Cyprus is a beautiful island near Lebanon (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyprus). Indeed, Cyprus is so close to Lebanon that it literally takes only about 20 minutes for an airplane to reach this island from Beirut airport.
Tragically, the Lebanese economic boat has been sinking fast for over three years now.
Luckily, Cyprus is around. The latter is perhaps the only “normal” country of the Middle East. With all due respect to all the countries of the region, by normal, Bambi simply means peaceful… of course despite the very old and unresolved issues (Cyprus and Turkey).
Bearing the above in mind, Bambi read in the Lebanese media (https://today.lorientlejour.com/article/1295548/aub-to-open-campus-in-cyprus.html; http://www.balamand.edu.lb/news/AllNews/Pages/Details.aspx?FilterField1=ID&FilterValue1=243) that: (1) the American University of Beirut (AUB) is planning to open a satellite campus in Cyprus. Indeed, the first students will start their first academic year in Cyprus soon, that is in 2023; and (2) the Balamand University will open a Faculty of Medicine, in partnership with the UCLan Cyprus University. For more details on the locations, you may wish to read the links above.
This being said, Bambi adores Cyprus and is happy for this small country if the two initiatives will result in more economic growth and international visibility in its higher education sector. You can imagine that this country must have been hit hard by the pandemic (i.e., touristic sector) and needs to re-invent itself. Well deserved!
What about Lebanon now? Bambi has mixed feelings: both sad, for sure, and also perhaps promising news. Sad to see the Lebanese brain drain, as a direct result of the country’s financial tragedy (this in addition to the Covid-19 pandemic and the large brain drain that followed the surrealistic Beirut port explosion of August 4, 2020). Just to give you a single example, at another university, Bambi heard that 35 of the close colleagues of her cousin already left the country!
To end on a more promising note, the students who can afford to study in Cyprus or those who may have scholarships will benefit greatly from those initiatives. The location of this country is geographically convenient. The students’ adaptation will likely be easy (weather, food, kindness of people, culture, maybe families not too far, etc.).
To conclude this post on a musical note, here is an example of traditional (Folk) music from this superb island for you for fun. Congratulations to Cyprus… Opa!
