Tags: Cultural Connection, print
Oct. 6, 2004
Blair’s own Norwegian scholar
Emelie Bottheim (on the left) and her best friend Annette Thommessen celebrate May 17, the day Norway became a free country.
Junior Emelie Bottheim is a Norwegian foreign exchange student who will be attending Blair for the 2004-2005 school year. Moving to another country and learning to live on her own has transformed Bottheim and shaped her view of America.
Nor what?
Norway is located in Northern Europe, bordering the North Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, as well as Russia, Sweden and Finland.
However, not many are aware of Norway's geographic location. Bottheim has been asked questions such as, "Is it cold there?" "Do you have hair dressers in Norway?" "Is being a 17-year-old in Norway the same as being a 17-year-old in the US?" and "Isn't Norway in the North Pole?"
The altered agenda
Norway is not only different from America because of its geographical location, but also because of its less stressful environment. Depending on the day, Bottheim's Norwegian school would start at varying times—sometimes she would go to school from 8:00 a.m. til 10:00 a.m. and sometimes from 9:00 a.m. til 1:00 p.m. Now, however, Bottheim has a more rigorous schedule.
View from Emelie’s cabin up in the Norwegian Mountains in May.
Students in Norway are also required to attend school until grade 13. Norwegian students get more freedom. They can plan out their own class activities and can even "teach a class."
Along with that, they are also allowed to skip class for the whole day in order to complete the assigned projects. "Once, in Economics, we made a movie about how much money Norwegians spend for Christmas. So we would end up working for an hour, and the rest of the day we would sit in a café," says Bottheim.
Must I talk?
Despite the teacher's leniency, Norwegian students do not forget to do their homework, because of the stringent grading system in Norway. Students are graded on a one to six grade basis, where a one equals an F and a five equals an A.
The largest part of the grade (40 to 60 percent) comes from class participation. In every class students are expected to raise their hand at least once during class time and respond to a question. "Always before class you feel nervous just thinking about how you are gonna get the teacher to notice that you are a hard worker and are prepared for class," explains Bottheim.
No formalities required
Bottheim has also observed how Blair students call their teachers by their last name. In Norway, students refer to their teachers by their first names, discarding the "Mr." or "Mrs."
Bottheim says, students here seem to be more disrespectful to one another. "Someone asks you, 'How are you?' and when you are answering, they walk away," she says, raising her eyebrows as a sign of disapproval. "In Norway, when someone asks you how you are doing, they actually want to find out how you are doing."
Trading skis for a tennis racquet
View of the cabin’s close location to the mountains.
However, Bottheim was excited to set aside her skiing in order to play tennis, her second favorite sport. Having never played tennis, she still decided to try out for the Blair girls' tennis team and made it on, by overcoming one of her fears.
Yes, I can
However, her apprehension about trying out for the tennis team was nothing compared to what she felt before her arrival to America. Bottheim was afraid of not fitting in and being alone. Some of these fears became a reality when she arrived in Maryland. "I felt really homesick, and nothing was as I expected it to be. I didn't like it here," she adds, the smile fading from her face.
Nevertheless, Bottheim has managed to settle in and is really glad now that she came to America and that she was able to conquer her doubts about the trip. "You just have to do things and take a chance," she says with a smile. "I am happy I came. I think I am more self-confident [now]."
Vocabulary:
Hello – Hei
How are you doing? – Hvordan har du det
Wow – Aa lo
Have a nice day – Ha en fin dag.
Good-bye – Ha det bra.
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We say 'Wow', in Norway too!
Hugs from the way to the north!