Simona Ricci.

Simona Ricci goes to daily open markets in different villages to get to know more about the Maltese people, food and language.

“I want to try to learn some Maltese words. It’s difficult but it sounds nice.

“When you move to another country you need to form a relationship with people there. You need to talk with people of different ages, be part of the community and go to places frequented by the Maltese,” the 26-year-old said.

Today Ms Ricci will be among those taking part in a festival of different cultures organised by the Malta Unesco Youth Association in Qawra.

Hailing from Rome, she came to Malta on holiday in July and soon decided to move to the island.

The marine biologist arrived at the end of August and is now collaborating with the Gaia Foundation.

“There is something mystic here... there is something we have lost in Italy.

“Life here is like that in Italy in the 1980s. People feel safe and secure, while in Italy we lost this relaxed lifestyle,” she said.

In Malta there is something we have lost in Italy

Although from her experience, the Maltese are “friendly”, she has noticed that some are wary of Italians.

“Maybe they think we want to make this place similar to Italy, but that’s not true.

“We love this place and the Maltese the way they are and that’s why a lot of us want to live here.”

Asked why it was important for the Maltese to get to know about different cultures of those living here, she said people could improve their own country by sharing best practices.

Juliana Zapata, from Colombia, also believes that learning about other cultures helps people appreciate and assess their own expectations.

“Getting to know other cultures, especially non-European, gives people the opportunity to see and assess what they have – the quality of life, working hours and the education system – things that other countries don’t have,” the 28-year-old said, adding that the Maltese should realise they “live in an amazing country”.

Ms Zapata is in Malta with her husband Oscar Guerrero, a footballer for Balzan FC.

Knowledge of English helped the couple fit in on the island. Initially they spent a whole month driving around to get used to the roads.

They then started exploring local eating places and dishes, but like Ms Ricci, Ms Zapata believes in meeting people to integrate within the community.

Today’s festival in Qawra, is being held between 11am and 5pm in collaboration with the Leap Access Centre and co-funded by Aġenzija Żgħażagħ.

The association felt the need to organise cultural nights some two years ago to promote culture diversity and provide a space for locals and foreigners in Malta to get to know each other in an informal way.

Today’s festival is being organised on a larger scale and visitors can sample traditional food, crafts and performances from Morocco, Colombia, Russia, Ukrania, Lithuania, the Philippines and Malta.

More details are available at www.facebook.com/muyamalta/info.