My History:Herodotus Style

Brian Cadden


AP Euro History

9/6/10

My Histories: Herodotus Style

The life of Brian Cadden began on the 4th of October 1994 say his parents Wen and Steve Cadden. I heard them say that he was born in the GBMC hospital in Baltimore M.D. They then proceeded to tell me the story of his life in a nutshell.

After Brian was born they had lived in Bel Air for 1 month however this period would be short lived due to the fact that his Father got a job in New Jersey. They then told me they had moved to New Jersey and bought a house in which Brian lived for 4 years. Brian’s grandmother Judy recalled to me he always loved to play with cars and watch t.v. When Brian was 2 his sister was born. She was named Erin. When Brian was 4 years old his father tells me they moved to England due to his job in shipping. They lived in a small town near London called Surrey. Brian attended 1 year of a British public school and 2 years of an American school there says his mother. When interviewed his old teacher Mr.Haughler said he seemed to be a pretty bright kid who liked to read and play outside. Brian’s parents had a hard time adjusting to the different country. His father called it “culture shock” but he said in the end it was a great experience to have.

When Brian was 7 years of age his father got a job in Oslo, Norway. Him and his family moved to Norway and lived in the capital city Oslo. In Norway he attended Oslo International School. One thing Brian loved to do in Norway was ski said his Father. Brian took regular skiing lessons along with his sister at a ski resort in Oslo. Also during their time in Europe Brian and his family visited many different countries and made many friends. “We’ve practically seen all of Europe”, his father said to me. Brian and his family lived in Norway for 3 years and were unhappy to leave. I asked a couple of his friends, they said he liked to play basketball and videogames.

When Brian was 10 him and his family moved to South Korea and lived in the capital city of Seoul. They lived in a neighborhood filled with non-Koreans and Koreans called U.N village. Brian and his sister went to a school called Seoul Foreign School. In Korea he and his family had many hard times and many good times his father told me. The Korean culture is so different from how any inexperienced “westerner” could perceive it. His father had a hard time working with them due to these differences. One of Brian’s friends Axel Hagman told me that In Korea if you have blonde hair you will be the target of staring eyes and hands wanting to touch your hair. This is just one of the things that they do. On the other hand they made a lot of close friends that they are still in touch with today. Brian’s family stayed there for 2 years.

When his father’s contract was finished in Korea he received an offer to return to Norway. Happy to go back Brian and his family returned to Norway for the 2nd time. His mother said that it was a lot easier this time because they knew how to get around. Back in Norway Brian met some of his old friends and made a lot of new ones when he went to the same school: Oslo International School. The school had improved a lot in the 2 years since they had been there and Brian and his sister had a great 3 years said both his parents. His homeroom teacher Mr. Alleume told me Brian managed pretty good grades and did quite well in school in general. By the end of 3 years Brian and his sister were very unhappy at the prospect that they were leaving Norway and heading back to the United States.

This past summer they have been settling in and getting themselves on their feet after the move. They are living in a condo they own in Perry Hall until they buy a house. Erin is attending St. Joseph’s and Brian is attending John Carroll High School. He is now heading into his second week of his new high school.