By: Anastasia Nazarko
When it comes to job interviews, probably one of the most common pieces of advice for interviewees is to show eagerness and interest in options offered by the potential employerإven if the opportunities may not be related to what one is interviewing for. Now preparing to leave Albania and begin a new phase of her life in Germany, Charlotte Siegerstetter recalls with amusement how the observance of this piece of advice brought her to Albania.
After volunteering in Bosnia for three months, Charlotte applied for a long-term Bosnian position with the Robert Bosch Foundation. During the interview, she was asked if she would be interested in working in Albania. In true interviewee fashion, Charlotte eagerly said yesصnaware that answering this question would change the next few years of her life.
Sure enough, some time after the interview, Charlotte received a letter informing her that the Robert Bosch Foundation was sending her to Albania, not Bosnia, to teach psychology in Germany at the University of Elbasan.
“It was very difficult in the beginning,” she said. “I didn’t know a single word of the language and you know, when you don’t know the language of the place you’re in you can’t orient yourself or really understand what’s going on.”
This problem was complicated by the fact that Charlotte was the first representative from the Foundation to be sent to Albania. This meant she was on her own, with minimal guidance or advice on what to expect. However, Charlotte’s love of languages and curiosity helped her to slowly grasp the language and adapt to her new surroundings.
“Everything was different in Albania. I expected Albania to be poor and more traditional, but before arriving I also expected the universities to be quite good. When I actually came to the university though, I was disappointed,” Charlotte noted.
After working for one year in Elbasan and then another year at the University of Durres, Charlotte began work for the German development organization, Center for International Migration and Development (CIM).
One of the most interesting projects that she has had the opportunity to work on was a Friedrich Ebert Stiftung initiative for Albania’s higher education system.
“The project’s goal is to find out and address problems that exist in the education system. We held separate roundtables for students and staff in six cities throughout Albania, and also conducted a survey in the universities,” explained Charlotte.
Though the discussions went well with the students, she also noted that there were considerable difficulties in receiving cooperation from some of the universities
“With regard to the questionnaires, it was hard to get permission from the university administration. They were very suspicious. Sadly, even some of the university staff did not want to complete the surveys.”
Interestingly, Tirana provided the most resistance to the project. European university, for example, refused to allow the survey to be distributed despite the fact that it had previously signed an agreement with the project coordinators.
“We were disappointed,” noted Charlotte. “In the beginning we had had a good impression of European University. But the fact that they refused our surveyطhich didn’t have any controversial questionsحakes one wonder what they didn’t want us to see. It’s also sad because universities are supposed to be the place where criticism and discussion is welcomed, not suppressed. Now our conclusion will have to be negative.”
On the positive side, Albania also has much to offer. Most notably, Charlotte described how Albanian hospitality and kindness make it a wonderful place for foreigners to visit. She recounts one of her first adventures in Albania:
“In my first August in Albania, some friends and I heard of a Bekteshi Festival which was to take place on Mt. Tomorr outside of Berat. So we decided to hike up the mountain and see what is was like. When we got there it was fantastic. Families were gathered around campfires and each one had a lamb which would be slaughtered and roasted. The event was to last 2-3 days and everyone brought tents and would camp out there.”
“Of course when we got there, we didn’t have our own lamb. We couldn’t find any at restaurants either, because everyone who wanted lamb had their own and were celebrating with their group around the fire. Naturally, with the generous Albanian hospitality, it wasn’t difficult for us to join a group. As soon as a family heard that we didn’t have lamb, they eagerly said, ‘We have lamb. Come here!’ It was magical.”
In light of her imminent departure, I asked Charlotte if she had any advice for Albanians. Above all, she hopes that Albanians become a more proactive civil society. While many Albanians try to distance themselves from politics and take pride in saying they are not associated with a certain party, Charlotte emphasized that this is not a positive element. Being politically active does not have to mean following a party; instead it involves (or should involve) holding politicians accountable and ensuring positive changes are implemented.
In addition, Charlotte hopes greater consideration and protection will be given to Albania’s natural habitats. She noted as an example, the Brari River outside of Tirana which is a beautiful place, but one through which the government is intending to build a road.
“Overall, Albania is a wonderful place. None of my friends or family who have visited me here have been disappointed by it. I will miss the language, flexibility, and spontaneity of life here,” she concluded.
