If you could attend a new school for a year, would you? If the answer is yes, what if it were in a different country? Senior Kathrine Langen, who is from Norway, has taken the opportunity to experience the United States with us at Hastings HIgh for her senior year,
“The reason why I am here on exchange is to experience something different, along with learning new traditions and languages. I am also very tired of Norway and enjoy traveling too, so that makes everything better. My mom exchanged when she was 19 to come to America for a job and has been encouraging me to try it out,” Kathrine said.
Believe it or not, Norway and the United States are very similar. For example, everyone is Norway is in love with frozen pizza, which is why it is the undeclared national food of Norway. There are multiple Burger King’s, McDonald’s, and Subways there, too.
Some people are shocked to find out that Norwegians drive on the right side of the road, just like us, although in order to get a license in Norway you have to be 18 years old. The legal drinking age is also 18 years old. High school students who are that given age get to celebrate a week during May called Russ, which is highly popular among the students,
“People go crazy during Russ. Russ is where everyone who is 18 does crazy activities the whole week up to May 17th, our Constitution Day,” Kathrine said.
Norwegian schools are not similar to the high schools the rest of us have attended, like Hastings High. They do not have any school sports, but there are clubs you can be involved with outside of school. Kathrine is involved in many different clubs including soccer, which happens to be her favorite.
In Norway, there are many different holidays that are more significant to them than they are here in the US. Their Christmas is actually celebrated on December 24th, along with celebrating the next two days as the First and Second Days of Christmas,
“Christmas is a special day in my household in particular. We wake up around 8-9 a.m. that morning and spend the morning watching classic Christmas movies and tv programs,” Kathrine said.
In general, nothing is completely different for Kathrine, even though she has only been here for about a month and a half. We are very excited to have you here, Kathrine! Enjoy your time as a Hastings Tiger!
About the Writer: Jaiden Kully
Hi! I am a junior this year and am a Senior Editor for our school yearbook. I am also on the HHS Dance Team, which means most of my life revolves around dance. You can almost always find me at the dance studio. I would describe myself as an upbeat person who enjoys making the best out of every situation. I love to write stories because I feel like it’s a way to express a different side of a person that most people might not know.
