My name is Chris 35 single hearie.I am sorry for not introducing myself earlier.
My ASL level is about mid ASL II but I learn and retain pretty well and have some deaf culture experience by going out to deaf coffee/dinner.
I have not been able to practice in amost 2 years but I remember almost everything which is amazing! I have to give credit to R.Cole at DVC (California) because I have retained so much with no practice.
I am in California now but I may be moving to Sparks, NV.
My goal has been to buy a CHEAP house or some land but I can't seem to find either of these in an area that has anyone to date. So I will probably move here because it is cheaper to live and a great place for outdoor activities. I would prefer some land and build a house but no way to meet someone. The city is nice but no trees and nature. So this is best mix I have found so far but continue to look until the last second for the best place for me.
I like to learn Primitive Living Skills (making fire with sticks n' stuff) and hope to teach one day perhaps. I love outdoor things: camping, hiking, Ethnobotany (study of human uses for plants through history medicine, food, dye etc.), target shooting, gold panning, well pretty much anything in nature.
I like languages as well. Taken Japanese, Russian, French, Spanish, and ASL (and once SEE by college's mistake) Not fluent in any but I hope to be fluent in ASL.
You might be curious why I want to learn ASL. Well for me I do not have any deaf in the family, but I have always had an interest for some reason and learned the alphabet when I was very young on my own. Since then I studied on my own and taken ASL classes. I don't know the reason initially but after taking classes I found a new reason. It is because out of all the languages that I have taken it is unique. All the others you speak, this one you sign. There is also a hidden beauty in ASL and so expressive. I feel I get to know a person better when talking with ASL than I do speech. Something more personal. The main reason I think I was never fluent in any language other than English is because I never had any reason to learn it. No one to talk to. If I would have met a friend who spoke any of these languages I am sure I would have pursed it to fluency.
ASL is different. I want to learn it for so many reasons and first is just for myself. I can think of probably a hundred reasons. If I lose my voice, if I ever become deaf, if I want to talk to someone deaf. If I want to say something to someone which is too far away to hear me. ASL also comes with something very different and that is not only a language but a community, culture, and a way of life.
Where ever it is I end up going, I hope to not only start my classes again but be more involved with the deaf community and culture. Who knows I may even find a deaf wife or a hearie who will learn with me.
I do video on camfrog to talk but not in a long time because I just got so busy. I hope to start again when I move or maybe even get a VP installed where I live. I just don't know where that will be as I am still so confused. I know if I stay here in California the tuition is so much cheaper being a resident but I have to consider my future and family and want not pay so high rent or be paying mortgage instead of renting here. So cheap for school but does no good when cost of living is so much higher. Can't seem to win, no place is perfect.
I hope I covered most everything and I hope to make friends on here.
to Alldeaf, Cope. 
