Falling in Love with A Place

It all started when I met a boy. Go figure, right? But we started dating and he brought me back to his hometown. It was there that I fell in love; not with him. I fell in love with that place. I loved his hometown. It was beautiful. I had made fun of him so much for growing up in Iowa and I finally understood why he had always just shrugged off my jokes like nothing. Iowa was perfect.

It didn't take me long before I was completely hooked and I applied to college out there. I left my hometown, for my new favorite place.

When you fall in love with a place, it's not one specific thing; it's everything. I fell in love with the scenery, for sure. I used to go sit at Bacon Creek Park and study by the lake. Although, one of my favorite spots was on top of one of the scenic views at Stone State Park. I used to go running up there with my dog, constantly. The Sioux City area in general is just gorgeous. Anyone who tells you that Iowa is just cornfields is seriously mistaken. The hills out there make the most beautiful views. Even though my gas millage was unappreciative, I put up with it. It was more than worth a few extra gallons in my gas tank.

I fell in love with the pace of everything out there. It's so laid back, traffic out there is like three o'clock in the morning on 294. That's traffic. It's empty, but if you get a flat out there, anyone who sees you on the side of the road, stops to help out. They have all the good country stations. There's a station that plays all old country music. But if country isn't your thing, there's still a huge group of metal heads. Restaurants take their time and no one ever seems to be in a hurry.

While I'm on the subject, I fell in love with their food. As a Chicago girl born and raised, I never thought I would find a place that had food that's as good as ours. I was wrong. I was hesitant at first to try a loose meat sandwich, but they are amazing. And they have this really popular tomato beer our there? It's delicious. It sounds gross but it's delicious. And I have been craving La Juanita's since the day I left. It is hands down, the best taco place ever. I once drove eight hours with my best friend through the night, so that in the morning we could go get some of their tacos. The cravings are real.

But most importantly, I fell in love with the people. When I first moved there, I was a little homesick. But the people in Moville welcomed me like I had always been there. I didn't feel out of the loop or out of place. Then, at my favorite job out there, I was welcomed again. The people I worked with at the bar quickly became my second family. I miss them all everyday. People out there are so different from anyone else I've ever met. Even my ex-boyfriend's family still talks to me and when I'm out there I always have to stop by and say hi to them. It's a different way of life. Almost drama free and easy. But no matter what, out there, I always felt loved. I always felt wanted.

Falling in love with a place is almost harder than falling in love with a person. A person, with time, you will get over. You will still think about them, obviously. But once you fall in love with a place, no where else feels like home. You're constantly looking for the way you felt when you were there. And a place doesn't move on, it's always there, patiently awaiting your return. It doesn't feel like a piece of you is missing, it feels you like you left yourself behind and you're just carrying a small piece of yourself, hoping it will grow into what you had in that place that you loved.

Moving away from Iowa is one of my biggest regrets and I miss it everyday. But it sits there, patiently waiting my return. As I impatiently claw my way back towards it...