Iowa: It's easy to spell.

VINTON:

Welcome to Vinton, IA! Population 5,103 (5,263 with all of NCCC). I arrived last Wednesday and I can honestly say I've never seen so many corn fields. Or soy bean fields. Apparently soy bean plants add nitrates to the soil so that more corn can be grown (because they don't have enough already). It is beautiful here though. I'm living for these first two months of Team Leader and Corps Member training in the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School (IBSSS), which was once home to over 200 students including the sister of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Now there are a mere 8 students, but we are livening things up.

Last saturday we took an official tour of the town and went to see GI Joe at the $2 movie theater. The theater is fantastic and you can 'reserve' a seat for $.50 for which they will put a handsome plastic marker on your chair. We also toured the post office, library, and coffee shop. But by that point we has walked a full block circle and were back at the post office again. I really like the town. It's quaint and you don't have to worry about getting run over because tractors only go about 15mph and therefore provide ample warning time.

One evening we explored a local bar called Mickey's. It was fully equipped with middle America bar necessities: A few old men, neon palm tree decorations, and one suspender toting farmer with a beer belly, bellowing out hokey karaoke in the corner. As about 10 of us entered, every local in the bar set down their drinks, turned, and stared at us in silence. Four minutes later their initial shock subsided and we slowly made our way to a table.

TEAM GREEN:

I am a part of "Team Green," because the Team Leaders (TLs) wear green shirts as opposed to the corps members who wear gray. I am in full uniform (shirt tucked, belt, no earrings larger than a dime, BDUs-battle dress uniform) whenever I am at work/training, which is most of the time. Soon I get my steel toed boots! And now for a dashing picture of me and my fellow TLs:



The people are really nice and from all over the states. Three of us are coincidentally from Upstate NY! Despite being in a rural area we've been doing lots of activities (disc golf, changing tires, etc.) and tonight we are going to Cedar Rapids to celebrate a Birthday, but I still want this shirt: