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Inspiring Women Magazine May 2023

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Kristin D. Haanæs Layout Coordinator<br />

AWC Oslo<br />

My mother, who is Norwegian, married my<br />

father in Norway and moved to central<br />

Pennsylvania, to my father’s hometown of<br />

Huntingdon, in the late 1950s. In the mid-80s I<br />

did the exact opposite and married a Norwegian<br />

and moved to Norway.<br />

All dressed up! (above left)<br />

Kristin's family out celebrating her 60th birthday (above)<br />

I grew up with one set of grandparents living in<br />

Oslo and the other set just literally a field away.<br />

Both of my parents were teachers and had<br />

summers off, so by the time I was 12, I had<br />

crossed the ocean by boat nine times for<br />

summer visits to my Norwegian grandparents.<br />

During the school year, with both my parents<br />

teaching, my paternal grandparents were the<br />

ones who were there for me and my two sisters.<br />

My father was not only a history teacher, but also became a professional photographer.<br />

So, by the time I was in high school, my summer job was the occasional gig as a<br />

photographer’s assistant for weddings – but mainly I was set to hand mask and crop the<br />

negatives that were going to the lab for printing. Thus began my<br />

interest in layout and design. Some of my other interests include<br />

playing the bodhrán (badly), cooking and handicrafts. I always have<br />

felt that the best way to learn something is to just jump right in with<br />

both feet.<br />

Upon moving to Norway with my husband, I have worked as a<br />

restaurant manager in an Oslo hotel and have been the owner of a<br />

gourmet chocolate shop. In the 1990s, due to medical problems, I<br />

was given the opportunity to reschool myself. I chose layout and<br />

design and I have been working with that since then. Going into design<br />

led me down another hobby path, one of creating silver jewelry.<br />

Playing the bodhrán at a "session" at an Irish pub<br />

in Oslo<br />

Receiving the Caroline Curtis Brown Spirit Award<br />

at the Biennial Conference in Edinburgh<br />

During the early 90s, I became involved with our women’s club in<br />

Oslo. Through the years I have held board positions of president,<br />

newsletter editor, website coordinator, librarian and FAWCO Rep<br />

(for which I was honored by receiving the FAWCO Rep Appreciation<br />

Award). At one of the FAWCO conferences, I ended up volunteering<br />

my services to the new 1st VP, Monica Jubayli, and became part of<br />

the Communications team. Since then I have helped with layout<br />

and design of several conference newsletters and directories, been<br />

website updater, designed the Target Education Project donor<br />

badges and been layout editor for The Forum. At the Biennial<br />

Conference in Edinburgh, I was gobsmacked at receiving the<br />

Caroline Curtis Brown Spirit Award for just doing something that I enjoy doing.<br />

With the decision to cut out production of The Forum, I was at loose ends, so when I was<br />

approached last year to join <strong>Inspiring</strong> <strong>Women</strong>’s team as layout editor and help redesign<br />

the magazine I was flattered to be asked and jumped at the chance. I have enjoyed<br />

working with the team so far and look forward to working with my new team members.<br />

110 INSPIRING WOMEN INSPIRING WOMEN 111

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