Written By: Trudy Padden

This year Newport Harbor High school received students on exchange from all across the globe. Kristine Wowie, a Norwegian 17-year-old decided to attend her senior year at Newport Harbor over 5,000 miles away. What made her want to do the
 exchange is her passion to travel. Kristina said in Norway your 12^th year of school is “unimportant and people just want to get it done”. This is because they still have another year oh high school after their 12^th year. When Kristine gets back to Norway she will have another senior year, Norwegian style. While experiencing her American senior year her favorite part is “the school spirit”. She had never experienced this because sports are not connected with school back home. Kristine has loved going to pep rallies, seeing the cheerleaders, and athletes all around campus. She lives with a host family in Newport Beach and has had many wonderful experiences with them going to football games, dinners, boating, and experiencing a very different setting and culture. She enjoys her new life but says she has had trouble missing her family and friends back home. Despite and changes she had made great memories her favorite being meeting two new friends and realizing what she had gotten herself into.

She also really enjoyed going to Los Angeles with her host sister. She said her exchange decision was “spontaneous and without thinking”. She was influenced to go to America from her sibling who attend American Universities. In contrast to her life back in Norway, she views Orange County as a city. The town she lived in was very green and rural so all the development and info structure is new for Kristine to experience. As seen in the pictures below there was lots of open space and hiking was common. Kristina says she is very excited for the winter in California because the days stay basically the same length. In Norway it would become dark for almost 20 hours a day in the winter. Kristina says she finds simple pleasures in what we consider normal such as “not having to wear a sweater out and being able to go in the ocean”. Despite her excitement for a California winter she will miss the snow and the great skiing she typically does with her family. Kristine say at at times she thinks she is crazy for leaving all her friends, family, and life behind but she is very thankful for this new endeavor and is excited about what’s to come at NHHS.