Pat Black, Branchville High School FFA Advisor, with International Exchange students and
Branchville FFA members Frida Edstrom (center) from Sweden and Sointu Lampinen from Finland.
SWEDISH AND FINNISH EXCHANGE STUDENTS EXPERIENCE
THE FFA AT NATIONAL CONVENTION
by Jamie Smidt, National FFA Organization
Each year the National FFA Convention unites people from every corner of the United States…from Alaska to Puerto Rico and Maine to Hawaii. This year attendees from each of the 50 states and US territories were joined by Frida Edstrom of Sweden and Sointu Lampinen of Finland.
Edstrom and Lampeine, both 17, are international exchange students at Branchville High School, Branchville, SC. They were recruited by the Branchville FFA members during the first week of school and immediately felt a sense of belonging.
At the National FFA Convention, that sense of belonging was magnified as the two marveled at the sea of blue jackets, the bright smiles and general camaraderie among FFA members.
“I think is very good that everyone has a jacket so we can see where they are from and talk and compare experiences,” Lampinen said.
Edstrom’s first impression of the national convention was amazement at the sheer number of participants and how everyone is so nice and friendly. Both girls enjoyed being asked for their signatures as representatives from South Carolina and laughed at people’s reaction upon hearing their accent.
“They have beautiful accents,” said Pat Black, Advisor of the Branchville FFA Chapter. “In fact, with their Scandinavian accents and our southern accents, it’s been a great mix.”
Both Edstrom and Lampinen speak English fluently but there are times when extra clarification is necessary with new vocabulary words.
“Often I see them in the back of class thumbing through their dictionaries,” Mr. Black said. When that occurs, he makes sure to spend extra one-on-one time ensuring that all class material is understood.
“We understand that the agriculture vocabulary they are developing in class is not as fluent as other students who were reared on a farm,” Black added.
Black said the Scandinavians are a delight to have in the classroom. The girls enjoy teaching their classmates about Sweden and Finland. In turn, Branchville FFA members share information about agriculture, South Carolina and life in the United States.
In Sweden, Edstrom lives in a city as does Lampinen in Finland, making South Carolina their first exposure to a rural lifestyle. In spite of their inexperience in agriculture, they are eager and willing students.
Despite trends in other countries, the diverse agriculture industry in the United States is strong and thriving---as evidenced by the bustling activities at the National FFA Convention. The Scandinavians say that the National FFA Convention will be one of the best memories of their year abroad.