I went to Iowa!

Downtown Iowa City

I really, really liked the people I spent four months with in Rome. We saw each other every day and basically created a family. Then, after four months we flew back across the Atlantic; hoping we’d all see each other again someday… but you never know.

Four of my favorite people at AUR happened to go to the University of Iowa. They didn’t know each other before the semester, but we all clicked. Five months away from Katie, Lauren and Andy were five months too many. So, I flew to Iowa City for the weekend.

Iowa City is a college town through and through, a lot like Athens. You’ll find a thriving downtown, full of unique shops and eateries. Hopefully a thriving arts scene, and an energy that only comes from being home to 30,000 or so 18-22 year olds. Iowa City has it all.

If you’re paying attention to the news, you know we have a pretty major election coming up in about ten days. Iowa’s a swing state, and a pretty damn important one at that. LITERALLY every other television commercial supported either Obama or Romney. Volunteers gathered in the streets asking passer-by’s if they had voted, were voting, planning on voting; it was insane. The President spoke on campus about two weeks before I visited. Wonder how well that’d go over at UGA.

Speaking of Georgia, I love you but I was SURE tired of having to explain why I say “y’all” like it’s no big deal. Conversations would go something like this:

Me: blah blah blah y’all blah blah

Other: Wait, did you just say y’all? Where are you from? Why are you here?

      Me: I’m from Georgia, visiting some friends I met studying abroad.

      Other: Wait so like, does everyone in Georgia say y’all? I don’t get it.

      Me: Yeah, a lot of people say it. Is it really that big of a deal?

      Other: I mean I don’t know anyone who says y’all.

Probably had some form of that conversation about twenty times but the people were great. My friends are great!

Katie, her Roommates and me!

Plus, there was football. The Iowa-Penn State game was a big game and the city was rowdy. Iowa lost pretty bad, but they certainly won the party. Late Friday night, the Iowa Marching Band paraded through the streets for the bar-goers.

Iowa River Tailgate

YUM!

Amy!!

We tailgated along the Iowa River, listened Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean and played “bags”. In the Peach State, we call it Cornhole. Just another fun fact.

The entire weekend was incredible. I felt so lucky to have the opportunity to see my friends and experience their world in Iowa City.

Five months felt like five minutes. Y’all come south for winter!

:)