Grinnell Iowa:
- Population: 9087 - With Grinnell college students.
- Size: Well, you can only imagine. We are located right smack dab in central Iowa.
- Local Attractions: Grinnell College - top ten liberal arts school in the nation. Students major in things like Bioethics and Philosophy or Physics and Anthropology. The cross-country team runs naked, co-ed through the city once a year too. Grinnell College was also lauded with the notorious Huffington Post award for the number one "Hipster Campus" in the nation. Lonnskis: Local pub and restaurant. Perpetually playing Bob Dylan, "Benny and the Jets" and Michael Jackson. 2 Mexican Restaurants: Both are terrible. Nothing much more to say on that. Dari Barn: Yes I did mean to spell it that way. Dairy treats for the general populace. Most popular spot on a Saturday night. Amish, German and Dutch Communities - Just down the lane from Grinnell are loads of little communities and towns of Germans and Dutch. Pella, one of the Dutch communities, is one of the most quaint little towns you will ever visit. Everything is incredibly clean and orderly, typical of the Dutch. One will find excellent pastries made in dutch ovens by little, blonde dutch girls in baby blue hats and aprons. Stop around the corner and pick up fresh smoked meats from the Dutch butcher. We all know Pella windows right? This wealthy community has kept things almost purely Dutch. Amana Colonies - German settlement. Amish - Colona - A huge Amish community producing delicious organic dairy products and dried goods. Just be aware of the rules before you enter the market: Dress modestly before entering. I am constantly checking my shirt in a grocery store? What?
Soy and Corn Fields - I don't think I need to expound on the fact that we are surrounded by soy and corn. Oh yes, and cows. I am still not used to the sickening Methane fumes that these lovely cows produce. I have concluded that cows are NOT cute anymore, at least when the window is open.
This is the place where me and Aaron live, work and breathe. The real defining part of Grinnell is its people. Like any place, the people make the locale unique. Grinnell is unique. Naturally, I will be comparing these native Iowans to Southern peoples. I just want to make that clear.
My first bit of culture shock came when I realized that people were completely baffled by why such a young couple would be residing in Grinnell if they didn't go to Grinnell college. I often feel like an outsider, a visitor who is being "sized up". It seems as if people just know that we don't fit into "Grinnellian" life. I find this liberating and entertaining. My Southern accent likes to put on a little show for the crowd at times, which I am sure is utterly annoying to my fellow Iowans/Iowegians as they are famously called. I just can't help it! Oh and people really like to schedule things here. Perhaps its the industrious nature of Northerners that creates a habit of needing to have schedules in order to hang out with people. I am certainly not used to this. I find myself asking, "why doesn't anyone just pop by for a visit?" It's not in their blood.
Another question I frequently ask here is: "where is the sweet tea?" There is no such thing here. I have grown accustomed to being offered a cold beverage, preferably sweet tea since I don't ever make it for myself. I so look forward to social settings where it is offered. Not in Grinnell.
If you didn't already know, it gets really cold here. I find it hilarious when people complain about how hot or humid it is here. It can get rather warm, but nothing like Tennessee. I actually think that the weather here is perfection. Everyone tells me to just wait for the winter. Aaron and I love snow so we look forward to it. It seems that people here, for the most part, love the cold. I like that part of Grinnell.
This town is small which in effect makes me feel small. This feeling is nice for a change. I miss the hustle and bustle of the larger cities that I am accustomed to. I am now convinced though that everyone should get to live in a town like this for a little while. Grinnell is the heartland. I keep wondering where all of the color is? It's green and white here. Food and white people. I miss so much the racial and ethnic diversity of TN. However, it's quaint, it's quirky and it's our home for now.
More to come.
- Population: 9087 - With Grinnell college students.
- Size: Well, you can only imagine. We are located right smack dab in central Iowa.
- Local Attractions: Grinnell College - top ten liberal arts school in the nation. Students major in things like Bioethics and Philosophy or Physics and Anthropology. The cross-country team runs naked, co-ed through the city once a year too. Grinnell College was also lauded with the notorious Huffington Post award for the number one "Hipster Campus" in the nation. Lonnskis: Local pub and restaurant. Perpetually playing Bob Dylan, "Benny and the Jets" and Michael Jackson. 2 Mexican Restaurants: Both are terrible. Nothing much more to say on that. Dari Barn: Yes I did mean to spell it that way. Dairy treats for the general populace. Most popular spot on a Saturday night. Amish, German and Dutch Communities - Just down the lane from Grinnell are loads of little communities and towns of Germans and Dutch. Pella, one of the Dutch communities, is one of the most quaint little towns you will ever visit. Everything is incredibly clean and orderly, typical of the Dutch. One will find excellent pastries made in dutch ovens by little, blonde dutch girls in baby blue hats and aprons. Stop around the corner and pick up fresh smoked meats from the Dutch butcher. We all know Pella windows right? This wealthy community has kept things almost purely Dutch. Amana Colonies - German settlement. Amish - Colona - A huge Amish community producing delicious organic dairy products and dried goods. Just be aware of the rules before you enter the market: Dress modestly before entering. I am constantly checking my shirt in a grocery store? What?
Soy and Corn Fields - I don't think I need to expound on the fact that we are surrounded by soy and corn. Oh yes, and cows. I am still not used to the sickening Methane fumes that these lovely cows produce. I have concluded that cows are NOT cute anymore, at least when the window is open.
This is the place where me and Aaron live, work and breathe. The real defining part of Grinnell is its people. Like any place, the people make the locale unique. Grinnell is unique. Naturally, I will be comparing these native Iowans to Southern peoples. I just want to make that clear.
My first bit of culture shock came when I realized that people were completely baffled by why such a young couple would be residing in Grinnell if they didn't go to Grinnell college. I often feel like an outsider, a visitor who is being "sized up". It seems as if people just know that we don't fit into "Grinnellian" life. I find this liberating and entertaining. My Southern accent likes to put on a little show for the crowd at times, which I am sure is utterly annoying to my fellow Iowans/Iowegians as they are famously called. I just can't help it! Oh and people really like to schedule things here. Perhaps its the industrious nature of Northerners that creates a habit of needing to have schedules in order to hang out with people. I am certainly not used to this. I find myself asking, "why doesn't anyone just pop by for a visit?" It's not in their blood.
Another question I frequently ask here is: "where is the sweet tea?" There is no such thing here. I have grown accustomed to being offered a cold beverage, preferably sweet tea since I don't ever make it for myself. I so look forward to social settings where it is offered. Not in Grinnell.
If you didn't already know, it gets really cold here. I find it hilarious when people complain about how hot or humid it is here. It can get rather warm, but nothing like Tennessee. I actually think that the weather here is perfection. Everyone tells me to just wait for the winter. Aaron and I love snow so we look forward to it. It seems that people here, for the most part, love the cold. I like that part of Grinnell.
This town is small which in effect makes me feel small. This feeling is nice for a change. I miss the hustle and bustle of the larger cities that I am accustomed to. I am now convinced though that everyone should get to live in a town like this for a little while. Grinnell is the heartland. I keep wondering where all of the color is? It's green and white here. Food and white people. I miss so much the racial and ethnic diversity of TN. However, it's quaint, it's quirky and it's our home for now.
More to come.
