Leaving Soon
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5/2/2011
We’ve lived here for four years and it is simply time to move on. While we are middle-aged, we are too young in spirit to go quietly into the night of typical midwestern pastimes such as scrap-booking, watching sports, eating, etc. This place is not good for anyone who enjoys outdoor activities because you are often hampered by the weather, but the lack of infrastructure and cultural values of this town in this regard certainly add insult to injury. Drivers often view pedestrians and cyclists as a nuisance and often cruelly display their displeasure by blaring on horns inappropriately, cutting you very close as they drive by, etc. The average Omahan just doesn’t get it and is content to stay holed up in one’s tacky McMansion watching the Huskers on a wide screen television. For us, there’s more to life than that--a life based on experiences, flow activities, that certainly do not involve passive, directionless activities. For us, working here has been a mixed bag. One of us had a very positive work environment and the other worked in one that was really toxic.
People here tend to ascribe to a “herd mentality” and would not think of bucking convention. If you do not ascribe to cultural norms such as church and family, you are basically asking to be ostracized. In addition, the general blandness that permeates Omaha makes for a pretty dull existence that some would find stifling. If that is you, the low cost of living may not offset this---It didn’t for us. Besides, the taxes are absurdly high for what little this region has to offer. We’ve had a heck of a time fitting in, but seemed to have made a few friends here, and interestingly enough, they have either since moved away or plan on doing so within the next year.
We are moving to Colorado sometime this summer. While Colorado certainly is no utopia, we can at least have some semblance of a life.
Abhd | Council Bluffs, IA