"You're moving to Florida?"

"No, it's not that Miami ... it's in Oxford."

"You're moving to England?"

And so it goes that one of my closest friends may still believe I am living in the United Kingdom.

When my girlfriend and I decided that Ohio was the right place for both of us, I too had literally no idea where Oxford was located. Which is really sort of odd when you consider I grew up only a couple of states away. Sure, I had heard of Miami University a few times, but I had never actually been to Ohio. So it was with a bit of trepidation that I packed up all of my belongings and moved to my new home.

I am originally from a small, unincorporated town in Wisconsin. Growing up in "America's Dairyland," one might think I spent the bulk of my time working on a farm, hunting wild game and eating a lot of cheese. My only real memories of farm life involve dodging cow excrement while walking through my uncle's barn, my hunting expertise could tell you little more than the best place to take a nap in a field and as for eating cheese ... I guess I'm guilty on that count.

My college years were spent at the University of Wisconsin, enjoying all that Madison has to offer. It may be forever known as the No. 1 party school in the nation, but life in Madison was more than just beer and football. In a matter of years, I met my current girlfriend, was accepted into one of the more prestigious journalism schools in the country and met countless lifelong friends through my time as an editor with the independent student newspaper on campus.

As we were driving toward Oxford a few weeks ago, I was feeling a bit uneasy. I was moving to a state I had never visited before, far away from family and friends. The drive through Indiana did little to encourage me that I had made the right choice, but as we hit the Ohio border I began to see things that had been lacking since crossing into Indiana: trees and hills.

After a hectic weekend of moving things into our apartment and unpacking a daunting pile of cardboard boxes, I took a drive around the city in an effort to better understand my new stomping grounds. Aside from Oxford's relatively smaller size in comparison to Madison, it truly felt like it offered just as much collegiate atmosphere. Someone described it to me as "the typical college town you would see in a movie or television show," which I think is pretty close to the truth. At the very least, I knew Oxford would be a decent place to live for a few years.

If my first couple of weeks with the Oxford Press are any indication, things are going to be more interesting than I anticipated. In one week, I heard about plans for a huge school renovation/construction plan, sat through a city council meeting packed to the doors with passionate citizens determined to be heard and fielded phone calls from countless concerned readers wanting me to investigate various leads. Not exactly the slow-paced life I expected from a small town like Oxford.

What I have seen in Oxford is an encouraging amount of community involvement in all aspects of life. I have really enjoyed getting to know various people from around the area and get a warm welcome everywhere I go.

I look forward to meeting even more of you as time goes on and would like to thank everyone for a great reception thus far. Now I just need to figure out a good place to get some cheese.

Contact this reporter at (513) 523-4139,

ext. 86102, or at rgauthier@coxohio.com.