After soaking up the various sights and history of the Baltic countries over the summer of 2010, and living as an exchange student for his junior year, senior Daniel Andrew returned to America July 4, 2011 with new insights and experiences from his journey in Norway.
Travels expand awareness, social experiences
Although the adaption to Norway came slowly with the language barrier and unfamiliar setting, Andrew found it to be a good learning experience.
“It’s weird because nothing was really familiar,” Andrew said. “The people, place and language were all new. The faster you make things familiar or normal for you, the better because then you can do more and see more. Of course I got lost pretty much everyday in town, or going home, but it was a good learning experience.”
Before he entered into the life of an exchange student, Andrew had the opportunity to tour the Baltics with his parents, Matt and Jennifer Andrew. Out of all the locations, Andrew says his two favorite places to visit were Germany and Sweden because both are very different places but also beautiful and provide various things to do and see.
“Both Germany and Sweden were very beautiful,” Andrew said. “They had lots of country, the cities were clean and the people were friendly and willing to talk to you, and help you out. They both had very interesting history. Germany with the World War II and Sweden with the Vikings and the Vasa, which was supposed to be the top Viking ship, but it sank to the ground. They are busy restoring it, so I got to go to the museum and see the actual ship and learn about how they got it out of the ocean.”
Along with acclimating to the new culture, Andrew also sought out friendships. Despite the difficulty to get past the surface of people, he was confident in talking to assorted people and succeeded in making several friends.
“Each person was different,” Andrew said. “They were somewhat hard to make friends with because they like to keep to themselves and are very quiet. But once you do make Norwegian friends you never lose them. I can get along with pretty much anybody, so I was able to make a lot of friends or at least talk to a lot of different people. Also, because I am from America that helped a lot.”
As Andrew had the opportunity to experience a different country, he was away from his family the whole school year. Despite him being thousands of miles away, his mother Jennifer Andrew shared both fears and delight in his adventure.
“At first it was very scary, but I was proud that he was more than capable of going,” Jennifer said. “It was very fun and technology made it much easier for me because I could contact him anytime I wanted to. We went to visit him at the end of the year when he finished school, but otherwise we just Skyped him.”
Even though there were doubts at first, Jennifer says she finds comfort in knowing that the world is not scary, and would feel confident in allowing her younger son, Ethan, to do the same.
“It?s cool to know that the world isn?t scary,” Andrew said. “It?s amazing to go out and see the beauty and enjoy it, so I would definitely let my younger son do the same thing.”
Andrew adapts to environment
Throughout his time in Norway, Andrew says he found enjoyment in trying to learn the language and being able to be himself around his peers. Being American added to the opportunities for conversation, Andrew said.
“They were probably interested in me as an American because of all the American products and movies,” Andrew said. “They wanted to know what it?s all about, especially since I came from California, that?s very big with LA. They were always asking me if I lived near LA, asked about gangs, asked if I had been to New York and what are some good candies and foods.”
According to Andrew, his peers tested their English with him and were able to see differences between them. Though Norwegians meet a lot of British people, most had not met anyone from America.
While the change in friends and language came naturally, another aspect was transportation. Although everyone uses cars, there were also different modes of travel like trains and trams. Now that he is home, Andrews says he is thankful for his own car to drive and for the other normal customs of home.
“Some of the adjustments I’ve had to make since coming home are driving again,” Andrew said. “I am very thankful for my car, school, getting back with friends, getting use to my family again and speaking English again.”
Even though Andrew was no longer in Norway when the Norwegian Massacre occurred, he still felt the sorrow of the country. According to the BBC News article, at least 93 people were killed in the attack.
“I was sad and still am,” Andrew said. “It’s a horrible thing to ever happen to a great and peaceful place.”
Return provides opportunity to compare, contrast surroundings
Upon returning to America, Andrew says he has enjoyed getting to see friends and family again, and looks forward to finishing out senior year. Although he could have easily stayed another year in Norway, Andrew came back to enjoy the events of FC.
?Even though I only have one year of high school left and could have stayed in Norway, I wanted to see everybody back home,” Andrew said. “Even if it was for one last time, I wanted to see FC one last time and just enjoy senior year because school in Norway is very different.?
Through his time in Norway, Andrews says his eyes have been opened to more of the world around him and he hopes to apply the lessons he learned.
“Living in Norway taught me how little I actually know about the world,” Andrew said. “It inspired me to travel more so I can see the world, and meet more people. I want to apply what I learned in Norway to my life here.”
Now that Andrew is back in America, he participates in the school varsity football team and hopes to find a job and attend California State University, Fresno, after graduating from FC.
With everything Andrew learned during his time in Norway, he is confident in the process it takes to learn, despite the difficulties, and wants to encourage his peers to learn the same.
“Don’t give up,” Andrew said. “It’s as simple as that. There’s going to be good days and there’s going to be bad days. You’re going to get homesick, and your going to never want to come home, but no matter what, you learn and grow.”
For more information on Andrew’s travels, read the Feb. 18 article, Exchange program plants junior in Norway.
