The 14 boys and girls of the Intercultura project come from all over the world and today they experienced an intense morning of workshops at the Agricultural Institute of Villacidro .
Seven of them landed in Sardinia on 18 March for the Intercultura exchange week , which allows them to visit an Italian region other than the one chosen for the study. They will remain on the island until the 25th. They are between 15 and 18 years old and have enthusiastically joined the exchange week programme.
Saymi arrived from Thailand in September, she is a guest in Como for a year, Ximena arrives from Mexico City, "we have 22 million inhabitants, it's very different here", she smiles. Then there's Kerem , who comes from Turkey, Keitaro from Japan: «I really like cooking (and eating), which is why I chose Italy and Rome as my study destination. I have to tell the truth: from this point of view I found Paradise in Sardinia».
Benjamin Mathias is Argentinian, when asked which is the best meat in the world he snaps parochialism: «Let's not joke, Argentine meat is the best». Then there's Elia , who is studying for an exchange year in Trento and comes from the Faroe Islands in Denmark, Neylis who comes from "northern" Chile and Daria from Russia.
Their experience in Sardinia is more than a holiday in a land with an ancient face and on a human scale, it is a total immersion in which to confront the students of the professional institutes “A. Volta” of Villacidro, Arbus (on Monday the boys were guests of the Hotel Institute) and the Technical Institute of Guspini, which they will visit on Friday, but also with the boys and girls who from September, thanks to the local center Intercultura Guspini – Medio Campidano, have been guests since last autumn in our Municipalities.
They too have no doubts, when asked what they love and what they will remember in particular of Sardinia, they answer in chorus: «The food».
The head teacher, Mariella Vacca , welcomed the international guests together with the mayor of Villacidro Federico Sollai . «The mastery of our language of these young people, the enthusiasm and the desire to interact with the outside world is particularly surprising. We are happy that they have chosen our land, and that they can get to know Sardinian hospitality» they agree.
In the morning, agricultural students taught their guests how to make rosemary cuttings and guided their peers through the greenhouses and in the hydroponic culture rooms (without soil), winemaking and chemistry, where they tried their hand at making olive oil soaps .
«The Intercultura programs dedicated to schools also provide scholarships for deserving students . We hope that an exchange experience can be planned right from the beginning of the school year, even in the schools of our area» wishes Marina Manca , Intercultura volunteer responsible for hospitality.
«After a forced break of two years, we are really happy to organize this exchange week. It is a way not only for students, but for the whole community - families, schools and institutions - to open our horizons and get to know different cultures» concludes Alessandra Piredda , president of the Intercultura Guspini - Medio Campidano branch.
Michelle Meloni
