains of homes and palaces along the beach. He concluded and inferred an incredible amount of information on his own, after studying the area for four years. He also published a ten-page history of Cyprus. Thousands of years of history condensed into ten pages. He shared the history with us over lunch, and I marveled at his wide range of interests and knowledge. I admire his insatiable appetite for knowledge.

Andreas had an obligation in Nicosia and drove back after what was an unbelievable day. I went for a short run along the beach. Marathon training isn't so bad when your backdrop is the Mediterranean Sea at sunset.

Later, our group walked to a local tavern called Kafkaros for dinner and we all ordered the special, which was Kleftiko (lamb). This special consisted of a multicourse meal. I got broccoli soup as an appetizer, lamb and potatoes and vegetables as a main course, and ice cream for dessert.

We concluded our day working on our project together. We then sat outsize gazing up at the clear, black sky dotted with twinkling stars. There is absolutely no light pollution where we are, and it makes me feel like I can reach up and grab one of the stars. The light from the moon poured onto the Mediterranean Sea in a thin strip along the water. Astounding beauty.

I pondered Andreas’s wise words from the day. He said work is work and life is life. If they work together, you have balance and will not come home frustrated each day. He told us how he is from Northern Cyprus and his parents became refugees when he was six years old. They lost absolutely everything. His mother passed away when he was eighteen years old. He said the only thing he has left is time, so he wants to make the most of it. He does not know how long the candle will be lit. He said his life has been hard at times, but it is a good life because of family. All he wants is to be with good people. With people who care. I told Andreas I don't know how I am fortunate enough to work with him on this project, but I feel very lucky. He said he feels the same and has never had an opportunity like this before. 

He played a song for us during our drive that his good friend (and famous musician in Cyprus) sings. We couldn’t understand the words so we asked him for their meaning. He said the song is about life. Specifically, the circle of life and what stays behind. It reminded me of two of the three favorite quotes Natalie has in her Facebook profile:

“You have forgotten who you are and so have forgotten me. Look inside yourself, Simba. You are more than what you have become. You must take your place in the Circle of Life.”

“Everything you see exists together in a delicate balance. And so we are all connected in the great Circle of Life.”

And so we are. It’s a big world that is actually very small. We are all connected.