Another Midwesterner relocating to Houston (River Oaks, Cameron: apartment, renting, lofts)

[dcbark01]

Hey Everyone,

I'm a 23yo single male student at the University of Louisville in Kentucky studying mechanical engineering. I'm graduating next week, and have accepted a job with Cameron International in Houston starting in January. I'm pretty excited, the company seems great and from the small amount I've seen of Houston, it's a cool city.

A few questions though:

I'll be working at Cameron's office located on Clay Rd. off Sam Houston. Right now I'm looking at renting an apartment in the Galleria/Uptown area, or River Oaks. My budget is around $1100-1300/mo. Does anyone have any recommendations for complexes to check out in this area? Also, will my commute be decent from these locations since it should be a reverse commute? Some of the specific complexes I've been looking at if anyone has any comments on them:
The Montecito
The Carlton
Broadstone Uptown Lofts
The Montierra
Some of the various Gable communities
I've also been checking out har.com frequently.

Also, is anyone aware of any foreign language resources located in the city? I've taken several years of Arabic, so I'd like to keep that up if possible. I know Rice has continuing studies program so that's one option.

Last question, does anyone have any recommendations for Martial Arts gyms in the city? I've done several years of Krav Maga, but I'm wanting to try something new, maybe some regular boxing, Muay Thai, BJJ, something like that.

Thanks for your help!