After a controversial decision was made to stop the foreign exchange program at AMHS in 2018, the CCSD board has since restructured the rule to state that students can be admitted to Magnet as long they do not detract from existing seats. In simpler terms, they can be admitted to grade 10 or 11 since grade 9 has a waiting list upwards of eighty people long and any foreign exchange students in grade 12 would detract from the graduation rate.

Enter Christan Axenborg, Magnet’s new Swedish student. I had the opportunity to sit down with him and discuss his transition to America and favorite Swedish traditions.

How did you get involved with the foreign exchange program?

It all started when my dad’s family had an exchange student from the US who visited them over the summer, not to study. So my dad had an exchange program brother, and then he went to the US. Now, he’s making me and my siblings do the same thing. My sister went to Georgia college, and she studied there. My brother went to Indianapolis, and now I’m in South Carolina. 

What is your home town in Sweden?

My hometown is Stockholm, a really beautiful city. I love it. I went to New York City, but it takes second place.

What do you miss most about Stockholm?

Stockholm consists of islands, so when I take the metro, which I do everyday, I miss travelling around Stockholm because it’s so beautiful. And my family of course.

What surprised you most about America when you first came here?

When I first came here, I had heard that everything was so big. And that is definitely true. The cars are big, the houses and yards are big, and the meals are big. You guys give a lot of food, and I like that. I think it’s a good thing, but I was very shocked when I went to the cinema and saw the biggest cup. It was as big as the medium popcorn.

How has your adjustment been to Magnet school work and social life?

Schoolwork? That took some adjustment because you all take a lot of notes by hand. We get computers at my old school, and we do everything on them. Here, there is a lot of note taking on paper, so I had to adjust to that. But I also had to adjust to taking notes in English. At first I translated, but I realized that I messed up, so now I take notes in English. For social life, people have been really nice. Nobody has been rude at all. The most rude thing that happened was somebody at the airport calling me ” buddy.” In Sweden, I’m considered a grown up, and I get respect from parents and adults, so this was strange. But that’s literally the only rude thing that has happened. We have a stereotype that Americans are so nice and welcoming, and it’s true.

How long will you be here?

Nine or ten months. I won’t graduate here, but I want to try to experience things like prom.

What are your favorite classes?

Newspaper so far has been exciting. I’m generally very interested in history, so I like world history as well. I also like US government because I knew nothing about your government. I knew who your president was and kind of how the system worked, but I’ve learned so much. 

When you get back to Stockholm, what is the first thing you want to do?

Oh, I thought about this today actually. The first thing I’ll do when I come home in general is to get my drivers license. When I come to Stockholm, I also just want to eat dinner with my family.

Tell me about some Swedish traditions.

Alright, we have a tradition called Midsummer. It’s an old tradition. When it’s the lightest day of the summer (the summer solstice), we dance around this pole and eat a lot of traditional Swedish food. This is not part of the question, but I’m really excited to celebrate Thanksgiving. 

Thanks for taking the time to speak with me. If there is anything you need, feel free to reach out to anyone.

Alright, thank you.