We gave up on three hour dinners about a week into being in Cyprus.

The first Friday, after work, we were all so sick of each other we huddled in our beds, covers up, trying to pretend like we were alone. It wasn’t so much homesickness as it was bedsickness, the yearning for a space of our own too much to bear. 

It wasn’t even like we don’t like each other, because we do. It’s just that being on all the time, meeting new people, getting to know them, constantly fielding questions and cracking jokes, was exhausting. Throw in the hot sun and manual labor, and you have yourself a Friday night for the books.

Literally. I read like two books that night, just so I could do something that wasn’t smiling and asking someone how many siblings they have and what their zodiac sign is. 

Hannah suggested we order food from Wolt, and Annika picked out a pasta bar to get dinner from, and we all grabbed our food when it showed up in the lobby and put our headphones in and didn’t talk for the rest of the night. 

And it was the best pasta I have ever had.

I got the creamy shrimp and broccoli pasta with rigatoni and extra parm, and oh my God was it spectacular. It was so classically Italian in a way almost nothing else is on the island. Sometimes when you want a certain kind of food here, specifically regional cuisine, it’s a little off. 

Not this.

This was spot on.

And I can’t even lie, we’ve had it like seven more times. 

Capodecina, bless you.

To the woman there who always remembers that I’m allergic to treenuts, bless. To the man there who gives us diet coke for free, bless.

It’s crazy how easy it is to have a regular spot in such a short amount of time, but that is it.

To any future students reading this who have yet to find a regular spot: they are closed on Sundays, but let them know why you’re here and who sent you, and you might qualify for a 10% discount.

-Abby