Hej Albina Granberg!

Albina Granberg, associate professor in food, nutrition and culinary science, did an exchange at the University of Stavanger, Norway.

Where did you go?
I went to the University of Stavanger, where I visited the department that trains future teachers in food and health – the Norwegian equivalent of Sweden's home and consumer studies.

Why did you go there?
I had been interested in doing an exchange for a long time, but I hadn't actually quite got around to it. An adventure like this tends to get put off until you have time. But there's never time! You just have to make time. And try to combine it with a less busy teaching period, perhaps. I've also always loved travelling. I find it so incredibly enriching, whether it's for business or for pleasure. I have a real desire to see the world! And to meet people and encounter similar thoughts, or different ones. I also wanted to get some new ideas about teaching future teachers. What do others do? What do we do? What can we learn from others, and what can we teach others?

What did you do during your exchange?
I gave two lectures, one on home and consumer studies and school meals in Sweden (because free school lunches aren't a concept in Norway in the same way as here, with Norwegian children often taking a packed lunch to school) and one on my research. I then took part in the teaching that my Norwegian colleagues planned and organised. For example, I took part in a full day when the students prepared traditional Norwegian food. That was great fun! And pretty tasty, too.

What did you get out of your exchange?
A great deal! New friends and colleagues, whom I would like to meet again. Lots of new ideas to implement in our programmes. And a real desire to do another exchange! And I'd like to visit Stavanger again, it really was a gem of a city. I've often been to Norway several times before, but not to Stavanger, and it was a wonderful city. It has sea and mountains, lovely little cafés and restaurants, wool shops and great walking paths.

Why would you recommend doing a staff exchange abroad?
Because it's incredibly instructive, and if you work with any kind of educational issue, this is a golden opportunity to get an insight into both your own practice and what others do. As well as learning about other courses and study programmes, departments and universities, you also get to meet fascinating people with the same interests as you. I only see advantages in doing this kind of exchange. Of course, you still have your usual work duties, but you can do a lot if you have access to a computer. My working day at the university ended at 16:00. After a long walk and dinner, I often found myself in my hotel room where I had time to work on things that needed to be done anyway, such as reading reports, writing, article searches, and so on. With an open mind, most things work out. There's no reason not to go!

Albina Granberg joined future teachers of food science and health at the University of Stavanger when they baked traditional Norwegian pastries.

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