First Day in Iowa

Here I am, sitting on a not-so-packed flight from Atlanta to Des Moines. Furman classes are over, and grades are out. Although it feels as if I couldn’t get anymore school, here I sit on the way to the “fly-over” country. In the past few days at home, I’ve been able to catch up with old friends and see and few relatives. Of course, I told them things are going well—school is hard but education is important (especially Furman’s). And when the absolute question came up, “what are you doing this summer?” I found myself in a vacant space to tell them “Oh, I’m going to Iowa!” Of course, I knew the follow up question was going to be, “well why Iowa?” For me, the answer is simple. Although many of my Furman colleagues chose to spend their May in Bermuda, Belize, Italy, and Ireland, I’ve chosen to take my talents to Garden City, Iowa. Why? I’ve always wanted to visit a fly-over state like Iowa. Us eastern elites see this land not as the steps of the stepping-stones, but the gap in between. On my many trips to Colorado and Utah, I’ve always been interested in the thousands of green and yellow squares I see on the ground. But I’ve always been curious to know what those green and yellow squares represent. Now, I have the opportunity to not only visit, but also live in one of the green and yellow squares on the ground. How does one farmer distinguish which land belongs to him? My expectations are not too high—I’m expecting nice people and unfamiliar faces, but I’m also expecting there to be a lot of work (manual and mental). However, I couldn’t be more excited to get there!

After arriving in Garden City, Iowa at around 5 PM today, I found myself in a very neat place full of windmills and grain silos. I met Dr. HN’s sister, Mrs. Nancy, who in my opinion is doing a phenomenal job with cooking so far. Shortly thereafter I settled into my small upstairs Iowa farmhouse room, which is cozy and quaint; both qualities that remind me of my childhood home in Snellville. My expectations of nice people but unfamiliar faces were met when we had a pleasant encounter with Dr. HN’s brother, who clearly knows absolutely everything there is to know about the farming business in Iowa. I think tomorrow should be fascinating, as we will get to explore some cool places in and around Des Moines.