In the United States, the idea of a divided nation seems like something out of a history book-too far in the past to worry about today. For students from UT studying in the country of Cyprus, the reality of an ethnic conflict and divided country is very real and is one both visitors and locals acknowledge.

More is being learned by these UT students than what is told or read in their classes at the University of Nicosia-they are also discovering more about what is sometimes referred to as the "Cyprus Problem" or the "Cyprus Question".

In 1974, the military junta ruling Greece staged a coup in Cyprus aimed at the overthrow of the democratically elected government of Cyprus, and Turkey used this opportunity as a pretext to invade militarily. Turkey seized the northern third of the island, approximately 37 percent of the country, and expelled more than 142,000 Greek Cypriots from their homes.

Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus, is the last divided capital in Europe, and to enter the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, one is required to present his or her passport at the checkpoint. The only country that formally recognizes the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is Turkey.

The younger generation of Cypriot people quite possibly could see a change in Cyprus in its lifetime. Many feel young people look toward the future and possible reunification, instead of dwelling on past conflicts.

Rebecca Katsaris, a coordinator for Cyprus-based programs with Global Learning Semesters, is a citizen of Cyprus whose family history has shaped the way she deals with her divided country. The young generation of people living in Cyprus, according to Katsaris, is unsure as to how to behave or even what to think about the issue.

"It's very complicated. Very, very, very complicated," she said. "Young people, I think they feel very confused. Personally, I feel confused because you can't predict what is going to happen. Anything can happen."

Katsaris said many people her age realize there is turmoil but continue to live their lives without really thinking about people on the "other side". She said for her, it is very disappointing.

While talking to locals in and around Nicosia, some of the visiting students have found that some local citizens have never even been to the northern side of the island because they feel having to show a passport to enter their own country is wrong.

"I think it is strange how every person you talk to has a different feeling about the divide of the country. Some people I've talked to are 25 or 30 years old and have never been to the other side," Whitney Burks, a student abroad in Cyprus, said. "And then other people have told me that they go to the other side every week. Everyone has a different take on the situation."

Katsaris said while she does not go to the northern part of Cyprus often, some of her friends have made an effort to communicate and collaborate with people on the Turkish-occupied side.

"There are some places where people from both communities, the Turkish Cypriot and the Greek Cypriot, they get together and they talk...it's very encouraging," she said. "I really want to get to know them, because what is weird is that we don't know them."

For Katsaris, her family history plays an important role in her ideas concerning the divide of Cyprus, as her parents are refugees who left their home in the northern part of the country in 1974. She said she went with her parents to the occupied side to see the place where they once lived.

 "They don't want to go back. There are Turkish people living in their house. For them it hurts, but for me it's like nothing. Like it's a dream, it's just stories," she said. "It seems like another place. I am Cypriot but I don't know that place."

They have strong feelings about it because they grew up there, but for me, it's like fairy tales."