Memories of Alnwick
Nancy Hebert Horn ’79, Grand Rapids, Minn., Alnwick
1976-77
Back in 1975 when I decided to go to college, I was the
first in my family to attend a four- year college. When
the opportunity came up to study in Alnwick (1976-1977),
it was an experimental year for St. Cloud State. It was
a way for the then Alnwick College of Education, to fund
one more year so they could graduate the last class of students
in their Teachers Training College.
Our group (the class of 1976-1977 – the footnote
in the programs history/ the black and white photo at the
castle) had the privilege of a full nine months in England
with British Tutors who taught our classes and British students
still in attendance. The British Tutors and students had
no idea what to expect with a group of Americans that took
over the castle. They told us that it was like bright sparks
of energy. At the same time there was a group of 6 Dutch
students who came to the castle to learn English and were
put amongst the Americans in the castle. As a result, 12
Americans got to go spend a month in Nijmegen, Netherlands
on an exchange. The group that went, me included, stayed
with students, families, hostels, etc.- a different twist
on a “home stay”.
Our group really felt like a group as spending that much
time in Europe without our families taught us to rely on
each other for support.
My story of Alnwick and what changed my life was simply
the experience I had with the kindness of strangers. All
those people I met as I traveled all over Europe, by hitch
hiking, buses, trains, and hovercraft. Many people took
us in, fed us, and drove us to their favorite places allowed
us to sleep on their floors. While hitch hiking on our way
to visit the St. Cloud students in Copenhagen, Denmark,
my friend Terese Kniefel -Libby and were picked up by border
police and toured the harbor in their police boat and spent
the night on tables in the police station. Good thing my
parents never found out about that one.
I think back now on how hard it was to convince my parents
to allow me to go on the program and the amazing thing that
they did let me go. I can honestly say it gave me the world.
Sure, I met and married my husband Tom Horn on the program,
but it wasn’t even about that. I realized the kindness
of strangers all over the world and in turn wanted to be
one of those people and return the kindness when and where
I had the opportunity. Our family has taken in 4 foreign
students and hosted them in exchange programs. We have traveled
back to Europe several times – I discovered, people
are people whereever you go – different but the same.
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