50/50 My Life in Minnesota

Jonas Lim

New Brighton, Minnesota | Singaporean

I came to Minnesota from Singapore when I was 23 for an undergraduate degree at the University of Minnesota. I thought I would be here for only 4 years. After 22 years and half of my life here, Minnesota is now my adopted home. I will always remember my first winter here, the winter of 1996, which was also one of the coldest in state history at -22°F on Christmas Day.

Even today I still get questions about why I moved from a warm country like Singapore to Minnesota. My reply has always been that I wanted to experience the winter but forgot to check the temperature. Now, I am acclimated to the weather here but I still wish for a shorter winter.

Other than the weather, as an immigrant, there is a lot to learn and get adjusted to. I had to overcome people making fun of me because of my accent in my earlier years. Over time, I learned to speak up more like an American rather than the way we were taught in Asia.

In addition, culturally, one from Asia needs to overcome the many dilemmas of living in America. Some of these include being more individualistic rather than communal, being more outspoken rather than quiet as a sign of respect, being more ambitious rather than down-to-earth, etc. All these were things that a university degree did not prepare me for but I learned through the years while being part of Minnesota’s fabric of life.

I also think “Minnesota Nice” helps one get adjusted faster because Minnesotan are more patient and willing to share here. The Minnesotans I met were curious about where I was from and were willing to listen to my story. I was at Duluth for Easter weekend with my family and had a chance to reflect on my life here in Minnesota. There were tribulations and challenges of learning how to live in a new country, but more importantly, it has also given me a home and a lovely family. I believe I earned and learned my way to be a Minnesotan, and hopefully one that embodies the best of East and West.

#MinneAsianStories Series