Since his arrival at Trinity on the week of August 21st, junior Frej Andersson-Oberg has traveled to North Carolina twice with his exchange family to see landmarks and participate in bonding activities. His first time in North Carolina was spent at Camp Ridgecrest for Boys and exploring the state’s landmarks.
“I went to Buc-ee’s, the huge gas station,” Andersson-Oberg said. “[My exchange family] bought land in North Carolina so I was up there last week…preparing and renovating.”
Andersson-Oberg is originally from Gothenburg, Sweden, and traveled to Stockholm for an interview with the Swedish ambassador and ASSIST. He first learned of the exchange program from his aunt’s husband, who is an ASSIST alumni and spent a year abroad in the United States.
Andersson-Oberg has noticed multiple differences in the culture and environment of the United States since his arrival.
“Of course, the weather is different from Sweden,” Andersson-Oberg. “There’s a lot more cars…but the good thing is there’s more diversity in food.”
According to Andersson-Oberg, the diversity in America’s cuisine mainly includes an increase in cheese as a food topping.
His first impression of the United States was positive, and teachers and students have offered their assistance on multiple occasions.
“Swedish people are very introverted,” Andersson-Oberg said. “Even if you knew a person, you wouldn’t say hi [and instead] just nod. Here, I barely know anyone because I’ve only been here a week, but I’m saying “hi” to people from [my] classes and sports.”
According to Andersson-Oberg, his economics teacher’s interactive teaching methods have made a positive impact on his learning.
“When we have long lessons, instead of sitting there [for] one hour, almost two, and just writing notes, we actually do some exercise,” Andersson-Oberg said. “[This] improves learning for me.”
Andersson-Oberg is a member of Trinity’s swim team, having competitively swam previously in Sweden. He swam with the swim club Kungälvs Simsällskap (KSS), rather than with his school.
“For me, I like swimming,” Andersson-Oberg said. “Most of my Swedish friends are in the swim club as well.”
He has participated in a variety of sports, wanting to find the sport that he was most passionate about.
“Two years back before I started to focus on swimming, I did golf and tennis,” Andersson-Oberg said. “Those were the three that I focused on most.”
Although he is enjoying America so far, there are some things he misses about his home country.
“Of course, I miss my family and friends,” Andersson-Oberg said. “But also I would say some traditional foods like Swedish meatballs.”
He has many ambitions for the school year going forward, in regards to both academics and sports.
“I’m looking forward to improving many aspects of my life,” Andersson-Oberg said. “One of the big ones is swimming for me, but also my English. I already feel [very] self-dependent, and I feel like it could get even better.”
