This summer we have all been involved in a CISV Interchange between Sweden and Rome, Italy. Interchange encourages a deeper encounter between two cultures by placing young people within families. Group activities such as a mini-camp are vital in complementing the intense in-depth family experience. Interchange takes place in two phases with one delegation visiting another country and then reciprocating by hosting the delegation from the country they visited (www.cisv.org )
In our case this meant that our Ingrid spent 2 weeks in an Italian family, experienced life in the wonderful city of Rome and learned a lot about life in Italy. After two weeks Ingrid and the daughter Flaminia of the Italian family came to stay with us in Sweden. Blessed with mainly nice weather we spent two weeks enjoying the company of (in total) 20 youth from Sweden and Italy, arranging a number of minicamps, going canoeing, bicycling, trampoline jumping, playing hide and seek until late in the night (due to our long light nights) etc.
Going on an interchange at the age of 12 or 13 is fun but also demanding. The youth spend 4 weeks together with each other and two cultures meet. We had the pleasure of getting to know Flaminia, a polo playing energetic sweet girl, with a constant smile on her face. Ingrid and Flaminia got on really well and enjoyed the experiences of each other’s worlds. It is quite a difference growing up in central Rome or in little Ulricehamn! Ingrid loved the shopping, the food and the beautiful architecture of Rome and I think Flaminia had fun canoeing, doing water games with our boat or just playing outside with all the kids in our neighborhood.
When two cultures meet new perspectives become visible. One day when we were all in Ulricehamn (all 20 youths and leaders) one of the other Italian girls said to me;
- You Swedish people are strange!
- In what way, I responded.
- You are all so serious and you never smile to unknown people. Look around you here on the street. People do not look at each other or smile. Why is that?
As we were standing on the main shopping street in Ulricehamn I took a look around me and looked at people passing by and noticed that she was right. People passing us by where not smiling and almost seemed to avoid contact. Only when two people met, who obviously already knew each other, I saw people smile and it made me think about what the girl had said. Swedish people are not known for our outgoing character or for being an easy going culture. We are often referred to as hard working, trustworthy but are we too serious? A smile is for free and it is much more heartwarming to be met by a smile than an empty expression so from now on I will think of smiling more.
During our weeks with the Italians we had many fun days and funny moments, experienced food from both worlds, talked about different customs (such as why seatbelts should be used in the backseat in Sweden, that we take off our shoes at the door or that some rain is nothing to fear) and enjoyed the creative and innovative environment that occurs when different cultures meet. It made me think about my own interchange in Tennessee in 1987 and my high school exchange year in Canada in 1989/90 and how much fun I had then.
The CISV interchange is not only a profound intercultural experience for the youth participant, but it also engages the whole family, and potentially the community in which they live. If this is something for you take a look at www.cisv.org
Hope you also had an intercultural summer!!!
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