I'm officially over halfway through my summer in DC and have gotten some what used to the crazy city life. The constant honking, the surplus of people, and the tightness of space are all second nature by now. Of course I still miss the most important part of Iowa: my family and friends, which I anticipated would never go away. However, there are also a couple simpler, smaller things that I miss most about the great Hawkeye State.
1. Dark Nights with Stars- When you live in Downtown, the lights are ALWAYS on. Therefore, it never gets pitch black dark out. Plus the lights tune out the stars. Let's just say it's been a little hard going to sleep at night when you have a giant night light from the Library of Congress outside your window.
2. Driving- If I was a bad driver before this summer, I'm going to be even worse when I haven't done it in 3 months. Sure, I'm saving money on gas and parking, but I'm dropping more money on Uber, taxis, and the metro. Also, getting off work when it's 90+ degrees out and walking a mile in business professional clothing is not fun.
3. Men in Boot Cut Jeans- My parents will not have to worry about me finding a man out here for 2 reasons: They are either gay or super hipster. Not my type. I have seen enough men in Skinny Pants to last me and entire lifetime.
4. HyVee- Grocery shopping out her sucks for many reasons. It's more expensive; it's all either "organic" or "all natural" or labeled with some other marketing ploy; and your options are to either walk a mile or have it delivered, which isn't always reliable. The people at the stores are also extremely rude. No helpful smile in every aisle out here.
5. Farmland Bacon- It breaks my pork loving heart that there is no Farmland Bacon out here. The closest thing I can find is Smithfield (ok they own Farmland so it should technically be the same, but it's not) and that normally costs $6/lbs. The first thing I want for breakfast in Iowa is a whole pound of crispy, salty, delicious Farmland Bacon.
6. Fresh Produce- I never fully appreciated my mom's garden until I moved to a city. Not only was it free but it simply tasted better. I hate buying the "local grown" and "farm fresh" stuff out here because they are outrageously priced and still not quite the same. Good thing I'll be back for Iowa Sweet Corn season.
7. The Smells of Iowa- Fresh cut hay, the air right before it rains, heck even hog manure smells better than some of the stuff out here. You can tell the air is not as fresh or clean either. It's definitely not China Smog bad but not near as crisp and fresh as good old IA.
8. Cheap Beer- Paying $7-$9 on average for beer is getting real old real quick. State fair prices are even cheaper than this. When I get home I may go on a booze buying binge because of how cheap it is and how happy I will be.
9. Pigs- My favorite part of summer in Iowa was coming home from work and working pigs all evening. It was sooooo relaxing and I would offer a whole lot of money to be able to do that out here. I miss the personalities of Showpigs and the feeling of being useful for something. Here I get off work, walk a mile, then sit on my ass until 9 pm. What a thrill.
10. Iowa Nice- Simply put, east cost people are not nice. They are very fast paced and only look out for themselves. Trying to approach them is intimidating and they don't enjoy engaging in conversation for too long. All the strangers we have been able to actually talk to have basically been from the Midwest originally. I'm beyond ready to be surrounded by simpler, friendlier people who don't have their noses in the air.
Don't get me wrong, the city has it's perks too: there's always something to do; everything is relatively close to each other; there's more options and varieties out here. But there's no doubt home will always be where my heart is, and I'm counting down the few days left before my heart will be fully content again.
1. Dark Nights with Stars- When you live in Downtown, the lights are ALWAYS on. Therefore, it never gets pitch black dark out. Plus the lights tune out the stars. Let's just say it's been a little hard going to sleep at night when you have a giant night light from the Library of Congress outside your window.
2. Driving- If I was a bad driver before this summer, I'm going to be even worse when I haven't done it in 3 months. Sure, I'm saving money on gas and parking, but I'm dropping more money on Uber, taxis, and the metro. Also, getting off work when it's 90+ degrees out and walking a mile in business professional clothing is not fun.
3. Men in Boot Cut Jeans- My parents will not have to worry about me finding a man out here for 2 reasons: They are either gay or super hipster. Not my type. I have seen enough men in Skinny Pants to last me and entire lifetime.
4. HyVee- Grocery shopping out her sucks for many reasons. It's more expensive; it's all either "organic" or "all natural" or labeled with some other marketing ploy; and your options are to either walk a mile or have it delivered, which isn't always reliable. The people at the stores are also extremely rude. No helpful smile in every aisle out here.
5. Farmland Bacon- It breaks my pork loving heart that there is no Farmland Bacon out here. The closest thing I can find is Smithfield (ok they own Farmland so it should technically be the same, but it's not) and that normally costs $6/lbs. The first thing I want for breakfast in Iowa is a whole pound of crispy, salty, delicious Farmland Bacon.
6. Fresh Produce- I never fully appreciated my mom's garden until I moved to a city. Not only was it free but it simply tasted better. I hate buying the "local grown" and "farm fresh" stuff out here because they are outrageously priced and still not quite the same. Good thing I'll be back for Iowa Sweet Corn season.
7. The Smells of Iowa- Fresh cut hay, the air right before it rains, heck even hog manure smells better than some of the stuff out here. You can tell the air is not as fresh or clean either. It's definitely not China Smog bad but not near as crisp and fresh as good old IA.
8. Cheap Beer- Paying $7-$9 on average for beer is getting real old real quick. State fair prices are even cheaper than this. When I get home I may go on a booze buying binge because of how cheap it is and how happy I will be.
9. Pigs- My favorite part of summer in Iowa was coming home from work and working pigs all evening. It was sooooo relaxing and I would offer a whole lot of money to be able to do that out here. I miss the personalities of Showpigs and the feeling of being useful for something. Here I get off work, walk a mile, then sit on my ass until 9 pm. What a thrill.
10. Iowa Nice- Simply put, east cost people are not nice. They are very fast paced and only look out for themselves. Trying to approach them is intimidating and they don't enjoy engaging in conversation for too long. All the strangers we have been able to actually talk to have basically been from the Midwest originally. I'm beyond ready to be surrounded by simpler, friendlier people who don't have their noses in the air.
Don't get me wrong, the city has it's perks too: there's always something to do; everything is relatively close to each other; there's more options and varieties out here. But there's no doubt home will always be where my heart is, and I'm counting down the few days left before my heart will be fully content again.