I succesfully trained my self how to fly and i can tell you it was an interestig experience. Given your cirumstances this is what i would do.
First buy one of these
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXHCJ2&P=ML
It flies like a POS but gets the job done really well. It flies so slow and it turns so slow that you just can't mess up LOL.
Also, I recomend a a coumputer radio for starters, something like this will do
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXHCR7&P=ML

When you can fly the slow stick i would then move to this plane
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXE586&P=7
I learned to fly on this and i can assure you it is very durable. I actually crashed it about 50 times. LOL. Most of them were either landing off the runway or runing off the runway. I went through god knows how many props LOL. I had 3 big crashes with it. 1 at fuel throttle nose in and the other 2 at half throttle. The final and worst crash, wich was a result of radio interference at the field i now fly at, i had mearly cracked the wing and cracked the egine mount. Every thing else was in beautiful shape. Don't be scared away by the words KIT in the box. It isn't actually a kit or and arf but kind of inbetween. The fus is made of PVC and a aluminum U channel. The taill feathers are balsa wood cut to shape. The wing is a aluminum reinforced foem wing. The wing and the tail feathers have to be covered but i assure you it is not that difficult.

I have since moved on from the place i flew to a local flying field. I can tell you that I would have learned faster with an instructer and the field is so much nicer. I could have very easily set everything up wrong and never gotten in the air. Fortunatley, i had alot of luck and got into the hobby.

Good Luck
Cameron