Living in a remote community can be many things. It can be exciting, stressful, boring, and fulfilling. It all depends on many factors like; how prepared you are to live in a remote community, available facilities, and your preferences.
Depending on their size and location, most rural communities have necessities from stores to offices, public clinics, post offices, banking facilities, schools, and fuel supply depots. And then, there are communities with restrictions on certain goods. For example, alcohol restrictions so that no alcohol is brought into the area.
Having lived in a few remote communities, I can say that no two are the same. Every community comes with different experiences.
These days, I can’t exactly call myself a rural resident. Because since my husband got a new job in the city, we spend most days in our new city apartment, and on weekends or whenever I feel like writing, we come to our small townhouse. For the calmness and serenity.
But if you asked which I preferred, I’d say our small townhouse.
My Small-Town Routine
Whenever we come back there, our routine stays pretty much the same. We drive down from the city with some groceries—at least two days' worth of supply. The trip is usually 3-4 hrs long, not accounting for traffic and a few stops on the way.
We arrive in our small townhome exhausted, and the only thing we find strength for is food. After we’d freshened up, it was time for dinner. We reheat the takeout meal we came in with, watch some Tv and retire early to bed.
By the next morning, I’m feeling energized. I’m up early and in the mood for gardening. I inspect our small garden. The plants are doing okay, considering we only care for them over the weekend. At about 8:00 am, my husband comes into the yard to say good morning, and then he spends the rest of the morning watching Tv or inspecting the home security system.
We usually have breakfast between 8:30 and 9:00 am. Always a bowl of oats, fruits, and nuts. After breakfast, We check on the neighbors, my best friend Jessica and her husband Gerald. I need some small-town gossip.
At about noon, the boys go out to fish, and we ladies do whatever we feel like. Usually, we picnic with our friends and their kids or visit Gerald’s family ranch.
What We Do For Fun
Gardening: Gardening is one activity I enjoy so much. Because I get to plant beautiful flowers and watch them blossom. If you own a garden, you’d understand how rewarding it is to see your plants thrive through the good and bad weather. Not all of my plants survive tho. And it’s always sad for me. Gardening teaches me to be intentional and patient.
Fishing and Hunting: Although I don’t enjoy either of these activities, my husband does. But on a day I feel up to it, I tag along to support what he loves. Hunting and fishing equipment aren’t cheap, But since Gerald’s family has lived in the community for years, there are some hand-me-downs available for the taking. And even if that option isn’t available, friendly locals are always willing to lend us theirs.
Get together: From poker to painting, book club, the local pub, and coffee shops, there are many opportunities to organize a small hangout with my friends. It’s common to find my friends sitting at local coffee shops for hours and me. Especially on Sunday mornings. Coffee shops are also popular hangouts for the older, retired crowd.
Hiking: living in a small town, one of the benefits I never take for granted is the open space available. You could have a hiking trail not too far away from your home. On a day when the skies are clear, it’s always fun to pack a bag and head outside for a hike. Hiking gives me a chance to spend some time with my small-town friends while exploring the woods.
Enjoy Downtown: Small towns in rural America are known for their downtowns with heritage buildings, quaint streets, and charming local shops. You can still find antique stores, restaurants, and coffee shops in our community. Nothing luxury, but decent enough to keep my friends and be entertained. Sometimes when we visit the antique shops, we play a game of ‘who will find the best treasure’. Usually, we get to bid on the winning treasure. Imagine being paid 2-3 times over the item’s worth.
Horseback riding: One of the activities I am thankful for is Gerald’s family ranch. My family, alongside Jessica and her husband, visit the ranch on Sunday evenings. And somehow, we always end up on the horses. I'm not a professional rider myself, at least not anymore. But Jessica sure is. I often tease her about being a horse whisperer because those horses seem to be very excited yet calm every time she comes around.
Technology And Internet
Contrary to popular belief, small towns have technology and internet service. It might not be as modern as the city’s, but we do not live in the ice age.
When we started living there, getting a good internet provider at a reasonable price was challenging. And because we needed the internet for work and the home security system, we knew we had to keep trying. Well, we tried a couple of providers until we found Nomad Internet.
My Experience Using Nomad Internet
If you live in America and have never tried Nomad Internet, you haven’t tried the best. My experience using Nomad Internet has been satisfying. I stay connected with their reliable internet service whether at home or on the road.
Here are a few ways Nomad internet has made my life easier:
Home security systems: As I mentioned earlier, we shuttle between our city apartment and small-town house as a result of my husband's job. When we heard about the neighbor's house getting robbed while they were away on vacation, we decided to get more security for our homes. The following month, we had security systems installed in both houses. While we may not have needed the internet to run our security cameras, we needed it to receive the live feed on our phones. And also, for alarm monitoring–Which helps the security providers receive alerts of any threats. With Nomad Internet, we always have unlimited access to the security feed. This keeps us at peace, especially when we are away.
Staying connected: With the travel router and Wifi router, we have access to the internet wherever we go. Even on those days, we are on the road. The travel router has an inbuilt battery that serves us the entire 3-4 hrs travel time between the city and our small-town home. This ensures we do not miss messages, calls, or important emails.
Top-notch customer service: Before subscribing to Nomad Internet, I reached out to customer care via email and got a detailed explanation of their services. Although their quick response rate was impressive, I wasn’t confident it would remain the same once I purchased their products. Surprisingly, the reverse is the case. Anytime I reached out to support whenever I had issues with my connection, they responded quickly.
Improved workflow: As a writer, there’s no way to tell when those creative juices would flow. But one thing is certain, no matter the time of day, getting online is never a hassle. I can send large files, download documents and operate apps that aid my working process.
Month-to-month Subscription: As I have other financial commitments, monthly prepayment is always convenient.
Life in a remote community may not always be what you expect. But by focusing on all the things you love about it, it can be more. Most rural communities have decent places for fun activities and grocery shopping. It might not be as big as the malls and amusement parks in the city, but it works. As for me, I love small-town living. And I wish My husband’s job didn’t make us spend more days in the city. The sense of community and serenity makes small-town living perfect for my husband and me. And with our Nomad Internet router, we stay connected all day, all year long.
