More than providing “Chinese in China” language training programs, Global Exchange Center set a broader goal of improving intercultural understanding, among all people. So we will start to publish some of our students writing about his or her home country, such as the community they live, popular movies or books there, or contemporary figures that have big influence in their society. By such input, we hope to enhance the mutual understanding between our teachers and students, as well among our students from different nationalities. We like to thanks all students who have given us his or her feedbacks.
Student name: Ms. Laura Demurtas
Nationality: Italian
Time in Global Exchange Center: 3 weeks from July 25
The City I live in, Cagliari, is a small city in Sardinia, a nice island in the middle of the mediterranean sea. living there is quite good, we have a nice weather and nice beaches, it's not hard o live a relaxed life.. The town is pretty old, and shows many different stages ofits development: from the pre-historical period on, many peoples have lived here!!!!We have Phoenician and Roman ruins, and houses built in many different styles. I really love my city! Unfortunately, Sardinia is not a very rich place, the unemplyment rate has recently grown up to 40% among young people....nevertheless, we have a lot immigrants, mostly from Africa and from china (they usually run shops or restaurants). University of Cagliari is quite good, lots of students study there, both Sardinian and foreigners. I guess some of them are attracted by the nice weather!!!! In our spare time, we people from Cagliari like going to pubs, bars, going out for dinner every now and then, and, of course, going to the beach! Something very typical is having lunch at the beach during the whole year, in one of the many kiosks scattered all along the Poetto Beach.Having lunch while watching the winter sea is something everyone should try!
A very typical figure in Italy is the VELINA, which is a kind of showgirl mostly characterized by her appearance rather than for her ability in any performance. Unfortunately that kind of character is apparently the most #successful# model for young girls in Italy, so there's a lot little girls who just try to become famous due to their look, so they don' t want to study, or to work, just try to become showgirls, or actresses, dancers even if they can't do anything!!! Luckily in Italy there still very good actors and actresses, good movies and good writers, for the happiness of the many people who still care about culture!!!! I really like reading, especially the Classics, but I'm trying to read some contemporary authors as well!
Italian people are nice and warm hearted, especially in the south, but sometimes a bit narrow minded, and a bit scared of what's different. I work in an office which helps immigrants, so I have experienced many different kinds of reactions towards "foreigners", and I have to say, they can be of any kind. I think it just depends on which "side" of one's personality is prevailing: either the welcoming warm hearted side or the indifferent one, scared by the intrusion of something form outside. On the whole, I would say that Italy can be a very nice place to live, but can also be very difficult for foreigners or people coming from different parts of the country, especially at the beginning: but once this phase is finished, Italians will give you all their heart!
