Small-town echoes...
When we first considered moving to Fargo – after I'd gotten the call to come up for the interview, but before I'd arrived in town – I envisioned what showing up in a little town would be like. We'd step off the train downtown, and there'd be a big banner strung across the light poles, saying, "Welcome Moores!" And the mayor would be on hand to give us a big hello.
It didn't work out that way. Fargo's not a tiny town – not a town at all, really. It is a city with its own Krispy Kreme, nicer grocery stores than Washington, D.C., and about 150,000 people in the metro area. We drove in on the interstate, and showed up at the house without seeing a soul.
Still, there are some things that remind me of the four years Jen and I spent living in a small North Carolina town in college. For one thing, everywhere I go, people make a point of welcoming us to town – often several times in the same conversation.
The first week we were here, I took the kids to the school playground to tumble around. I started talking to a mom there who had her kids in tow. It turns out that one of her absolute best friends is the Fargo schools gifted specialist who has been helping us figure out where to place Joey next year.
I toured the local YMCA with the kids the other day. It's a very nice facility, and we may sign up with them. The next day, I took the kids to the Fargo Children's Museum (right), to which Jen's colleagues have very kindly given us a family membership for the year. While the kids were enjoying the exhibits there, a woman turned to me and said, "Have you just moved here?" I said we had, and she said, "I saw you at the YMCA last night." OK, so we are marked as being new in town.
It didn't work out that way. Fargo's not a tiny town – not a town at all, really. It is a city with its own Krispy Kreme, nicer grocery stores than Washington, D.C., and about 150,000 people in the metro area. We drove in on the interstate, and showed up at the house without seeing a soul.
Still, there are some things that remind me of the four years Jen and I spent living in a small North Carolina town in college. For one thing, everywhere I go, people make a point of welcoming us to town – often several times in the same conversation.
The first week we were here, I took the kids to the school playground to tumble around. I started talking to a mom there who had her kids in tow. It turns out that one of her absolute best friends is the Fargo schools gifted specialist who has been helping us figure out where to place Joey next year.
I toured the local YMCA with the kids the other day. It's a very nice facility, and we may sign up with them. The next day, I took the kids to the Fargo Children's Museum (right), to which Jen's colleagues have very kindly given us a family membership for the year. While the kids were enjoying the exhibits there, a woman turned to me and said, "Have you just moved here?" I said we had, and she said, "I saw you at the YMCA last night." OK, so we are marked as being new in town.
posted by Tom at 12:24 PM
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