2/26/2009 - A view from the girl from Sweden
Glenn Jordan for the Portland Press Herald
When Johanna Bjork applied for a student exchange program in her native Sweden, she didn´t know where in the United States she would be placed. She wanted to learn the language and soak up the culture, and if, perhaps, she had one chance to get to a mountain in winter, it would be a bonus.
“I was just lucky I ended up in Maine with some snow,” she said, “so I can do what I love.”
An 18-year-old senior at Kennebunk High, Bjork landed on a second-year club team competing in the Class A state championships for the first time. In the Class A giant slalom last week at Sunday River, Bjork turned in the two fastest runs of the day to win the individual state title by more than two seconds – in 1 minute, 16.18 seconds – over Maggie Corrigan of Cheverus.
In the following day´s slalom competition, Bjork led by .80 seconds after one run, but lost a ski on her second. After landing face first in the snow, she picked herself up, hiked up the hill to fetch her ski, buckled back into it, and managed to finish the course in less than a minute, resulting in a remarkable 10th place overall.
“That´s pretty unheard of, to still place in the top 10 after losing a ski,” said Kennebunk Coach Amber Elliott. “She had to hike quite a ways.”
Elliott said Bjork not only is a talented skier, she´s a patient and helpful instructor as well.
“She doesn´t want to be the center of attention, doesn´t want to show off,” Elliott said. “She´s always trying to help the other skiers. She has totally embraced the whole American high school experience. She´s open-minded and very positive all the time.”
Bjork played soccer in the fall and plans to give tennis a try this spring. Her host family, the LeBlancs, includes Margaux, a sophomore at Kennebunk who placed 34th in the giant slalom and 22nd in the slalom despite injuring an ankle the day before the state meet.
“I just hoped that my host family would have kids,” Bjork said. “That they were skiers and they shared my passion was just a big, big bonus for me. Margaux is a great sister and a great friend, and so are the rest of my (host) siblings. I´ve become really close with them.”
What part of Sweden are you from?
I´m from the middle of Sweden, a town called Silun. It´s not near any big mountains, but there is a little ski hill 20 minutes from where I live. That´s where I practice.
How long have you been skiing?
Since I learned walking. I think I learned when I was 3. I did my first race when I was 7. In my family, everybody skis.
Are there differences in ski racing here?
We don´t have school sports in Sweden. The sport is not connected to school. We got to (sports) clubs after school, which means the races in Sweden are much more competitive, because it´s just racers.
What happened on that second slalom run?
The top of my ski hit the bottom of the gate, or maybe I got the gate between my legs. I don´t remember. I only remember that I had my face in the snow.
In the bigger picture, how do you feel about the period in U.S. history that coincides with your visit?
It´s been fun to be part of Barack Obama´s election, and interesting to follow the economic news, because it affects me even though I´m not an American. My host sister got to go to the inauguration and she said it was amazing. That was fun, to actually be here and watch it live on TV. Back home we get everything a little later.
What are some cultural differences you´ve noticed?
Well, you guys spend a lot of time in the car here, which I´m not used to. The school is very different and also the food. There´s more fast food here.
Will you receive academic credit for your time here?
No. This is like a gap year. I need to go back to Sweden and do my senior year. It´s just the experience and the language that I get.
How was soccer?
It was great, so much fun. I played forward for the first time in my life. I played soccer for five years at home but quit two years ago because I had problems with my feet. It was so much fun to go back. I missed it.
What other activities have you tried?
I´ve done some stuff with AFS (American Field Service) and other exchange students who are here. We went to the middle school one day and talked about our countries and our experience here. I´ve done chamber choir. That was fun. I went to New York City with a newspaper group at my school. That was also so much fun.
Other than missing your family, what is the most challenging part of the experience?
I would have to say the public transportation. AFS has this rule that I can´t drive. My host family has been great, taking me wherever I want to go, but it would be easier if I didn´t have to rely on someone else to drive. Back home you can always take a bus.
Please see the original article here
Learn more about AFS Sweden here
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