Foreign strength

By Michael Maksymicz

Cathy Kapulka/Chronicle

Citrus junior Ingrid Heggheim has competed in a pair of sports, volleyball and girls weightlifting, while participing in the foreign exchange student program. Heggheim is a native of Norway.

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The daughter of Anne Wathne and Jan Heggheim of Loen, Norway, decided at an early age to travel and learn all she could about English-speaking countries and their cultures.

As an eighth grader, this obsession set in and thus began the birth of Ingrid Heggheim, world traveler.

“I always wanted to travel to other countries to learn as much about their culture as I could,” Ingrid said.

Her mother Anne, who is a primary school teacher, and her dad Jan, who is a Director of a Sogn og fgordane county office in Loen, encouraged her to follow her dreams and pursue her childhood ambitions. As time went on, Ingrid, who was the American equivalent of a freshman in high school, decided to pursue the avenue of an exchange student.

The grade levels in Norway are slightly different than in the United States. Students start from the first grade and progress through the 13th year. 

When asked how she chose Florida over another state for her program, Ingrid stated, “I could have chosen another state like California, which is popular, but when I was working with the placement agency it was a coincidence that the host family here in Inverness already chose me.”

Another facet of the Student Exchange Program is Ingrid spent the weekend of Jan. 14 in Atlanta, Georgia. All the exchange students that are associated with the organization that she is connected to had a chance to socialize with one another and discuss their accommodations and common exchanges as well as their schools they are attending.

They also had planned activities, one of which was to visit the city and the surrounding area from a purely cultural standpoint.

“One of the most interesting events that I experienced was a visit to the CNN studio in Atlanta. I got to see how
programs are put together for television. It was very fascinating to see,” Ingrid said.

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Ingrid arrived in Inverness on Aug. 6 and started school shortly after. When asked how she experienced this cultural change from her school in Loen, Norway, Ingrid said, “It was more different than I expected. Citrus High has a morning show which informs the students of daily activities and other information of importance.

Compared to my own school in Loen, which has about 300 students, the morning show was strange to me,” she continued. “However, after one month I adjusted very well and really like Citrus High School. Now I think it is the best school ever.”

One of the assistant coaches in the weightlifting program for girls, Chop Alexander, approached Ingrid after she settled into her routine and discussed how she was progressing and adjusting.

“Coach Chop came to me one day and asked how am I doing and we talked and he said that I should come and join the weightlifting team,” Ingrid said. “I did sign up for it, as several people told me it is a good sport.”

Ingrid participated on the Citrus volleyball team, but felt she needed other forms of exercise.

“For someone who just came into the volleyball program and knew nothing about the sport, she was definitely motivated and put her heart into doing the best that she could,” volleyball and weightlifting teammate Samantha Kanawall said. “She definitely was a team player and continually motivated us.”

Monica Coates, another volleyball and weightlifting teammate of Ingrid’s, also spoke very highly of the Norwegian.

“You could tell she was new to the sport of volleyball when she started, but after she began coming to practice every day, her confidence grew and she started to play real well,” Coates said. “Everyone supported her as she grew better in the sport and was loved by the whole team.”

When asked how starting out with the weightlifting program affected her physically, Ingrid stated, “I am used to exercising as I did a lot back home so I knew what to expect. I was building more muscle, so initial pain was not an issue with me. I watch my diet and really am not too much into fast foods. I am surprised what some of the students here eat during lunch.”

Citrus girls weightlifting head coach Tia Nelson lauded Ingrid’s drive to succeed.

“Even though weightlifting was very new to (Ingrid), she still continued to keep going. She was very open and willing to try new things and keep on going even though she was new to the sport,” Nelson said. “She was always asking a lot of questions and asking me what she could do for me in this sport.

"One thing about her is that she never got down on herself because she was in the learning phase,” Nelson continued. “You could tell she was really enjoying herself.”

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Ingrid said she came from a town of 7,000 people, so problems like drugs and crime hardly exist there.

“One thing that I have noticed since I have been attending Citrus High School is I have learned more about myself from the standpoint of not knowing anyone, to having many new friends and building relationships and it has turned out to be great,” expressed Ingrid.

Tourism is very popular in Ingrid’s hometown. There are several Fjords located along the western coast of Norway. A fjord is a narrow inlet of the sea bordered by steep rising cliffs.

Ingrid and her family live on the tip of Fjord Nordfjorden, which overlooks the Norwegian Sea. This Fjord is the second largest in Norway and is a popular attraction.

One aspect that Ingrid loves about her home land is nature. Because of the vast amounts of vegetation, green meadows, large mountains and the Fjords, Norway is near and dear to the native.

“I do miss my independence because back home, I was working part-time and had a scooter and could go where I wanted to go,” Ingrid said. “Here, because I do not have a driver’s license, I am taken to various places and picked up after."

The experience Ingrid has encountered here in Inverness will always be with her as she has grown to love the area, her school friends and other acquaintances.

It is obvious that all her teammates in volleyball and weightlifting will miss her when she returns home at the end of this school year.