Picking Apricots - Cypriot Style!

Cyprus, as an island in the Mediterranean surrounded by many countries, is in many ways a cultural melting pot - not only in relation to tourists, but those who live and work on the island. One of our neighbors owns apricot orchards on the side of a mountain between Polis and Pomos and every year she pays for migrant workers to come and pick the fruit for her to sell.

Most of the migrant farm workers here are Egyptian, however there was a need by the farm to have more people to work so some were paid to come in from Romania. Unfortunately, the Romanians never arrived and the apricots were in danger of becoming overripe.

So...those of us at the dig house spent one day in the life of an Egyptian migrant worker. It was quite an eye opening experience and harder than it looks! But the picking of the apricots was pleasently offset by the warm sun, cool breeze, and a picnic of fresh bread, tomatoes and haloumi cheese. Yum!