Through this series of “Experiencing America” I want to share stories about daily life in the United States of America. These are not stories about famous people from Hollywood or high caliber musicians. Neither are these about important government or business people or leaders. These are stories about ordinary people who try and struggle daily to meet their basic needs and create happiness.
I have lived in the USA for more than 15 years with my wife Tami and our four kids in the state of Minnesota. My stories are about my family and the area we live in. Our family decided to live in Minnesota because my wife grew up in this state and we have been blessed with four children: Megan, Ingrid, David, and Alex. Megan graduated from The University of Minnesota in the College of Education and Human Development. She is now working as a Life Coach with a healthcare company. Ingrid just started her college life also at UofM and is still figuring out her major. David and Alex are a junior and a freshman at The School of Environmental Studies and Eastview High School.
Historically many Minnesotan residents, such as my wife’s family many generations ago, migrated from western European countries such as Germany, Norway, and Sweden. Their lifestyle and education systems are similar with those in western Europe. In past years Minnesota has opened its door to welcome refugees from Somalia and a variety of countries from around the world, making the local population even more diverse. One side benefit to me is that it is getting easier to find Asian restaurants and stores as well as Asian spices for cooking, such as from Indonesia.
In case you are not familiar with this state, Minnesota is well known 
as a state of 10,000 lakes. It also has four seasons: spring, summer, fall, and winter. People who live in other parts of this country know Minnesota as a very cold state though it is not, of course, as cold as Alaska. In the winter, the temperature can drop to as low as minus 40 Celsius or lower and in the summer, it may reach 38 Celsius. Our neighboring states are North Dakota and South Dakota on our west, the state of Iowa in our south, and Wisconsin to our east. In the north is our neighboring country, Canada. Many people do not want to live in Minnesota because of the cold. I don’t blame them. But, after living in Minnesota, most people, like me, do not want to leave. Winter is indeed very cold, but the other seasons are warm and very enjoyable. You will know more about Minnesota from the stories I write.
If you are interested to share your stories, I would be happy to post your stories in this blog. Let’s share our stories from daily life in the US and also from various parts of the world to help us understand and appreciate each other. “If you don’t know, you will not care,” as an Indonesian expression says.
Thank you,
The Story Lighthouse Team
Story Lighthouse 