Most of the time when people are new to a school they come from a couple towns over or sometimes even a state, but for 12th grader Anna Germer the distance was even greater. She came here from Tvaaker  Sweden. Like most people from Sweden she adores Swedish meatballs but, unlike many, she came to America through the Rotary to be a Foreign Exchange student.

           When asked the biggest difference between the school systems in the US and Sweden Anna responded, “You can’t go to the bathroom without a pass and being late is a big deal. In Sweden if you miss class it’s on you.”  Not only has Anna been busy with school, but she also decided to join the cross country team, coached by Mr. Schopp and Mr. Harris. When asked why she decided to join cross country out of all other activities she said, “I didn’t think you could be bad at running.”  Anna tells me she had a little trouble adjusting to the everyday practice schedule because in Sweden, they don’t have sports sponsered by the school.  Anna’s favorite part of cross country was the spaghetti feeds.  She really enjoyed hanging out with the team but the running was not that much fun. “The running in the beginning was really hard but as the season went on it got easier.”  Germer likes the activities in America because they are easier to join than in Sweden. She is also palnning on partcipating in speech this winter, her catagory being humerous.

       During her stay here she will be living with three different families. First, she lived with the Erhardts, she is now  residing with the French’s,  and then she will end her stay with the Allens. Anna said she loved staying with the Erhardt’s and spending time with her host sister Katie. When asked how she liked having Anna stay with her Katie Erhardt responded with, “It was great.”  Living with the French’s, Anna says, is a whole new experience where she lives with a fellow student Iris French as well. Anna departs at the end of the school year, so she still has plenty of time to immerse herself in the Cannon Falls High School scene. When Anna returns to Sweden she has two more years of high school to finish. She says that after that she will probably go to college. When you see her in the hall, make sure to give Germer a warm smile and ask her to make you some swedish meatballs.