Ingrid Remmen has joined the family of Tom and Mary Lou Vossler this
year on the foreign exchange student program.
Remmen, from Oslo, Norway is making a lot of adjustments. She’s
gone from a big town to a small town, from a large urban neighborhood to living
out of town on a farm.
So far Remmen has enjoyed her experience in Nebraska. She had
applied for the program and quite a few of her friends had been accepted but it
wasn’t until 10 days before she had to leave to come that she found out that
she had a host family.
It was hard to leave her parents and older brother but she is looking
forward to seeing them when they come to visit in April. Between the
Vossler’s and school activities at Exeter-Milligan Remmen hasn’t had a lot of
time to miss her life back in Norway.
Remmen played volleyball for Exeter-Milligan and will also join the
basketball team. At home in Norway she plays handball outside of
school. “Sports aren’t in school so it’s a club team. We play year
round.”
So far Remmen has had the opportunity to experience quite a bit of the
area with the Vosslers. They have traveled to Kansas City where Remmen
got to try a funnel cake for the first time. They have also taken in a
Husker game, viewed the Sunken Gardens in Lincoln at their prime, seen a Salt
Dogs game, eaten at Ribfest and explored the Omaha zoo.
The Vosslers have plans to take Remmen to South Dakota to see Mt
Rushmore and other sights along with an upcoming ski trip where Remmen will
feel very comfortable on the slopes.
Remmen also has plans to take a trip to Hawaii with the Foreign
Exchange student group. She hopes too travel with her parents when they
come.
“I like shopping here, things are cheaper. I like American
food. We ate the same type of foods but the combinations are different
and the style of clothes is a bit different,” explained Remmen.
So far Remmen has enjoyed her classes at Exeter-Milligan. For
her, this year will count, but she will have one more year, year 13, when she
returns. “I miss the open campus. Norway is a more like
college. We don’t have the same schedule every day and classes are harder
there. I miss going to the mall for lunch to eat.”
However, she is enjoying her history classes at Exeter-Milligan.
“When we have history we have about the same mostly. We have more
Norwegian history.”
Arriving at the Vossler’s home was like stepping on to a different
planet for Remmen. She has no pets at home and the Vossler’s have cattle,
cats, a dog and sheep. She’s also gotten to experience the farm life,
riding in a combine and being around the equipment. So far, her comment about
living at the Vossler’s,”I like it a lot they are real nice. It’s a lot
of fun.”
The Vossler’s have enjoyed the experience as well. Mary Lou
explained that “We have been learning so much about a different culture and
having her in our home has been a blessing. We have had a lot of laughter
and learned a lot about her and her country. I think we’ve gained an
appreciation for differences. We’ve been impressed with such a young
female, only 17, who is so open to new experiences and willing to see the world
by herself. I am not too sure many students around her would do that.”
