The Legacy of Joseph Barnabas in Cyprus

Before we left PA, I bought a new battery for Lynne’s beloved MacBook. The original was not holding a charge very long, so we decided that a replacement was a good investment for the trip to Cyprus. It was also much cheaper than getting one from an Apple dealer. Unfortunately, her computer started to do annoying things—like just shutting down with no warning. Her frustration level was about to max out.

We found an Apple dealer close to CAARI, and we took the MacBook in for analysis. It turns out that the battery I bought in the States was not fully compatible with Lynne’s computer—contrary to what the advertisement said. The part that controls the heat sink did not work. So Lynne’s Mac would just shut down because of overheating. Batteries are expensive in Cyprus! But we made a good contact.

The friendly Apple store owner has a good friend who regularly goes to the Monastery of St. Barnabas near Famagusta as part of a team doing restorations. The Apple owner gave us the man’s name and telephone number, and said that his friend would probably be glad to let us go with him to the monastery.

Lynne was so pleased to have her MacBook fixed that she insisted that we celebrate and get ice-cream at the Three Cows shop nearby.  While there, we began talking with a local English professor. He is Cypriot, but he spent ten years in the United States and is married to an American. When he discovered our need for a car, he said that his father works in a bank and does business with car dealerships. So he will ask his father for advice for us.

On Cyprus, life is all about connections with people. And because we are friendly and interested in others, we keep meeting helpful people who eagerly give us advice that will help me to accomplish my research.