RL Dilemma, Suggestions Please.

[paraka]

So, I'm now a student again! Yesterday I signed up with Athabasca University, where I hope to get a degree in Canadian Studies. It sounds like a really cool course that covers a lot of material. Everything from history, language, politics and literature. I'm not really sure what I'll do with it, but as I've been told over and over again, half the time they don't care what your degree is in, so long as you have one.
I haven't signed up for any classes yet, I'm hoping to speak to an adviser to find out what courses they suggest.

The thing that's nice about AU (which I'm so going to be calling it :P) is it's a school based on distance education, so I can take it and live wherever.

Right now I'm living in Ottawa and working full time. It's a good job, I enjoy it, and it pays well, but I don't actually enjoy living in Ottawa right now. I don't have very many friends here, most of them live in Guelph, or are online. I'm living with my parents, which is really pathetic, and means I haven't much (or, you know, any) of a social life. I live in the country where there's nothing to do, and it's easiest to do nothing.

Also, I'd really like to travel. Like, a lot. Since I don't have to be in one place to take this degree, I kind of want to use that as an excuse to travel, try living in a couple different places. I have a decent amount of money saved up right now, I was thinking of buying a house, but it would be more than enough to let me move and support myself until I found another job. But! I have a really good job right now. Dilemma.

So, I want to ask my flist what they think I should do.
[Poll #1155347]

Comments

[maekala.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking I'll take French first, and I'm slightly nervous, since it's been quite a few years since I've taken a French class. :S
I've actually been wishing I could go back and take French again, but with my German so far along and as close to burn out as I already am, any further delay would be a very bad idea. Although I have discovered through my starts and stops with German that you can pick stuff up again pretty easily. Good luck with it.

Hell, I think something like 80% of the population in Canada lives within 100 miles of the US/Canadian boarder. It's beautiful up north, but it's really cold, and can be very expensive.
I think I remember reading a statistic to that effect somewhere. But since anywhere above that is just incredibly inhospitable, I can kinda understand. I know if I had to be holed up in my home for weeks on end because the snow was that high, it would drive me mad. Although I did catch a few episodes of Ice Road Truckers back when it was on TLC (I have no idea if y'all got that show or not) and it looked interesting. Granted, they drive huge ass trucks through it, so...

Yesss! I win at LJ, I can make people talk and talk.
Of course, it's not that hard to do between us. Also, I just realized how really badly I split the comments in "half" so I'm gonna rearrange.

God, it's not just you. Most of North America is going the route.
I have noticed that. Although while I was in NYC last year, I got to ride on the subway and I really didn't mind it. I don't know if it was just because of timing, but it wasn't all that crowded and it wasn't as dirty as people say it is. I know subways aren't always feasible (here, we have really hard clay beneath us, so digging is an issue), but that doesn't preclude a good bus system. In College Station, Texas A&M University has a good shuttle bus system that could be used to sort of model (I'm sure there are other good systems, too, but that's the one I know). Unfortunately, it would take something of an attitude shift on the part of the population to really achieve.

Oh god, if I do move here, you're really going to have to keep an eye on me for things like that.
I don't know how much of an issue it really is since I've never used it and the only information I have may or may not be all that reliable. But I do tend to be more aware of stuff like that simply because I'm soon-to-be law enforcement and I expect crap like that to happen. I'm the one whose going to be teaching anyone who spends any length of time in my home how to shoot my weapon (once I have one, of course) because I want them to be able to use it if something catastrophic happens and they have no choice.

Okay...I think that's a better split. Let's try again.

[paraka]

Although I have discovered through my starts and stops with German that you can pick stuff up again pretty easily. Good luck with it.
One of the reasons why I want to take French now, is that my workplace is bilingual. Actually where I'm sitting, I'm the only one who isn't fluent, and a lot of the time they all talk to each other in French, unless I'm in the conversation (and sometimes not even then). Also, even in my job now I sometimes have to deal with French. Just yesterday I was working on a cross reference where all the descriptions were in French. I think the classes will stick more if when I have that level of exposure. I'm certainly not going to get that in Texas :P

But since anywhere above that is just incredibly inhospitable, I can kinda understand. I know if I had to be holed up in my home for weeks on end because the snow was that high, it would drive me mad.
It's not as bad as all *that*. Even really far up north you can still go out. You might be better off taking a snow mobile instead of a car, but you can still go out, so long as there isn't a snow storm or anything, and sometimes even then. It's just really cold.
The thing that drove my mom crazy when we lived in Edmonton was more how long the days were in the summer and how short they were in the winter. You know how if you go really far up north, there's 6 months of day and then 6 months of night? Well it wasn't that bad in Edmonton, but it bleeds over. Hell, for most of the winter here I barely saw any sunlight, I'd drive to work in the dark, and it'd be dark by the time I left too.

Of course, it's not that hard to do between us
Yeah, I tend to go on and on, I'm just glad someone else started the multiple comments for a change. I'm really bad with paradise_city, because she'll leave leading questions, so she'll have a shortish reply, and then I'll have 3 comments worth of a reply. :P

Although while I was in NYC last year, I got to ride on the subway and I really didn't mind it.
I think NYC is the one exception in N. America for really good public transit. There are just too many people in too small a space. I know when I visited it I was shocked that the streets were filled with taxi's, delivery trucks and limos, and those were like 90% of the cars on the road. Also, parking a car in NYC is ridiculously expensive. They were giving stats on the news once, and it's something like $3000 a month to park there.

Unfortunately, it would take something of an attitude shift on the part of the population to really achieve.
Yeah, people here can afford cars. It's become a necessity really, since the public transit doesn't do a great job of covering needs, and since the majority of people don't use public transit, than it doesn't get the attention it needs. It's one of those circles.

But I do tend to be more aware of stuff like that simply because I'm soon-to-be law enforcement and I expect crap like that to happen.
I'm just so oblivious to that kind of stuff.

[maekala.livejournal.com]

One of the reasons why I want to take French now, is that my workplace is bilingual.
That's the reason why I *should* be taking Spanish. All the housekeepers and the maintenance guy are Mexican and don't speak much English beyond what they have to know. And there have been a couple of times already when I've needed to ask them something and I can't. The horrible thing is that whenever they're around and I think about something, I usually think it in Latin or German (I have no idea why my Latin "fluency" is suddenly returning, but it is) and I have to bite my tongue not to say it because I don't want them to think I'm mocking them.

I'm certainly not going to get that in Texas :P
Not totally true (but basically true)! I can't remember where I was, but I was sitting somewhere (knowing me, it was probably Starbucks somewhere...The Woodlands, maybe) and I heard a couple of people speaking French. And not the stilted learning French like they were practicing for a test or anything. No, this was actual fluent talk. They were talking too fast for me to get a feel for what was being said or if they were French French or French Canadian, but that goes to show you that you do hear it sometimes.

It's not as bad as all *that*.
All that snow would probably still make me feel trapped. I go stir crazy just when we have flash flood warnings or something and I can't go out for fear of being washed away. It's probably my natural contraryness. Tell me I can't do something and, even if I didn't want to do it before, suddenly I *have* to do it. The cold probably wouldn't bother me. I'm weird in that I love extreme temperatures. The summer we have 100+ (usually 103+) temps everyday for two and a half months straight (there was record breaking and everything!), I was in heaven and usually wearing long sleeves and sweat pants. The really cold weather we've had, I've always loved and usually have very few clothes on. But I'm weird like that.

and since the majority of people don't use public transit, than it doesn't get the attention it needs.
Even other forms besides personal cars. When I saw a card for a taxi service at work, I was amazed that there were taxis in The Woodlands (which is the really rich area around here). I mean, I knew there were taxis in Conroe because I saw them when I worked security...but that was only ever in the poor/Mexican part of town. To see it in the rich areas...that was truly surprising.

[paraka]

The horrible thing is that whenever they're around and I think about something, I usually think it in Latin or German (I have no idea why my Latin "fluency" is suddenly returning, but it is) and I have to bite my tongue not to say it because I don't want them to think I'm mocking them.
Hey that's a natural response. In Canada, at least where I live, if the person you're speaking to doesn't speak English, they generally speak French, so when I was in China, and I would see that people didn't understand what I was saying, I say it in French, or at least think about doing that, and that was sooo not helpful. :P

When I saw a card for a taxi service at work, I was amazed that there were taxis in The Woodlands (which is the really rich area around here). I mean, I knew there were taxis in Conroe because I saw them when I worked security...but that was only ever in the poor/Mexican part of town. To see it in the rich areas...that was truly surprising.
Wow... I would never think that. I don't necessarily associate public transit with poor people. Maybe buses a little, but the times I've taken the bus, there was a fair share of men and women in suites and whatnot. In Ottawa they really try and push the buses for environmental reasons. Also, it can be a bitch parking down town, so people take the bus to avoid the hassle, not because they don't have a car. Also, because Ottawa is sprawling, there are a lot of people who live in the country, and commute in, so they'll drive their car to the edge of the city, leave their car in a Park 'n Ride then take the bus in (which often have their own lanes so it's faster anyways, that was the fastest way for me to get to college when I was living with my parents).
Taxi's on the other hand... maybe it's just because taxi's here are really expensive, but I would certainly not associate taxi's with poor people. I associate them with visitors, drunk people or kids not old enough to drive. *shrugs* It's funny to hear about the different assumptions and what not people make :)