ΓΕΙΑ ΣΕ ΌΛΟΥΣ! (Hello everyone!)
After a weekend of relaxation and very good company, on Monday began Greek classes at the University of Cyprus. An intensive course in basic level which will last until the last week of August. One of the concerns we had the volunteers was how to get to the University, since public transport in Nicosia is not one of the strengths of the city and due to the heat of these dates we had very clear that the bike would be a good choice. Six kilometers at two of noon to return home with forty degrees, a blazing sun and a loaded air, leaving no breathing is not the best picture to use bicycle. Anyway, I decided to try their luck the first day to see if he survived the experience.

I woke up on Monday at seven in the morning to prepare myself and to leave home with plenty of time. I knew the bike route till the University, but not the time I would need to get there. At eight Barbara and I took the bike and headed to the College. We arrived there about half past eight, which gave us time to relax the body and entering to the class in full conditions. A little later would arrive Benjamin and Gioia. There, we met our classmates and our teacher, Michalis. Started the class and soon we could check that all our colleagues were at least one year living in Cyprus, what despite being a basic level group, allowed to the profesor to advance faster of it normal. For us, who landed at the island just three and a half months, was a tricky.

The next day, just entering class the teacher proposed to Barbara, Gioia and Benjamin change the class of to the side, also of basic level but at a level more suitable to their needs. About me, Michalis didn´t know what to do. As I’ve been meeting regularly with my language exchange friends since my arrival, I have been able to learn to read in Greek before the beginning of classes, because of that the doubt of the professor. He suggested me try it the second day, and if I saw that I couldn´t follow the group still would have the option to change my class. At the end of the morning I had it clear, I would change class. In a group where the level is so high you learn many things, but also leave many other basic and important ones without understanding, so we’re going, as say the Cypriots, siga siga.

On Wednesday I definitely changed class. With a level more suited to my needs, I felt more comfortable and adapted to the group. Arriving at noon after five hours of Greek, it was time to return home, and just like Monday and Tuesday, the temperature Wednesday was close to forty degrees. Six kilometers with that circumstances are eternal, but that there is no forced to make them. Arriving home, a good shower, something to eat and a siesta time, to recover energy.
On Thursday I followed classes. As it was passing week, it was having harder to go to the University, not so much as the classes as it of early and the bicycle ride. Every day that passed, the level of difficulty of the classes and the amount of content that we got  were at times difficult to digest, so on the afternoon of Thursday I I met with my language exchange partner to chat a while in Spanish and to solve some doubts I had with Greek. In the evening, we met Manu, Gioia, Benjamin, Georgiana, Emanuela, her friend Laura and I for dinner at a downtown restaurant where the specialty is the “souvlaki”. Then, together with Yari and Ilenia, went to take a beer, to don´t end too soon the night. At about half-past twelve, we took the car to go back home. I had to rest, the weekend was interesting as well as exhausting, even more so after the first week of school, it was waiting for us “Fengaros”, one of the most important music festivals of Cyprus.

On Friday, after the Greek lessons, I prepared the rucksack, tent and other belongings and around six loaded things in Manu´s car. This time we were in the car Manu, Benjamim, Portuguese and workmate of Manu’s organization and I. The car which had completed the “convoy” were Michalis, Panaiotis, and Ángeles. In the village of Kato Drys where the festival, we would meet with the rest of the troop. We arrived at the village, parked in the boonies and we headed to the campsite to mount the tents. At eight o’clock on Friday that was already bursting with people and all the shadows were picked to mount tents, we didn´t have any other posibility more than camping open sky, but yes, near the site of concerts and the toilets, very handy to cover our basic needs (drinking and piss).

At night, all the group enjoyed a night of good vibes, laugh and emotion. Several national groups and other international accompanied the evening with their music, although I must say that my idea of music festival is a bit different of what saw there. The music that was played was good, but not to give jumps and dance without stop. We would wait to Saturday night.

On Saturday morning, after a short night of sleeping because of the heat, we had breakfast the entire group and went to the beach to spend the day there. Back, a shower and to prepare the body for the night. The village was crowded at times. If the previous night had people, Saturday is done. In the evening, was a “very famous” singer that hadn´t heard in my life, Joss Stone. Probably I’m not such updated in music as he believed. We returned at night to concerts after our particular driking point next to the concerts arena to enjoy the music, but there was no music to move the body at all. The singer above was the middle of the night, and while he sang like angels, not hit much in the style of the festival. Anyway, it went well.

Sunday was time to pick up the stuff and return to Nicosia. But before that, even had time in the morning to go a bit to the beach and enjoy a bit more the day. Bad luck for us, to get to the beach we were told that we could not swim because apparently the water contained oil fluid of any accidental spillage. After staying a while in the sand under the umbrella, we collected things and went back to Nicosia. I had to do my homeworks of Greek and to rest since the following week would come hard.
Because the classes of Greek and other activities that I am doing, don’t have much time to write, so I’m going to stop writing for a couple of weeks. I hope all friends and family at the back. A big hug!