Bored, nothing to stimulate your mind, depressed ??? Maybe you could think about the challenging and rewarding experience of learning a different language. It is confidence boosting, interesting and fun, also it doesn't have to break the bank as there are many free downloads and sites to help you on your way. I have been learning Russian and more recently Chinese Mandarin. It has been an added bonus that I have also managed to make friends in these countries via a website called "Language Exchange" If your interested in chatting with people in different countries, this is a very useful site.
http://www.mylanguageexchange.com/
Here you can post a message (for free) and find friends in different countries to converse with and help each other with your respective languages. It's great fun and a great way to find out about the cultures as well as the language of the country that takes your interest.
Learning a language gets your brain active and can make you feel like your really accomplishing something great. I recommend picking a language from a country that you really find interesting, as you delve into the language it inevitably gives you glimpses of the way the natives of that country think and you start to become involved in finding out all kinds of fascinating information about the country, it's people and the culture.
For those thinking Chinese mandarin sounds interesting http://chinesepod.com/
"Chinese pod" is a great site giving you a free trial of just about the whole site and then if you just want a basic account, it remains free.
In Australia we have access to many short language courses through colleges etc. This is great to give you some direction if you become lost or don't know where to start.
In all, learning a language can be very rewarding on so many levels. It can open up different pathways in your life and best of all it's fun!
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