The only way I can sum up what it’s been like being friends with a foreign exchange student is amazingly different.     

    Watching Lisa react to the little things has been my favorite part of the year. She’s always telling us stories about the differences between here and Norway.  

    In Norway, every child gets child support. Instead of spending this on Lisa and her siblings growing up, her parents put all the money in a trust. She decided to use this money to travel and study abroad. Getting into the foreign exchange program is converted to about $7000 which includes plane tickets and insurance for the year.

    I’ve loved getting lost in my hometown with her and having the girl from a different country tell me how to get home, sharing my love with books with her, and hearing her say, “Do I have an accent still? I want to go back home with only an American accent.” She still clearly sounds Norwegian. I’m going to miss her but am excited to see where she goes next.

    Knowing Lisa might be as much of an experience for me as it is for her. Before this year, I don’t think I would have given a thought to how different things in other countries are.