by Amy L. Hatch
So many times in the past four-plus years I’ve started a sentence with the words: “When we leave Urbana …”
And here we are, almost five years to the day that a moving truck pulled up in front of our two-story Colonial.
Still here.
In Urbana.
I remember the day so well. It was dreary and hot, with rain clouds rolling in on the horizon. My husband met me at the house in a shirt and tie, fresh from his first classes at the University of Illinois. I pointed and directed as men in T-shirts carried in our sofa, the dining room table where I ate so many meals with my mom and late father, and Emmie’s white crib.
As we approach our “wooden” anniversary here in Chambana, it dawns on me just how much has changed. That dark, humid day in August 2006, I didn’t know a soul here. I had only one child. I’d been married for just four years. I was a stay-at-home mom with a toddler.
On Aug. 6, our second child, Henry, will turn two. Emmie lost two teeth this year, and learned how to read. My husband and I celebrated eight years of marital bliss last week, and over the weekend I drove to Chicago to support my dearest friend here after a death in her family, in the company of another woman who has come to mean so much to me. I own a business here, one dedicated to the families of Champaign-Urbana.
Almost against my will, we’re settled here. I don’t know how long it will last, but I do know that for the time being, my life is here.
When I meet people who have just moved to the area, I listen and smile as they tell me they’ll only be here for just a short while; that Chambana is way station on the road to some other destination.
I laugh out loud sometimes, and warn them that the gravitational pull around this area of the country seems to be stronger than most. Sometimes they smile back politely and sometimes they shrug their shoulders and roll their eyes.
Not us, they say. This is just temporary.
I nod and murmur, as I think about the past five years and the way your life settles in around you, no matter where you are or what your plans may be.
No related posts.
I left and came back…twice.
But now I’m here to stay.
It really is a great place to raise children. Not too big, not too small, and within driving distance of most anything you could want to do or see.
I do not even have the excuse of having kids to stay put. I also thought I would just be here for two years, then on to the west coast or other exciting endeavours. 3 years later, I have grown very fond of C-U, and appreciate the time it has taken to really see the hidden gems, both in the relationships I’ve formed, and all the little things that the town has to offer…things I didn’t see before, just a newcomer, only able to see it as a “small college town in the midwest.” Now I could cringe at that classification..because I know it simplifies what C-U is. I hope I have since learned:)
I attended school here, and we settled here afterward since my husband got a job in the area. We were always talking about moving up to the suburbs, as so many of our friends were there and his company’s headquarters were there, but 10 years later we are still here and planning on being here for a long time. We really love this community!
Great post, depicting an excellent way of viewing the here and now that life presents you with.
I grew up in a different university town, similar in some ways to CU, but more provincial and a lot hillier. My parents viewed it as a pause on the way to better things…and they went on doing that for 20 years, never quite committing to the place but never getting that opportunity to leave. Their resistance cut them off from a lot of opportunities for friendship and involvement, and I learned from their mistake. Are we here forever? Who knows, but I see nothing to be gained from assuming that we’re not, and many rewards to be had in living as if this is and always will be home.
Ditto to Leighann.
Amy,
My parents share your story; so do my husband’s parents. Essentially, I am the grown-up version of your daughter, and never really felt a strong enough tug to pull me out of C-U in the first place. Actually, there are a lot of us second, third, and plus generations of University brats still here.
It’s comfortable, and I am an educated, professional, and open minded mom despite being a midwesterner from a small city (negative imagery courtesy of our twin city’s mayor).
That said, I do sometimes long for better scenery. Living here long term, occasional travel is imperative.
Thanks, Erin, for this lovely comment. And yes, we do travel! Cape Cod, here we come.
Had a fleeting thought tonight: if there was an ice cream parlor in downtown Urbana, I might refuse to leave!
@good enough cook: wise words.
You don’t have an ice cream place downtown? We had only one when I moved to Morgantown, but now our High Street has Coldstone, DQ, a gelato place, Carvel… maybe your time is coming!
Hollee – we have actually have three “downtowns” – Urbana, Champaign and Campustown. But the only one that has a true ice cream place is Campustown – but it has Coldstone and a great frozen yogurt shop. We are not lacking for ice cream, though. Don’t worry!
Kris: Gelato @ Art Mart?
Seconding you on @good enough cook – that feeling of being in a temporary situation does indeed confine you!
Ditto to Leighann.