Rural Electives - Safety And Food Options!

[1fuzzy2dino3]

hello everyone. 

 

what's the word on rural electives -- say through nosm or swomen. 

 

are these ultra remote communities in the north 1) safe 2) have access to fresh fruits/veggies/grocery stores? 

 

i'd love to go up north for 2 mos, but am afraid i won't find anything to eat there (i prefer to eat vegetarian, although can eat meat if i have to survive) and am worried about personal safety/security (should i be paranoid about this?)

 

thanks for your input!  

[Arztin]

I've worked in Northern Quebec for quite a few months, so I'm just going to *ASSUME* it's a similar situation in other parts of our beautiful nation. (I'm assuming that you're working in an aboriginal community?)

 

Usually yes towns are safe. Don't mess up wih locals, e.g. trashtalk, saying they're uneducated etc... Because people will hate you, you will have no one to talk to, and you will have your windows broken. So basically, yes it's safe. When it comes to water, it depends on the town. In some towns across Canada, it's a shame to say, but water quality isn't always good enough to drink directly from the tab. Therefore you should inquire before going to know if you should bring a water filter and/or a water heater.

 

When it comes to vegetables, they're way more expensive in northern communities. Reasons are: transportation fees that are super high + veggies aren't eaten very much by aboriginal people in general. The choices of fruits/veggies are limited as well. If you are vegetarian, you'll have to go there with cans and frozen bags of veggies, or fresh veggies that you'll freeze.

Usually, regardless how small a town and how remote it is, it always has some sort of a grocery store. However the more remote it is, the more the choices of products will be limited, especially fresh produce. People often do their weekly grocery shopping in a "real" grocery store more reasonably priced 1-2 hours away for some communities.

 

Stop panicking. It's an experience that will teach you a lot. You might hate it, but you will definitely gain a LOT of maturity because of the "weird" things you will encounter.

[ralk]

Safety really shouldn't be much of an issue. Obviously don't do something that'll put yourself at higher risk (antagonizing people, walking alone at night in places you don't know), but that's really the case everywhere. Ask for tips from the people you're working with on what to do/what not to do on your time off and you'll be fine.

 

In terms of food, it's variable, but usually there's something. Basic fruits and veggies, while expensive, will be available pretty much everywhere except maybe the really remote places in Northern Ontario. In the SWOMEN area, which is predominantly farming communities, you might even have better access to fresh fruits and vegetables!

[Lactic Folly]

SWOMEN communities are neither northern or remote.

 

Also, if a town is big enough to have a hospital for you to work in, it's going to be big enough to have a supermarket or grocery store.