BEIRUT: They’ve been here less than a week but already some are planning their next trip to Lebanon. Others are thinking even further ahead, imagining what it would be like to live in the homeland of their ancestors.

A group of Lebanese-Mexicans are taking part in a three-week summer program that kicked off Saturday, organized by RJ Liban, an association that promotes Lebanese heritage and works to provide opportunities for Lebanese communities worldwide to meet and learn about their culture.

The participants, many of whom have never visited Lebanon before, journeyed over 12,000 kilometers with the hope, they say, of gaining a greater understanding of Lebanese culture.

“I really wanted to feel closer to my ancestors and discover my grandparents’ land and how they came to Mexico. I really want to get to know their culture,” said Yamil Tueme, 29, one of 25 students in the program.

Another participant, Jacqueline Hernandez, said that her great grandfather was the first Lebanese man in the city of Puebla, Mexico, and she was committed to discovering more about his homeland.

The program, which is based in the Metn town of Dhour Choueir, is open to students of all ages, and this group ranges in age from pre-teens to those over the age of 70.

“There is a 71-year-old woman with us on this tour, who has no connection to Lebanon other than the fact that her late husband was Lebanese, who felt the need to connect to this country,” said Naji Farah, the head of RJ Liban and program coordinator.

With learning about culture comes learning Arabic and the students are spending four hours a day on language instruction.

“It is really important for them to learn the language of their ancestors. It is also very important, because they are of Lebanese origin, to learn at least the greetings in their language,” said Samira Haddad, an Arabic instructor.

But, she said, “This course is not just about language. It is about culture, we will teach the students folk traditions, dancing and some cooking as well. We have organized trips around the country to the south, to the north, to Baalbek, and we will teach them about the demographic evolution of Lebanon.”

There are several hundred thousand Mexicans of Lebanese descent, making it one of the largest groups of the Lebanese diaspora in the world.

“There are so many Lebanese people there and they have come from all over Lebanon, not just from Beirut,” explained 21-year-old Nayibe Jacobo, who is taking part in the program with her four cousins.

Tueme agreed, saying, “The huge Lebanese community exists all over Mexico, not just in Mexico city, even in the really rural areas.”

Like Lebanon, the diaspora community in Mexico is religiously diverse, according to Jacobo.

“There are lots of Muslim and Christian Lebanese living in Mexico,” she said.

Tueme, however, noted that many second and third generation emigrants chose to convert.

“The older generations were Muslims, but the younger generation is not really. We are mainly Catholics, like most people in Mexico.”

This is the first year that RJ Liban, in association with the World Lebanese Cultural Union, is running the program for Lebanese-Mexicans but the initial idea for the organization came 25 years ago in Paris.

At the height of the Civil War in Lebanon, Farah says he and his friends wanted to counter the negative images of Lebanon in the media and provide a way for Lebanese emigrants to maintain a connection with the country.

“There was a lot of false press in the international news about Lebanon during the civil war, and so we wanted to give Lebanon another image, its true image,” he said.

Most of the participants in the program were first introduced to Lebanese culture in Mexico.

When asked if she felt isolated from her Lebanese heritage, Jacobo responded, “Not at all! There are plenty of clubs that unite Lebanese people from all over South America, not just Mexico, Argentina and Venezuela as well.”

Tueme also emphasized the ease in which the new generation of Lebanese diaspora stays in touch with their roots.

“There are conventions at least once a year. The events are always about five days long and are made up of about 300 to 400 people.”

Willie Aboumrad, 15, said, “My grandmother speaks Arabic and she cooks us Lebanese food on some special occasions.”

Still, there are some things that can only be experienced first-hand.

Jacobo said she wants to unite herself with the traditions that she feels have been lost over time.

“I want to learn Arabic, my grandmother does try to teach me a little bit, but it is not the same thing,” she said.

“I want to discover my roots because over time our traditions have changed a lot. My grandmother, after moving to Mexico became very Mexican, and my mother, who grew up there, was even more Mexican. I want to get closer to my Arab roots.”