You know you're in the Midwest when...

Today I was sitting in the waiting area at the hospital today, reading a business book for a class next quarter and a lady I'd never seen before started asking me about my studies.  So I told her about this arts admin master's degree I'm working towards and what my life ambitions are and so on.  She was so tickled that "a girl from Carroll, Iowa, was going places."  She was so thrilled she told me she'd pray for me.  I thought that was pretty sweet.  Five years ago, that would have upset me, praying for me like I cared.  However, 23 year old me is way more tolerant and a lot less angry than 18 year old me.  The older I become the more I have been able to appreciate being raised in a small farming community.  Here's a list of reasons I appreciate Carroll:

1. It only takes me 10 minutes with traffic to get from one end of town to the other.
2. Cost of living is so cheap
3. Great Mexican food -- I haven't been able to find decent Mexican in the 'Nati.
4. My family is here.
5. People are always saying hello and smiling.  People are friendly here.
6. Familiarity.  I feel a certain sense of comfort when I come home because I know things are pretty much the exact same as how I left them.  The same 7 old dudes walk laps in the pool at the Rec every night, and the same farmers get coffee at MC's Cafe in the morning, and the same group of little old ladies go to 6:30am Mass everyday.  I like the routine.

Please don't think that I'm planning to move back home after I graduate in June.  That will happen under no circumstances!  There are no jobs for me and I would go insane.  I've also complied a list of things I don't like about Carroll:

1. There is nothing to do here.  We have a movie theatre, a recreation center, and a bowling alley.  We're hopping.
2. People drive so slow here.  It's ridiculous.
3. Everything is fried.  That's fine and dandy when it's Fair time in August, but it's totally unnecessary for the remaining 50 weeks of the year.
4. In that same vein, French fries are a vegetable here.
5. I cannot find good coffee here.
6. The amount of snow we get each winter is insane!  Both my parents were without power for nearly a week last winter!

Neither of these are exhaustive lists, but they're a good representation of my feelings for my  hometown.  I hope all of my collegiate followers are surviving their time at home this holiday season.

Stay tuned, and happy holidays!

-Caro