It's been a blast!

Wow, it’s hard to believe that 16 weeks have flown by. It seemed as though I had a lot of time to get things done throughout the summer, but now that it is all said and done I am starting to realize that 16 weeks is not enough time for the internship.  I feel like I just started yesterday and am a little sad to be leaving Forestburg.  My experience in this community has been great, from all the people at the village office I have seen on a regular basis to the people who lead the volunteer organizations.  All of these people have shown me what it means to work hard, to have pride in your community, and they have shown me how great living in a rural area/village can be.

While I am excited to leave rural Alberta to attend school in a large urban centre in Saskatchewan, I know I will miss the people I have worked with this summer and I will miss living rurally. I will trade in the quiet sounds of nature for the sounds of vehicles traveling on the highway outside of my city apartment, I will miss the friendly faces that know who you are (or that you are Paul’s girlfriend), and I will miss the relaxing lifestyle.  This internship has allowed me to grow personally and professionally and has taught me a lot about some of the challenges faced by rural municipalities and the organizations that work within them.

I would like to thank Forestburg for having me this summer, for the ACSRC and LaB Office both working through the U of A, and the other interns for the support and information they provided throughout this experience.

Washer Toss is Harder Than it Sounds!

Even though this summer is winding down and I am finishing up some paperwork, I am still learning something new everyday. A major learning opportunity for me this week was provided by the wonderful staff at the local retirement home, Big Knife Villa.

I spent half of the day on Wednesday seeing what goes on at the home, looking at activities or events they would like to offer the residents, and possible grants that could help cover the cost of some of the activities.

The seniors residence has activities throughout the day and I was able to join in on a game of Washer Toss. While this game may sound simple it was definitely a challenge. There was a mat on the floor with areas marked and if your washer landed in the area with a 2 you got two points, if there was a 3 you got three points, etc, etc.  Who would have thought a game such as this could be so much fun yet involve so much skill? After a few very disappointing rounds I was able to figure out the proper technique to throw the washer and ended up coming in 3rd.  I was only 1 point away from 2nd place and about 13 points away from first. It was great interacting with some of the residents but I don't think I would want to play any more games with them because I am sure they would beat me by a larger margin next time.

This was a great experience and a change from being in the Office.  The Villa is always looking for volunteers, especially drivers to take residents to different appointments.  The Villa is involved in the community as well.  The third Wednesday of every month they have a luncheon that anyone can attend. The cost is $10 and there is a variety of salads to enjoy and there may even be homemade buns!

Bigger isn't always better

A canola field just north of Forestburg.

Lately I have been contemplating what I have been doing.  I haven’t been reworking policies, I haven’t made any major changes to the village, and I haven’t been a superhero saving the village of Forestburg.  I have, however, been interacting with people in the village, searching and applying for grants, and helping with whatever needs to be done.  This internship is not about the big changes, it’s about the small things that go on. I have noticed that sometimes things in a rural area move at a slower pace than in a larger urban centre and it’s this slower pace that has shown me that the small things matter. Whether it’s a friendly hello, an update on a sick neighbour or friend, or even a wave while you’re driving, I find that the small things that happen make living and working in a rural area so enjoyable.

It finally clicks!

Okay, so now I understand what is going on.  I have always had the belief that volunteers are important, and in rural areas that is no different. But after my latest project I have realized just how valuable volunteer run groups are.  I have been researching sports field policies and procedures to determine what Forestburg can do, and during this research is when everything clicked!

Larger centres have a full time employee dedicated to field bookings/scheduling, being a go-to person for the sports organizations in the town or city. Forestburg had an organization that did that task. So the job was always done, but by volunteers, not a full time paid employee. How is it that a group of people who donate their time can complete the job that a full time employee does elsewhere? This is why volunteer organizations are so valuable in a place like Forestburg.

In other news I found it funny on Monday as I was watching the morning news and there was a discussion of all of the construciton projects occurring in Edmonton.  For a moment I thought I was immune to construction season until I arrived at work and found this...

There was construction right outside of my office, but by Tuesday afternoon the road was almost back to normal, just waiting to pave it again. I found it interesting how long it takes for something to happen in Edmonton, yet here within two days the road was functioning again.

Adaptation and Patience

Not only has this Rural Capacity Internship been about a job and working with a rural municipality, but for me it has been about living in rural Alberta as well. After leaving the Town of Beaumont (a town that is listed as being rural) and moving to the big centre of Camrose for school (a place considered rural by most people in larger centres), this summer has truly opened my eyes to what living in rural Alberta really means. You don't have to be a farmer to see what it truly is like to have a rural lifestyle.  I have encountered a few things over the past 3 months while living in rural Alberta that initially seemed odd to me, but have now become a way of life.

I am working in the Village of Forestburg but living in a smaller village close by called Heisler. I initially thought Forestburg was small with its population of 895, but have realized how small a "small" village can be.  Heisler is classified as a village, even though its population is approximately 150, which does not meet current classification standards to be called a village, but it has been a village for such a long time that there is no use in changing it to the Hamlet of Heisler, or something else. This weekend there is a large event in Heisler, one that will double, if not triple the current population of the village. This event will bring the town to life with people both young and old and families.  The campgrounds have all been booked and there is great anticipation for this event.  Heisler, Alberta is the host for the 2011 Bantam and Peewee Baseball Provincials. 8 teams will compete (4 from each category) to determine who is the best this year.  Rumour has it that one of the Heisler teams is undefeated and could blow the competition out of the water! So if you want to check out some sports this weekend come to Heisler, where you can also see Canada's Largest Baseball Glove!

Another aspect of rural living is "The Wave".  Now it's not the wave they do at sports events but it's the friendly hello wave.  It's easy to do, whether you are carrying in groceries to your house and you see a vehicle drive by, when you are on the highway driving and someone is out cutting their grass, or whether you are just cruising the back roads and pass someone.  Everyone does the wave in rural Alberta, yet in Edmonton or any larger city there is no wave, and if you do a wave you get weird looks.  I find the wave has a way of welcoming everyone which is really nice.

The art of having a conversation has been something that I have really noticed in my experience living in rural Alberta. Whether you are just passing on a walk around the village or dropping something off to a neighbour you always have to plan for at least an extra hour of time.  If the task takes 2 minutes, you should plan on it taking at least 1 hour, but it could take up to 3 hours. Everyone enjoys talking, whether it's about the weather, what's going on in the village, or what people like Paul and myself are doing in a small village. Even on a walk around the village there isn't the typical "Hey, how's it going", "good" conversation, but more of the "Hey, how's it going", "good, how's everything with you" "It's great but these mosquitoes....".  A simple 5 second conversation in the city or a larger town can go on for 1 hour in rural Alberta, as you complain about the bugs and the rain, and the heat, while you are standing in the road, getting eaten alive by the bugs and some colour on your skin from the sun, but those things don't seem to matter when you are meeting people and just chatting.

I have enjoyed all of my experiences in rural Alberta, but one thing I have struggled a bit with is limited hours. In larger centres everything seems to be open when you need it, yet living in Heisler and Forestburg has allowed me to plan ahead for what I need, and if the store is closed by the time I get there then it must mean I don't really need what I went to get.

The other night I realized how challenging it can be living in a rural area, especially if you are sick.  The doctors office in Forestburg is open on Tuesdays and Fridays for the month of July, so you better be sick on one of those days or have an appointment because the doctors are usually busy.  The Daysland hospital is about 20-25 minutes down the road from Heisler and there is always a doctor available there. Another part of rural living is that you need to plan out when you get a prescription filled.  I am used to being able to get a prescription filled whenever I need it, but in Forestburg there is no pharmacist on site at the drug store on Wednesdays, which seemed very odd to me, but did not seem to phase anyone else because it's been like that for a while. If you are sick and need prescription drugs on a Wednesday you can either wait until Thursday or make a trip up to Daysland.  I guess these are all things I used to take for granted but now realize that you have to learn to adapt to where you are and you need to have patience because things don't occur at this exact moment, like they do in a larger centre.

I am now realizing that my time living in Rural Alberta is winding down.  It saddens me a bit to think of all the little things that I found strange before have now become a part of my daily life, part of my thought process, and I am interested to see how things will change when I return to school in September and learn how to adapt to life in a large city.

A Video

I continue to meet many different people in Forestburg and am learning a lot about the village.  I find it especially interesting to hear what type of grants volunteer organizations are looking for based on what they would like to accomplish in the future.  It's really neat to see how the organizations view themselves as making a difference in this community both at the present time and looking toward the future.  I find it amazing that there are so many volunteer organizations, and many people who are part of one organization are also involved in one or two more.  It really shows the pride that people have in their community.

Here is a video I made of pictures of the New Multi-Purpose Facility. The first event in this building was the Forestburg Grade 12 graduation and the grand opening will be later in the summer.  It will be exciting in the winter when the building will be full of hockey players and hockey parents!

Don't Forget To Stop And Smell The Roses.

Wow!  Looking at a calendar this internship has flown by.  It's hard to believe that it's over half way over.
I have being enjoying myself at work, working on a few different things for the village. I have searched for and found a few grants that some volunteer organizations can apply for next year or in the fall, and I am still waiting to hear back from a few organizations to see if they need any assistance.
Yesterday I was sent on a little adventure to take pictures of Forestburg.  Some of these pictures were of places in the village that I deemed to be of importance from the view of an outsider, while other pictures will be sent to the Communities in Bloom National Office, showcasing what Forestburg has to offer. I enjoyed exploring the village with a camera in hand and discovered why this community has received so many Communities in Bloom Awards.
There is a great sense of pride that a lot of people in the village have about their flowers, their lawns and even other areas.  One couple was out watering their front flower beds and i asked if I could take some pictures of their flowers.  They allowed me to do so and then directed me to their backyard where there was a significant amount of flowers with different figurines and even an herb garden.  They were so proud of what they had done and so were other people I encountered.  It was great seeing how excited people were about their gardens and how proud they were to call Forestburg their home.

To see some of the photos I took check out the village of Forestburg website.