KALONA

Many of us have worked in convenience stores but dreamed of climbing the Himalayas. Dawa Sherpa lived the opposite: he grew up in Nepal in the shadow of the world’s third-highest peak, Kanchenjunga, and guided tourists as a teenager. Today he and his wife, Durpa Limpu, own Westside Petro in Kalona.

On Wednesday, March 20, the Kalona Area Chamber of Commerce welcomed Westside Petro as a new member. The welcoming committee took the opportunity to learn more about Sherpa’s experiences.

Political issues prompted Sherpa to leave Nepal for Singapore as a young man. He then came to the U.S., first living in Louisville, Kentucky, and then moving to Kalona.

When he first came to Kalona in 2018, he was surprised at how small downtown was, after having lived in a much larger city. “We felt like, we don’t know how long we can survive here. Maybe we’ll find another big town,” he recalled. But “slowly we had family and community, neighbors and customers.”

Now, Sherpa says, Kalona “is a great place, we love this place.” He especially enjoys the four seasons; in Singapore, he says, it is t-shirt weather year-round.

Sherpa and Limpu have two children, a daughter and son. Sherpa’s mom joined them in Kalona in 2020.