By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
Traveling is not uncommon to attend the Ellis County Fair, but for one participant, the trip was a bit further than normal – over 4,000 miles – but it would be hard to guess that she hails from so far away, as she almost seems at home here in Ellis County.
Anne Dahle is visting Hays from Norway, coming on a four-week exchange program with 4-H.
“Every second year, Norway sends kids to the States. Next year, America sends kids to Norway,“ Dahle said.
This year, 29 Norwegians are spread across eight States — 12 are in Kansas and that’s the program’s biggest group this year.
While Dahle came to Hays to experience American culture, it was not her first visit to the U.S.
“I was in North Carolina the first time, so it’s a bit different from Hays, Kansas. It’s warm, but it’s nice. It’s a little bit more flat than I’m used to,” Dahle said.
She considered the timing of her visit perfect, as she was able to experience the fair and explore the differences between a traditional Norwegian fair and here.
“I was really lucky that I could come to fair week,” she said. “The fair is really nice. It’s very different from what we do in Norway in 4-H, so it’s really cool to get to see how you do it.”
Visitors from the U.S. who would go to a fair in Norway might not even recognize their events as fairs at all.
“We don’t call it a fair. It’s more like a fall fest,” she said. “We only have one night where we make stands. Every member has a stand and shows the community what we have done through the year. So it’s sort of the same idea, but it’s shorter. We have a big stage and everyone performs and stuff. It’s a little bit of the same, but in a shorter interval.”
In Norway, the fair would not feature a carnival or concerts like in the U.S., and members are much more involved in planning and running the fair than here, she added.
“It’s the kids that run everything. We only have advisers,” she said “One adviser per club. The kids (are) on the boards, and the kids decide what to do.”
Dahle’s experience isn’t unique. 4-H regularly allows younger people to travel across the globe allowing cultural exchanges. With this being her second trip, she traveled as a sponsor, allowing her to interact with other exchange students during her trip.
“We are the first group of international students that come to the States. There are people from Finland and Costa Rica — everywhere really,” adding she also knows of a large contingent from Japan that comes yearly.
Cultural benefits extend both ways from the exchange program. Locals get to meet people from international locals and the participants get to experience local American culture.
“We can apply to be a participant. I thought it would be really nice to see new places and meet new people and just learn about the American culture and also language,” she said. “In just four weeks, you get to do more than just touristy stuff. You live with the host family, and they show you around and get the normal life.”
As part of the exchange, host families are required to have children close in age to the participant, allowing cultural transfers for young Americans as well.
“It’s a really good opportunity for host families, too, just to get someone new, just learn new things. The kids learn a lot,” Dahle said, adding that the program allows everyone to “exchange tradition and knowledge.”
Even with her previous experience in the U.S., Hays offered her a unique look into the American spirit.
“People are very, at least the ones I’ve met, are really open-minded,” Dahle said. “They maybe never heard of what I’m talking about, but they don’t mind when I do it. And they’re interested and ask questions, which I find is nice, because then I get to talk about it.”
Even with the exchange, Dahle noted the differences in local and urban cultures is similar in both countries. Dahle is from a small town of just over 100 people.
“That’s also a thing to go with State 4-H. You usually don’t end up — you can end up close to a city — but you’re never in the city so you get rural life, which in Norway, that’s 4-H,” she said. “There’s not much 4-H in the cities. So you get to see how it is other places, in other countries, which is really nice.”
“In cities, I think it’s mostly the same — too busy to live their own lives. Well, at least here in Hays, it’s everywhere you go people talk, it’s really nice.”
Part of the reason for such an easy blending of culture comes from the Norwegian school system. Dahle said she began learning about American and English in the first grade. Students in Norway are required to take English until 10th grade. With that, American culture seeps into her country.
“I guess we do learn quite a bit,” she said. “You’re on the news, movies and music. … I think more Norwegians have heard of America than Americans have heard of Norway.”
Dahle also studied the German language and culture in her schooling, making the German heritage of Ellis County even more special. She noted that the presentation of America in school is different than the being here as she sees the mixing of cultures from various immigrants.
“It’s sort of fun to see,” she said. “When you only read about America, it’s American sort of, it’s everything, but when you visit, it’s a lot of cultures that just mix together.”