By Justin Park
2005-06 Gargoyle Senior Editor
Posted Tuesday, June 27, 2006, The OG, opinions

My 30-year-old uncle with Windy City charm and newly acquired Bostonian swagger is a city boy — born and raised in the South Side of Chicago.

Hyde Park was his stomping grounds where he dodged bullets, ate Harold's Chicken, and wooed the occasional honey. Naturally, Uncle John has an urban state of mind. As a self-proclaimed expert of Ebonics, he once dropped the line, “I'm bouncing back to my crib.” The vernacular may be outdated today, but 10 years ago I was nothing short of enthralled by his city ways.

In time I began to question my own “country” background. Everyone else had a cool setting to their childhood story! My father cruised the streets of Geneva, Switzerland, on his moped before moving to Chicago during the 11th grade. My mother lived in bustling Seoul, Korea, followed by high school in New Jersey with routine commutes to Julliard nestled in the streets of Manhattan. The rest of my family is scattered throughout Brooklyn and parts of New Jersey. It is of no surprise that my sister and I have been dubbed the “country bumpkins” of the family.

From the fifth grade to perhaps freshman year I was torn between my country roots and the intrigue of the big city. I just didn't think I could have as much fun in the country as I could in the city.

I mean Frodo was happy at the peaceful and lush Shire. Why was I so unsure of Lincolnshire? Then again Frodo did ultimately achieve supreme glory by traversing through Middle Earth where he encountered elves and goblins to destroy the ring.

It was only until my sophomore year did I realize Frodo wasn't alone. He had Sam, Merry, Pippin, Gimli, Legolas, Aragorn, Boromir, and of course Gandalf. The Fellowship. Nine in all. It was the people around Frodo who made his life so exciting and rewarding. The Fellowship. Although Frodo loved the Shire, I believe he loves wherever he is now just as much because of the people around him. But he will always be a hobbit from the Shire.

Uni was the birth of my own fellowship. There is David, Sergei, Cameron, Udara, Sam, Daniel, Al, and of course Dana. The Fellowship. Nine in all. I will be going to school 90 miles west of my Uncle John and Boston for the next four years. Maybe “cop” a “crib” in Hyde Park a year after? Geneva? Seoul? Brooklyn? I'm not quite sure. However, I will make sure to get low with my crew wherever, and I'll be just as happy.

But in the end, I will always be a country kid from Champaign-Urbana.