The large seminar room is teeming with people lying, sitting and standing in a circle. Everyone laughs as they put one knee after the other on the floor and try to sing along to the traditional Norwegian children's song Per Sjuspring.
But none of them speak Norwegian.
We are visiting Moi University in Kenya, where we teach 3rd year students from the subject English Language and Literature. As part of the collaboration through Erasmus+ Global, the authors of this article were given the opportunity to exchange through this programme. Previously, Østfold University College (HiOF) hosted four Kenyan students for 6 months and 3 teaching staff members from Moi University on shorter mobility visits. This is an important collaboration to ensure quality in the internationalization work at HiØ.
The importance of sharing thoughts about culture
As part of the programme, we were to hold lectures at the host institution. We were assigned three groups of students studying in their 3rd year of teacher education. They had asked us a number of questions in advance, that they would like us to answer. We discovered that the Norwegian school system and culture were central themes to address. Being an interdisciplinary team, representing the subjects Physical Education, Drama and Pedagogy, we wanted our lecture to activate the students physically, cognitively and emotionally. We utilised our own traditional cultural forms of expression such as Per Sjuspring and in return received a myriad of forms of expression from the many tribes in Kenya, everything from children's songs from the Kalenjin tribe to warrior stories from the Luo tribe. The pride in exhibiting their culture, and not least their language, was great, despite the fact that the tribal languages are forbidden to be used in schools in Kenya. The students nevertheless reflect on how important these languages are for their own identity and belonging. Furthermore, we lectured on different understandings of culture, and how cultures change. This created great engagement and wonder, but also an understanding that we live differently and have different values in our societies. Discussions around homosexuality, and how this is compatible with faith, received the most attention.
The students who had been on an exchange stay in Norway also contributed their experiences. Their encounter with Norwegian culture created a nuanced and exciting picture of what Norway is. What they referred to as the absence of social classes and the respect between people had made the greatest impression on them, for example the fact that they could wave to the Royal Family on the Constitution Day of May 17th. But they had also experienced that not all Norwegians speak English, and thus could not easily communicate with them. The biggest shock, however, had been the cold and the dark.
Strengthened research collaboration
The stay at Moi University was characterised by long days. First teaching, then a formal visit to someone in the management, before we were back in the seminar room for more teaching. We were served large meals of local delicacies together with the rest of the staff, before diving into research interviews for a larger project we are collaborating on. Through the grants from Erasmus+ Global, we get the opportunity to both experience new teaching contexts, but at the same time further develop projects we have started previously. Research is developing and sharing knowledge. When we can combine these two elements through such stays, the payoff is great. With good help from local colleagues, we were able to both collect data and think further in our research project. We, as colleagues from HiOF, also had the opportunity to discuss today's data collection immediately afterwards, which gives us a head start in the research and the upcoming analyses.
Future-oriented cooperation
An important benefit of such mobility stays is how they facilitate the sharing of ideas and networking. Having the time and space to discuss with colleagues with whom you have developed both a professional community and friendship over a number of years, is essential to preparing well-founded research projects. Our collaboration with colleagues at Moi University is now beginning to facilitate larger networks and projects involving several institutions. When it comes to student exchange, it will be easier to encourage your own students to choose this institution after having been there. The certainty that our students will be well looked after and knowing that several of the staff and students have themselves experienced being new to a culture, makes such a trip easier to recommend, despite the fact that it is very different. Even if you travel far, the world is not that big.
Text by:
- Gunhild Brænne Bjørnstad, Associate Professor and International coordinator LUSP, HiOF
- Kari Spernes, Professor and Initiative taker, LUSP, HiOF
- Kjersti Berggraf Jacobsen, Vice Dean of Academics LUSP, HiOF