CaraInFinland: Thuis is Overal: India, Italy, Turkey

Hello everyone!

Last weekend was this year's first edition of Thuis is Overal (home is everywhere), a project that I introduced to my AFS chapter last year. It is an opportunity for the exchange students to present their home country and serve delicious food. On top of that, it is a good opportunity for everyone in our chapter to get to know each other.

Last year, the exchange students gave a general presentation about their country. This time, we decided to turn things around and focus on stereotypes and the daily life of the students. First, I asked the audience to name a few things and stereotypes they knew about Turkey, India and Italy (the countries presented during this edition). Most of the things that were named had to do with food, politics and landscapes. Then, the audience could ask the exchange students specific questions about a special subject, namely food and cooking. The students talked about who cooked in their family, what their habits were regarding breakfast, lunch and dinner, and if there are any special traditions in their family.

Ulaş, our exchange student from Turkey, said that his mother cooked most of the time at home, although they often go out because his parents are very busy and do not always feel like cooking. On special occasions, Ulaş's mother cooks with his grandmother. Giuseppe and Francesca, our Italian ambassadors, said that both their parents cook at home, or their grandmother. As in Turkey, the Italian mothers and grandmothers cook together on special occasions. Niyati, our favorite Indian, explained that her family has servants, as most Indian households do apparently. Niyati rarely cooks herself, but her father likes to make fancy food – I am not sure what that means to be honest – from time to time.

Afterwards, it was time for the exchange students to react on the stereotypes named earlier. Ulaş admitted that about half the population in Turkey smokes, so that stereotype is correct. Giuseppe insisted on saying that not every Italian, and especially his fellow Sicilians, are not all in the maffia. Francesca reassured us by explaining that they are not arrogant and the men are not macho's. Niyati did not understand why people keep saying that Indian people have a funny accent when speaking English. It is just how they talk. To Niyati it seems pretty normal compared to the posh British accent and the silly American English.

Finally, it was time to eat! Niyati, Francesca, Giuseppe and Ulaş had prepared some small typical dishes. There was bulgur, wine leaves filled with rice, tiramisu, samosa and padoka, which are Indian fried appetizers. I think it was the first time I ate Indian food that did not make my mouth feel like it was on fire. While everyone was eating, still a lot of questions were asked about the countries of our exchange students. Everyone seemed to enjoy learning more about the exchange students' lives and families. I hope the next edition, in March, is also such a success!