16 Weeks Until Departure!

This past week I had my home interview with Damian from AFS. It went really well and I enjoyed hearing Damian's stories about his time in Switzerland in the 1980's. He told me about all the rules for AFS and asked some good questions. I felt very comfortable and confident in my responses. One question he asked was "Why do you want to go to Norway?" and my reply was that my family has all participated in overseas experiences and I want to continue with that tradition. I know that that their experiences were more traumatic, given that they lived in third world countries, but I feel that this is a good first step to becoming a lifetime traveler. I told Damian that I am excited about living away from home and learning simple life skills like managing my own money.

Over the last few weeks I have been able to raise a little bit of money. I cleaned my Uncle Bruce's car and he gave me a generous donation. My other uncle, Heiwa, kicked off my fund drive with a generous donation as well. I got a letter and donation from a friend of my grandparents, John and Lynda Cock, which was such a welcome surprise. They shared with me stories about my Grandpa Stan, something I really appreciated. Today I'm going out to start working for Grandpa Fred and Grandma Nancy who have offered to hire me in return for their donation to my trip. I'm excited to see them and get to work! My Grandma Carol has offered to have me clean her car as well so I will get that done this week as well. Let me know if there is anything that I might be able to do for any of you. I'm open during the next two weeks while I'm on my spring break.

Last week my dad and I purchased a Norwegian language program, not knowing what to expect, but it has been a nice tool. I also bought a Norwegian App for my IPhone so I can learn it on the go. Tomorrow I start Norwegian classes at the Swedish Language Institute in Ballard. I'm excited to meet other people who want to learn the language and to learn with them. I realize that the language is going to be very difficult to learn but I feel like it's important to learn as much as possible before I go because all my classes will be in Norwegian while I'm in Norway.

I talked to my new host sister Sunniva this week on Facebook and I started the conversation in Norwegian asking her "Hvordan gar det?" which means "How are you?". She seemed to approve. I asked her about her friends, and asked if she liked her school. She said that she loves them both, which I think is a good sign. I explained to Damian during our interview that my biggest concern was school, because I really love the way I learn at my current school. It's important for me to like my school and make friends, so I'm glad that Sunniva has good friends and likes her school. I look forward to meeting new people and learning about a new school environment. It's going to be very different from my current school and probably my biggest challenge while I'm in Norway.

I feel very fortunate to have such a welcoming host family because Damian was telling me that for most AFS students the most challenging aspect can be bonding with their host families and feeling at home. I'm not worried about this at all.

So, I really want to hear some thoughts from all of you. Write to me and tell me what you think about this upcoming adventure. Maybe share some of your stories of life abroad. I know many of you have lived overseas and traveled. Tips?

Takk!

Noah

FUNRAISING!

Hey everyone!

So today marks the beginning of my fundraising efforts. There is a button right here on my blog if you would like to make a donation to my trip. I am also available for childcare ($10/hr) in exchange for your donation right here on the blog. Your donation goes directly to my AFS account! Easy!

My goal is to raise $5000 so please help me to reach that goal. I'm open to all ideas for fundraising and I really appreciate any help that you are able to provide me. This is going to be a great adventure!

Thank you,
Noah

My Grandpa Fred

This is my grandfather, Fred Lanphear, who is an amazing man and living with ALS. This is the annual ALS Walk in Seattle. Pictured with us is my younger brother Mason. Both of my grandfather's have been inspirations to me. I've been so lucky in the grandparents that I was given. They are all amazing people.

My Grandpa Stan

This is my grandpa Stan who passed away on Nov. 15, 2009. I miss him so much. This is my Auntie Karyn, who is a sweetheart, and misses her papa too.

This is back in 2007 when Astrid, Odd Tore and Sunniva came to visit CC in Seattle and our family took a hike up near Mt. Rainier. Beautiful day with great people!


This is a photo of me back in 2007 with my two sisters, Ilaria on the left and CC (Siril) on the right.

The Beginning....

So after a lot of effort and expectation we heard today about my AFS Global Leaders Scholarship. I am pleased to announce that I am fortunate enough to be awarded a scholarship and hopefully this means I am on my way to Norway in August! There's still some work to do but I am extremely hopeful and excited now!

Thank you to the scholarship committee for this award. I am so very grateful.

So, now it's time to think about raising the rest of the money and taking some Norwegian classes!

With appreciation!

Noah

Why Norway?

I have traveled abroad before, having been to the United Kingdom with my family in 2008. We spent two weeks touring England, Scotland and Wales. It was a wonderful experience. The year prior to that we had an exchange student from Norway living with us. It didn't take long for me to love CC (Siril) as my sister and she always said that I could come stay with her family when I was ready. So, I'd like to take her family up on that offer. Her parents, Astrid and Odd Tore came to visit us in Seattle, along with her sister Sunniva in the spring of 2007 and I really loved them. They are such fun people! We hiked on Mt. Rainier and ate at wonderful restaurants. So, they have graciously agreed to host me this next year and I am so excited to go and share a family life with them in Norway and learn about their culture. They are wonderful people.

My family has a rich history of traveling abroad in service. All of my grandparents, and my parents, aunts and uncles have lived in third world countries where they have served working with local people to make their lives better. These countries include India, Kenya, Peru, Korea, Tonga, and The Marshall Islands. I want very much to be a part of that tradition and I think a year abroad will help me to have a more global perspective. I know that if I can see more of the world I can have a much deeper appreciation for what it means to be a global citizen and be of service.

My family is very supportive of my desire to travel and see the world. If anything I think they wish I was going to a third world country, but my family knows that any experience outside of ones home country is helpful in building a greater global perspective.

Having been a part of a host family for AFS I really do understand the struggles that a student can have coming into a new situation. I think for me it's comforting to know that I will be living with people that I know, but I am aware that there will be many challenges and that I will have to keep an open mind. I know there will be times when I am homesick for the things that bring me comfort. The challenge will be to work through that discomfort and find new ways to balance life.

I'm really looking forward to this adventure and hope that I can record on this blog for you some of those experiences. It's only roughly five months away, so there is a lot of work to be done!