Merhaba, ya su! I am Houssem, born Tunisian, graduated from a German university and guiding in Cyprus. Somehow confused? Well, welcome to my world! So, let me introduce myself in the Cypriot way: yavaş yavaş, siga siga, piano piano. . .

I grew up in Tunisia in a mixture of Arabic and French culture. As a result of successful national final exams (bac / A level), I got a full scholarship to study Computer Sciences in Germany. After my studies, I settled in Cyprus and started managing the family-owned Sidetour Tourism and Travel agency in Kyrenia.

Trying to promote special interest tourism (in opposition to mass tourism), I came to the conclusion, that I could prepare the best tailor-made, experience-rich programs and excursions, but it would not help much, if they are not delivered accordingly. So I decided to deliver by myself and got the license for guiding in North Cyprus!

This time, there was no scholarship to get, but I worked hard to be the highest ranked of the year. I wanted to show that being Cypriot is not about genealogy, it is about a life style! It is a philosophy of blending influences to something unique. When facing some Late Bronze Age ceramics, I often think: may be Anatolian, may be Greek, but 100% Cypriot!

I am neither a native Cypriot, nor a Turk nor a Greek. And this gives me the required objectivity to break taboos and speak about the modern history of the country as well as its earliest beginnings: a no-hate approach to the history of a conflict, which still divides the heart of the island. No politics, I just do not ignore the elephant in the room. . .

In the 13 years I lived in Cyprus, I got fascinated by this country, by the richness of its history and the unique mixtures of its art: Roman mosaics in early Christian basilicas, Gothic arches in Orthodox monasteries, Ottoman Hammams out of medieval churches. . .