By: Arthur Pino

Today is the last Thursday I will be spending in Cyprus; I cannot wait to be home to my family. This trip was incredible in so many ways. It brought me closer to my family, my friends, myself, my country, and my religion. What more can a person ask for in anything they do?

            This was the first time in my life I have been this far from my family, especially my kids, and especially for this long. It allowed me to grow faith in my family and my children’s mother. I was always so stressed about anything happening and me not being able to be in a position to fix it. Being six-thousand miles away, there was nothing I could do. However, my kids stayed safe, nothing bad happened, and everything worked out for me and them. This will allow me to relax home and abroad in the future. It eased my mind and grew my heart, and I owe it to being here.

            While being here I have spent quite a bit of time alone. This, combined with the ability to think to myself has allowed quite a bit of self-reflection. Most importantly, it has allowed me to consider that my friends are extremely important to me, because they have been friends to me, as me. Not everyone will be your friend, and that’s okay.

            As stated above it has also brought me closer to my country. America has flaws, politically, nutritionally, societal issues, and the list goes on. But it also has all of my favorite things; politically, nutritionally, and societal. While yes, the Mediterranean food is better here, by leagues, everything else is better in America. I cannot wait to get home and eat a burger from Jim’s Burger Haven, Five Guys, or Grandpa’s Burger Haven, I cannot decide which yet. Then there’s Mexican food. Being Mexican and not having had any of their cuisine for a month now has been the worst challenge. In addition to the complete lack of spicy food here. I miss driving even, something I loathed doing in America. Not being able to drive anywhere has left a hole in my heart that only Denver traffic will fill, I am kidding, sort of. Most of all I miss the Rocky Mountains. We are truly blessed to have such a landscape in Denver. Makes me appreciate the efforts of my ancestors coming from Spain.

            Speaking of my ancestors, this trip brought me closer to their religion, my religion, Christianity. When bored, I take walks to the Holy Church of Saint Lazaros, sometimes its open, sometimes its not. But regardless, I bask in its beauty, inside or out, and pray. Seeing a whole community with such reverence for our shared religion has been truly meaningful to me. I really think going to the church so often has been the source of my finds at the site. I genuinely came with no expectation of finding anything, besides pottery of course. I have horrible luck, I can’t even find my keys most days. However, here I have found what I can only describe as buried treasures. A ring, a figurine head, a spear head, a coin, a sling bullet, I know there are more, but I cannot recall. All more than two-thousand years old, waiting there for me to come across them. Would I have found them without going to the church so often, maybe, maybe not. But being in the land where St. Lazaros, The Virgin Mary, and St. Helena, who I have learned is the patron saint of archaeology, has been awe inspiring.

            I have many people to thank for everything that has taken place here. My mother and the mother of my children for making sure my kids were taken care of while here and being there when needing someone to talk to. Professor Justin Stephens for inviting me, the information he has taught me that I have used here and at home and guidance he has given me on and before the trip. Professor Brandon Olson for his part in discovering this site and making all this happen. Professor Brandon Baker for being the trench supervisor, teaching me all I have learned in the field, and his patience with me and my jokes. I also have God to thank for everything as always, as well as keeping everyone safe while here, and all my finds. The artifacts discovered this month will one day be displayed in a museum, and that alone is a dream come true for any student of history.