For a group of American students studying the Balkans, one of the most memorable parts of their experience in Albania was not a formal lecture or business presentation. It was their stay in Valbonë, where a family-run guesthouse offered an opportunity to encounter local customs, food and everyday hospitality.
The experience is described in a 2023 account published by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s Center for Global Education. Chloe White, an accounting student who participated in a faculty-led programme through the university’s Rollins College of Business, reflected on a trip that took students through Greece, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Albania in May 2023.
The programme combined cultural exploration with a group project examining mineral depletion in Albania and the possibility of exporting valuable resources through Greece’s seaport of Piraeus. Students also visited businesses in the countries they explored, giving them opportunities to observe different operations and discuss economic and social questions.
White’s account describes the group’s interest in the ethical and environmental implications of mineral extraction and trade. The students considered concerns about illegal trafficking and discussed possible safeguards, including stronger regulatory oversight, licensing, monitoring and border controls. These were presented as issues explored during their academic project, rather than as findings from a formal investigation.
Business visits were another important component of the programme. White recalled being particularly impressed by a small, home-owned business encountered during the wider trip: a vineyard in Greece that she associated with organic practices and community involvement. The account describes its support for dedicated employees and local participation in producing phyllo-dough pies, illustrating how the students considered community relationships alongside business operations.
Yet the reflection’s strongest personal memory came from Albania. White described the guesthouse in Valbonë as extremely welcoming, recalling how the hosts shared their customs, food and family life with the visiting group. She felt that the experience brought the students closer together and gave them a comforting introduction to local ways of life.
The account also recalls traditional foods, cultural festivities and dancing, as well as the simple pleasure of enjoying espresso while rain fell. These details convey the variety of experiences that made the programme memorable to its participants. They also show how cultural learning can emerge from ordinary social interactions as well as from organised educational activities.
The university’s account is a personal reflection, not a comprehensive survey of Albanian guesthouses or rural tourism. Its value lies in documenting one student’s experience of hospitality and connecting that experience to a wider programme of academic exploration. It offers a specific example of how local businesses and families can become part of an international learning experience.
For readers interested in Albania’s cultural life, the story highlights an everyday dimension of travel that can be overlooked when attention focuses only on landmarks or formal institutions. In Valbonë, the students’ lasting impression came from the opportunity to share a meal, learn about local customs and spend time with their hosts. In White’s telling, those personal encounters helped transform a study trip into an experience she hoped to share with friends and family.