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Aussie samples America, thanks to Rotary By ANDIE LEATHERMAN, LTN Staff Writer Dec. 31, 2001 - From marching in the East Lincoln High band to being stuck in New York after Sept. 11 to watching Panthers football, Australian exchange student Luke Ramm had a year full of American experiences in 2001. Ramm, 18, arrived in Lincolnton in January as part of the Rotary International exchange program. He first lived with Marsha and Max Jordan, then Jack and Mary Lassiter and their son Stuart and now with Harry and Diane Brogden. “I really enjoyed it. I’ve met so many great people,” he said. Ramm’s Aussie accent and outgoing personality quickly earned him friends at East Lincoln High School. Exchange brother Jason Jordan, a drum major in East’s band, encouraged the music novice to audition. Ramm was up to the challenge and quickly learned to play bass in the marching band and percussion in the concert ensemble. During the concert band’s last performance, Ramm’s peers honored him with a surprise performance of “Advance Australia Fair,” his country’s national anthem. “We were very touched and proud of him,” Harry Brogden said. Dressing up for Halloween was a new experience for Ramm who donned a cheerleader’s uniform. In Australia, the holiday doesn’t receive as much attention as in America. “I thought it was cool, all the kids running around,” he said. Live Christmas trees were a new experience, too. The Australian climate is not hospitable to the traditional evergreens and fewer people put lights on their homes in the land down under. “I couldn’t believe the whole town was decked out,” Ramm said about his visit to McAdenville. NASCAR was another new experience for Ramm who visited Lowes Motor Speedway for a Busch series race. “I thought it was awesome, fast and loud.” Ramm’s year long sojourn in America was not all happy. He was staying in a Harlem youth hostel, visiting his aunt, when planes crashed into the World Trade Center. For days, Rotary members here could not reach Ramm but were frantically trying to get him back to Lincolnton. On his own, he boarded a bus and headed south. Ramm says those few post-attack days in New York were frightening but have not extinguished his love of travel. Years ago, when he was 12, Ramm’s parents Marion and Neville took him to Hong Kong and the Philippines. “That opened my eyes to the world, made me want to travel.” When Ramm returns to Australia, he will start a three-year nursing program. He graduated from high school there in December 2000. He hopes to work in an emergency room or intensive care unit. He says it was his mom, also a nurse, who inspired the career choice. “She told me the good and bad, took me to work.” Ramm’s parents visited once, watching him perform in the band. They stayed in touch with weekly phone calls and e-mails. Ramm says his year in America taught him patience and gratitude. “I appreciate the way people went way out to help me,” he said. The Brogdens say not all exchange students have had as much success as Ramm. He credits his host brother and just plunging into activities. It’s friends and the spotlight he will miss the most. “It’s neat people recognizing you and asking where you are from.”
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© 2001 Lincoln Times-News |
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