On August 9, the state of Florida and Ponte Vedra High School (PVHS) were introduced to the majestically described \u201cNorwegian Nightmare;\u201d Herman Syse Ulfsnes. The 6\u20196 behemoth of a junior is an exchange student from Norway; just like his father before him. His father attended a year of American high school in Minnesota.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI wanted to experience the [American] culture. I wanted to see what it was like. You hear a lot about it on TV,\u201d stated Herman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Herman\u2019s love for basketball was also a major reason for his exchange. He is currently on the PVHS basketball team. Herman pointed out, \u201cTheres better competition here for basketball. On this [PVHS] team, there are a lot of players who are better than me. This way, I can get better faster.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Herman is a man of great intellect. He has traveled to over seven countries, and he knows multiple languages. However, the United States has still surprised him in many ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTheres just more stuff here. Everything\u2019s bigger, everything\u2019s cheaper. The climate here is very nice. Especially in the summer and fall. It\u2019s nice to wear shorts and T-shirts. I really enjoy going to the beach. Although, I like Norwegian winter better because you get snow. When I think about Christmas, I think about snow. It doesn\u2019t really feel like Christmas yet,\u201d expressed Herman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Herman also misses some of the Christmas traditions that are present in Norway. Herman spoke about Ribbe which isa type of\u00a0 pork belly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRibbe taste good. It has really crunchy skin, explained Herman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The U.S education system has also been a culture shock for him. In Norway, multiple choice questions are not a thing. The classes required there are also of much higher academic levels than the U.S., Herman actually prefers the U.S\u2019 method of testing, but he did point out its flaws. Herman noted, \u201cI prefer multiple choice. It\u2019s so much easier. It probably makes you learn less, though,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, Herman does not like every change in the US School System. Specifically, when it comes to St. Johns County, Herman spoke about how, \u201cIn America you’re not allowed to leave. In Norway, during lunch; you can go home. You can leave if you want to. \u00a0I don\u2019t have to wait for everybody else. If I’m late to school my parents don\u2019t get a letter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Being an exchange student; Herman has also been away from his family for months. Both of his parents have found vast success in Norway. His father is a microbiologist, and his mother is a specialized doctor. Being away from them has not always been easy for Herman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTheres better competition here for basketball. On this [PVHS] team, there are a lot of players who are better than me. This way, I can get better faster.\u201d<\/p>Herman syse ulfsnes<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s tough at times but I keep myself busy so I can enjoy my time here,\u201d explained Herman. In his free time; Herman has been going to church, playing Clash Royale, and listening to \u00a0music from Michael Jackson and Rihanna. He also currently lives with a fellow PVHS junior, Gavin Fox. Herman pointed out, \u201cGavins really Nice.\u201d Gavin\u2019s family volunteered to let Herman live with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There has also been a cultural shift when it comes to the people. Herman joked, \u201cAmericans are bad at Geography and there’s a lot of fat people.\u201d This claim actually has some weight to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Norway, the obesity rate is only around 25 to 27 percent. In the U.S, the average is nearly double this at 40-43 percent of adults being obese.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTheres less unhealthy food in Norway; the food is less processed,\u201d claimed Herman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Herman does not hate Americans though. He pointed out some positive differences that the American people have compared to Norwegians. Herman claimed, \u201cAmerican people are nicer, they\u2019re more sociable. Norwegians are pretty cold.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Herman also wanted to shout out the a palm valley Italian joint; Vincenzo\u2019s Cucina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere foods amazing, the staff is amazing, great service and [the owner] is such a nice guy. He loves Ponte Vedra. Everybody should check out Vincenzo\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When it comes to Hermans future; he does not everybody planned out yet. However, Herman stated, \u201cIf I get a scholarship either academically or athletically for a college in the U.S, it would be cool to go to college here. But since College is free in Norway, I would rather go to college for free there than pay for it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Herman goes back to Norway in June. Until then; the talented junior known as \u201cThe Norwegian Nightmare\u201d is staying happy in Florida.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAmerica is awesome,\u201d Herman exclaimed. \u201cFlorida is amazing. What other state would I want to live in?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pictured: Herman with his father doing what they love, watching Basketball. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By: Philip Berkwit On August 9, the state of Florida and Ponte Vedra High School (PVHS) were introduced to the majestically described \u201cNorwegian Nightmare;\u201d Herman Syse Ulfsnes. The 6\u20196 behemoth of a junior is an exchange student from Norway; just…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8221,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pgc_meta":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[834],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/norway.pberkwi-first-finished-versiont-1.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8220"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8220"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8220\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8222,"href":"https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8220\/revisions\/8222"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pvhstiburon.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n