Wishing for More Winter in Vermont
Nigerian becomes winter's biggest fan
I have been looking forward to winter since I arrived in the United States because of the snow. I had never seen snow before in my life until the winter hit here. Although it is very cold, there are a lot of activities to do in the winter. Ranging from downhill skiing and ice skating to cross country skiing, I tried many activities. It is a lasting memory for me.
The first activity I did was Nordic skiing (cross country skiing) as an extracurricular activity in school. It was tough for the first two weeks, because I had no idea how to balance on snow. After learning the balance and the strategies, it was so much fun for me. I placed fifth in one of my races which is good for a beginner skier like me. I was super excited about the race result and the sport.
The second activity that I did was downhill skiing. Nearly every weekend in the winter, my host family and I go to the mountain for downhill skiing. I learned to ski from my host dad and my host brother. That is my favorite part of the winter and skiing, because it is so fabulous. I love taking the lift up to the top of the mountain, going down as fast as I can, trying to beat my best time, and stopping by the park to hit boxes and jumps. It is all so much fun.
The most important thing I learned is that staying away from trying new things will not make you a brave person or who you want to be.
The last activity I did was with a friend's family. The family is very into ice hockey, so I learned how to skate on the ice with them. It was my first time on the ice, and it was so much fun to learn to skate.
I wish the winter was not going to end so soon, because I love it. Doing winter activities had a lot of impact on me and the way I view myself. I learned so much from it. The most important thing I learned is that staying away from trying new things will not make you a brave person or who you want to be. If you love to try new things and challenge yourself, it makes you a stronger and more courageous person and also prepares you to face any challenges in life.
—Khalid (YES, Nigeria), hosted by the Wasyliko family (VT)
