Scandinavian American. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1945-1958, 1949-08-26
Swedish Girl Came
Here To Study And
Became Instructor

uOluc-SiCh IccuHS IOT Oucle sam,
even though you're not a regular,
hundred percent American.
Born in Idaho Falls, Idaho, Doris
left this country at the age of six
with her parents for Sweden,
where they settled down in Tors
by, Varmeland. Doris eventually
forgot most of her English and
was graduated from the Realskol-
an (high schooD in Sunne, Varme-
land, the province which has
achieved rather unique reputa-
ton in Sweden for having been
the birthplace of so many top
poets and writers. Selma Lager
low, the Nobel Prize winner from
Varmeland has put it on the map
Of world literature.
Urge To See America
Doris was interested in music,
took piano lessons at the Wolff
art School of Music in Stockholm
and studied humanistic subjects
at Mariannelund's Praktiska Sko-
Ia in Eksjo. But she never forgot
her American background and af-
ter the urge to see America grew
into a heartfelt desire, she left
Sweden in 1916 for Seattle, where
she enrolled at the University of
Washington in the fall of that
year. She thought she would only
stay here about one year. How
ever, there was something about
America that fascinated her and
them, too, she liked the university.
Furthermore, she worked out a
nice proposition for herself, not in
the least because she was we'll
liked by the faculty of the Scan
dinavian department. Doris be-
came a part-time instructor in
Swedish at the university. So she
stayed.
More Fun in American Schools
Doris has become a good asset
to the Scandinavian department.
She is now faculty advisor of the
Scandinavian club, which sponsors
number of social activities and
serves to unite all students of the
Scandinavian department in a
spirit of fellowship. She is also a
regular student and she is able to
pay her way through school by
means of her limited, though help
full salary. She has participated
in the speech clinic and is major
ing in Scandinavian languages.
Eventually she hopes to return to
Sweden to spend a summer with
her parents. Other than that, she
hasn't got an ambition that isn't
pro- American.
There's a saying in Sweden
and there's some truth in it -
that students in Sweden study
much harder and longer than their
American counterparts. AS far as
universities are concerned, Doris
has found that students over here
nevertheless have to cope with
quite rigid requirements. She
thinks American students usually
have more fun in school than the
Swedes.
Teachers, Pupils Mix Freely
When she compares school life
in Sweden and America, she's
struck by the friendly and init
mate relationship between profess
sors or instructors and the stu
dents, which in the U. S. is a per-
fectly natural expression for the
so-called American freedom in hu-
man conduct. Swedish teachers,
assuming a sort of tradition bound
pride in their profession, are more
aloof toward their pupils and do
not mix as freely with them, she
says. (The Swedish relationship
between teacher and pupils is
drastically exemplified, though
dramatically exaggerated in the
internationally famous, prize-win-
ming Swedish picture "Hets' or
Torment" which was we'll receiv-
ed in America.)
Another interesting experience
which she has acquired during her
stay here, is that so many of the
university's students are interest
ed in Scandinavian culture and
languages. Aside from her purely
personal ambitions and she's
very reticient about them - she