Moving to Grinnell
If there's one thing harder about moving it's not knowing the place that is being recommended to you. For one thing, the frame of reference is going to be drastically different. The place is located in "downtown" Grinnell in the commercial district. But it's not "downtown" in the same way as Los Angeles, San Francisco, or Washington, DC. "Downtown" Grinnell is just a couple of blocks long. Noise is not really a problem because downtown Grinnell generally closes down in the evening; the local theater is across the street where the latest movies are shown and it costs only $6. The place is next door to the Grinnell Coffee Shop so it's easy to walk down, grab a cup of coffee and pastry, and come back up. My partner did warn me though that being in that kind of location will accentuate life in a bubble where local residents, students, and other faculty will not only know who I am but where I live as well. I know the lines between my personal and professional life will blur quite tremendously, but I think the real challenge is how I would cope living in a small town.
3 comments:
You and I have lived inverse lives. I grew up in Grinnell and then went to college there, so I lived there for 21 years. Since graduation I have lived in LA, San Francisco, and now Sacramento.
Anyway, I get an e-mail from google about all things Grinnell and so I saw your post.
You will definately get some strange feelings from the fish bowl effect. But, as tiny towns go, Grinnell is probably about the best you could hope for. There are lots of nice people and the college really brings a lot of culture and activity.
You might want to consider not living across the street from the movie theater, though, becuase you will be living above one of two bars in town traditionally visited by college students.
If you want any other insider tips, shoot me an e-mail at jason_j_wagner@yahoo.com
Congratulations on landing the job.
Good luck getting used to small-town Americana.
Thanks jjwags and Ortho. It'll be a new experience for sure!
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