I'd always taken public education for granted...until recently, when I realized I was being charged an extra $181 PER UNIT for my culinary classes at a local community college. Because they decided I wasn't a California resident.

Resident or non-resident is the difference between paying $1900 for 9 units and paying $250.

I reasonably thought I was denied residency because of the whole Japan thing, but upon further thought I realized there was no way the college would know about it. After speaking with the admissions office and all that, it turns out that they decided I was a non-resident because I RENEWED MY DRIVER'S LICENSE OVER THE SUMMER. WTF.

All I had to do to get my $1600 back was give them a copy of the old license, which (PACK-RAT TENDENCIES BE PRAISED!) I hadn't yet thrown away.

So yeah. Education is reasonable again, thank you o' beauteous state of California and your tax-paying residents. I can get my entire hospitality management degree (and maybe a few extra) for what I thought I would have to pay for one semester.

Morals of the story: don't bother with expensive culinary school, and don't ever throw away your driver's licenses.