AN EXPERIMENT in international living aims to help produce world peace and families in Eden are welcoming teenagers from other cultures into their homes to live the English way of life, reports Karen Morley.

Argentinean twins Romina and Flavia Pardo, 17, came to Cumbria in January as part of the EIL (Experiment in International Living) Culture and Education Travel scheme and are now firmly part of the local teenage scene.

To help the girls improve their spoken English, they are living with separate families and, while Flavia attends Appleby Grammar School for six months, Romina is a student at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School in Penrith.

Flavia said: "We meet up about twice a week, and we have been on many trips together. Our parents are big Beatles

fans, so we went to Liverpool and we have also visited Newcastle, Birmingham, Richmond and Grasmere."

Local EIL co-ordinator Margaret Wilcox said: "The idea is that people learn to live together by living together. If people live with each other, the cultural barriers go and we can learn that everyone is the same.

"Each year we arrange for people from throughout the world to come and spend time in the UK, living with families here. We are really keen to find families from the Eden area who would be willing to help in this by providing accommodation for a while. The idea is that each visiting student is welcomed into the home as a member of the family.

"This is a great opportunity for the host family to experience first hand something of another culture within their own home. EIL truly believes that

any family, who hosts in this way, will be enriched as a consequence.

"Our family have friends all over the world because of EIL. When my son went to America as part of his studies he went to stay with the first girl who came to stay with us. She is in her 30s now with a family of her own, but we have kept in touch and it was like staying with family for my son."

In Cumbria there are 30-40 host families who are willing to take in young visitors for short stays, but EIL is constantly looking for more people to join the scheme, which gives young people a unique experience.

EIL provides money to cover expenses for the host family.

Romina said: "I wanted to come to England to improve my English and learn about the culture. Staying with the family makes me feel less homesick. I miss the meals from Argentina, but when I go home I will miss English cakes."

Romina is staying with a family in Penrith. Host mum Jackie Wright said: "We have learned a lot about different cultures through hosting students. We always encourage them to make a meal from their country. We feel it is important to make them feel part of the family and give them the opportunity to join in anything we are doing. Our children have grown up with "brothers and sisters" from many different cultures, which hopefully has taught them to accept other people's ideas and beliefs."

Flavia is staying with Tina Leith and her family in Appleby. Tina said: "The girls thought English people would be very formal, prim and proper and found us much more laid-back. It is a rewarding experience for us as a family, as well as for Romina and Flavia."

Being part of an English family is central to the EIL scheme. Flavia said: "I enjoy staying with a family because I feel part of the family and I am learning about English people as well as the language. I am trying things I have never done before which is fun. One thing I will miss when I go back to Argentina will be the evenings spent with my English family in front of the fire, because in my home in Argentina we don't have fires. I feel less homesick when I am with my family'."

New technology allows the girls to keep in close touch with home. Through e-mail and phone, they are able to keep their families up-to-date with what they are doing in England.

One of the new experiences the twins have enjoyed is caravanning with her host family.

EIL Cultural and Education Travel are looking for new host families in the Westmorland Messenger area and more information is available from Margaret Wilcox on 01931-715320.

April 30, 2003 09:30