By: Teddy Espinosa

The staff at the Blazer residence in Cyprus do an excellent job of keeping us all comfortable and happy in our home away from home. Of course, with us living here for a whole month, there are bound to be some interesting things that happen while we are living here at the Blazer. It is just as strange to us as it is for the cleaning staff to see us here for such a long time.

The following are some of the funny and strange happenings that happened at the Blazer Residence, and some tips to possibly keep you from facing these circumstances when you are here. 

            Within the first week of living at the Blazer, I had already found myself as a sort of savior to a couple of the front desk ladies.  Kyna, Sarah, Jackson, and I all went out to eat one night, and when we got back, the front desk ladies asked me and Jackson if we were strong men. We had thought that they wanted us to move something heavy for them, and we did not mind helping them, so we obliged. I was not expecting what I was to face, and it was probably the scariest moment of my life living in Cyprus. A big ass spider. This sucker was massive, I mean just absolutely massive and terrifying. My heart skipped a couple of beats when I was handed a broom and asked to go toe to toe with this spider that was around the size of the palm of my hand. The front desk ladies were telling me that it was super dangerous, which immediately made me think that this thing would very easily kill me if it bit me, and this 6’ man with a thick country accent and a sturdy pair of boots decided, “why the hell not?” Thus, I and this spider had a showdown that was recorded by Kyna and Sarah of me successfully defending against the onslaught of evil and quelling the beast in 2 hefty boot smashes. I felt like a hero, and the front desk ladies sure treated me like one, too. However, you should know that the spiders here in Cyprus, albeit venomous, are not deadly to humans. If anything, these spiders help fend off other ugly critters like roaches from the Blazer Residence. They are big and scary-looking, but you do not have to worry about them killing you. 

            Some of the other strange occurrences have always happened with the cleaning staff. They are fantastic! Although they can be somewhat intrusive at times. Normally, when they are cleaning your room, you will not be there. They usually will clean around 10am, and get done with your room in about 20 minutes. However, if you are having a day off or got off early at Terra Ombra, you may have an unexpected visitor begin cleaning everything. You can simply close the door to your room and they won’t bother cleaning it, or you can go elsewhere for a bit while they clean. The only thing that you should not do is try to take a shower when they decide to clean your room. I had gotten off early from the dig one day and was filthy, so I decided to take a shower. I cannot tell you how unbecoming it is to start enjoying your shower and have someone begin incessantly knocking on the bathroom door. I ignored it the first time, thinking it was one of my roommates, and made sure to voice my presence in the shower. A few minutes later, louder banging. I quickly finished my shower and got out to see which one of my roommates was bothering me. Turns out, the cleaning lady was the one bothering me while I was trying to take a nice, relaxing shower. The best thing you can do if you do not want this to happen is to put the “Do Not Disturb” sign on your door, and they will not clean your room that day. If there is no sign on the door at all, they will clean your room. Enjoy your stay at the Blazer Residence!