What Can Albania Teach Us About Trust?

1/19/2017

http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20160909-what-can-albania-teach-us-about-trust

Use the website above to access the article reviewing Albania's refugee policy. When finished, provide feedback that addresses the questions below. All responses should be in paragraph form.
1) Why do you think someone would go to into debt helping a stranger?
2) In your opinion, how do Americans exhibit hospitality? Please include a reason why.
3) What was the most surprising fact about this article? Please include a reason why.

15 Comments

Autumn

1/19/2017 04:24:50 pm

Someone would go into debt because it's part of their culture and because they feel good about themselves. The Albanians enjoy hosting guests and they take pride in doing so. In their culture they call it besa.

Americans exhibit hospitality by having tourist attractions around to welcome newcomers and visitors. They have visitor and information centers to help people who haven't visited or aren't familiar with places before. Americans sponser and welcome refugees.

The most surprising fact was that the Albanians willingly take in strgangers without knowing them. You never know what those peoples agendas are and for people to be so selfless it's amazing and surprising.

Mr. A

1/24/2017 10:20:19 am

Great input, Autumn. I didn't even think about the visitor centers within communities. They are seeking to establish a connection with their visitors and promote their culture. Thanks for contributing.

Marlene Moravec

1/27/2017 09:53:29 am

Someone may go into debt to help someone else because it is a sense of pride to themselves and their community. When they take someone in, they don't care about money anymore, they only care about taking care of that person and making sure they can survive.
Americans show hospitality by taking in refugees. We do this so the refugees don't get killed and they have a new chance at life or starting a new one.
The most surprising fact is that the Albanians make their home for the refugees instead of for themselves. Like the tradition they seek, "Before the house belongs to the owner, it first belongs to God and the guest." In some places, people are all about themselves and helping only themselves, but the Albanians go out of their way to help people survive.

MrA

1/30/2017 10:50:03 am

Great response, Marlene. I would say that our nation's hospitality is taking a hit these days, but most Americans support the views you expressed. We do have to look closely at what protects us, and what gives only the appearance of protection. Otherwise, we lose perspective on what it means to be a free country. Thanks for your input.

Cristina Tellez

1/30/2017 08:33:05 pm

I think someone would go into debt for helping a stranger because if they are used to seeing people help out others then it will encourage them to do so also. Also because when you help out someone it makes you feel better about yourself for helping someone who really needed it, and if you like the feeling of it there’s a high possibility of you helping out someone again. People who don’t have much are the most generous and are grateful for everything they have in life, that’s why if they’re struggling themselves it won’t matter when it comes to helping out others.

I feel like Americans exhibit hospitality with hotels and airports. This is because when you go to hotels the employees try to make your stay as friendly as possible. Especially when it is a hotel where people come from all over the world so they can feel more welcomed. An airport is also a way Americans exhibit hospitality because there are people coming from different places around the world and the airport tries to make them feel safe and welcomed by escorting them to wherever they need help getting to, or if the traveler doesn’t know English the airport employees can provide a translator for them.

The most surprising fact about this article is when it mentioned how people are willing to give up everything knowing that they have a family to help another family in need. This is because they have a family of their own who they have to take care of, and to take in another family while you’re already struggling with yours is incredibly nice. Especially when they’re strangers since you never know if they could be a danger to you and your family.

Alexus Garbacz

2/5/2017 08:04:47 pm

1. I think that they would go in debt to help strangers because it was part of their custom and what they believed in in what was right. "It's the Albanian way. It's besa". Also because people feel bad and they want to do the right thing. Just watching people suffer is not something people want to see. If people could help people all the time we wouldn't have poverty, or poorness, or any other negative things in the world, but then the world woudldn't be balanced.

2. I think that Americans exhibit hospitality but not as much as the Abanian's we use simple things such as motels, hotels, train stations, transportion to get to and fro. We also don't help the poor people on the streets and if we do they only want one thing which is money. I had expierience that because when I was in Chicago with Gabbie there was this poor guy and this one gentlemen tried to give him his jacket but all he wanted was money. So in conlusion to this statement, Americans do try to show hospitality but people don't always want to take it.

3.I think that the most surprising thing that I learned in this article was that Albanians just take in people because they are good natured. Even if they do go in debt it still makes them happy to know they did something good for someone else. Also that when someone is in need of something they are appriecative about what they are getting instead of being greedy and just taking one thing only. I think that Americans have things to learn from other countries.

Kaitlin

2/9/2017 11:22:41 am

I believe that within everyone there is an element of wanting to help people succeed. Most people around the world are caring and compassionate even to strangers. In Albania, the word besa, had strong meanings to them which caused them to want to help more people. Most Americans exhibit hospitality in different ways, including offering to get someone water when they have guests over or by offering to let someone stay over in their house. Although we display hospitality, we do not all do it out of politeness like the Albanians do. A lot of people here simply do it because of social pressures or the fear of being seen as rude. I think the most surprising fact from this article was the fact that the people of Albania did not want hotels in their towns and that they would let anyone, no matter their background, stay in their homes. That would frighten me a little because the person could potentially cause harm to you, or the home. You never really know who the stranger could be. I also thought it was surprising that the Albanians were willing to give up anything to help strangers. This is surprising to me because here we are not always thinking of others before ourselves. Most families think of their livelihood before others.

Michaela Munger

2/21/2017 09:06:59 am

1. I think somebody would go in debt to help a stranger because it helps boost their self worth and gives them a sense of purpose. Many people find that helping others also helps themselves. Albanians are amazing at displaying hospitality. There is a word in Albania, “besa”. Besa explains that if somebody comes to you searching for help, you do all you can to help them. Many Albanians value life over material possessions.

2. Americans show hospitality in somewhat different ways than Albania. Today in America we offer places like hotels and restaurants that specialize in hospitality. People in america are specially trained and paid to show hospitality. Most people in Albania do it because it is the right thing, usually expecting nothing in return. I think that America could learn a lot from Albania. The families in Albania in need of assistance could be compared to the refugees that need help getting into America. America has an opportunity to save these people from tragic situations and give them a chance at a better life.

3. I found it surprising, yet amazing that Albania has so much trust in people. Many people in the USA would be hesitant to allow random families into their household, because we don’t typically trust strangers. The fact that Albanians are willing to risk everything for people they don’t even know is inspiring.

Natalie Emanuel

3/9/2017 09:57:30 am

1. I think somebody would go in debt to help a stranger because that is their tradition, and it makes them feel good about themselves knowing they can help other people, other than themselves. Albanians worship the word "besa". That explains you should help someone if they are in need.

2. The way we display hospitality is in areas like hotels, motels and other similar things like those. We also show ways of hospitality by welcoming strangers in stores, shops and other attractions. If you are in a work place, you must show kindness towards people you do not know.

3. The most surprising thing about this article is that the Albanian culture is used to taking in and helping random strangers. I just think that is really kind and people in the US should act more like that. Especially towards people in need.

Dominique Blanco

3/9/2017 10:25:34 am

1.) I think someone would go into debt by helping a stranger out because it's part of some people's nature to go out of their way to be a good person. The Albanians like hosting guests & they also take pride in doing so! also in their culture they call it Besa.
2.) Americans exhibit hospitality by having welcoming places where newcomers can meet and interact with other people. We do this to make travelers or newcomers feel welcome, loved, and noticed. All and all everyone is spectated to be welcoming and kind.
3.) The most surprising to me about this article is the how welcoming The Albanian people are. By willing to take in strangers and opening up their schedules to put others before themselves is mind blowing to be but not many people are like that in this world anymore.

Marina Montemayor

3/9/2017 06:57:57 pm

1. I think someone would go into debt to help a stranger because it is what they believe in. It is something that makes them feel as if they have worth and feel good about their self.They wouldn't care about how much money it would cost. The "besa" that they worship explains if someone is in need of your help that you should always help.
2. We show hospitality different than Albanians do. We are polite when a guest comes over and offer them something to eat and drink and a place to stay at. Albanians show hospitality out of the kindness of their hearts us Americans don't always do it out of kindness we do it sometimes because we don't want to be looked at as rude. Some even feel pressured to do it rather than doing it because it is what we believe in and feel is the right thing to do.
3. The thing I felt was most surprising is how much people from Albania are willing to risk just to be kind and help someone in need. People from America should be more kind and willing to help. It would make America a better place.

Tommie Burgan

3/10/2017 09:53:03 am

1) i think they would go into debt helping someone because its part of their custums. they have a tradition that everyone has held for years, this also creates good karma. no one wants to see people suffer, in the article they said people kept saying it was the "besa way" and theres also a saying "Before the house belongs to the owner, it first belongs to God and the guest.’ . they were raised with hospitality and generousness.
2) In my opinion Americans exhibit hospitality differently. were not genuinely kind we do things so we dont look rude or get talked about, Albanians would give you the shirt off there back and still more. were kind so we dont look rude, there kind out of their hearts.
3) the most surprising fact from this article was the storys told about how generous they were and it was also a prideful thing, also that Albania was one of the European countries that got a larger Jewish population at the end of WWII than at the start they saved almost all Jews while offering refuge over 2,000 people that were coming from other countries.

Holly Moon

3/10/2017 11:56:17 am

1.) Albanian's have always looked at other people and thought of themselves first. They talked about in the article that many people are always looking at other people and dropping everything to help them. According to them it's the "Albanian way, it's Besa." They have simple motto's about it, if someone is looking for help you help them, if someone is looking for a place to stay and you have a spot for them to stay, then you give them a place to stay. I think that they do this because this is their way of life since they have been little, always looking at other people before them.
2.) In my opinion, I don't think we show hospitality or give it a lot at all. We are selfish as Americans, its harsh to say, because I am an american, but we don't show it very well. We rarely help third world countries at all. Yes, we build buildings for them, but that's all we do and then we leave. We do our job and leave. We have always been known to just leave.
3.) The most interesting fact that I found was; how quick they are to help someone in need and not thinking twice about it. A family could be struggling completely and what do they do? They go and help a family that needs it too even if they are completely struggling. I think that is such a great trait to have because they are so caring and they're so grateful for the things that they do have and not the things they don't.

Desyrae Ryan

3/10/2017 11:59:09 am

1.) In the article "What can Albania teach us about trust," it focuses on the saying "It's the Albanian way. It's besa." From this alone, we are able to conclude that going into debt helping a stranger is part of tradition because the word "besa" can be translated to belief or trust. In the Albanian culture, if helping someone in need puts themselves in debt, they must have faith or trust that some else will sacrifice their self to help them in their time of need.

2.) In my opinion, I believe Americans do to not exhibit hospitality. For example, Americans, including myself, are too proud. We would never sacrifice our well-being even if it meant helping someone in need. Americans are focused on social statuses rather than actual issues across the country - let alone the world.

3.) The fact I found most surprising was the generosity of Albanian culture. For example, in the article "What can Albania teach us about trust?" Nevila Muka recalls her grandmother taking in a whole family at one time because they were in need. From this alone, we are able to see that generosity plays a major role in the Albanian culture.

Andrea Fernandez

12/13/2017 01:32:07 am

1. I think someone will go in debt by helping a stranger because they would never turn anyone away, its apart of their lives and tradition. in the article it states "Its the Albanian way. Its besa." Its what they do, they were naturally born very friendly. They would rather help someone else than help themselves.
2. Americans exhibit hospitality way different than Americans .We don't do kind things just for the heck of it. They wouldn't go out of their way to provide a home like the Albanians did when they offered refugees a safe haven over the years. An old proverb written in the Kanun and it says "Before the house belongs to the owner it first belongs to god and the guest." that explains that the Albanians think of others than them selves and their needs unlike Americans.
3. The most surprising fact in this article is that Albanians dont think of being kind as a duty they enjoy it and its a point of pride for them

What Can Albania Teach Us About Trust?

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