Scintillating Scandinavian Studies at L-S

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Tastefully styled from head to toe (and often in a deep, reddish shade of burgundy), this trendy newcomer has recently hit the halls of L-S High School. She hails from the Scandinavian province of Norway and is our third and penultimate featured foreign exchange student for the 2015-2016 school year.

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Mette Smaland joins the L-S community from Norway this year
Mette Smaland is her name, the first pronounced like the beginning of the word “metaphor,” but with a sharper “t” sound in the middle.

To Smaland, the country of America always been intriguing. In her younger years, she vacationed in Florida, and has since dreamed of returning to the U.S. However, this time around, she finds herself surrounded by the bucolic pastures of Lancaster County rather than the humid subtropics of The Sunshine State.

Similar to the average teenage girl of nearly every first world country, Smaland enjoys spending time with friends, singing, and free-style dancing. In pursuit of her interest in singing, she joined the Lampeter-Strasburg High School choral ensemble, where she exercises her vocal skills amongst fellow musicians. Additionally, Smaland is a part of the school’s community service club, Interact, which is currently busying its volunteers at the local West Lampeter Township Fair.

“I like it here,” she shares. “The people are very welcoming, but the schooling is a bit more structured.”

Back at home, Smaland is the baby of her family. Two big sisters, one big brother, one older half-sister, and an older half-brother make her the youngest of five siblings.

Though spending a year in the U.S. also entails being away from family for an extensive amount of time, Smaland and the three other exchange students attending L-S High this year (all female) have formed a friendly quartet, unified by their similar experiences in an unfamiliar land. Together, these four ladies take on new perspectives of their world, learning day by day what it means to be an American student.

--Jacky Kirchner, LSNews.org Features Editor

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