Coming back on the airplane flight from denver to billings was a wake up call.  I could really tell from peoples vibes that I was headed back here.  People seem so shut down in a sad way here.  I can't really describe how strongly I could feel the difference.  Body language maybe, dont know just a sense.

Having been out of state for almost two weeks coming back to mt was a downer. It makes me realize that the problem isnt me it is actually more my location.  haha as your like geez how long did it take you to figure that one out...  Dont get me wrong MT is beautiful and theres alot of outdoors things to do, but its like been there, done that.  I grew up practically in the mountains and used to fish, gold pan, motorcycle, etc. 

I am feeling like ive taken advantage of the location (MT in general) pretty much too the max and its time for a change.

Im looking into calgary or possibly vancouver area lol, calm down cindybc. lol.  I really am looking for a place that just has that good "feel" too it, but not too crowded but not remote as here. ughh.  any suggestions. 

I am also leaning towards becoming canadian, it seems like their general attitude is different, not to mention being able to say"washroom" instead of bathroom lol

Audrey, unfortunately i am Canadian. The Canadian  government is a dictator ship . Canada is a horrible choice for a country to move to.

so whats the difference lol. 

A good fit or a good feeling can depend on so many things.  Climate, activities, political climate, options, choices.  So its hard to say.  For the most part life tends to be more liberal the more urban it is, but that's not universal, and there is a huge difference in cities.  Places with major universities (but not all) tend to be good too.  Across the upper Midwest Minneapolis, Madison, Wisconsin and Ann Arbor are all nice, very liberal and pretty open.  Chicago is cool, always love it - but its a major city in every big way.  I know people who get to Florida Miami, or down on the Keys, or get into the A1A deal love it and never come back home (ditto Hawaii).  The big 4 on the west coast, LA, SF, Portland and Seattle all have people who like them and some semblance of a 'scene'   There is a county in California, way up in the mountains, Alpine County that is way liberal, very gay and open and its as rural as you can get.  It's a big LA destination ski resort.

And I didn't even go into the whole Boston to D.C. deal, 1/4 of the population lives in that swath of cities, towns and all, but others know the East Coast better than I do, so they might fill it in.

What is it that you are really looking for?

If you basically like the lifestyle, but not the small-town feeling, it might be easier just to reverse that last plane ride and move to Denver. It's sunny, people are sunny, there's a decent amount of urban culture, and you can get away very easily. But that's not appealing, I don't see why Calgary would be any better. I've never been to Calgary, but I've just got the impression that it's pretty similar to Denver. To me, the difference from the East Coast to the Great Plains. to the Rockies to the West Coast makes up bigger part of the attitude difference rather than what side of the 49th parallel you are on. But it certainly makes some difference.

Do you have any plans yet how you would deal with visa issues?

Alberta is Conservative country, they've elected Conservative governments for as far back as I can remember.  In fact there is a significant number of Albertans who have started a separatist movement but it's not seen as a real deal.  On the bright side everyone regardless of who or what they are is protected from discrimination under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and we do have a great medical system, although as with any government run system there are a couple of pitfalls.

Are those compelling enough reasons to make the move?  Definitely not, however I would definitely contact the Canadian Immigration Department for move information if you are serious about this.

Here is their Site:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/index.asp

-={LR}=-

I guess heres my problem.  Theres little opportunity here, theres no clubs or very few of them them for custom vws, no bdsm anything, and the people here are scared to do anything out of the ordinary.  Im looking for a place where my needs and interests can be met and a different mindset of the people.

moving to canada now cant really happen anyhow because of my college credits.  I'll stick it out to at least get my RN degree (two years) which in the big scheme of things isn't too bad, considering basicallly a guaranteed job anywhere and I'll enjoy it.

Until then I'll have to make my own fun and convert my vw chopped bug into mazda rotary power lol.  yeah see stuff like that.  thats what im into...lol

Quotelooking for a place where my needs and interests can be met and a different mindset of the people

Try NYC if you can not find it there you will not find it anywhere.

I would think any of the 'majors' NYC, Chicago, LA, SF, NO, Miami/Dade have pretty above board stuff like that.  Other places, say Omaha have it too, just much smaller, and much harder to find.

This fall I'll be moving from Nashville TN in the buckle of the bible belt (not too bad inside the big city, really) to Sydney, NSW Australia. It's a much bigger city, and having visited there I really love the laid back atmosphere and the general lack of religiosity (not to mention the glorious beaches <3 ). It just seems more progressive there than in the states, though I'm sure some Aussies might disagree with me. I know there is a huge GLBT community there, in fact several of them 

You're probably not interested in relocating to the other side of the planet, but I had to get my plug in for Sydney lol 

lol thanks though as all suggestions are welcome. 

OK Honey, I think your motives are good, the timing is not bad, and it just might be the right thing for you to do at the moment.

So.  My best advice.

One: get a notepad
On each page write a place and use it to keep track, on column for positives, one for negatives - because, all places have both.  Really.  And forewarned is forearmed, and because knowing is half the battle. 

REMEMBER, PEOPLE ARE A FUNNY OLD DOG, and ... ONE DOGS CRAP IS ANOTHER DOGS GREAT PLACE TO ROLL AROUND IN.  What makes one persons, or one group of people, or even millions and millions of people happy, may, or may not work for you.

And really try to think of the life you want to have.

Is it indoors or outdoors?  How brutal is the outdoor part of it?  Too Hot, too cold, too humid, too dry.  I love SF, because no matter what part of the year it is, I can sit and have coffee outside.  I can almost always ride my bike.  It's never too hot, and never too cold (a few days a year at most)

Of course, I know a person, girl even, who turned down a job in Hawaii and took one in Bemidji Minn (routinely one the the coldest places in the US)  because --- get this --- she though Hawaii would be too hot and she liked the cold.  We thought she was nuts.  Still do.  But, she was right for herself, and loves living there, and most likely would have hated the paradise that most people consider Hawaii as.  No ski patrol or ice skating outside your back door in Hawaii after all.  I could have put up with surfing outside my back door, but to each their own.

If you were to move to Miami, or the Keys, or even LA, it would be pretty easy for you to pack your wardrobe, because about 80% of the clothes you have in Montana you will never need again.  The only gloves they know about in LA are a) Michael Jackson's one glove, b) the OJ gloves that didn't fit, or c) Body Glove, because they make such perfect swimwear.  It would take you years before you think that 60 degrees is so cold you need a parka.

It's the dough Roper!
How much employment in your field do they have there?  How much does it pay?  How does it pay vs. the Cost of Living Index *(and how close does the COL match your lifestyle - and the further away from the "2.3 kids named Chuck, Wendy and Junior, with a detached house in the burbs with a white picket fence then the further away from the COL you are, and that runs two ways - what are the relative prices?

You know, if you were to say, look at NYC, LA, or SF, compared to what you pay for rent in Montana, you might need smelling salts.  However, when I lived in Iowa, I had a cheap house, but HUGE heat/AC bills, that more or less equals out.

What is the chance for advancement in your field, assuming you don't want to be doing this in 20-30 years?

and, AND, AND as my grandmother would say... You don't know until you go.  So find a reason to visit these places, it would be preferable if you could find someone there who could really show it to you, as opposed to the tourist reality.  And check them out.  Who know, you might well be a pirates daughter caught up by fate in Montana and just waiting for a chance to live and work on the ocean.  Like I said, lots of people LOVE the Keys.

growing up i always dreamed of scuba diving, but my dreams were quashed by reality.     montana theres not many places to go and if you do you need a drysuit.  if i learned diving and with my RN I could be a dive nurse, lol.  Do they actually have such a thing??

Life seems just too short to just stick it out here.  I just don't fit and that I believe is the cause of alot of my depression.  Just getting out of montana made me realize that its more my environment, or at least how i perceive that environment.  Realistically it would be best to get my rn license and go from there.  Ill need that much time to wrap up some projects.  I could lose a year or better by transfering now as my credits dont transfer from our community college. 

Southern California has a big rotary scene as well as VW. Just a huge car culture in general.
Unfortunately, it is also draconian in terms of car laws and insane on cost of living.


Before you graduate, you may want to look into requirements for nursing where you plan to move. Especially out of the country or to a major city/state. California is often more stringent on things like that. Nursing there requires specific certifications other states do not, especially if you were trained elsewhere.

Regardless of where you go, look into what you will require to be a nurse there.


As for Canada (I am considering moving there myself in a few years), each province is quite different. I suggest looking into each and try to meet people from the ones you are interested in. In terms of immigration, having an employer or future employer help, in a career that is highly sought after (nursing and computers are probably high on that list, I know computers are) can dramatically speed things up. Keep in mind, soem provinces are different in how they handle immigration even. Do a search on immigrating to Canada, there is a lot of helpful information.

Hold on there a minute. Audrey, you're young, studying to be a nurse, and you're looking for a place to live where there's a bdsm scene and people who like to work on cars and people are happy, not all deflated, and you like open spaces, but it's not that big a deal. Am I missing anything?

Okay, then. Move to San Francisco. Have you visited? You really should. I'd move there if I could, even though I love it where I am.

And don't sweat it. If you move somewhere and hate it, you can always leave.

Yeah that sounds realistic.  Get the degree (and while you're at it, check the regulations for every state, they will have that info at the nursing school) and then go.  You will be exactly in the slot where so many people move no one will ever question it. 

And yeah, I'm sure there are RNs employed (part time I'm sure, but still making some money, and other perks) in and around the diving industry in FL or Hawaii.  Too risky not to have people with medical training.  Hell, we always have an emergency room RN at our small shows, and a ER doc at our large ones.  That's pretty common in R&R, so I imagine that the dive industry - what with out of shape tourists wanting to do it and all - have a medical group they can call on.  Hotels have RNs too, at least the big resort ones.

So after mulling it over, I've decided that

#1 finish nursing school,
   the program im enrolling in is for an LPN and then second year is the RN  part of the degree basically

#2 possibly becoming a traveling nurse.  from what ive heard the pay is great, and bonuses and living expenses are covered too.  this would also give me an enormous amount of experience and may also help me choose a specialty should I so decide.   

The other bonus to this is I get paid basically to be able to scope out other cities and get paid for it.  I'll be able to make friends through work easlily enough to become reasonably familiar with the area from a residents perspective. 

Maybe even start a travel blog or site to get the inside scoop on different cities away from the tourist stuff. lol anyway.

So really this is probably my best course of action in terms of efficiency and time.  Otherwise Im going to be bumping about trying to find something that maybe doesn't exist, and not really being in a better situation as far as school goes.  Right now its nearly a guarantee to make it in the program for various reasons, which is definitely a good thing as many programs are very competitive.  so I suppse here I am for awhile.  I'll just try to make the best of montana for now.

Sighh..

Thank you all so much for your insights and suggestions and general support.  Thanks Tekla for the detailed post too.  It helps alot to hear from someone who isnt afraid to walk on the wild side, career wize, from your posting. 

Speaking of wild side and my bdsm interests.  I could be a proffesional dominatrix on the side, lol.  Im I a sub really but could switch, therefore  I know what my clients will like lol. hmm screww nursing lol.

A dominatrix nurse? That's hawt.