The Indo-Italian Exchange Program 2014
From Rome, With Love
DAIMUN is known to be not only a conference where students debate and proffer solutions to pressing world issues, but also a melange of culture and nationalities with delegates from far and wide. This year, we were lucky to have 17 students from the Liceo Farnesina school in Rome, not merely participating in DAIMUN XI, but also giving their host students insights into the rich culture of Italy while getting to experience Indian culture and ways of life themselves. 
Hosting a delegation from Rome was both an enriching educational experience as well as a fun way to make friends beyond borders. Since all of us, both hosts as well as guests, were involved in the MUN, our schedules were hectic to say the least. Yet, we wanted to ensure that our Italian friends would get the ‘full Indian experience’ regardless of time constraints.
In an attempt to give our guests a taste of Indian culture, we quite literally gave them a taste of Indian culture. In scenes reminiscent of the Great Indian Wedding, we presented them with platters of delicacies from across the subcontinent and delighted in their watering eyes and ravenous mouths as they finally tasted the ‘spicy Indian food’ they had been eagerly awaiting.
We also did our best to help them experience our culture as best as possible. We let them live the joy and terror of an auto ride, went shopping for traditional sarees and kurtas, showed them around Bombay and described the nitty-gritties of the Indian way of life. We also helped them to pick out souvenirs for their friends and family back home. They were open to everything and at times, were more enthusiastic to learn about our customs and traditions than we ourselves have ever been. In return, our guests enlightened us about Italian culture, and we found great pleasure in discovering how similar Indian and Italian cultures are to one another, especially in our conceptions of the family unit.
The icing on the cake was undoubtedly our opportunity to spend one of our most important festivals with them: Diwali. One of the hosts very kindly agreed to organize a Diwali party, replete with Diwali sweets, lamps, firecrackers, mehendi and a puja. As we explained the story of Diwali and explained to them the significance of the lamps and the rangoli, the amazement and fascination they felt was perceptible, and honestly, we too began to appreciate the depth and diapason of our culture and traditions even more.
Our goodbye was a teary one; we had hosted them for a mere five days, but over the course of those five days, we knew that we had made friends for life. Their zeal to explore every nook and cranny of our cultural lattice, their accommodating nature and enthusiasm and the alacrity with which they approached a foreign country and a new lifestyle amazed and inspired us. We all hope to be able to keep in touch with them long after they return to Rome.