International Program Highlight: Andrea from Norway
This year marks 50 years since the former Columbus International Program, today known as the International Program of US Together, was founded. Join us in celebrating this milestone by sharing an inspiring story about the importance of international exchange.
Meet Andrea Edland from Norway, who is now a senior at The Ohio State University and an intern at US Together. Andrea got motivated to pursue her college degree in the USA after a foreign exchange year during high school. Here is what Andrea shared with us:
Andrea’s High School Exchange Story from Ohio
I found out I was placed in Ohio, and I cried.
That is the start of my high school exchange story at the age of 17. I was filled with expectations after months of applications, interviews, preparation, and waiting. Lots of waiting. Although I was open to spending my year pretty much anywhere in the United States, there was one area I did not want to go to - the Midwest. And as if to teach me a lesson, I was placed in a small town in Ohio, a state that epitomizes everything Midwestern.
In spite of this rough start, my exchange year turned out to be one of the best years of my life.
Andrea with her host parents and sisters.
Family. I was placed with an amazing host family of six (and three dogs). They welcomed me with open arms and immediately treated me as one of their own. They supported and took care of me during my lows and celebrated with me during my highs. And they made sure I got to experience the best of American culture, food, and sports.One of the worst parts at the end of my exchange year was leaving someone I considered family. My host family holds a special place in my heart and I am lucky to still have them in my life.
Andrea’s swim team celebrating after winning a swim meet!
Sports and friends. I met most of my friends through going to school and participating in sports. I had the opportunity to play water polo which I quickly found out that water polo was far tougher than swimming. Not only was I supposed to be able to control a ball, but I was also supposed to swim while people on the other team were trying to stop me. I am forever grateful for the patience and kindness of my teammates as they watched me navigate learning a new sport while in a foreign country. The following season I had the opportunity to be on the swim team with a lot of the same people as from the water polo team. A lot of my favorite memories from my exchange year were made during practices and competitions, and I am still close friends with some of my former teammates.
American culture and culture shock. In my first couple of months in the U.S. I did experience culture shock. Everything I saw was so much bigger than I was used to. Homes were huge, the grocery store was maybe ten times the size of my go to store at home and portion sizes for food were also bigger than I expected. But eventually the U.S. became my new norm. I got so used to it that I had reverse culture shock returning to Norway and seeing how small everything was.
As an exchange student I also experienced the typical American things. I went to homecoming and prom, which is not something we have in Norway. I went to watch American football games with my friends Friday nights. All of October was festive leading up to Halloween. And the festivities just continued into November when I got to celebrate Thanksgiving with my host family. I also really enjoyed the small American that I had only seen in movies - having a locker, yellow school buses, drive-in movies, eating American breakfast, and so much more.
So what did I take away from my exchange year?
In addition to gaining a new family and new friends, I learned a lot about myself and gained skills and perspectives that are still beneficial to me today.
I learned the value of having an open mind. If I would have arrived in the U.S. with a negative mindset about my year ahead in Ohio, I would not have had as good of a time. Instead, after allowing myself to be disappointed for a bit, I got excited about the prospect of living the small town life. And when I arrived there I met people who were different from myself, but yet very similar. Learning about their background, culture and norms and teaching them about me and Norway improved my cross-cultural communication and made me a more understanding person. And being in a foreign country away from my family, friends and comfort zone also made me more independent and confident.
I also had many great teachers throughout my exchange year with one shaping my academic and professional goals. The teacher of a Comparative Political Science class, “the Professor,” created an engaging environment in his class that encouraged critical thinking. And somehow he made politics interesting and fun - something that was completely foreign to me. After returning to Norway I decided I wanted to learn more about politics, which I am doing today as a World Politics major at The Ohio State University.
So my exchange year was not only a great experience but it also shaped who I am as a person and my future aspirations.
Would I recommend being an exchange participant in the US?
Absolutely. It is one of the best choices I made and worth every penny paid.
Andrea in front of her high school.