Thirty years ago this summer, I returned from one of the most eventful years of my life.
First a little background....
It was January 1983. I had grown up in a small midwest town in northeast Ohio called Chardon. Having met all the requirements to graduate high school and not wishing to continue with college, I had some decisions to make. To the surprise of my parents, I had completed the American Field Service(AFS) Student Application and I took it to them to get their input/approval. We had previously hosted a student in our home from Indonesia. I had not been excited about sharing my home/world with someone from across the globe....so my parents were a bit surprised that I now had an interest in traveling to another country for a year and would continue to go to school. I had done everything I could to get high school behind me and I had made it very clear to my parents that I was not going to college. My parents have always been very supportive and knowing the AFS Program had good support they quickly got on board and helped me complete their part of the application.
I knew where I wanted to spend my year.....Germany. You see, the same year we hosted our student from Indonesia I had made good friends with another student Clarens, from Germany. I knew I wanted to get out of our little town and explore the world and what a better place for someone with the last name Dauler (also German ) to do it. Besides, I would have another year to hang out with Clarens. I guess in my rush to fill out the application I must have missed some of the fine print. It must not have said, "What country do you want to be placed in?" But rather, what countries would you consider......Boy was I in for a surprise.....not only was I not going to Germany to hang out with Clarens but I was going to be spending my year in Norway! Norway. Where is Norway? Just kidding. My geography was pretty good. I knew where Norway was but I know nothing about it. I knew it would be cold, they had reindeer and maybe polar bears. I received my acceptance letter in May. I learned that I would be going to Norway in June so I went to the library to learn about this new land I was to call my home for the next year. There were a few books and one Berlitz Record on " How to Speak Norwegian". I thought, "this can't be so difficult...there are only two records in the set".... "I should have this figured out by the time I leave in July". Let me tell you there was nothing further from the truth. I got the record home, popped it on the record player, and turned it on. I may have made it half way through side two of four when I pulled it off the record player, packed it back in its sleeve, and promptly returned it to the public library. There is no way I am ever going to understand these "noises". I must admit I had started to be come a bit nervous."........
It is getting late and I must work tomorrow .....this is just the beginning of my adventure. I will continue to share my story from 1983 so you can be somewhat caught up in my tale....then....In just two and a half days I will be boarding a 787 Dreamliner that will take me from Orlando, FL to one of the greatest places on earth. My goal of this blog is to both document my 30th anniversary visit and share my experiences with those of you who wish to come for the ride.
American Field Service AFS