April 2004

Gillian Woodburn • What’s Not to Like?

Being home for a month over winter break gave me time to notice all the things I love about South Dakota. Coming back made a lot of things about Iowa seem less appealing.

There’s the traffic (much more than in South Dakota), the speed limit (nobody actually drives 65 miles an hour in Iowa, though, so who am I to break tradition?), the air (so much more dust, smog, and humidity), and the horizon—or lack thereof. The sky is about as pretty here as it is at home, but there’s just so much more of it in Pierre without tall buildings to get in the way. At home, you can always see past the houses out to the purple, hazy hills on the other side of the river.

But, I like a lot of things about Iowa, too. I like the way people always hold the doors for you, and how most college kids have a lot in common and can share stories. I like the sign in City Park that says “Practicing Golf is Prohibited in Park,” and I liked the first willow tree along the path until they cut it down last year. I like the view out the fifth floor stairwell in Stanley, looking out over the roof of the lounge. I don’t like the weird people-shapes painted on the walls along the track in the Field House, but I do like that there’s something painted there. I like to go for walks there in the evenings and watch fencing and dance and martial arts classes through the windows.

Last week, I saw a sad scene turn into a happy one. A group of college-age guys was playing a full-court game of basketball. An older guy, probably in his 60s, was standing at one end of the court, and every time they were at the other end, he’d run in and shoot a couple baskets. All the other courts were full, and he had no place else to go. When I looked later, he was shooting hoops with them after the game. And, when the guys started the next game, he played with them. It made me want to say thank-you to all those guys on the court.

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