How to Adapt to a Rural Community … Maybe

Reader Contribution by Paula Ebert
Published on September 18, 2011
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My situation here may be a bit different than others who start their new lives in the country. But it is still illustrative of another aspect of country life.

You see, I came here to marry a farmer. We met on line at Catholic Match. That is a story for another day. What I’m talking about today is that I came as part of an instant community. He has something like 95 first cousins, many of whom are still in this area. We live in his ancestral home, a century farm. That means that there have been Eberts in this home for more than 100 years. We go to the same Church where he was baptized.

When my son and I lived in Baltimore, I kept my Wyoming plates on the car as long as possible. I figured I had the only Wyoming plate on the eastern seaboard. Same thing when I moved to New Jersey, I kept the Maryland plate as long as possible. I didn’t mind standing out a bit.

When we moved here, I ditched the New Jersey plate within the first month. Here, I really didn’t want to stand out. Why?

Well, it’s one thing to be a little different in a huge community. It is quite another to be different in a small town. I’m always amazed that people think they can “hide out” in a small town. Really. Not a good idea. Now, this has some very positive aspects, don’t get me wrong (a popular saying around here). For example, people come down the lane to tell us that his brother’s cows are out, and there’s no one home at his brother’s place. So, we go over and get the cows back in and all is well.

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