US Navy soon departure to civilian life, moving to Arizona to get instate residency to attend ASU Full time in Tempe, AZ (Phoenix: apartments, rent) - City-Data Forum

USNavySailorPWhite · 09-06-2010, 05:22 PM

Hello, I'm JR. I will be leaving the US Navy, in 12-18 months, and I would like to not move back to my hometown of Columbia, SC. It's gotten old and I'll be in my late 20s when I leave military, it's such a small city.
I'm really interested in attending ASU, I did research on colleges out West. Why out West? Well, I want to get out of the South, particularly the Southeast, it's kind of "stiff" when it comes to "interracial dating" and diversity is kind of limited. I hang with blacks, whites, whatever. But the South seems to be more buttoned up on the whole, DO NOT marry a non white ordeal. It's tough for me particularly since I'm a "ethnic hotdog" a little bit of everything, mostly Black/latino. So, I have to "tight-rope" walk different social/ethnic barriers...practically every single day, wither its with my black friends, white friends, or anyone in between.It's getting tiresome, more so since prejudice is strong here, again I want to leave b/c the dating sceme isn't applicable to a young mixed minority with very liberal views on interracial couplings, since I'm a friggin by-product of such..I like to give all women a chance,not just the ones that "look like me".
So, I truly need a clean slate, I would like to attend university out west, since I look more latino/indian and it seems to be a large number of those types of "ethnic" groups/colors out in the American Southwest.
I want to attend ASU for study of elementary education. I would like to move to the Phoenix area first, considering nearly all the Phoenix based community colleges have a guaranteed admittance to ASU, along with some very sweet deals with scholarships.
I want to know what is the area like for a black/latino in Phoneix, what are the apartments like? I would like to live near some of these community colleges (Glendale community College, South Mountain Community College, Scottsdall Community College, paradise Valley Community College, Chandler-Gilbert Community College, Phoenix College and Rio Salado College). I know this is a lot, but any of these colleges that have "reasonable" rent prices for a single man, and aren't really "dank and shady" meaning few crime and relatively safe for me to stay for 12-14 months, til I can become a AZ resident an apply to ASU an move to tempe an be a full time student down there. I could use the help.

Also, How is the dating like in Tempe? college girls I know, but I'm 26 yrs old now and by the time I get to AZ I'll be a little bit older and I hope the dating is fine, I tend to socialize more with non-blacks, considering my upbringing (mostly white High schools, US Navy (has less blacks than any other armed service branch next to USAF, I camp/bike/snowboard-again most things blacks and most minorities don't do) and I don't dress or act black, so I hope for me to "be myself" in a new state wouldnt hinder me in dating and hanging around non blacks, since I'm assuming tempe is mostly white.
Dont judge me on this, but I was raised in the South, so I got alot of flack for acting "white" when I was jus expressing myself as an individual not "trying" to act my "race" whatever the f*** that's suppose to mean.

anyway, Thanks alot
Will be hearing from you soon, I hope.

Searcher521 · 09-06-2010, 07:12 PM

What a bunch of crap. Forget about your genetic makeup. Associate and socialize with people of similar interests and values, people who like to do the things you enjoy for recreation and fun.

Don't assume girls aren't interested in you because of your complexion. You are going to be the older guy that has just been released back into society and you will may have quite an adjustment to make. I hope if your coming that have a great experience.

Please research all the whining that we are always hearing from teachers about what a lousy deal they are getting before investing your time and energy pursuing a degree in education. Teaching is a wonderful thing to contemplate but the reality of the education system must really suck.

Mouser · 09-06-2010, 10:09 PM

Welcome to the forum

Thank You for Your Service

Ritchie_az · 09-07-2010, 01:15 AM

Hello, JR. Phoenix is not "The South" and you will find that the racism there does not exist here. Sure, you can encounter racism anywhere, but you are far, far less likely to encounter it here than anywhere in "The South". I would not worry about that at all.
Another one to consider is Estrella Mountain Community College in Avondale. It's not far from Luke AFB, and there's usually a service-member or two in each class. And I'm sure you could find rent nearby for reasonable prices. Just a thought.

AzDreamer · 09-07-2010, 07:40 AM

You can change you state of legal residency right now to AZ, no need to wait.

Under the law, "legal residence" is the place that the military member intends to live after they separate or retire from the military.

Military Legal Residence and Home of Record

USNavySailorPWhite · 09-07-2010, 01:02 PM

Thanks for the replies that I've gotten, even the one suggesting that I am a "whinny guy". If you grew up in "jim crow" type Southern Louisiana, were there was the infamous Jena 6 B.S, which was all over the news, if you ever watch national news? Also, I think my "whinny-ness" is a bit justifiable, considering what I mentioned above and also that I went to most white HS schools, b/c they weren't run down an gang filled and my mom is an educator, so she wanted us(me and my brother) to attend the best schools, you will be hard pressed to find ANY school in Louisiana that caters to a strong-educated mid class african-american sector...your dreaming if its out there in the southern states, thats a public school. ha.
Anyway, I was abit angry, but you haven't lived the life I lived with racism, which is more noticable in the South, if you haven't lived here all your life, like I have, then you don't understand, its a different sort of "racism". I never got yelled the N-word while driving or in public places mind you, but the segregation in intergrated public and private schools are very noticable, even at the college levels. Also, dating, wasn't worth while, I HANG out with everyone, but Columbia, SC isn't diverse, you got mid-class whites/upper class whites/small pockets of midclass minorities (blcks and hispanics mostly) and everyone else is "gutter punk and don't live in safe areas. So, yah, I know a thing or 2 about living and accepting various people, but dating and social life in the deep south isnt great for a mixed young adult male. its jus fact in certain areas of the south, no whinny here, just the truth.

USNavySailorPWhite · 09-07-2010, 01:09 PM

Don't assume girls aren't interested in you because of your complexion.(quoted above poster earlier)
If anyone who posts here, must no, I dont think its really that healthy to have been called "cute for a brown kid" or "hey, you look like tiger woods". believe me people...not all southerns, but its a level of segregation that is more rigid than say..umm.. California, liberal community pockets throughout the nation.
I worked at a Country Club in Columbia, SC. and I was always asked by white or non black patrons "Are you in college?", but they ask my white peers "hey, so how is University of south carolina? are you at that school?". ha. I'm not nitpicking, or generalizing, but its not really "comfortable" of a setting for a young adult to date/attend college/have friends. I have lots of friends, blck/white whateva when I was in South Carolina, but no one on here can tell me that South Carolina as a whole is the epitome of diversity and interracial marriage an interaction.
A man refused to marry a minorty male to a white woman in the South, I think it was in Lousiana? it was on the news...enough said about the South. ha.

USNavySailorPWhite · 09-07-2010, 01:12 PM

Thanks Mouser for your support. I will be out of the Navy shortly. I think I'm going to miss it, I saw great places, been to Guam, Germany and Washington state, I will miss washington most of all, beautiful women and I like the various seasons I've seen there. (Being a cajun boy born in Louisiana) It's nice to see snow. ha.

USNavySailorPWhite · 09-07-2010, 01:17 PM

Ritchie_az and AZDreamer thanks also, I'll look into that community college you mentioned above as well.
I would like to Teach Elementary in the Arizona area, I'm not picky about where, but if I can't find the right "wages" for teaching in Az, I'll like to do my graduate work in Hawaii, I have a half sister in Manoa, beautiful country, beautiful people...

I would like to be a resident there in Manoa, Hawaii after graduating with my BA from AZ. just hope I don't fall in love with the desert, I never been out west in my ENTIRE Life, so it should be nice to go to school there in AZ for the time I'm allowed.
Hopefully Rent won't be a problem,
I will have 30 grand saved up by the time i Leave the navy, I made alil over 80k+, I was a seaman app. I bought a 370z platinum Grey M/T. thats why my savings are alil low

Ritchie_az · 09-07-2010, 01:23 PM

Quote:

enough said about the South. ha.

That's kind of how I feel about it, too. After spending some time in Mississippi and Houston, it really is different, and not in a good way. In Phoenix, there seems to be more of a "color blindness" and acceptence of different races. In fact, there are a lot of mixed race families in the area.
On my street, there are whites, blacks, hispanics, asians, indians (from India), and a few interracial families (mine included). We all get along just fine and, aside from me posting about it here, I don't think anyone really thinks about it. We all seem to coexist as homo sapiens.
While that is just "my street" I feel that is a good example of how it is across the valley.
I think you'll like it here. Good luck!