It sometimes seems as though a guard goes up as soon as someone is approached by a stranger. They aren’t as willing to tell silly stories, make dumb jokes, or talk about what’s really going on with them.

I tend to sit and quietly observe before making an approach, which can lead to some pretty interesting content in itself. At times, the out-of-context, outrageous, and unbelievable from many sides are much more entertaining than a single story.

Just the other day, as I was sitting in the Burge Marketplace, a group of boys sat down at the table next to mine. I didn’t think much of it, but soon they began a loud conversation, and I just happened to listen in.

“Man, high school was sick,” one of them said, “Nice houses, nice booze to steal from your parents, and hot chicks that you already knew.”

Since I didn’t really share the idea that high school was “sick,” or agree with any of their reasoning for it, I decided to listen in a little more, and I suppose it was lucky that I did.

“I feel like everyone just gets hammered and then is like, let’s go lift and sweat this alcohol off.” another of the bros stated. Strangely enough, all of the others agreed with him.

I can’t say I’ve ever experienced this particular scenario, but to each their own.

From here, the conversation only got better and better. They talked about all the places they had puked in and all of the crazy stuff that they had done, and again, about how high school was “sick.”

In a final crescendo of bro-ness, another of the boys exclaimed, “Dude, you traded that shirt for weed?! Bro that’s awesome!”

I have no words for the conversation’s content, but listening in on this encounter made lunchtime a whole lot more entertaining.

Iowa City Observations is a continuing column in which I venture out into the streets of Iowa City and ask people to inspire me, as well as make probably irrelevant observations about Iowa City itself.

This column was inspired by Humans of New York. Check out their Facebook page and Instagram account.

The post Iowa City Observations: A Noon Encounter appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Simply because it isn’t reasonable or realistic that people would be sitting out in the cold and wet, I have had to look to the indoors. On a particular adventure into the lobby of Burge Residence Hall, I found Molly.

When I first approached Molly, she was hesitant to answer my questions. She appeared busy on her laptop and wary of the stranger who suddenly asked to take her picture.

I could tell right away that Molly was someone who got stuff done. Molly didn’t seem like the type to sit down and let life take advantage of her. I later found this to be true, as she told me that in the last week she had turned in four papers and taken a test on top of that.

I also learned from our conversation that Molly is in the same boat as a lot of us– still trying to figure things out. As a sophomore at the University of Iowa, she has decided to drop a journalism major and venture into a differing field.

“I was a double major in journalism and communications, but journalism isn’t really my thing,” Molly told me, “I’m thinking of going into some sort of marketing instead.”

Molly is a prime example of a University of Iowa student– trying to decide what the hell she’s doing with her life, weighted down by homework, and probably sleep-deprived. In fact, when I asked Molly what she was excited for, she replied, “I’m pretty excited to sleep.”

We get it, Molly. Thanks for sharing, and go take a nap.

Iowa City Observations is a continuing column in which I venture out into the streets of Iowa City and ask people to inspire me, as well as make probably irrelevant observations about Iowa City itself.

This column was inspired by Humans of New York. Check out their Facebook page and Instagram account.

The post Iowa City Observations: Molly appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Megan was the first person I approached on my adventure that day. I walked up to her fully expecting a curt “no,” or a cold shoulder, as I had experienced many times before. Instead, Megan was warm and receptive, and allowed me to share a tiny part of her time.

Megan and I obviously connected over the fact that both of our names are Megan. We also agreed upon the matter that people who spell “Megan” with an H are just crazy and need to rethink their world views. Get your lives together.

My short time speaking with Megan led me to believe that she was someone whom many University of Iowa students could relate to. She shared many of the same fears and joys that each of us encounter every day.

She told me that she was worried about graduating and fulfilling all of her class requirements. Megan was looking into graduate schools, both to continue her studies and to begin a life outside of Iowa City.

An existence beyond Iowa City is daunting for many, but especially Megan, who has called the city home for her entire life. Megan was born and raised here, and always knew that she wanted to attend the University of Iowa. She grew up here, learned here, and now is getting ready to move on to bigger and better things.

We talked a little bit about what it was like to transition to the University of Iowa after living in Iowa City for so long. Megan shared the same fears her first year that many freshman feel– she was nervous about finding classes, dorm life, and about meeting people she could connect with. Four years later, Megan told me that she felt glad that she had come here, and that she had met some of her best friends while living in the dorms.

Though Iowa City is Megan’s home, she is excited to start a new adventure. “I love Iowa City, but I always knew I was going to go to grad school out-of-state,” she told me.

Thanks for sharing, Megan, both with us and with Iowa City. Come back and visit sometime.

Iowa City Observations is a continuing column in which I venture out into the streets of Iowa City and ask people to inspire me, as well as make probably irrelevant observations about Iowa City itself.

This column was inspired by Humans of New York. Check out their Facebook page and Instagram account.

The post Iowa City Observations: Megan appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Iowa City’s acknowledgement as a UNESCO City of Literature is a draw for many. People travel far and wide to gain access to the famous Writers’ Workshop at the University of Iowa, and Irene has traveled farther than most.

Irene came all the way from South Korea to enroll in the University of Iowa. When I asked her how it was that she came to the Midwest, she carefully recounted, “A five-hour drive to Seoul, a fourteen-hour flight to Washington DC, and another long drive across the country to Iowa City.”

In a more figurative sense, Irene explained that she was drawn to the essence of Iowa City itself, and its connection with many famous writers. As a freshman English major, Irene was on the lookout for a place with a deeper culture of literature than most. She described Iowa City as “a good place to grow and foster a love of writing.”

I asked Irene about what appealed to her most about Iowa City so far. She had a difficult time bringing to mind a specific event or location, but she did mention that she thought the city as a whole was beautiful.

“I enjoy the friendliness of people, and how everyone is open to new ideas,” she said.

Irene has had a few interesting experiences since her arrival in Iowa, but the one she most readily called to mind was a strange hike with an eccentric professor from her travel writing seminar:

“My professor invited my classmates and I on this really weird hike. She lives out in the woods with her husband, who has a really long beard, and her dog, who eats chickens, apparently. There were like, skulls, and it was just weird. But it was really fun as well.”

Irene asked me to give a shout-out at the end of our talk. George RR Martin, if you happen by some strange circumstances to see this, Irene is possibly your number one fan. You should probably attempt to contact her.

In her own words, Irene said, “Shout-out to George RR Martin, the man who made my life!”

Iowa City welcomes you home, Irene. Go out and make it yours.

Iowa City Observations is a continuing column in which I venture out into the streets of Iowa City and ask people to inspire me, as well as make probably irrelevant observations about Iowa City itself.

This column was inspired by Humans of New York. Check out their Facebook page and Instagram account.

The post Iowa City Observations: Irene appeared first on KRUI Radio.