City Mice and Country Mice: A Midwest Farm Girl's Encounter with a Well Traveled Man

Recently I had a most interesting conversation with a seatmate during an airline flight. After offering him the sports section of my newspaper, we began to exchange bits and pieces of our lives: where from, married/single, kids or no kids, occupation, etc. He was from Pittsburgh and traveled all over for business. Upon learning that I was not only from Minnesota but originated in exotic and sunny Iowa, he was sputtering. A real live Midwest farm girl! He'd never met one before.

I spared him a few of the juicy punch lines: I own a horse, there's a tractor in my garage (not mine, I swear!). He'd heard enough to at that point to write me off as a hick. I know there are a lot of stereotypes to get past, because I grew up alongside them. Most of the people in the small town where I grew up were more comfortable in that setting. The stereotypes really were what you might think of when it came to small town prejudices and lack of acceptance toward anything out of the norm.

On a business trip to DC a few years ago, a colleague and I were discussing the indigestion we'd experienced that week, writing it off as our possibly not agreeing with the tap water at the hotel. A woman nearby muttered, "country folk...." and shook her head in disgust. Not to brag, but my small town has water that is as polluted as anywhere. I've got the reports from the city to prove it. All those farm chemicals have to go somewhere, right?

It seems that a lot of people decide they're either a country mouse or a city mouse and wrap all their thoughts and opinions round that. Though my lifestyle is certainly more country than city, I honestly feel split down the middle in terms of where I feel happy. Naturally, since I'm a country mouse I'm sure I would frequently lose my cheese, but I'd love to go downtown and shake my tail.

So if you find me in your city, know that I'm delighted to be there. I'm looking to soak up some culture, I want to experience your off-the-beaten-path restaurants, and for just a few days I want to forget my small town. I love the sound of your traffic, I feel cradled by your tall buildings, and if I see something strange on the streets that's even better. In a week or so I'm going back to my horse and my little town and I'll try not to lose my ever-loving mind. In the meantime, I promise to try to avoid your commute and stand right, walk left on your escalators. See you soon!