Talk:Nova Roman Xenia Project

Latest revision as of 18:29, 5 August 2009

The "Nova Roman Xenia Project", or whatever name we will give to this later, is a possible undertaking that was born from the experience of many Nova Romans all over the world who welcomed each other as guests in their homes, facilitating traveling and gathering together the real life relationships between Nova Romans, knowing foreign cultures, and building our own New Roman culture.

The project is now in its first phase, there is much to discuss.

We ask only one thing to you:

Please share your ideas HERE in this NR WIKI page:

I hope you like this idea!

I think it will make Nova Roma more living, more friendly and more real. Please share your ideas. --Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus 15:59, 14 June 2009 (CEST)

I do like it! As it happens, Cn. Salvius was talking about a very similar thing when I saw him a couple of weeks ago. I've drawn his attention to this page, and also that of A. Grátius. I haven't really got space to open my own doors, but I hope to move soon to a more hospitable place. -- Cordus 14:37, 3 August 2009 (CEST)

The English of the page

If you are a native English speaker, please help us to correct the English mistakes in this page if there are. --Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus 18:08, 14 June 2009 (CEST)

L. Livia Plauta

I think it's safest to take all the email addresses off the page. This way they can be prey of spambots. It's much safer to use the Album Civium for messaging.

The Romans had a word for it...

...Hospitium. A traveling citizen (I'll call him Aurelius) might be taken in for the night, fed a decent meal, put up in a guestroom, then given a change of clothing, a fresh horse, and whatever money or other help he needed for the next leg of his trip. Should his host happen to be passing through Aurelius' neck of the woods, Aurelius would do the same things for him, to the extent he was able. Romans who traveled a lot might establish a whole network of people to stay with along their regular routes, with (again) the honor and obligation being mutual.

I doubt many Novi Romani will be in a position to lend each other cars, money, legal and social services; but the idea of "If you'll let me stay at your house, you can stay in mine when you're in town" could carry us all a long way. -- Marius Peregrinus 07:50, 15 June 2009 (CEST)

Hmmm, but this word is not so catchy as Xenia. And the Roman culture was very open for Greek concepts, Greek words and phrases. I think the title "Xenia Project" is more "enchanting" than "Hospitium Project". Other opinions? --Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus 14:58, 29 July 2009 (CEST)

I tend to agree with Ald. Marius, not because there's anything un-Roman about using Greek words but just because I don't particularly like the tendency to give every new institution A Name with Capital Letters and call it The Something Project. Surely this is not a very Roman habit? Romulus didn't create The Tribes Project or The Patronage Project, nor the decemvirí The Twelve Tables Project. That sort of naming is perhaps appropriate for things that are finite collaborative efforts that are directed as specific goals and that have no direct parallel in ancient Roman society, like the Magna Máter Project; but if we want to (re)create an on-going social practice or institution very similar to what the majórés called hospitium, then why not call it simply hospitium? -- Cordus 14:37, 3 August 2009 (CEST)

Basically I agree with you, Corde, that it is not a Roman republic where the institutions get a name like "The Something Project". This is, however, merely a website project, not a project of the Nova Roman Republic. It is a jargon of the WIKI system, organized efforts on the WIKI are called projects. It means only that the magister aranearius offers and guards over a page where Nova Romans can contact those citizens who are wiling to share their home for a period with their fellow citizens. On the other hand, it is primarily also not an effort to re-create an ancient Roman social practice, but to facilitate traveling, knowing each other, to "foster greater awareness of the foreign cultures from which fellow Nova Romans come, ultimately allowing us to build our own New Roman culture". It is a NR WIKI project; in the society of Nova Roma it would be better called something like an "exchange student program" in modern countries. Additionally, as its long-term fruit, our Nova Roman social practices could become more similar to the ancient practices, as a result of a more living community. --Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus 17:15, 3 August 2009 (CEST)

I see what you mean. Well, perhaps the customs of the wiki should be somewhat more Roman.  ;) But they are what they are, and I won't make a fuss about the name.  :) -- Cordus 19:10, 5 August 2009 (CEST)

Requirements / rules for the guests

Perhaps it'd be good to add information about "house rules", e.g. are pets / smoking allowed etc. little, but important information? Or should we develop NR house rules for which could be used as standard set of rules? Would they be mandatory for households wishing to take part into the program? --Caius Curius Saturninus 14:14, 29 July 2009 (CEST)

Very good observation. I think this is something that householder and the guest should clear among each other. It would be very difficult to create a set of rules: these things must be discussed through e-mail when the potential guest contacts the householder. Other opinions? --Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus 14:53, 29 July 2009 (CEST)

Perhaps just a check-list of things that guests and hosts might find it useful to discuss beforehand. Smoking is a good example: A. Agerius from, say, Russia might not think to ask whether he would be able to smoke inside, while his host N. Negidius from, say, Sweden might not imagine that his guest would think of smoking inside: some sort of check-list would direct their minds to things like this that they wouldn't necessarily think of, and then they could discuss it between themselves. -- Cordus 14:37, 3 August 2009 (CEST)

I agree completely. I will place here a table to which each commenter can add his own point that he/she sees useful as a point to discuss beforehand. --Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus 17:15, 3 August 2009 (CEST)

Languages

I suggest a column in which hosts can specify which languages they can (or wish to) speak to their guests. This will help guests see which hosts they will be able to communicate with easily; also some guests may particularly wish to visit hosts who speak Latin. -- Cordus 19:10, 5 August 2009 (CEST)

I agree with this. I (if another one does not make it before me) will add such a column soon. --Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus 20:28, 5 August 2009 (CEST)