In June 1996, I flew with my friend Brenda to Cyprus in the Mediterranean to visit a lifelong friend there who was the daughter of the country’s president. Brenda and I were put up in the Presidential Palace and shown around the island by my Cypriot friend, Katie. We had met 24 years earlier in a study-abroad program in Rome, Italy. This was my 5th trip to visit Katie and the country. At this point, since I flew there to attend her memorial service after she passed away from cancer in 2025, I've been there 11 times.