This is a quick story of something funny that happened to me last night that illustrates a much deeper point.
I spent the evening last night in Provo, but I couldn't move into my new apartment yet so I had to find a buddy's couch or extra mattress to sleep on for the night. I called my old roommate Mark to see if he had space for me, which he did. He told me the apartment number (102A) in the Elms and that he would leave the door locked. Well, a certain female named Lindsay kept me out pretty late, so I arrived at the apartment after (I thought, at least) every one had gone to bed. Unfortunately, I forgot one thing... the apartment number. Was it 101A? I guessed. I tried the doorknob - open. I immediately lay down on the couch and fell asleep.
That morning, I awoke to the sound of a laptop next to me. One of the guys living there was typing on the couch next to me. I realized this was probably not Mark's apartment. This is the dialogue that ensued.
Me: "Uh, is this Mark Laney's apartment."
Him: "No..."
Me: "Oh. Shoot. I thought it was... oops."
Him: "No problem. You are welcome to use our couch."
It was that simple. An absolute stranger was sleeping on his couch (only doing so by entering his apartment in the middle of the night - intruder alert, anyone?), and he responded with a "no worries" attitude I wasn't expecting. I thanked him for letting me crash there, then headed out to the fieldhouse, where I showered and got ready for work (I know - I'm a homeless bum!).
This brings me to my point. Only in Provo could this happen, with such nonchalance as he handled it. Say what you will about Provo, about Utah. This place, however, is ridiculously people-friendly. I would have a hard time imagining this being ok if I were to try and slide into an apartment in, say, LA or Chicago. Most likely, I would be arrested. Or maybe they would just yell and tell me to get the (expletive) out of there.
Provo, indeed, is a nice place. Provo haters take the city for granted. And if they don't like it, maybe they can go elsewhere. I know quite a few homeless people who would let them cuddle up with them on the street in the middle of the night.
Wow... What a bum... Provo is nice place to go to school. I wish every city was a friendly as Provo is.
ReplyDeleteI agree about Provo. It surprises me that more crafty people don't take advantage of the trust. You could make a killing there being dishonest.
ReplyDeleteIf anyone came to my apartment in Iowa City to crash, I'd be okay with it. They could be on the floor right next to my air mattress.
Awesome. I just read this for the first time. I agree and think Provo is incredible in that something like this could happen. In fact, while reading it I didn't even feel that it is an out-of-the-ordinary experience. You could have crashed in hundreds of random apartments in Provo and gotten the same exchange in the morning.
ReplyDeleteEugene is different. I have to lock my apartment and just yesterday the front wheel was stolen off my bike even though the frame was locked to a bike rack. I will say this though, people here are VERY friendly. If you go anywhere public (store, baseball game, etc.) people you don't know just immediately engage in conversation with you. It makes approaching girls a lot easier knowing that is the norm. Now, if only there were more LDS single girls....