#AtoZChallenge- Nebraska Nice

When I was looking for universities to apply for masters, I had to rely mostly on suggestions and feedback from study abroad consultancies or fellow uncles whose kids studied abroad or my friends and seniors. Their suggestions mostly boiled down to the universities that belonged to either the East coast, West coast or the Texas region of the United States- the most popular ones, specially among Indians. Irrespective of the program interested, the reasons were obvious- great opportunities, bigger Indian community/ diversity or a happening lifestyle. I did my fair share of research online based on my area of interest and program with reasonable tuition fee and decided to go to Nebraska, contrary to all my suggestions.

“Why Nebraska? Where is it?”, were the most obvious questions from many of my well-wishers. Well, all of my relatives haven’t even heard of it. Of course they wouldn’t know, because little did it sound like New York or Chicago or Texas or California! And people who knew had only one thought in mind- Nebraska is all about farms, corn and some remote state of white people in the Mid Western United States. I did not know much about Nebraska when I chose to study there, but once I moved, I realized it has been one of the best decisions of my life!

Contrary to many perceptions, Nebraska is not just about farms, corn or plains. There is much more to this most under rated state. The feeling of being at home, when you are actually away from home is hard to find. But Nebraska makes you feel belonged and welcomed, not only to Nebraskans but also to its visitors. The reason being- the community and its people.

The nicest and the warmest people on the planet are actually in Nebraska! Trust me, I’m not exaggerating here! It is not uncommon to find someone random smiling at you and asking about your well being when you pass by them, or even striking a conversation with a complete stranger. Little things like holding doors, very polite way of addressing and receiving a helping hand when you expect the least, can actually make your day. These are something I hardly experience in other states or places. This home of the Huskers actually has some of the best schools and also a great technology landscape. The state has places emerging as tech start ups and also few of the major Fortune 500 companies. Don’t be surprised if you casually bump into Warren Buffet, the second wealthiest man in the world!

Nebraska has constantly been listed as one of the happy states or the best place to raise children and family and also as one of the top states for over all well-being. Apart from the terrifying thunderstorms or the harsh winters with snow, there isn’t much to complain about this place. A great and safe way of life, the availability of best steak for many and an amazing community paves way for a greater life experience here. The tourism department of the state has rightly and aptly coined the slogan- ‘Visit Nebraska. Visit Nice.’