DATE: Thursday, April 24, 1997              TAG: 9704230096

SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN             PAGE: 03   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: THUMBS UP 

SOURCE: BY SHIRLEY BRINKLEY, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   78 lines

THERA OMAR ``TOP'' PALMER IV DREW ROWELL EXCHANGE STUDENTS TO MOSS, NORWAY

When 18-year-old Thera Omar ``Top'' Palmer IV arrived in Moss, Norway, he feared for a moment that he had worn out his welcome before the visit began.

A senior and member of the Nansemond-Suffolk Academy-Norway Exchange Program, Top had just met his host family, 18-year-old Ruth Eileen Kase and her mother, who live on a huge farm three miles outside of Moss.

``Ruth and I were talking and sitting on a cliff about 30 feet above a fjord,'' Top said. ``She had her dog with her. . . and without thinking, I picked up a stick and threw it into the water. Suddenly, the dog jumped off the cliff after the stick. I never thought he would do that. We were both afraid he was hurt, but then, we saw him fetch the stick and start swimming.''

Top and Drew Rowell, 17, laughed together as Top told the story. Drew is also an N-SA senior who traveled with the group to Moss. Although the teens stayed with separate families, they saw each other frequently during their weeklong March visit. Drew visited with a student, Ronnie Hansen, and his mother.

``They lived in a nice row house in the city and we walked to school,'' Drew said. ``While I was there, I tried cross-country skiing.''

Last fall, both Top and Drew became acquainted with the Norwegian students who visited the Academy and decided to join the Exchange Program, which began at the school in the fall of 1991.

``I had never been out of the country and I wanted to see how another culture lives,'' Top said.

Meetings were held twice a month to acquaint the students with Norwegian customs and a few frequently used Norwegian words, such as ``takk,'' thank you; ``hallo,'' hello; and ``hi-det,'' goodbye.

Fifteen students were accompanied by Ann Powell, college coordinator, and Betty Jean Riddick, physical education instructor and girls' athletic director at the Academy. The group left for Scandinavia March 6 and returned March 21.

``No matter what age you were, it was the experience of a lifetime,'' Powell said. ``One of the first Norwegian faculty members to come to Suffolk has written a textbook and devoted a chapter to Nansemond-Suffolk Academy. We have strong ties and friendships with the people. The faculty and administrators were complimentary of our students. . . how interested and cooperative they were.''

The students were welcomed by the faculties of Kirkeparken and Malakov high schools in Moss.

Top and Drew attended school for five days, talked to students, and answered questions. Although skiing and soccer are ``big hobbies'' there, the boys were surprised to learn there are no school athletic programs.

``We went hiking, had get-togethers at the homes of host families and danced in discoteques,'' Drew said.

Top said the Norwegian dress is similar to American styles, but the food is very different.

``We ate a lot of fish. I ate raw herring, and we had sandwiches for breakfast . . . bread, meat and cheese.''

``The bread was hard and thin and I missed American food,'' Drew said. ``American fast-food chains are doubly expensive there.''

Top and Drew agreed that their most memorable experience was a farewell party on the last night of their visit.

``We made real good friends and knew we'd probably never see those people again,'' Top said.

``I made close friends with four of them and I've written and e-mailed a couple of them,'' Drew said. ``Some of us want to save up our money and go back.''

Top is the son of ``Top'' and Arlene Palmer. A member of the football, basketball and lacrosse teams, he plans to attend the Virginia Military Institute.

Drew, vice president of the senior class, is the son of Randall and Rainell Rowell. He is a member of the National Honor Society and Happy Club, a representative of the Student Council Organization, and was captain of the volleyball team. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MICHAEL KESTNER

Top Palmer, left, and Drew Rowell are students at Nansemond-Suffolk

Academy.

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