Arrival in Illinois - getting settled in

Welcome to my NCSA blog! I will be using this space primarily to write about my project in Illinois over the next couple of months, but also my experiences while living in Champaign-Urbana.

My home for the next two months

I arrived in Champaign, Illinois a couple of days ago after an incredible week in New York and have now somewhat settled into my home for the next couple of months. My local supervisor, Radha met me at the bus terminal when I arrived and has been very hospitable indeed. We went for a quick drive around the town before dropping my luggage off at the apartment and then went to Walmart to collect some necessary essentials. Walmart certainly epitomises the 'grand scale' of life in the states.

Champaign-Urbana is certainly distinctly contrasting to chaotic New York - the town is (currently) fairly quiet and somewhat spaced out. The roads are wide, most restaurants are situated on a single block, and it certainly has a 'small town US' feel to it. I definitely consider myself to be a 'city slicker' but think that a couple of months in a quieter place will probably do me some good.

The surrounding area

The town itself seems to be well organised and orderly -  I am told that public transport always runs on time, which is great to hear as waiting extended periods for a bus in sub-zero temperatures doesn't really appeal to me! The locals are also very friendly and helpful.

My apartment is situated south of Urbana, about 4 1/2 kilometers south of the town centre. There isn't really anything within walking distance, but there is a bus stop fairly close by that goes to town. My neighbour is a medical student who coincidentally arrived on the same day and will be staying for 2 months doing medical rounds.

I spent most of my first day at NCSA organising the necessities for my stay, before the project kicks into full swing later on this week. The majority of the NCSA staff are still on leave, and should be returning over the next week or so. Radha took me out to a Mexican restaurant for lunch and I decided to have a quick walk around town afterwards. As the school year has yet to start, the town is also still fairly quiet - I am told that everything will start buzzing by the 19th of January when the students return from their break.

Yummy burger

I decided to take a walk to downtown Champaign on Monday evening, ended up at one of the local bars and met some interesting people. Afterwards, I went to a burger restaurant for dinner (recommended by the locals) and had a pretty good burger (although I don't think I could make a habit of eating this kind of food every day!). There are some salsa dancing events on Wednesday and Saturday evening and I am looking forward to meeting some more people!

I decided to decline Radha's kind offer to pick me up on Tuesday morning, as I thought that I should start getting used to the public transport system. I have to say that the icy temperature really hit me; minus 5 degrees and windy, brrrrrr. In future I will make sure that I leave the house with just enough time to catch the bus to avoid waiting around in the cold!