We were asked to describe our culture and for me it honestly
is not as easy as you would think. I do not come from somewhere far away or
even, somewhere out of the state of Iowa. I grew up in a suburb of Des Moines
called Johnston. Johnston is a nice, urban, expanding community. I went to a
big 4A high-school in Johnston and I feel like that prepared me nicely enough
for the University of Iowa. When most people not from here think of Iowa or
Iowans, they think of the heart of the Midwest. That especially comes along
with farming, kindness, and boredom. But something they wouldn’t suspect is
that I really had nothing to do with farming or boredom growing up here. As I
mentioned earlier, Johnston is an urban community right near Des Moines. It is
not some dead, rural, extremely small town. Because of this I did not spend
time or have anything really to do with farming. Sure, I am surrounded by it
living in Iowa, but it did not directly pertain to my life or the lives of
those around me. The next thing to address is the fact that Iowa is not known
to have any sort of entertainment, which is also false.
Living near Des Moines
you were able to experience many things that went on downtown and in the
surrounding areas. For example, I’ve participated in road races like the Des
Moines Marathon, Dam to Dam, etc. (running is one of my favorite things to do).
I’ve been able to attend athletic events: Iowa Cubs, the NCAA Sweet 16 games in
Des Moines this last spring, and more. I’ve attended concerts at Wells Fargo
Arena. And not just small concerts. Big time one’s like Drake this past October
(no, we do not all listen to country music). Honestly, I could go on longer with
all of the other amazing restaurants (from Italian to Mexican and much more),
attractions, events, and other things that Des Moines has.
Don’t get me wrong I
have been to the Los Angeles’s, the Orlando’s, Washington D.C.’s, New York
City’s of the world and Des Moines is not in that category with them. It does
not compete with those cities as far as thing to do, but for Iowa, it does very
well. It shows that when people say there’s nothing to do here, they’re wrong.
At this point I probably sound like a person trying to convince a family to
move to Des Moines. But I feel like as you describe your culture, it’s needed
to talk about things like this. Things that show others who have heard about a
certain area, a new perspective. Things that describe an area that you lived in
and came from. Things you do for entertainment. The music, the sporting events,
the food and its wide variety, and other events and hobbies. This is part of my
culture that I described. Part of my culture that people did not know.
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