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http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?storyid=49729
Petra Orlegard can communicate in four languages -- two with her hands.
Petra, 16, who is deaf, grew up in Malmš, Sweden. She spent the past school year as an exchange student at the Maryland School for the Deaf.
"I have always been interested in languages, and my goal is to know at least four written languages before graduating college," she said in a written interview.
When she arrived last August, she already was fluent in Swedish, English and Swedish sign language. Now she has mastered American Sign Language (ASL).
Her father, Per-Thomas Orlegard, introduced her to international sign languages while he was the head of the Swedish deaf Olympics team between 1991 and 1999, she said. In seventh grade, she learned basic signs of ASL and British sign language.
She expanded her ASL vocabulary on a two-week language trip to New Mexico last summer. Still, it was the past year that bolstered her confidence in the language, she said. ASL and Swedish sign language differ dramatically.
"I notice that the American sign language is very much more influenced by the use of letters while in the Swedish sign language we use more abstract signs," she said.
The languages share a few signs, such as those for happy, motivated and accept, she said.
Petra will head home to Sweden on Thursday but hopes to return to the U.S., perhaps to earn advanced degrees. She first plans to complete college in Sweden and join the Peace Corps, she said.
She hasn't selected a course of study but wants to work internationally, she said.
Her choice to attend MSD fulfilled a dream to experience life in the United States. After meeting James Tucker, the MSD superintendent, when he visited her school in Sweden two years ago, she began to consider becoming an exchange student.
At the time, she was in her senior year, so coming to the U.S. meant delaying her entry into college. In Sweden, students graduate high school after completing 10 grades.
Petra doesn't regret her choice.
"Even though the year has brought many challenges, I'm glad I didn't give up and just go home," she said.
She made new friends, experienced a different culture and was introduced to volleyball.
"It isn't a popular sport played in Sweden," she said.
At MSD, she played on the junior varsity team and was manager for the varsity team, which provided an opportunity to travel to California for a tournament. She also was on the track team, participated in drama and powerlifting, and represented the 2007 class in a talent pageant.
She enjoyed studying with other students who have deaf families.
"In Sweden, I think I was only one of six students who actually had deaf families, among them my elder brother, who also is deaf," she said.
MSD has a larger student body, with about 130 students, and more deaf faculty and staff members than her school in Sweden,
which has about 80 students. MSD also provided more educational challenges and opportunities to debate issues, she said.
"I suddenly got the chance of being equal in the classroom, which I feel I have always missed in Sweden," she said.
She also enjoyed experiencing a different culture, she said.
People in the U.S. drive more than Swedes, eat more fast food and follow different clothing trends. But not all Americans are as arrogant as people in other countries believe, she said.
"What I didn't expect was that many Americans actually are very open," she said.
Petra Orlegard can communicate in four languages -- two with her hands.
Petra, 16, who is deaf, grew up in Malmš, Sweden. She spent the past school year as an exchange student at the Maryland School for the Deaf.
"I have always been interested in languages, and my goal is to know at least four written languages before graduating college," she said in a written interview.
When she arrived last August, she already was fluent in Swedish, English and Swedish sign language. Now she has mastered American Sign Language (ASL).
Her father, Per-Thomas Orlegard, introduced her to international sign languages while he was the head of the Swedish deaf Olympics team between 1991 and 1999, she said. In seventh grade, she learned basic signs of ASL and British sign language.
She expanded her ASL vocabulary on a two-week language trip to New Mexico last summer. Still, it was the past year that bolstered her confidence in the language, she said. ASL and Swedish sign language differ dramatically.
"I notice that the American sign language is very much more influenced by the use of letters while in the Swedish sign language we use more abstract signs," she said.
The languages share a few signs, such as those for happy, motivated and accept, she said.
Petra will head home to Sweden on Thursday but hopes to return to the U.S., perhaps to earn advanced degrees. She first plans to complete college in Sweden and join the Peace Corps, she said.
She hasn't selected a course of study but wants to work internationally, she said.
Her choice to attend MSD fulfilled a dream to experience life in the United States. After meeting James Tucker, the MSD superintendent, when he visited her school in Sweden two years ago, she began to consider becoming an exchange student.
At the time, she was in her senior year, so coming to the U.S. meant delaying her entry into college. In Sweden, students graduate high school after completing 10 grades.
Petra doesn't regret her choice.
"Even though the year has brought many challenges, I'm glad I didn't give up and just go home," she said.
She made new friends, experienced a different culture and was introduced to volleyball.
"It isn't a popular sport played in Sweden," she said.
At MSD, she played on the junior varsity team and was manager for the varsity team, which provided an opportunity to travel to California for a tournament. She also was on the track team, participated in drama and powerlifting, and represented the 2007 class in a talent pageant.
She enjoyed studying with other students who have deaf families.
"In Sweden, I think I was only one of six students who actually had deaf families, among them my elder brother, who also is deaf," she said.
MSD has a larger student body, with about 130 students, and more deaf faculty and staff members than her school in Sweden,
which has about 80 students. MSD also provided more educational challenges and opportunities to debate issues, she said.
"I suddenly got the chance of being equal in the classroom, which I feel I have always missed in Sweden," she said.
She also enjoyed experiencing a different culture, she said.
People in the U.S. drive more than Swedes, eat more fast food and follow different clothing trends. But not all Americans are as arrogant as people in other countries believe, she said.
"What I didn't expect was that many Americans actually are very open," she said.