March 13, 2023 by Elijah N’dolo (‘24)
To some, Victoria Lauesen may just be the always-smiling girl in your math or history class, but do not let her impeccable accent deceive you into thinking that she is your everyday Saratoga born-and-raised student. She is, in fact, an exchange student from Denmark, who spent many years studying in the Danish school system and experiencing life in Denmark before her time at Saratoga Springs High School.
Born and raised in the South-Denmark city of Aabenraa, Lauesen is a foreign exchange student studying in eleventh grade at Saratoga Springs High School. In Denmark, she studied in a German-speaking immersion school, and due to the proximity of the German border, she often ventured into Germany. Because her family would bring her traveling often when she was a kid, Lauesen mastered English from a young age, making her a trilingual speaker (a very impressive feat).
In 2022, Lauesen decided to look for an exchange in the United States through the AFS study abroad program. A host family from Saratoga Springs generously accepted to host Lauesen for her time in the United States, and then she enrolled at our very own Saratoga Springs High School. She had already visited the United States a few times with her family, but this was her first time living here. She was surprised by the warm welcome she was met with by the students of Saratoga High. Comparing it to her time in Denmark, she said that, “Danish people can be unwelcoming until you get to know them better. They’ll be a little rude at the beginning, but when you get to know them, they are super nice.”
Another thing Lauesen was pleasantly surprised by was the format of American schools, which differs significantly from the Danish School system. In Denmark, students stay in the same classroom with the same classmates for the whole school day, and the teachers are the ones who rotate from classroom to classroom for every different class. Lauesen also said that she appreciates the supportive and friendly manner of her teachers here in comparison to the colder, more academically focused Danish teachers. But many aspects of the school, such as the desks, the cafeteria, and the busy hallways, are exactly how Lauesen imagined them. She also said that another huge difference in education in Denmark is the fact that “everyone is paid to go to college, it’s part of your taxes. But taxes are way higher, top [income] tax is like fifty-five percent.”
A few things she misses about Denmark are the Danish food, specifically a red berry pudding called rødgrød med fløde, her excursions in Germany, and, of course, her family and friends. Another thing she misses is that, “everything is a lot closer in Denmark than it is here; there you can walk everywhere, and here you have to drive.”
Overall, Lauesen says she has greatly appreciated her time in the United States, made many great friends, and would suggest to anyone interested that they partake in a similar studying abroad adventure. When she isn’t at school or hanging out with her friends, Lauesen can be found playing tennis, volunteering through many programs in Saratoga Springs, or on weekend trips with her host family.