Carly Farrell: Great to be back ‘home’ in Americus

Carly Farrell

All I remember about it was that it was my third story I was covering in 2005 for the Americus Times-Recorder. I don’t remember anything else about it except that it was an open forum of some kind, and a woman, probably in her early 40s with long, dark, wispy hair, stood up and said she’d just returned home to Americus; she’d been away from South Georgia for about 10 years. For some reason, what she said after that has always stuck with me. “For some reason,” she said, “South Georgia just has a way of bringing people back, even if they’ve been gone for a while. Everyone who’s lived here feels like it’s home.”

All I could think at the time, to myself, of course, was, “Dang, lady, you grew up here, actually got out — and came back? WHY?!?”

I’d only been in Americus for about a week at the time, and, having moved from Athens, my impression of South Georgia, compared with my hometown, was a bit, clouded. Not that I didn’t think it was cool at the time — I mean, come on — Sumter County and this newspaper’s coverage area has a lot going for it — the Windsor Hotel, Habitat for Humanity, Andersonville and, of course, Jimmy Carter, just to mention a few awesome aspects — but just the mindset of someone moving from Athens is a bit different compared to the mindset of a lot of people in Sumter County. It wasn’t so much that I was much into football — it was the music scene that I was about. Plus, even though Georgia’s a red state, I grew up in a blue bubble, and even though I knew most of the rest of Georgia wouldn’t outright accept the mindset of my hometown, I wasn’t really prepared, I guess, for my hometown’s way of thinking to be so — misunderstood — by so many people — especially in a place where a liberal president and a Nobel Peace Prize winner had been born, raised and still resided. It was a land filled with strange things — armadillo road kill, people who actually think they are decked out to the nines when they adorn themselves with hunting camouflage and, sometimes, even a random Secret Service dude walking around Wal-Mart. No, Sadie, (my dog, instead of Toto) we were not in Athens anymore, and I sometimes secretly wished for Dorothy’s ruby slippers to click three times and transmit us back to my normal world. But I couldn’t. Journalism’s what I came here to do, and that’s what I’d do, even if that meant stopping for five whole minutes in the middle of Lee Street at 10 p.m. to wait for an armadillo to cross the road, that’s what I’d do. (I refuse to kill animals — that’s one thing I’ve kept along my journey back home. I’m a vegetarian. I can’t knowingly kill even an armadillo. I cry and apologize to roaches when I have to kill them, even when they’re trespassing in my house!) Sacrifices had to be made, right?

But, as I became an active member of Sumter County’s community, I began to realize maybe this place wasn’t such a backwards place. Republicans and Democrats basically aren’t really that much different from one another. Viewpoints may differ on political issues, but everyone cares about their family, is thankful to keep bringing in their paycheck and wants the best for their community. Americus’ people were teaching me not to be so self-righteous. Here I’d begun my career as a journalist wishing to change the mindset of a community, and the community was changing my mindset. It was a place where people cared about what happens to one another. I still remember and am so touched by one of my contacts taking me to the Windsor Hotel for Thanksgiving lunch in 2005, because I wasn’t going to be able to see my family for the holiday. Four years ago Thursday, I’ve always felt like I officially became part of the community.

But, in early 2006, I got a job offer I couldn’t turn down in Carrollton, and I took it. I remember on my last night in Americus, a friend came over to help me pack up the rest of my stuff and then to send me off with a bang — we had planned on doing something fun, which we did — but when I got back, I just cried and cried. I didn’t want to go! Americus felt more like home than Athens did at that point. I’d influenced a community by bringing hard-hitting news to it, but at that point, I felt like the community had influenced me more. When I moved here, I felt like I’d be an outcast looking into a backwards community. I drove out of town to my new life with tears in my eyes realizing I’d been taken into a forward-thinking community that I wished I didn’t have to leave.

I did, though, and I began a journey in Carrollton that’d take me to Panama City and Leesburg, Fla., and then back to Athens as a copy editor. And now I’m back in Americus as the news editor. Thinking back on my experience now that I’m back home in Americus again, I really shouldn’t have been so sad leaving because I got to come back here — home. I was lucky. I wouldn’t change leaving Americus, though, because, for one, it helped me realize how special Sumter County really is — I’ve never lived in a place quite as close-knit as Sumter County, and secondly, my journey has helped me to grow — a lot — as a journalist. I feel like I now can bring my experience to Sumter County and give back to the community better.

It’s been strange being back in Americus — everywhere I’ve gone in this town has a memory associated with it — and each and every one I treasure, good or bad. This is, and always will feel, like home.

Carly Farrell is news editor, Americus Times-Recorder. Contact her at 924-2751, ext. 1524.

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