“Embracing Minnesota Winters”

Nawang Bajracharya

Minneapolis, MN | Nepali| He/him/his

If there’s one thing Minnesotans love to talk about, it’s the weather. We all have a story about a severe downpour, or getting caught in a snowstorm. That being said, I remember my first Minnesota winter vividly. Nineteen years ago, I moved from Nepal to Minnesota for college. I’ve called this state my home ever since. During my first winter holiday break, my host family thought it would be fun to go skiing at a nearby resort.

One might assume that winter activities are part of Nepalese life; after all, Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world, is located there, and the northern half of Nepal is dominated by the Himalayan mountain range. On our way to the ski resort, a brief moment of panic and shock swept through the faces in the car as I shared that this would be my first time skiing. The moment passed and we pressed on to the resort. Everyone patiently chipped in to give me pointers as I struggled to get on and off the chair lifts. They shared tips on how to make it down without crossing my skis. It was a long day on the slopes of Powder Ridge in Kimball, Minnesota.

That following year, I tried snowboarding and found it to be much easier. Finding my rhythm as I carve through the snow gave me a liberating feeling; that surprised me. Since then, I have made it a point to go snowboarding every season. You could say that I’ve grown from just accepting winter to embracing it.

#MinneAsianStories Series