When I moved to this part of the country I knew it was remote, but I had no idea how different it was from the world I knew.
Out here the police are only something you see when you call, and even then it takes a few hours.
There are no nearby stores besides the gas station. My neighbors are miles away from me. Being this isolated means that life is a lot different. I got a job assisting a local man who I thought was a contractor, but it turns out he was just a guy who owned a lot of tools. Bob was the closest thing to a heating and cooling tech within 100 miles. He was not HVAC certified, and in fact had nothing beyond a high school education. He was not licensed as a legal business, did not have insurance, and only worked for cash. He was brilliant when it came to fixing air conditioners and heaters, but operated entirely off the grid. As his assistant it was my job to drive the truck, carry the tools, and help out whenever needed, even though I didn’t know the first thing about HVAC systems. Bob told me it didn’t matter, that you can learn heating and cooling repair just by doing it – that’s how Bob did it! After working with him for a few months I think that despite his lack of education and HVAC certification, Bob may be some kind of genius. HVAC systems are incredibly complex, and yet he understands them better than I know how to tie my own shoes.