While in Cyprus, our team had the opportunity to engage in meaningful cross-organizational meetings and activities to further our knowledge of Cyprus and deepen our community connections. To begin, our team attended a walking tour of Old Nicosia hosted by the Home for Cooperation & the Association for Historical Dialogue and Research. During this walk, our team gained insight into the rich history of Cyprus and learned more about the organization's peace-building efforts in the buffer zone through an accompanying presentation. Similarly, our team attended a meeting hosted by the Cyprus Peace and Dialogue Center to gain better insight into the contemporary challenges presented on the island. Additionally, members of the Babel Initiative attended a European Union (EU) Infopoint meeting to understand the role of Cyprus in the EU and how the EU impacts Cyprus's day-to-day functioning. Such a meeting well complemented a meeting attended with the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus. On another note, a fundamental characteristic of the Babel Initiative involves giving back to the communities where we engage and participate in a cultural exchange. Thus, our initiative last year hosted a beach cleanup in Larnaca to promote environmental sustainability and protection despite our short time on the island.

Moreover, our team was highly honored to meet with Mr. President Nikos Christodoulides In this meeting, our research teams were allowed to ask questions of the President personally in their areas of expertise. Our board and researchers were hosted in the Presidential Palace and provided with invaluable context to the topics our researchers were most interested in. 

The Babel Initiative additionally met with the United States Embassy, illustrating the necessity of cross-country collaboration in Cyprus. Furthermore, our team met with the Ambassador of France to the Republic of Cyprus, Ambassador Salina Grenet-Catalano. Such a meeting furthered our association's connection to our home university of Sciences Po in France and further complemented our ongoing studies. Through the culmination of our on-the-ground meetings and efforts, the Babel Initiative was able to provide our team, that being our board members, researchers, and shadows, with the opportunity to better understand the island through local engagement.