One of the most difficult time of Montreal is winter.The winter is very cruel here. Heavily snow falls as a rusult,the roads and grounds always covers with ice. The city authority will clean the snow of roads and footpaths but eventhough the situation will be same in next day.Every car running with heavy snow on the top and tresspassers breathing from thick jacket gives a glimpse of daily life here. Now a days, the temperature falls down to -20 degree without wind at night. People, who are living here for years says that it goes up to -40 degree in Feb. Since the city is in Northen hemisphere it will not get enough sunlight during the winter season. So the day begans only after 7.30 am. The watch will be running on its time but the charm of day will began very late. There is not any guarantee to see the sun light for days and even weeks and months. If there is sun light that will be the brightest and happiest day. But the sun works only as a source of light and don't give any heat. Interestingly that day will be coldest day on night time. As like as morning the day will also pass very soon. After 4 or 4.30 PM it will be completely dark.
When there is problem there is solution too. The people are trained to pass this hard time . So they will not afraid from the snow but they have developed the deep friendship with snow through the skating and x-country . If the day is sunny and bright thousands of people can be seen in the park enjoying with the snow. I never realized age is the major factor here. Either old, young, teens or even kids seems playing with the snows. Perhaps this is the reason that the Ice Hockey is the most popular game in Canada. Here people says that who doesnot know to play the Ice hockey and cannoing on the river they are not Canadian.
So I also decided to enjoy with the snow rather than being afraid .We have lots of snow in our country and I never had chance to play with it. So I did not have any experience about this. Eventhough I was so excited to play skating on ice. My scholars fellow they also never had experience of skating but even they are diffrent from me because they do not have ice in their country. I hired the boot in $7 and started to collect experience of skating, first time in my life. First few minutes I felt hard to adjust with the boot having blades. This was almost carring a two kilos of stone on my feets. When I began to skat I fell down several times.I hardly could make up my balance on ice..Fell down and hardly stand up, again try to learn skat. It was quiet difficult since I could not catch anything else to stand up easily. It was very easy to fall down but very difficult to stand up Rising and falling ......It was going on ... In the meantime a boy near about 7-8 years old came infront of me and asked " Do you speak French?" I replied "no". " You are skating so funny" His comments did not made me disappointment but I tried to convince him that do not laugh upon me because its my first time. Probably he got kind to me and taught me some techniques to keep the balance. I followed him but could not catch his steps. He used to make three or four rounds when I hardly tried to make one round. He saved me several times to fall down but my weight made to fall down him too. It was really funny way that I was learning. I could not met twice or thrice to my colleagues who came with me on ring.Later I found that they already gave up. Perhaps by seeing my poor performance on ring, who met me there they were trying to teach some idea how to hold my body. Some were saying keep our hands under the wrest some were suggesting me to litte bend and some were saying to make my steps straight...I found that ever french canadian knows how to skate. Probably they learned by born. Every one was enjoying the skating... I found there all kind of people. Few were kids most of them were youths and many were over 50's. It seems that the skating is in every canadian's blood. It looked like that the parents teaches to skate their children since their legs are ready to hold.
Actually it looked easy but it was hard for me. The snow was not new thing for me but eventhouh it became new for me. "Don't take it pressure try to learn with the music you will learn automatically. I learned by catching his wheelchairs" a women with having white hair came to me and suggested. She was pointing to the man who lost his both legs in an accident and was enjoying skating on his wheelchairs" he is my son". " I am 67 and It is my third time here, but I never felt difficult to do it" probably she was inspiring me to learn. " Where are you from?" she was curious to me.. "Nepal" . She instantly replied "you have mountains isn;t it ? I said "yes"." Then how could it be your first time in snow ?" I became unanswered.
It was freezing cold eventhough I was not feeling any cold but I was sweating a lot. My body was almost wet. Sweating from inside and ice from outside... I enjoyed almost two hours in that way. Thousands of people were enjoying on ice. Some were sliding some were walking and some were hiting there body rubbing with their beloved ones and with"french kiss". I was excited when there was snow fall in Fulchowki and Nagarkot. But hardly get chance to enjoy there like this. It was just chance to see and feel the snow. I experienced the snow in Mustang and Humla, where I saw excellent places to enjoy. Probably I was the lucky person to see such places of my country. I can say without doubt that many of our Nepali people have not get chance to enjoy the snow in own country. We have a lot of places like this but we used to take it as burden. When there is snow every one has to migrate to the flat lands.. It is our bad luck that we people can not enjoy any ice sports in own country.Many people around the world knows that we have Himalays and lots of places covered with snow snow for all seasons. But even though when they will questioned about the snow and the game we have to keep quiet. I don't know how long ?
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