Inge Storberg

Inge Storberg
Getting the opportunity of being an exchange student (AFS) at RHS in my senior year truly was one of the greatest things that ever happened to me! I was welcomed into a wonderful family, The Lytles, and suddenly I had four brothers (none back home in Norway) and a new Mom and Dad. I also got to know many other families in Basking Ridge, and finally I got a whole bunch of amazing friends among you guys at school. Hardly one week these past 50 years has gone by without me making some kind of reference to things I learned, people I met or pleasant memories from that year. Thank you all!
  • I got an awkward start to my stay in The US. Sailing in past The Statue of Liberty on the morning of Aug 15th '64 was extremely exciting, but that feeling turned to anxiety when there was nobody in the harbor to meet me! Due to a misunderstanding in the AFS organization, I was supposed to arrive 2 weeks later, since The Lytles were still touring The Alaskan Hwy for their vacation. After a few astonishing days at the AFS HQ on Manhattan, they found me a temporary host family in BR, The Welches! Mr. Paulson picked me up in NY and took me to the wonderful Welch family. Jack became one of my best friends, and I am so sorry he is no longer with us...
  • Judging from a letter to my parents back home, I had a split first impression of New Jersey:"...across the river from NY, NJ looked messy, hazy and a little ugly. Driving into Basking Ridge it was quite different, though. It is not flat here, but no mountains either....it's hilly. Houses are not sitting tight like in a town, they are wide apart surrounded by big yards and beautiful trees. Many winding, paved roads with no street lights...and everybody is very nice to me..."
  • I could write a novel filled with memories, here are just a few brief points:
    • Mr. Wernes, who called me Smörgåsbord for some reason (was I really that fat?), picked me as a kicker in a sport I'd never seen before!
    • My teammates taught me more American swearwords in a few days than I had ever heard in my life so far..
    • The Bernardsville victory, that VERY CLOSELY missed field goal attempt on my part, the pep rally, the huge bonfire, the Cheerleaders....wow!
    • All the cheers on those fabulous basketball matches, still ringing in my ears:" Is Ridge gonna win it, hell yeah....Ridge is on the warpath, GO, GO.....Let's go , RHS, on to victory...Ridgers, Ridgers, who are they, best darn.....,When you're up, you're up....Block that shot, steal that pass, knock that center....With a V, with a V, with a V I C...." Not high class poetry, maybe, but a lot of fun!
    • Participating in the annual gym show was special, doing pyramids and trying to hold Candis aloft over my head. I have attached a copy of a drawing I sent my parents of this. From the quality of the drawing, it's hard to understand why I was elected "Best artist" with Margo in the Yearbook!
    • Language difficulties made assignments very tough for me in the beginning. Luckily a "Help Inge Club" was established (for some reason most female members!) and pulled me through. Eventually I got the hang of it, and the club ended up with just two members , me and Barb. Forever grateful Barbara!
    • You guys took me all over the place for all kinds of cultural (and non cultural) events: The Worlds Fair in NY, Hamlet in Stratford, New York Philharmonic in Newark, The Minuteman and Pistelli's for snacks, Sakele's Pond for skating, Elk Mountain for skiing (I'll never forget your debut, brother Bill) etc.,etc.
    • Also I remember listening to the famous Mitchell Trio [who featured an unknown singer named John Denver when Chad Mitchell left the group - Editor] when they came to town, and I enjoyed them almost as much as listening to "our own trio" Margo, Jean and Barbara!
  • Let me finish off with a few things that were very NEW and very STRANGE to me at the time:
    • Having brothers
    • Bermuda shorts
    • Corn on the cob
    • Having to wear a belt and a tucked in shirt at school
    • Having to run around in different classrooms all day
    • White spongy bread
    • Go to church every Sunday
    • Dinners without potatoes
    • Television commercials
    • Cars wider than ours were long...
    • And your slang (everything that you didn't like was BAD NEWS those days)
I will do my best to make it to the reunion in July 2015, even if trips to China, Florida and Turkey are on the drawing table. I really hope to see you in Basking Ridge!
Best wishes from Inge

alias Inky, Inga, Smörgåsbord & Stinky (Margo called me that because I never washed my hands for two weeks after I by mere coincidence got to shake hands with President LB Johnson on a visit to Washington DC)