Known as the crossroads of America, Indiana is a state in a weird purgatory between the south and the Midwest with tons of east coast cultural influence. They call New York the melting pot of cultures, but don’t overlook Indiana — and specifically Bloomington — as a place that both plays host to and is influenced by a myriad of cultures.
Whether you’re a born-and-bred Midwesterner from Minnesota like myself or a transplant from Bangladesh or Belarus, coming to a new place and embedding yourself in a new culture is an extraordinarily hard thing to do. But as someone who has planted roots in three states and a foreign country throughout my life, I can promise you there are ways to make this place your home without losing your individuality.
Your crowd is here; don’t give up on looking
During my freshman year, I became convinced I would never find my people. I came to college with a very strong and insular friend group from home, and it seemed impossible to find people who I related to as much as I did with my Minnesota friends. I thought I would either have to change who I was in my heart or go through college totally alone.
I was wrong.
I joined two student organizations and really started participating in them in my sophomore year. One was the producer of the magazine you’re reading right now. I learned that people really would accept me as I was, and even though I didn’t grow up with them, I share more in common with them than a lot of people I left at home.
Whatever it is you like, and whoever it is you are, there are people here for you. In this town more than most, you can find what you’re looking for and you don’t have to look too hard to do it.
Politically invested? The IU College Republicans and College Democrats are well-respected chapters statewide, and there are plenty of niche political organizers who host events across campus. Musically inclined? The local scene in Bloomington is diverse, and acts of all genres can find places to play without too much trouble. Interested in charity, partying or both? Bloomington has an active and influential Greek life scene.
Never assume nobody will get you. Someone always does.
Find a local haunt
Third places are always important, but perhaps never more than when you move to a new place. Dorm life can feel suffocating, and the daily grind of classes can drain you. Under those circumstances, it can prove difficult to find the time and desire to go out and see the city.
My best advice to combat any homebody tendencies is to find a place off campus where you can sit down and do what you need to do. There are plenty of coffee shops and cafes downtown and on the south and east sides; pick your favorite and stick to it.
When you force yourself to go somewhere off the beaten path every day, you forge a new path. You’ll find yourself stopping into new stores or admiring natural beauty you hadn’t noticed before, and little by little, you’ll expand your mental map beyond campus. The bigger a place is, the easier it is to make parts of it feel like your own space.
Learn the bus schedule
This might seem obvious, but learning how to use the public transit in Bloomington will open your world to so much more. Mobility is the opposite of confinement, and there is no better way to mobilize yourself than by using the bus.
Granted, you can walk or bike anywhere in town if you budget the time. I’ve walked from my eastside apartment to downtown and back countless times. In fact, I advise biking and walking around whenever you have the time. Touch some grass.
But the buses are extremely efficient, and IU students can ride them for free. Once you learn how to get anywhere on campus quickly, you open yourself to social gatherings and events that you might have skipped otherwise.
Specifically, a lot of club leaders are upperclassmen who live on the south, north or east side of town. Going to club social events is a great way to meet friends and find out what you like or don’t like, and there’s the added benefit of scouting future neighborhoods once you move out of the dorms. Bus stops like the one on Third Street and Eagleson Avenue or on Indiana Avenue by the Sample Gates host routes that can take you where you need to go and probably aren’t too far out of your way.
Knowing the bus routes also teaches you the geography of the city, and once you know how to get yourself from place to place without looking at a map, you go from a Bloomington visitor to a real resident.
