Since I grew up in the city, I really had no idea what to expect when I moved to a small town.  Unfortunately I didn’t really have a choice since the housing unit I was living in was being torn down, so I was forced to move.  As it turned out, I decided that it might be a good time for me to buy a house, so I tried to find one in the city.  Since the housing market was hot at the time, I ended up buying a home in the country as it was all I could afford.

The first thing that really struck me as odd out here was how quiet it was.  I can remember standing outside my first night here and hearing the coyotes howling – I’ll admit, I was a little bit scared.  It was hard to sleep since there was not the noise that you would expect from the city, but over time, I was able to get used to it.

The other thing that was really odd was that people were friendly.  Unlike the city, people took the time to talk to you and get to know you.  I really noticed this the first time I was in a lineup at the checkout stand at our grocery store – no one was arguing or in a rush, but instead everyone was chatting and having a good time.  It took a bit of time getting used to, but I really feel odd now when I am at a store in the city as there have been many times when I have tried to start up a conversation with someone in line, only to have them look at me like I am weird.

I also had to give up my name in favor of a nickname after a few months of being here.  It seems that once you are a part of the community, you are given a nickname which is usually derived from dog names.  I was hoping for a cool nickname for myself, but unfortunately, that isn’t the case.  Chubby-cheeks kind of stuck, so I guess that is what I will be until I move away from here.

Needless to say, the experience of moving to a small town has been positive.  Sure, it may seem a bit backwards or weird to a city boy like me, but as time moves on, this place sure seems like home.  In fact, I don’t know if I would want to move back to the city – the pace of life here is much better for my soul.