Moving from Miami to Ames, need info please (Des Moines, Woodward: fit in, hair salon)

[angie111]

Hello I am a Hispanic student transfering to Iowa State University from Florida International University in Miami and Im not sure what to expect when it comes to social interaction. I was reading the other threads and some people mentioned that iowans are not very receptive to newcomers. I hope this is not true because I was really looking forward to moving, but now Im a little scared. So anyone please let me know the real deal with that

[DBQer]

Originally Posted by angie111

Hello I am a Hispanic student transfering to Iowa State University from Florida International University in Miami and Im not sure what to expect when it comes to social interaction. I was reading the other threads and some people mentioned that iowans are not very receptive to newcomers. I hope this is not true because I was really looking forward to moving, but now Im a little scared. So anyone please let me know the real deal with that

I think those type of comments were in reference to small towns in Iowa (or small towns in general, for that matter). I have been to ISU, and you will be pleased. Ames is completely dominated by the university, so you will always be among peers. Since its a college town, people there are accustomed to strangers coming and going often. Keep in mind that not everyone there is from Iowa, so you won't be the only non-native!!

I think you'll do great. Good luck!

[WoodwardGirl]

Angie, Iowans don't dislike "outsiders." They do have a problem with people who come here and moan constantly about how Iowa doesn't have professional sports teams/thousands of expensive botiques and designer shoppes/delivery of every ethnic food known to man/etc. This is a rural state. The tri-state Chicagoland area has 9.4 million residents; the whole STATE of Iowa has about 3 million. Anyone who comes here and pitches in and gets involved and doesn't have a big chip on her shoulder about the life she left behind is going to be accepted fine, I promise you.

The food will probably seem very bland to you. Bring your favorite spices and recipes -- a great way to make friends! After being immersed in the very Hispanic culture of Florida, Iowa is going to seem like the most sterotypical of WASP cultures. But as long as people are willing to accept our culture, we're happy to learn about theirs. Don't bother to spend a lot on wardrobe before you come -- generally, we couldn't care less about designers or the latest trends and sturdy jeans and funny t-shirts and comfortable shoes to get around campus will be your best bet.

I think you'll do great, too!

[globetrotta]

Originally Posted by WoodwardGirl

Angie, Iowans don't dislike "outsiders." They do have a problem with people who come here and moan constantly about how Iowa doesn't have professional sports teams/thousands of expensive botiques and designer shoppes/delivery of every ethnic food known to man/etc. This is a rural state. The tri-state Chicagoland area has 9.4 million residents; the whole STATE of Iowa has about 3 million. Anyone who comes here and pitches in and gets involved and doesn't have a big chip on her shoulder about the life she left behind is going to be accepted fine, I promise you.

The food will probably seem very bland to you. Bring your favorite spices and recipes -- a great way to make friends! After being immersed in the very Hispanic culture of Florida, Iowa is going to seem like the most sterotypical of WASP cultures. But as long as people are willing to accept our culture, we're happy to learn about theirs. Don't bother to spend a lot on wardrobe before you come -- generally, we couldn't care less about designers or the latest trends and sturdy jeans and funny t-shirts and comfortable shoes to get around campus will be your best bet.

I think you'll do great, too!

Woodward Girl is your perfect example of Iowans an perfectly described them. (Iowans are very stand offish if you didnt go to HS with them or typical Iowan) Your on a campus so that puts you at an advantage for meeting people. Miami to Ames WoW You are about to be in one huge shock when you land in the Des Moines Airport Let Me Tell You! LOL Chicago will be a nice relief if you go for a 3 day weekend.

[WoodwardGirl]

Globetrotta wrote: Woodward Girl is your perfect example of Iowans

Thank you, Globetrotta!

[Ilovejazz]

Hi Angie,

I was just in Ames the other day and I met with a person from Jordan, one from Israel, and one from NYC. I certainly can't claim that Ames is the diversity capital of the state by any means. However, if you are friendly to others, you will undoubtedly make many friends.

The worst thing you can do, however, is to make a direct comparison between Iowa and Florida. The first thing you will notice is that we're not the same! There are also many ethnic restaurants in Ames, so you're sure to find something that appeals to you from that standpoint.

Please don't worry about Iowa. Welcome!

[angie111]

thanks for all your insight. I'm still a little scared about moving to ames, but I'll try my best to adjust. I never really liked Miami anyway, always thought it was too crowded, too much diversity if you ask me. If you dont know spanish its almost impossible to get by, so I'm hoping that ames can be a different type of experience for me.

[Cactus Sam]

Angie, going to school in Ames should be OK for you. The college students in Ames are from all over the country and many parts of the world.

So, you should fit in just fine. Everywhere you go in Ames, there are students just everywhere. Lots of young people there in their late teens and early twenties.

It's a lot different moving to a small town in Iowa like we did - than it is transferring as a University Student to a large college and living in a college town. I expect you will make a lot of friends at Iowa State and will enjoy your years there.

There's a nice Mall in Ames (although it's very small), and there are a lot of restaurants, etc that cater to college students.

The college kids will not care where you are from!! You will find friends there from all over the USA.

[GeekPrincess]

Ames is a great city. And I really have to disagree with what Woodwardgirl and globetrotta have to say about Iowa. I'm assuming neither of you have spent much time in Ames.

Ames is a college town, over half our population is the college. So we're somewhat close knit, but overall we welcome new people. We have one of the most diverse populations in the whole state. And our food is far from bland. We have several Mexican restaurants, one African one, several Chinese, two Thai, one Columbian, two Indian, two greek and lots of others. And all of these are authentic restaurants, no the Panda Express or anything else found in the mall. These are local owned businesses by people from those backgrounds who choose to share it with the town. I've lived in several major US cities and have actually had a worse time finding food equal to these. I highly recommend the Flying Burrito as well. I've brought people from all over to that restaurant and they've been amazed. Not only is the food awesome, but these are some of the biggest burritos you will ever see, as are the rice crispy treats (literally a block of rice crispy's).

You will have no trouble finding people from anywhere in the world. I work at a pre-school and we have a child from every contient, with the obvious exception of the South Pole. In my class alone we had 2 Sudanese boys, 1 Nigerian girl, 1 Brazilian boy, 1 Polish girl and 2 Puerto Rican boys. It was great to learn so much from all of them.

And while Ames does not have the greatest shopping. A lot of young people here are very fashion forward. ISU has one of the top Fashion programs in the country and most student have no trouble landing jobs with major labels. Jordan Creek can offer some great shopping, it's only as far as Des Moines. Ames also has a hair salon that is featured in several hair books across the country, check out almost any salon and you'll find a Passions book featuring styles by Doug and his team out at Leedz Salon.

I've lived literally coast to coast and traveled to most major citys, but nothing compares quite to Ames. And no, I'm not an Ames native. I was not born here and I've not lived here more then about 5 years on and off.

If you get here and want someone to show you around I'd love to!

[patmc]

Ames (especially ISU) is a very diverse community. There is absolutely no reason for you to feel that you won't fit in. I'd bet you can get your Ames-specific questions answered at glurb.com* <everything local>.

Enjoy your time in Ames!