Iowa City in Pictures

A taste of what I see daily in Iowa City - a place full of culture, with an almost small town feel.  I love it!

 Campus...

My newly Americanised feet, rocking the Sperry's - a must have on campus (I'm told). And so I HAD to buy them. 

The front of campus and one of the many green areas to chill or read and a good meeting place!

Walking to class with the Old Capitol building in the distance. 

I HAD to take this to show how busy it is!! Never have I experienced so many backpacks in one place.

The view of the other side of campus, which doesn't look out over downtown Iowa City.  This leads out to Coralville, across the Iowa river.

I did not expect a Museum of Natural History ON CAMPUS! 

I'm not the only one who rides a bike!  A bit like Amsterdam, but without the canals and erm...stuff

Hmm. I wonder if this is the fraternity Ashton Kutcher was part of? I wonder if he visits....

 We're Going Downtown...

View from the main street to Campus

Clinton Street 

Moving into a fairly cultural quarter of the city...

I guess you'll have to visit if you want to know the story!

I've seen two pianos so far, just placed around the city for people to play. This guy was pretty damn good!

I love the shops here!!

I wondered if they were catering for the international student audience?

This was old school inside and out. I wish I had a record player.

My favourite thing in here was a shirt saying "Midwest is Best".

The Englert Theatre

Starting to look like a shopaholic here...BUT this another cool vintage shop I came across.

Dubuque street. Good books and sandwiches are both found here!

Prairie Lights - Iowa City's bookstore.  One of the most successful independent bookstores in the U.S.A. They have regular literary readings from well known and not so well known authors.

Some very believable street art.

Literature is everywhere...resonating the fact that Iowa City is a UNESCO city of literature; it really is the place to study English!

Update...

After a 2 week whirlwind of orientation and first week in American classes, I thought it was 

time for an update!

International orientation finished last week and almost without time to realize I was thrown 

full throttle into my American classes.  It was only the Tuesday before classes started that I 

actually knew what I'd be studying, but it all makes for an excited rush I guess!  Whilst at 

Iowa I will be taking:

• Poetry Writing (Well, if I'm going to have a bash at writing poetry I might as well do it at the top creative writing schools in the world!)
• Introduction to Criticism and Theory - not my favourite class so far, but I think it will prove helpful
• Introduction to Poetry
• Literature and the book 
• 20th Century British Literature (I know, I came to America to study brit lit?! But it sounds interesting and I'm curious to learn the American perspective on our literature and culture)

Classes are on between one and three times a week and each last between 50 minutes - 1 

hour 50 minutes, which means I'm in everyday - something unknown to the British student; 

there's no dossing over here!

The IOWA Challenge

Apart from concentrating on becoming an all-American student, I have slowly getting into 

the swing of things in Iowa city.  My most exciting news of this week (for me at least) was 

purchasing a bike for my trips to and from campus.  This was done with 4 of my German 

friends (who have obviously had an extreme European influence on me).  I don't care if I am 

the ultimate nerd getting excited about this because my bike is beyond cute, was $60 

(bargain, eh?!) and IT'S MY FIRST EVER BRAND NEW BIKE...EVER!  Soon after we took a 

test-drive to my friend, Marie's house (with me, bouncing along at the back like an excited 

5 year old).

A 'Cruiser' bike with an unbelievably excited rider.

One of the most American things I've done this week, though, is attend the "Kick off at 

Kinnick Stadium". 

This event is part of the 'On Iowa' schedule given to the Freshmen which is the equivalent 

of the British 'Fresher's week', minus the drinking/partying itinerary and adding on more 

sport and 'team building' based activities (not that helping your friend, who got a little over 

excited with the cheap vodka doubles get home from a British club doesn't count as a 

'team building' activity).  In theory, us exchange students were banned from having fun in 

the first week BUT that didn't stop us Brits.  Clare (also from Hull) and I decided that we 

wanted a real taste of the American college life, so we put our yellow shirts on and joined 

the line of the class of 2016 to enter into the Kinnick Stadium.

It was a VERY long line.

I saw all the American things I would want to see to kick off my semester - A football 

stadium, real life cheerleaders (so glamourous!!), a marching band and a bunch of young 

Americans which I could place in the high-school social categories (the popular ones, the 

nerds, the regular ones, the jocks).

To finish off my ridiculously American day I then went to a party, held in a basement and 

complete with beer pong and the classic red cups. Welcome to Iowa!

Old Capitol building which marks the centre of campus.

So that just a quick update on the highlights of my week.  Now that I'm almost used to the 

lifestyle I'm going to let y'all know about the quirks of the culture (especially college life!) 

- which I have found eternally amusing and at times shocking. Watch this space :).

Hannah x

I’m here!

Travel, first impressions and becoming a Hawkeye...

After spending around 3 days impatiently pottering around, checking off last minute ‘to do’ 

lists and generally annoying people around me, I shuffled off to board my American Airlines 

flight (shuffling due to my suitcase and hand luggage, which is simply not easy for me - a 

clumsy blonde at best - to maneuver).  And I would thus be shuffling for 2 days of travel.  

Problems of travelling alone:

1.  Shuffling instead of walking, feeling like you have to drag around an extra, uncooperative person EVERYWHERE you go.  

2.  People assigning you to a new family (I must not look like a lone traveller embarking on 
an adventure).

3.  Being called ‘sweetie’ by the American flight attendant.  I have decided ‘sweetie’ is the American equivalent of ‘babe’, which is automatically responded to with an irrepressible,horrified look on my face.

4.  Being asked to move for other people’s convenience (unless it’s to first class - obviously this didn’t happen). I changed seats no more than twice on the flight, I drew the line at that.

3 first impressions:

1.  Americans are friendly (excluding the immigration officer, who merely grunted at my presence).  I don’t know whether this is through habit or if they are genuinely happy to help a bewildered Brit, but there is almost always someone there to ask “how’s it going?” (this is answered in a typical awkward British way - “erm, yes, I’m fine thanks. I think. Thank you for asking.”).  When I arrived at Chicago airport, I felt like I’d made an acquaintance in Wendy, the flight attendant in just 10 minutes.  By the end of our shuttle ride I knew where she went to school, her husband’s name, where she’d travelled to and which football team she supported.  Wendy was very chatty.

2.  Americans never walk.  I love to walk most places if I can, especially at uni.  Americans don’t like to walk.  Even walking to Walmart which is directly across the street AND visible from my window (I know, what a view eh?!) is pretty extreme walking.  There are no footpaths and a sprint across the highway is essential - Imagine doing this carrying bedding and a bin full of stuff. Not fun.

3.  Chinese like to study here.  So many Chinese!! Now I know how my friend, Helen, feels when she’s in maths and finance lectures. My whole international student orientation has been moulded around the 90% of Chinese students attending the University of Iowa.  I have been taught about acceptable conversation topics (weather, sports, hobbies) and what to avoid (NEVER talk about religion or politics).  I have also been informed that if I do not attend my english speaking classes I WILL get deported.  The small group of Europeans at the orientation stuck together and decided that the information given can also double up as amusing material for future use.  

SO apparently I am officially a Hawkeye (an Iowa student and fan of ALL Hawkeye sports - 

mostly American football).  There is no option here, there’s no return policy on your Hawkeye 

status.  Apparently “Once a Hawkeye, always a Hawkeye”. And now I feel obliged to buy as 

much merchandise as I can fit in my wardrobe.  Go Hawks!...I guess?!

Hannah x

P.S. I have photos to come which document my adventure so far, yey :). Just as soon as I 

have wifi up and running!