to teaching her students about Albanian culture in her Intercultural Communications class at the International High School of the Gothenburg Region (IHGR) in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Stockfelt, originally from Jamaica, has taught at IHGR for three years. She believes that all schools, not just international schools, should promote cultural diversity, awareness and acceptance by studying diverse cultures. “I think that having knowledge of intercultural communication is a key aspect of the learning experience at any school. It helps to remove stereotypes and facilitate growth through cultural understanding and a renewed sense of one's own culture.”
The idea about going to Albania occurred long before the school year started. Last year Stockfelt arranged for an exchange program with a school in Ghana. They went for two weeks in the spring semester, and the students from Ghana came for two weeks in the autumn. “This year I decided along with Ann [Malmberg, IHGR’s Principal] to work with Albania. I organised the penpal 'match-up' with the students at Tirana International School,” said Stockfelt. In late April, the students in Tirana hosted 11 IHGR students plus two supervisors, including Stockfelt and IHGR Student Coordinator Niels Neuman for one week.
Participants at IHGR prepared for the trip by studying Albanian history, culture, and language. Within the week of their stay in Tirana, the group immersed themselves in Albanian culture, and the experience made them realise more than they’d imagined. Students learned that although the country is about 70% Islamic, 20% Christian Orthodox, and 10% Catholic, some Albanians practise both Islam and Orthodox Christianity simultaneously. They also saw some of the poor Roma villages on the outskirts of Tirana and reflected on what they sometimes take for granted about life in Sweden. “We tried as much as is possible to integrate ourselves within the culture,” said Stockfelt. “Experiencing extremes of riches, poverty, gender differences, religions, dress codes, food: that was just the tip of the iceberg.”
Despite its controversial political history, Albania has been considered an emerging democracy and has grown since 1992 when the democratic coalition was voted into power after more than 50 years of communist rule. Today, it is Europe’s second poorest economy. For these reasons, students weren’t sure what to expect. “I must say that I and my students were pleasantly surprised,” said Stockfelt of their journey. “One student told me that she somehow expected to be creeping on her stomach in avoidance of gunshots at some point during her trip. Instead, we were welcomed with the warm grace of Albanian hospitality.”
Students, overall, shared positive experiences. "The Albanians that we met were all really friendly, and I liked the atmosphere of Tirana. I would love to go back and stay longer," said Maja Filipsson, a third year student. Malin Bolwede, also a third year student, loved the Albanian countryside. "The time that we spent in the countryside was the best. The scenery was just amazing. The tops of the mountains were snow-covered, yet we went on a hike in the alleys with the sun gazing on us."
Student Réka Nagy, a third year student, commented that she was impressed by how “Muslims and Christians live together in peace, with mosques near the churches.” She also shared what she believed was her most humorous experience: the discovery that shaking your head ‘no’ meant ‘yes,’ and nodding ‘yes’ meant ‘no.’ “We asked a little boy on the street if we could take his photograph, and he kept saying no by shaking his head. When we asked again, we could tell he had a positive expression on his face but kept shaking his head no. That was when we realized that yes meant no and no meant yes!”
Besides the beautiful scenery and funny moments, the students at IHGR have had a lot to think about as they consider their Albanian pen pals’ city, culture, and way of life. “Our students reflected on the differences and similarities between both cultures. I think what stood out across the group was how much they took for granted; particularly education, gender differences and freedom of expression,” said Stockfelt.
Anne Arnold
« return.