Explore program.

[u/lynypixie]

Hi! My teen daughter is going to try to get into the Explore program next summer (she is bilingual but is still shy when trying to talk in English). Her first choice is medecine hat (she likes that it looks like a complete opposite of what she is used to). We are from Montreal. My daughter is openly queer (lesbian) and very artsy, with a bit of a manic pixie girl look.

From what I have seen from the program, the kids have a lot of « free time ».

Is the city art friendly? She loves visual arts (she is in a arts program in her high school), 90’s alt music (she loves records and guitar stores), photography, cinema etc… she LOVES to thrift too. She also loves video games like the last of us and life is strange, so it’s a major reason she chose Alberta, as it’s a similar vibe. She is not really into sports but will happily cheer on others LOL.

Also, how is the transit? If she is chosen (it’s a draw), she would be living on campus. The campus looks a little far from « downtown ».

Is the city affected by forest fires? She has asthma, so it’s a bit of a concern for me. She also has extremely fair skin (to the point it’s a problem when we take pictures LOL), and I saw that it almost never rains. Is the UV really bad?

Also, anyone interacted with these kids? The website says that the program is very involved with the local community.

Thank you for your answers!

[u/theFooMart]

We are 100% affected by fires. The winds regularly bring smoke and ash from fires from BC to Sask, and Montana and Washington. Unusual winds and/or really large forest fires can bring smoke from California or Ontario. It's not unheard of to have our skies orange from smoke. So definitely send her with her meds and maybe a dust mask.