Last night we were able to take the Reeds’ other foreign exchange student, Marie, to her first baseball game. It was fun to hear her ask questions like, “Now does the guy throwing the ball want the other guy to hit it?”, or “Who is the man in black behind the guy catching?” It was fun to explain all the rules to her and even teach her “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” before the seventh inning so she would be prepared, but her first experience was anything but an average day at the ball park. The Diamondbacks scored 15 runs and there were six or seven home runs between both teams. It was an exciting game.
During this past year, Marie has been able to experience a lot of firsts. She’s been to a professional basketball game, cheered for an American high school, and was even asked to her first prom. Now as a senior, she has graduated and is heading back to Norway for whatever the next step is for her. Her year in America has been an eye opening one, and she has had to fight the battles that most American teens face. Being a pretty girl on the cheer squad brings enough drama of its own, but when she is oblivious to how most teenagers in this country act and think, that can add to the confusion. In the face of all this, Marie has had the support of the Reeds, but she has learned even more to stand on her own.
In Norway, Marie is the second oldest and has pretty much become mom for the household. She walks her younger sisters to school, goes to their swim lessons and plays, and pretty much provides for the younger girls in her family. There’s isn’t much time for drama and socializing while she’s over there, so this was definitely a change of pace. Because of where she comes from, Marie has a stronger sense of independence than the average girl in her class. She never wanted to waste time with the back biting and the games, and it kind of made the others even more frustrated. However things played out, Marie finished the year with a great group of friends and very little regret on how she conducted herself for her first year in America.
The Reeds’ house has become it’s own United Nations as these students have come in and out and with Tara and I coming through as well. With these students coming in, it’s a rule that they cannot have a change of religion or be “evangelized” (or get a body piercing or tattoo, but that’s irrelevant), so that has to be hard for a pastor and a Christian school teacher to abide. However, while the Reeds couldn’t do any preaching, they also refused to change their daily lives. They still prayed for meals, had family discussions on decisions, and set standards for the girls on dating and socializing. Through this, the girls were able to see what it was like to have involved parents that weren’t just focused on results and performances. The Reeds may have not evangelized to the girls, but they lived out a testimony these girls won’t soon forget.
While Juho, their other student, will be returning in a few months, Marie’s plans are a little more up in the air. She may return for college, or she may continue her education in Norway. I think both sides are seeing that it’s important to build relationships like you’ll see each other tomorrow, but love each other like this is the last shot. Marie may move on, but I doubt she’ll ever forget her first year in America…
