Megan Stephenson: The Small-Town Girl Living in the Big City World

Milford, Iowa, has a population of 3,055. Arnolds Park, Iowa, has a population of 1,256. Okoboji, Iowa, has a population of 830. These three towns, which make their home in the Northwest corner of the state, were my childhood playground. From the lakes, amusement park and adventure in Okoboji to the safe, quiet living in Milford, I never had a reason to complain. But there are imperfections in every place.

Denver, Colorado, has a population of 682,545. This city, which has served as my home, community, and lab for the past three months, is one of many wonders. But there are imperfections in every place.

My time spent in Denver has taught me a lot about myself and what it means to come from a small, rural town like mine. There are certainly many differences between rural Iowa and urban Denver, but it was surprising for me to find that there are some similarities, too. I know that there are people on Wartburg’s campus who might share a story similar to mine—they grew up in a small, rural town and have not had much experience in an ultra-urban environment. I am here to tell about my own experiences in Denver, and how through my time here I have been able to grow closer to my roots than ever before.

There is no doubt that I was nervous about coming to live in the city, and when I got here I questioned what I got myself into. Being the person I am, though, I accepted the challenge and did my best to get acclimated to the city life as quickly as possible. The biggest hoops I had to jump through were ones that are present in many urban environments: the presence of a homeless population, not always encountering friendly faces, and traffic and parking (oh, the parking). It turns out that these factors were what intimidated me the most upon arrival. It also turns out that I had no reason to be intimidated. 

As someone who had only encountered homelessness a handful of times, I was thrown into an environment where homeless is very prominent. Something important to note, though, is that when living in a city, homeless people are neighbors to those with homes and apartments. They sleep nearby, eat nearby, and socialize nearby. I had the opportunity to work with Denver Homeless Out Loud over the past couple of months. This organization is very much run by homeless for homeless, and they work to give the homeless population in Denver a voice to the public through education panels, social media, and an in-house publication. My work with Denver Homeless Out Loud opened my eyes to a much larger issue—there are stereotypes surrounding homelessness that simply are not true. Unfortunately, I played into those stereotypes when I first arrived. Overall, the homeless population in Denver is very friendly, and even if they are not, they do not seem to bother people very much. 

One thing that is great about living in a small town and even attending a small college campus is the fact that it can be difficult not to find a friendly, welcoming face. I would say from my own experience of growing up in a small town, everybody knows everybody. Sometimes this can be a negative thing, but I think that, for the most part, this leads to a strong sense of community. It is that small-town appeal, as I like to call it. Denver might be a big city, but the sense of community I have found in this temporary adventure is truly incredible. Sure, I rarely encounter the same face twice, but I have found many opportunities to get involved and meet new people, whether that be attending free events, going to community gatherings, and more. The list could go on and on if I am talking about Denver. There are athletics clubs, yoga classes, dance groups, art groups, theatre groups, writing workshops, and tons of free events. Searching for a community in Denver might be a little bit different than automatically having one in a small town, but I think that is what makes it special. In a city, anyone has the opportunity to meet and organize with anyone.

Before I came to Denver, I would avoid having to parallel park anywhere I went. Now, many people might have this basic skill, but I was simply not a member of that population before I came to Denver. Most of the time, I could get away with my inability to park a car on the side of the street because I rarely had to. Open, free, available parking lots are common in rural towns. However, after about two weeks of living in one of the fullest, busiest residential areas in Denver, I realized that there was no way I would be able to get away with not having to parallel park anymore. It might seem silly to write about my journey to learning how to parallel park, (which I can successfully do now, by the way) but I think this is one of the bigger surprises that comes with city life. Becoming a defensive driver and learning how city street-parking works is a skill I can now apply to any city adventure I decide to take in my lifetime.

My time in Denver has made me realize that wherever I am, I can always connect my experiences back to my Iowa roots. This adventure has made me appreciate the things I have back home more than I ever have before, but it has also taught me that going outside of my own comfort zone can be extremely rewarding. I encourage everyone to explore places and communities across the board—thrive in the big cities and find comfort in the small towns. It will be worth it.