Linguists, Dilemnas, and Other Sundry Stuff

This post (at least the first part) is pretty much going to be about my friend, whom I will call Marbles. Marbles is a linguist and I recently discovered that there are many benefits of having a friend in this profession. More than you might think actually. First and foremost is the sheer coolness of being able to say that you have a friend who is a linguist. I mean, who wouldn't think that was cool? More than this though is being able to consult a linguist when you don't know the answer to something. Like why, for example, a person from a place that has an accent, we'll say Arkansas theoretically, would NOT have an accent even though they were born and raised there and their parents have accents. Further complicating the mix is the fact that this theoretical person has siblings who also don't have accents and this person used to have an accent but has since lost it. So what gives?
For this, I give you Marbles' answer:
"This guy probably had an accent when he was young b/c that's the way his parents talk. So they were his main influence. But once kids enter school, they quickly adapt to the accent and speech patterns of their peers. (Aka they want to fit in so they change the way they talk to match what everyone else was doing.) The kids at their schools must not have much of an accent or something. That would explain why all of the kids in the family don't have an accent (and the siblings would reinforce each other.) Also, this change to having less of an accent is reinforced by the media, travel, and the internet...so most accents aren't as strong as they used to be or are dying out. "
Can I just say Awesome! I think I finally understand a little bit about the joy that my friends feel when I answer random questions for them. See, I kind of always thought that my friends must think I am a know-it-all, which is not really a good thing and so I was kind of confused as to why they would still like me (I mean, not that I don't have other good qualities but I was confused as to why my know-it-allness seemed to be the most celebrated quality. It's kind of counter-intuitive.) Anyway, when I consulted Marbles on this "theoretical" question I figured that she would know the answer, and she did, but even more than that she included fascinating information that I would never have guessed at, namely that accents are diminishing due to the media, travel, etc. (That has got to be one of the most ridiculously ungrammatically correct sentences I have ever written.) Who knew?! Well, Marbles did, but now that she has shared that information with me I am thouroughly fascinated and edumacated on the subject of accents.

And that is not the only benefit of having a friend who is a linguist. Oh no. There's more. (And if you call now, we'll include the all new whizamagidgit absolutely free!) In addition to this cool information and the answer to my question, a linguist has an appreciation for all accents and will not laugh at you when you try to speak in a Brooklyn accent or fail horribly at a Scottish one. In fact, she will probably speak them along with you (probably better than you too:). And if your linguist friend happens to be Marbles and going to pursue a Ph.D at Penn State she will also be happy to tell you about Pennsylvania Dutch, which she will be studying and which is the German-ish language spoken by a lot of the Amish. And once she has studied that she will be able to tell you what kinds of words they use for technology that they might not use (Television, computer, etc.) Do they spanglicize it like computadora or do they just use the english word or do they make one up or what? Interesting, I know. And I will be sure to keep you posted as her studies progress:)

So, there you go. Just in case you were wondering if you should befriend a linguist know you have the go-ahead.

On to dilemnas: First, I realize that I spelled it wrong but that is how I am going to spell it for the rest of my life. I don't know why I thought that was how it was spelled in the first place but somehow it got stuck in my head and now it has become sort of an inside joke with my family so I must continue to misspell it for the remainder of my natural life (which is an odd phrase, no? I mean, is there an artificial life?) Anyway, the dilemna is what to do for my internship. There are a couple opportunities that have come up and I am not sure what to do. So, I will tell you what they are and you can make my decision for me:)

1) Migrant Health Outreach worker in New Jersey. May through August. $10 per hour using my spanish skills to discuss health issues with migrant farmworkers.
Pros: $$$, see another part of the country, get all my hours, use my spanish (which has gotten so bad that I really could use the practice, though I would feel sorry for the poor farmworkers getting me as their caseworker)
Cons: It wouldn't really allow me to network to get a "real job" back in Utah, which is sort of my plan lately. Not sure if it would help me develop my health ed. skills (which is much more than just teaching health, I have discovered)

2)Ouelessebougou-Utah Alliance. 200 hours. Non-profit doing aid work in Mali. Not paid. Based in Salt Lake (not Mali, otherwise my decision would be made:)
Pros: I could live at home. I like the idea of a non profit. Would allow me time to network in Utah. Possibility of going to Mali in the future.
Cons: I would have to help write a grant and I would rather poke my own eyes out. No money. Commute to Salt Lake. Also not sure if it would help me develop my health ed skills. No real possibility of a position opening up there since they only have three full time people in Salt Lake.

3) Other Utah options, including Multicultural Health Services, Clinica de Buena Salud, Diabetes clinic, Huntsman Cancer Institute, Health Department.
Pros: Networking in Utah, possibly paid, live at home, develop my skills
Cons: maybe not paid, possible commute, haven't actually applied so I don't know that I would get one.

So, any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. I have been working on an internship for forever and I am mostly just sick of it, but it is probably good practice for the job search so I should just stop complaining I guess. Anyway, I think at this point my brain is just fried and that is contributing to my indescisiveness. (And my inablility to spell).

And that is about all from me. Just one last thought. Or question I guess. (Do you like how this blog is called Ask Linds and yet I am the one who asks all the questions lately? See, that was even a question!)
Anyway, the question is: How do you plan your life not knowing what the future may bring? Up until this point I have just lived my life as if I would be single until I graduated. And wouldn't you know it, that is the case and things have worked out ok. But now I am not sure where to go from here. I can continue to live my life as if I will be single forever but I don't really think that will be the case. Do I plan for another five years? Do I take a job in Indonesia and then meet somebody two months before I move and tell them "Sorry, you have to move to Indonesia to keep seeing me"? Do I decide to go to a grad school that will take up a significant amount of time and pursue a full time career and if I do meet somebody keep going in that direction?
I don't know. I think I just need some perspective because I am sure the answer is just that you take it as it comes and stop fearing the unknown. But maybe one of you will have a fresher way of putting that so that it doesn't sound like the therapist telling his patient who is afraid of being buried alive "Stop it or I'll bury you alive in a box!"
Anyway, I had better end this post before I use the word anyway one more time. And I may have to update this thing more frequently so that each entry doesn't become a chapter in a really lame novel.
So I will leave you with those thoughts and one additional benefit of having a friend who is a linguist. That is, if you ever have this problem in a foreign country, you will know how to say this phrase in no less than five languages: I Have a Cat in My Pants!
(And she will be able to say it in no less than 15!)