As we orchestrate our lives through the ups and downs and ins and outs of college life, we also begin to expand our world to new opportunities and new people. I’ve met people from all over the country and the world in my two brief years of being in college. Each one has a different story from the last, but it’s the people from the big cities that intrigue me the most. The ones who graduated “in a really small class” of only 120 people that make me laugh the most and the ones who feel “so isolated” in our small rural communities of Iowa that baffle me the most.

As I drove home this last weekend, I drove along two-lane highways stitched together with small towns and farm houses. I drove past empty fields laced with red dirt roads. I passed by farmers in trucks and even a tractor slowly making its way down the road, unusual for this time of year. As I saw all these things I’ve seen all my life, I wondered how people could mock these small communities filled with hard working, patriotic, and most of all, kind people.

I have been a part of two small communities in northwest Iowa for the past 10 years. I grew up in a community where I could not walk down the street without somebody recognizing me and the people I was with. I graduated from a relatively small school in a rather large class of 38. I knew every single person in my class. I knew their families, and their families knew me. All these people helped to make me who I am today, they created a support system that is probably unfathomable to people from larger areas.

Of course, this unit of support doesn’t always work to one’s advantage. Every time I was ever pulled over for speeding the entire county knew about it within the hour, including my dad. Although word spreads fast and it is virtually impossible to hide anything from your family, the same people that are ready to laugh at you for getting pulled are also the same ones who are rooting for your local teams and speech competitions to do well in their respective competitions.

Visiting the big cities is fantastic. The lights, the unlimited entertainment and the loud hustle and bustle are all exciting and energizing. They all contribute to a new and exciting atmosphere full of new opportunities and exciting new people. Things that are never seen in small towns can be found in huge cities. Going back to the “fly over states,” however, brings us all back to a more simple time, a more relaxed pace, but that is not to say that small towns don’t have fun. Where else is someone going to attend a festival called Tall Corn Days?

When I hear people talking about being isolated and being in the middle of nowhere when they come to Iowa, two thoughts ensue. First, the middle of nowhere is just west of Omaha. Second, how can one feel isolated in the middle of Iowa? It’s a place where everybody knows you and your story, and they genuinely care about you. I have never lived in a big city, but I doubt it’s easy to find people you know in every nook and cranny of the city like you can in a tiny town in the Midwest.

Before anyone says how boring small town life is, think twice. Small town life provides everyone with a sense of security and fellowship. It is truly a community filled with people who have common goals and will be with you every step of the way in achieving those goals, whether you like it or not. The only way a person can feel isolated in the Midwest is if they have the mindset they are isolated.