"Living in Iowa" Iowa by TinyTuck

Iowa Travel Guide: 1,300 reviews and 2,243 photos

I was a high school exchange student in South West Iowa in 1994/95. I lived there for almost a year staying with a host family. It was an interesting time and my life there was very different from everything I had known before. Staying in the country without any possibility of getting out of town on my own (no public transportantion, no car) I couldn´t just go to see friends, shopping, to the movies or to a bar (under 21, haha!), but always depended on my host parents or friends who had a car to do something. That often made me feel pretty bored, lonely and like a prisoner. Luckily school wasn´t over until 3 p.m., so the day was almost over when I got home. The word "fun" got a whole new definition: School was the place to have fun, cause that´s where you could be with your friends, which was a completely new experience for me. Family was fun (which was also new to me), cause I was darn glad when I could go grocery shopping, to the mall, to the zoo or visit relatives on weekends with my host family. Whenever possible I went to a friend´s house who had a swimming pool, a pool table and a trampolin. And the greatest thing was when we went out to eat at Pizza Hut or to the movies with a bunch of friends. I never undestood the fun of cruising though...
And then there were those special events that I will always remember, like Thanksgiving, Helloween, Christmas time, school events and excursions, and other little trips and vacations.

All in all it was an unforgettable year which made me gain a lot of new experiences, good and bad.
I´ve been back twice since. I love Iowa with its corn fields and green and peaceful nature. However, I wouldn´t wanna live there...

ABOUT THIS PAGE:
Sorry, this is not much of a travelling site. I never really travelled Iowa, so I can´t say much about what a tourist would have to see and do, let alone where to stay or eat. Well, I did try to think of some tips...
The travelouges, however, are very much personal, and rather entertaining, with a lot of pictures of myself and my friends, where I try to give you an insight of what life in Iowa for me was like during my exchange year. Forgive me for being a bit sarcastic once in a while...

Pros and Cons

Pros:Fresh air, peacefulness, friendly people
Cons:Not much to do, no forests - just farm land
In a nutshell:Nice place to raise your kids - they'll start to hate you though by the age of 12 ;-)

Last visit to Iowa: Jul 1997
Intro Written Oct 9, 2002
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Reviews (10)

Haunted Hay Rag Rides at Halloween! - Iowa

Haunted Hay Rag Rides at Halloween! Local Customs (1)

Something you definately won't find in a big city! It's great fun! more travel advice

Casey's Shopping (2)

Gas station that sells anything, including fresh-made pizza! more travel advice

Mall of the Bluffs Shopping (2)

Council Bluffs shopping mall. more travel advice

Rodeo! Off The Beaten Path (1)

You´ll have to go watch a rodeo if you haven´t seen one before! There are a lot of them in Iowa. This here was in... more travel advice

Travelogues (7)

1 - 4 of 7

Comments (12)

sher613 Jul 11, 2010 at 1:05 PM Report Abuse

Ha, Ha, very funny! John Wayne's birth house is in Winterset, a few miles southwest of Des Moines. Winterset is where the old covered bridges are.
spgood301 Oct 6, 2006 at 10:53 AM Report Abuse

My dad grew up in Iowa. It's a great place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there :-)
chewy3326 Feb 24, 2006 at 12:53 PM Report Abuse

Interesting page, looks like you had a good time in Iowa. But bowling is not a boring game, though...
gilabrand Jul 27, 2004 at 10:18 PM Report Abuse

How nice -no dangers apart from getting bit by an animal...
Leipzig Jul 8, 2004 at 1:57 PM Report Abuse

Great page!! Funny photo, exploring the world by lawn mower. Hey, bowling is not the most boring game in the world!!! Greetings, The Dude!! :-D
mtncorg Jul 8, 2004 at 12:09 PM Report Abuse

A very long ways from Aachen!! But experiences most Americans never have. I wonder if Leipzig shares your opinion of kegeln? ;-\
RhondaRuth Aug 5, 2002 at 8:31 AM Report Abuse

Hard to find a drive-in nowadays! Nice pics & memories.
omran Aug 2, 2002 at 10:56 AM Report Abuse

very nice and good info!!!
SoccerGirl09 Jul 30, 2002 at 5:50 PM Report Abuse

I was an exchange student there too. Know exactly how you fee
btex Jul 29, 2002 at 9:30 AM Report Abuse

nice tour. some of my family comes from Iowa.