It's an election year!

[conuly]

(And a leap year... I just now realized that. Smart, ain't I?)

So I've been thinking. If the shrub-boy gets elected (won't say re, I refuse to concede the point!), I really don't think I want to stay here much longer... not until things change a bit. So I'm looking into overseas programs... even if the shrubboy doesn't make it, I still want to go a-travelling at some point, and if I can do it while attending school, so much the better. This time, I'm doing it right and focusing on linguistics programs.

[Poll #246930]

Please explain WHY you picked whatever you did.

As for myself, I'd most prefer to be in a country where you don't have to drive, people are fairly tolerant, and the cost of school/living isn't too high. Oh, and I could get a job. Strict requirements, I know.

Comments

[feathered.livejournal.com]

I'm partial to either britain or england, simply because those are *my* dream places. Specially England, though.. Or paris, but my french is really poor. I know that London has the tubes, so you wouldn't have to drive, but I have no idea what the cost of living or school would be. Canada (Toronto, I guess, I've got friends there) might also be good... They're more tolerant there, no?

[joeymew.livejournal.com]

What pisses me off the most is that I turn 18 a month after the election, so I can't vote. *grumbles*

I picked Canada, but I haven't really thought it through. I visited Toronto over the summer, and it was a great place. My biggest concern would be weather, I don't think I'd survive a winter there. New Zeland might not be bad...

[queer-recruit.livejournal.com]

I picked New Zealand simply because all of the other countries on the list were extremely visible and important supporters of the U.S. government's war. New Zealand is the one country on your list that has very little attitude of thinking it has the right to run the whole world.

[maladaptive.livejournal.com]

I picked NZ, because that place is amazing-- and a cultural shock, especially if you get into Maori. The other places are very Americanized (with possibly the exception of Australia).

I plan on studying abroad in Japan in a few years from now.

Re:

[(Anonymous)]

Lacking and LJ, this is EofS.

Thought I'd just point out that although our government (well bits of it) supported the war, the country as a whole didn't (which is why we're currently in a political mess and trying to remember what democracy means.) So don't avoid the country just because of that ;0) Besides, the universities loathe the government *nods*

I'm naturally biased towards England of course, 'cos I love my country. I wouldn't go to London though, the cost of living is horrendous. As a rule of thumb, the further North you are, the cheaper it is to live. You shoudln't need to drive - most students over here don't have cars for at least their first year because there's rarely parking provision. Obviously it varies uni to uni, but you ought to be able to walk most of the time, maybe sometimes use buses.

Out of curiousity, why specifically English speaking? I expect you'd find large numbers of European countries would do you a university exchange in English (my Danish, Portuguese, Dutch and German options were all fully English.) Or you could do what I did and apply for a country where you don't speak either of the two languages (I got my confirmation through earlier - Finland here I come!)

That was long and rambly.

[morganne13.livejournal.com]

Why:
US-you're already here
Canada-you can do that later.....its so close anyways
England-would be my third suggestion
Britain not including England- if you're going to go to England get a program where you can do a lot of traveling around the rest of Britain and around Europe...my friend did such a study abroad program......she loved it!!!!
New Zealand- because its beautiful and is not as Americanized as everywhere else........besides i'm a major Tolkien fan and it would be cool to see some of the places they filmed things........
Australia- would be my second suggestion......why go only one place?.....travel everywhere!!!!!!!

Re:

[conuly]

I can't live all my time at school, that's why it's specifically english speaking. I need to be able to speak to the other people in the country (though I may do a spanish exchange program at one time in the near future, I'm thinking long term).

[dandelion.livejournal.com]

England, would you expectr me to say anything else?
I'd most prefer to be in a country where you don't have to drive.
Excellent train system where I live, buses everywhere, not too unreliable. Cycle routes many places, easy access to anything on foot(unless you live on one of the desert islands). I've been living here for fifteen years as a pedestrian and am not finding it too bad.
People are fairly tolerant.
Here, absolutely. Race, religion, sexual orientation, anything. It's not so good in the cities such as London or Manchester, but it's great here.
And the cost of school/living isn't too high.
Uni is cheaper than the American equivalent, if i've worked that out correctly. Things cost slightly more than the average American item, but I should imagine that it's no worse than New York prices, if they're anything like Paris/London prices. Stay out of London if you want to live more cheaply.
Oh, and I could get a job.
Well, depends what field you go into. I'm not hot on jobs, mainly because I'm not in any position to get anything more than a McJob or a paper round.

Come on, come to England- you'd like it here. All the history, for one thing. We've got an 800 year old church and a castle about that age within three miles of my house, for example.

[auryanne.livejournal.com]

I'm partial to Canada, probably because I'm from the Pacific Northwest and Canada's really similar. And of course, they speak French B) And say "hoser", eh?

[lizziey.livejournal.com]

i choose the us becasue i don;t want you moving away. so there. i;m alrady losing frannie. i refuse to lose you too.

Re:

[(Anonymous)]

(EofS again.)

I expect you'll find in much of Northern Europe that the Johnny Foreigner speaks English as well as you or I. Better sometimes. They even have American accents a lot thanks to the influence of TV ;0) Obviously I'm not saying you have to go to somewhere where English isn't the first language, but don't be too quick to discount places like the Netherlands (no one else speaks their language so they speak everyone else's.) Heck, when you land in Schipol airport you could conceivably not have left America - the signs, announcements and adverts are in English *above* the Dutch.

"All the history, for one thing. We've got an 800 year old church and a castle about that age within three miles of my house, for example." - Jazzy

Lol, yes. Apparently York has 20 surviving Medieval churches (Henry VIII destroyed as many again) including, of course, the Minster (which is visible from my campus, the body of which is a rather young 150 years old.) You literally trip over history in this country, it's fantastic isn't it? Then again, I'm living in a city that's seen continuous occupation for well over 2000 years, so I would find that ;0) (I know that the campus of Lampeter University has a bronze age burial ground in it.)

Yuh, come to England if you like history :0)

Plus the British Isles is like a microcosm of larger places - we cram in as many cultural changes and stuff into a much smaller place, making it more accessible. You can get from anywhere to anywhere and back within a weekend (though you might have some long train journeys) or three days on the outside. Without flying.

[black-rat.livejournal.com]

I pick Northern Canada or Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia is the way Maine is advertized to be and, not only that, but I went there this summer and simply fell in love with the place. No more stupid laws. Why are you carrying that bag with crap in it? Just take your dog on the beach, and forget the baggy! The waves will clean it anyway!

Though I was amazed and kind of scared when someone said "Make sure all your american friends come!" No. Bad idea. I don't want that beautiful land to turn into the rubbish heap New England is turning into.

One more thing, real estate is nice and cheap, but jobs are hard to come by Nova Scotia. I would probably only live there if I was secure enough (from book sales maybe?). However, the life of a starving artist is more romantic than a rich one.

My second choice would be England, but it has to do with that my favorate authors come from the place, wonderful authors most americans haven't heard of. And I imagine there's all kinds of great stuff that doesn't make it's way over seas. I'd love to just go there to just read *drools* Also, I might be able to sell my books *grins*

Also, maybe Ireland, but mostly because I have so much Irish heritage (and my grandmother won't let me forget it). I don't think I'd live there, I'd just visit once.

[kalathia.livejournal.com]

Canada seems to be the best place, given that the conservatives there are more tolerant than the conservatives in America.

Then again, I'm personally staying in America, because I see that those countries do not remotely resemble my idea of utopia(i.e. anarcho-syndicalism), but I'm giving you my advice because I see that you are considering leaving.

By the way, I added you to my friends list.

[meteorie.livejournal.com]

I would definately look into New Zealand; I've heard it's beautiful there. My dad wants move, and many of my mom's friends have gone there and decided to move. I really want to go on my school's trip to Australia/New Zealand next year, but I don't think I'll get to. Of course, I'm going to Rome THIS YEAR, so yeah, I'm not complaining :P

Re:

[conuly]

1. Register to vote
2. You do realize that I'm hoping to take a year off soon and go AWAY with the whole americorps thing anyway, right?

Re:

[feathered.livejournal.com]

E-dahlink, you should get an LJ. Then you could write about all sorts of fun theatre-y stuff and delight me. They're codeless now! C'mon, register! It'll be cool!

-Figment

Re:

[conuly]

Besides, I screen anonymous posters (had a few problems with those a while back) and it's annoying to be screening my friends.

[fjorab-teke.livejournal.com]

I picked all of Britain, since I'd like to go there. What little I've seen and read I actually like in some ways better than the USA...the scenery, the intact ancient history, the music scene, the general atmosphere of people...yeah.

If Bush goes back into power, I'm considering moving there. :-p

Re:

[eofs.livejournal.com]

Yeah yeah yeah...

[xiggaroo.livejournal.com]

I said Canuckville because Canuckville is the Canuckiest place ever. Plus, I'd be going there and we could live together in a Canuck in Canuckville.

Ooooohhhh Cannuuuuccckkkviiiiillleee, my home and native laaaaaaand....!

Re:

[xiggaroo.livejournal.com]

I love you icon. It's so great and quirky and oooo!

*bow*

Re:

[meteorie.livejournal.com]

Yay! Thank you ^_^

Re:

[xiggaroo.livejournal.com]

The crypic message makes me sad though.

To each their own. :)

[feathered.livejournal.com]

I'm partial to either britain or england, simply because those are *my* dream places. Specially England, though.. Or paris, but my french is really poor. I know that London has the tubes, so you wouldn't have to drive, but I have no idea what the cost of living or school would be. Canada (Toronto, I guess, I've got friends there) might also be good... They're more tolerant there, no?

[joeymew.livejournal.com]

What pisses me off the most is that I turn 18 a month after the election, so I can't vote. *grumbles*

I picked Canada, but I haven't really thought it through. I visited Toronto over the summer, and it was a great place. My biggest concern would be weather, I don't think I'd survive a winter there. New Zeland might not be bad...

[queer-recruit.livejournal.com]

I picked New Zealand simply because all of the other countries on the list were extremely visible and important supporters of the U.S. government's war. New Zealand is the one country on your list that has very little attitude of thinking it has the right to run the whole world.

[maladaptive.livejournal.com]

I picked NZ, because that place is amazing-- and a cultural shock, especially if you get into Maori. The other places are very Americanized (with possibly the exception of Australia).

I plan on studying abroad in Japan in a few years from now.

Re:

[(Anonymous)]

Lacking and LJ, this is EofS.

Thought I'd just point out that although our government (well bits of it) supported the war, the country as a whole didn't (which is why we're currently in a political mess and trying to remember what democracy means.) So don't avoid the country just because of that ;0) Besides, the universities loathe the government *nods*

I'm naturally biased towards England of course, 'cos I love my country. I wouldn't go to London though, the cost of living is horrendous. As a rule of thumb, the further North you are, the cheaper it is to live. You shoudln't need to drive - most students over here don't have cars for at least their first year because there's rarely parking provision. Obviously it varies uni to uni, but you ought to be able to walk most of the time, maybe sometimes use buses.

Out of curiousity, why specifically English speaking? I expect you'd find large numbers of European countries would do you a university exchange in English (my Danish, Portuguese, Dutch and German options were all fully English.) Or you could do what I did and apply for a country where you don't speak either of the two languages (I got my confirmation through earlier - Finland here I come!)

That was long and rambly.

[morganne13.livejournal.com]

Why:
US-you're already here
Canada-you can do that later.....its so close anyways
England-would be my third suggestion
Britain not including England- if you're going to go to England get a program where you can do a lot of traveling around the rest of Britain and around Europe...my friend did such a study abroad program......she loved it!!!!
New Zealand- because its beautiful and is not as Americanized as everywhere else........besides i'm a major Tolkien fan and it would be cool to see some of the places they filmed things........
Australia- would be my second suggestion......why go only one place?.....travel everywhere!!!!!!!

Re:

[conuly]

I can't live all my time at school, that's why it's specifically english speaking. I need to be able to speak to the other people in the country (though I may do a spanish exchange program at one time in the near future, I'm thinking long term).

[dandelion.livejournal.com]

England, would you expectr me to say anything else?
I'd most prefer to be in a country where you don't have to drive.
Excellent train system where I live, buses everywhere, not too unreliable. Cycle routes many places, easy access to anything on foot(unless you live on one of the desert islands). I've been living here for fifteen years as a pedestrian and am not finding it too bad.
People are fairly tolerant.
Here, absolutely. Race, religion, sexual orientation, anything. It's not so good in the cities such as London or Manchester, but it's great here.
And the cost of school/living isn't too high.
Uni is cheaper than the American equivalent, if i've worked that out correctly. Things cost slightly more than the average American item, but I should imagine that it's no worse than New York prices, if they're anything like Paris/London prices. Stay out of London if you want to live more cheaply.
Oh, and I could get a job.
Well, depends what field you go into. I'm not hot on jobs, mainly because I'm not in any position to get anything more than a McJob or a paper round.

Come on, come to England- you'd like it here. All the history, for one thing. We've got an 800 year old church and a castle about that age within three miles of my house, for example.

[auryanne.livejournal.com]

I'm partial to Canada, probably because I'm from the Pacific Northwest and Canada's really similar. And of course, they speak French B) And say "hoser", eh?

[lizziey.livejournal.com]

i choose the us becasue i don;t want you moving away. so there. i;m alrady losing frannie. i refuse to lose you too.

Re:

[(Anonymous)]

(EofS again.)

I expect you'll find in much of Northern Europe that the Johnny Foreigner speaks English as well as you or I. Better sometimes. They even have American accents a lot thanks to the influence of TV ;0) Obviously I'm not saying you have to go to somewhere where English isn't the first language, but don't be too quick to discount places like the Netherlands (no one else speaks their language so they speak everyone else's.) Heck, when you land in Schipol airport you could conceivably not have left America - the signs, announcements and adverts are in English *above* the Dutch.

"All the history, for one thing. We've got an 800 year old church and a castle about that age within three miles of my house, for example." - Jazzy

Lol, yes. Apparently York has 20 surviving Medieval churches (Henry VIII destroyed as many again) including, of course, the Minster (which is visible from my campus, the body of which is a rather young 150 years old.) You literally trip over history in this country, it's fantastic isn't it? Then again, I'm living in a city that's seen continuous occupation for well over 2000 years, so I would find that ;0) (I know that the campus of Lampeter University has a bronze age burial ground in it.)

Yuh, come to England if you like history :0)

Plus the British Isles is like a microcosm of larger places - we cram in as many cultural changes and stuff into a much smaller place, making it more accessible. You can get from anywhere to anywhere and back within a weekend (though you might have some long train journeys) or three days on the outside. Without flying.

[black-rat.livejournal.com]

I pick Northern Canada or Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia is the way Maine is advertized to be and, not only that, but I went there this summer and simply fell in love with the place. No more stupid laws. Why are you carrying that bag with crap in it? Just take your dog on the beach, and forget the baggy! The waves will clean it anyway!

Though I was amazed and kind of scared when someone said "Make sure all your american friends come!" No. Bad idea. I don't want that beautiful land to turn into the rubbish heap New England is turning into.

One more thing, real estate is nice and cheap, but jobs are hard to come by Nova Scotia. I would probably only live there if I was secure enough (from book sales maybe?). However, the life of a starving artist is more romantic than a rich one.

My second choice would be England, but it has to do with that my favorate authors come from the place, wonderful authors most americans haven't heard of. And I imagine there's all kinds of great stuff that doesn't make it's way over seas. I'd love to just go there to just read *drools* Also, I might be able to sell my books *grins*

Also, maybe Ireland, but mostly because I have so much Irish heritage (and my grandmother won't let me forget it). I don't think I'd live there, I'd just visit once.

[kalathia.livejournal.com]

Canada seems to be the best place, given that the conservatives there are more tolerant than the conservatives in America.

Then again, I'm personally staying in America, because I see that those countries do not remotely resemble my idea of utopia(i.e. anarcho-syndicalism), but I'm giving you my advice because I see that you are considering leaving.

By the way, I added you to my friends list.

[meteorie.livejournal.com]

I would definately look into New Zealand; I've heard it's beautiful there. My dad wants move, and many of my mom's friends have gone there and decided to move. I really want to go on my school's trip to Australia/New Zealand next year, but I don't think I'll get to. Of course, I'm going to Rome THIS YEAR, so yeah, I'm not complaining :P

Re:

[conuly]

1. Register to vote
2. You do realize that I'm hoping to take a year off soon and go AWAY with the whole americorps thing anyway, right?

Re:

[feathered.livejournal.com]

E-dahlink, you should get an LJ. Then you could write about all sorts of fun theatre-y stuff and delight me. They're codeless now! C'mon, register! It'll be cool!

-Figment

Re:

[conuly]

Besides, I screen anonymous posters (had a few problems with those a while back) and it's annoying to be screening my friends.

[fjorab-teke.livejournal.com]

I picked all of Britain, since I'd like to go there. What little I've seen and read I actually like in some ways better than the USA...the scenery, the intact ancient history, the music scene, the general atmosphere of people...yeah.

If Bush goes back into power, I'm considering moving there. :-p

Re:

[eofs.livejournal.com]

Yeah yeah yeah...

[xiggaroo.livejournal.com]

I said Canuckville because Canuckville is the Canuckiest place ever. Plus, I'd be going there and we could live together in a Canuck in Canuckville.

Ooooohhhh Cannuuuuccckkkviiiiillleee, my home and native laaaaaaand....!

Re:

[xiggaroo.livejournal.com]

I love you icon. It's so great and quirky and oooo!

*bow*

Re:

[meteorie.livejournal.com]

Yay! Thank you ^_^

Re:

[xiggaroo.livejournal.com]

The crypic message makes me sad though.

To each their own. :)