Right so em shall we start? Do you want to just tell me how you two know each other?

Er, yeah. We m- met at university.

(interruption) Outside the City Hall on the first day.

(interruption) In

No it wasn't (laughter)

Yeah on the -- i- on the third day, like the third day of fresher's week when we went to see that crazy man (interruption) who did the juggling.

(interruption) Oh yes.

Yeah that's right. (interruption) He was quite weird.

(interruption) An-

Yeah.

He was -- (interruption) Em

(interruption) He was strange.

He was like a fire and personal safety guy.

Yeah (interruption) he came on -- He came on as like a Health and Safety man.

(interruption) Is that right? (unclear)

(interruption) Yes.

(interruption) And then (pause) he just -- he came on as like really serious professor and then just sort of

Yes.

did a strip part way through.

He had really (interruption) like

(interruption) An-

(interruption) crazy hair and like dungarees and things like that.

(interruption) Yeah, yeah that was quite good. Yeah.

But no, I think you were in the queue outside.

Oh right, was I?

Yeah. Ooo!

I can't pinpoint a lot of peop- like (interruption) where I actually was

(interruption) That's 'cause I'm not important enough to you.

Well no n- (interruption) (laughter)

(interruption) Obviously (laughter)

Em, the only person I can (pause) vividly remember meeting is (NAME) (NAME)

Oh right.

In

Where did you meet her?

Um, we were outside the Pybus Room

Aww.

And we were talking and (pause) e- she had no-one to go out with to fresher's week and because I was living at home, I didn't know anybody from halls.

Oh.

'Can I come out with you tonight please?' (laughter)

Aww bless you.

So then we went out and I -- I remember going home thinking 'Mm, I think I've (laughter) It was like (interruption) I'd sort of

(interruption) 'I've made a friend!' (laughter) Yes!

'I've made a friend!' Yes. Em, yeah. I think that was it I think.

Mm.

And then after that, I think we -- we had a (pause) French (pause) History (pause) em

Oh (interruption) yes the nightmare that was French and German History.

(interruption) French History lectures together.

Yeah

Ugh.

And that's -- I think that's sort of

Yeah that -- that bonded us over the horrors of

Yeah

Yeah?

(interruption) Mm-mm.

(interruption) Yeah it was (interruption) pretty rubbish.

(interruption) Mm-mm.

So um, what part of Newcastle are you both from? Where did you grow up?

Oh right.

I'm from Whitley Bay.

Mm-mm.

And I'm from Birtley, which is sort of (pause) south of here. (interruption) Just over the river.

(interruption) OK.

But I went to school in Durham, (interruption) so I have a slightly

(interruption) Ah, OK.

and my mother's from Durham.

Right.

So I have a slightly (pause) derived accents I think.

Yeah.

It's a bit er (interruption) (laughter)

(interruption) Yeah?

Yeah.

It's a bit ropey in places isn't (interruption) it?

(interruption) A little bit, it can be. It can be. I get the mick taken most of the time for it.

Yeah? What was it like growing up in those places?

Yeah it was all right (laughter) I prefer Newcastle to Durham.

Yeah?

Em, Durham's a little bit sort of (pause) twee (laughter) in my opinion It's nice, it's very nice but it's sort of (pause) I prefer Newcastle. And where I lived was -- it was quite a small place.

Yeah.

Em (pause) though it was lots of -- lots of kids from the same school (unclear) (pause) on the estate and things like that so -- It was fun, and I liked living in the city centre.

Mm-mm, what about (interruption) you?

(interruption) Um, Whitley Bay's a -- It's weird 'cause some places are really -- some parts of it are nice. There's loads of big housing estates and -- st- or -- where quite wealthy people live but then the actual town centre is just -- (pause) it's awful. It's really run down and (pause) it's in desperate need of a makeover (laughter) and things and

(laughter)

There's like what you call The Strip which is just loads and loads of nightclubs and (pause) horrible places that sell like beer for a pound and things.

Yeah.

It just attracts loads of (laughter) stag and hen parties so it's not the en- best place to be.

No?

(interruption) It's quite a

(interruption) But it's all right.

popular place for er, what's it with school trips when you were young.

Yeah to the beach.

(interruption) The beach.

(interruption) The beach is really good. Em (pause) but yeah as I've said the town centre's just not very nice. And they keep saying they're going to do something with it and the- they never do.

Yeah. I think it's sort of true of the whole kind of area isn't it.

Yes, (interruption) yeah, yeah

(interruption) Like sort of

(interruption) We're neglected!

(interruption) Tynemouth which is sort of

(laughter)

Tynemouth's really (interruption) nice.

(interruption) Tynemouth's really nice isn't it?

Really nice and then just if you get slightly out of Tynemouth it gets a little bit (pause) dodgy again. (interruption) I think.

(interruption) Really?

I mean, North Shields is

North Shields is

a bit -- a bit rough as well.

Mm.

Yeah.

And do you still live at home?

Yes, yeah.

How is that?

It's actually -- I get on really well my mum and dad so that's quite good, but um (pause) sometimes I kind of wish I'd moved out but then I think well I've got food and heating and

(laughter)

Like my own space and things like that.

Yeah.

And the use of the car, which is good.

(interruption) Mm.

(interruption) Um (pause) yeah I'm pre- I'm quite happy I did and I've saved so much money doing it.

Yeah, that's true.

Yeah so

It's all right.

And -- But you moved out, didn't you?

Yeah, yeah I em I stayed at home for the first year, for the same sort of reasons as -- I didn't really see the point in moving out. I quite liked where I was, I -- I was quite happy there. And then I thought 'Well I'm going on this Year Abroad. I think I'm going to have to (laughter) learn to fend for myself

Yeah, be a big girl. Not like me.

Yes. (laughter) Yeah So I moved out in the second year. Moved to Jesmond. Lived with (pause) four others, and that was a big, big learning curve, which was -- it was really good. But it's em (pause) yes y- you don't really get y- your own space sort of thing like you were saying.

No. (interruption) (cough)

(interruption) Heating isn't always there. (laughter)

No, no on the one occasion I wen- I went to your house and stayed overnight and I remember it being really really cold.

Oh was it? (interruption) I can't remember.

(interruption) Yeah. It just was, it was like -- it was (pause) either the middle of winter -- well, I think it was about December or January.

Oh right, (interruption) OK.

(interruption) And the -- like, it was fine but when you stepped out the shower it was like (interruption) Brrrr, it was so cold.

(interruption) Oh yeah it was awful. You didn't want to get out of bed. It was (interruption) just

(interruption) No.

What's your house like this year?

It's really nice. It's (pause) Again the heating (laughter) can be an issue in that i- it's either boiling hot or freezing. But it's em, yeah it's really nice. It's not a student house 'cause there's -- em there's two sort of (pause) professionals there, and two students so it's a bit more -- it's not your sort of average

Oh OK.

student house, which is em

You're all posh now aren't you? (laughter)

Yes (laughter)

And what's the area like?

Er the area's really good. It's em quite quiet. Em (pause) apart from the odd -- you can tell, you can tell which ones are the student houses and then the rest are sort of just normal kind of residential families, professionals sort of -- But it's a lot (pause) less busy than where I was last year when it was just right off Osborne Road. Loads and loads of (unclear) things like that, so yeah it's good.

OK.

I like it. (laughter)

So you're both at Newcastle University?

Yeah.

What are you studying?

Er Spanish and French. I had to think about it there.

(laughter) Yeah you did.

(laughter)

It's 'cause you dropped German.

Yeah (interruption) that's right.

(interruption) How dare you. (laughter)

Well, you dropped German.

Yeah that's true. I dropped the whole lot.

(laughter)

(laughter) I -- I -- I do Physiology

Oh OK, wonderful.

Yeah it's (interruption) good.

(interruption) Well that's good. Um, and (pause) I don't know what -- what particular things do you enjoy about each of your courses? Are there modules that you prefer (pause) at the moment?

Um, yeah I was just saying actually on the way here that I've -- I've had some really, really good em lectures last week. I think yeah I mean they've always been good but sort of r- real moments when you go 'Actually I didn't know that'. That's sort of -- sort of changed my pattern of thinking, something like that. Em I'm doing one about sort of Modern (pause) Spanish History. That's really good. And the other one that is really good is French Literature. I really enjoy that.

Ah.

I (interruption) didn't think I was going to.

(interruption) Mm no.

I thought 'Oh this is going to be really dry and boring.' But it's really interesting. It's good. It's just a bit -- a bit weird. All these women trying to find themselves.

(laughter)

Oh no. (interruption) I don't think I could be doing with it.

(interruption) Yeah.

(interruption) (laughter)

(interruption) (laughter)

But I didn't think at the beginning when they started sort of explaining what the -- sort of the course was going to be. I thought it was going to be rubbish.

(laughter)

But it was all right. It's good. I really like it. And you get to cut up (interruption) animals and things. (laughter)

(interruption) Brains. (laughter)

Just brains not animals, (interruption) we haven't done animals yet.

(interruption) Oh right.

Wow!

I -- well Yeah, it's -- it's a little bit disgusting sometimes but no I do really enjoy it and there's a (pause) there's -- we've got like just twenty people on my course so that's quite nice. We get (pause) smaller lectures and things and -- This year's been a bit more interesting. The first year (pause) and the first half of the second year were really (pause) not quite what I wanted to do because they were all like (pause) Biochemistry and things that I just don't get on with.

(laughter)

But now that I'm doing Physiology it's a lot -- it's a lot more interesting, and (cough) we get to do a lab project next year.

OK.

That'll be good.

(interruption) Do you have quite a few contact hours?

(interruption) (unclear)

Yeah I have about fifteen to twentyish.

Mm-mm.

A week.

That's good.

Which I quite like 'cause it motivates me to actually do something.

Yeah.

So

Oh right.

Mm.

(interruption) And what does Physiology mean?

(interruption) Um

What (interruption) is it exactly?

(interruption) It's how (pause) the body works.

(interruption) Oh right.

(interruption) and how the organs work and what makes your heart keep going.

Oh!

And things like that.

Lovely.

Yeah.

(laughter)

Yeah.

I bet it's great! (interruption) (laughter)

(interruption) Yeah well done. (laughter)

So what made you two both decide to stay in Newcastle (pause) to study?

Whuh, that's a good question.

I -- (pause) Well part of it was money.

Mm-mm.

But also I quite liked the reputation of the University and -- you know having outside hobbies that (pause) keep you in the North East. Um that -- that kind of thing helps. And just (pause) not really finding anywhere that I thought was re- really any better than Newcastle or that I'd prefer to go to. I think was my main -- (interruption) my main motivation.

(interruption) Yeah.

I sort of judged it on (pause) if Newcastle was anywhere else in the country (pause) I would still want to go there. Sort of -- (interruption) It wasn't -- it wasn't the people staying at home thing.

(interruption) Yeah, yeah I know that you mean.

Mm-mm.

But if it -- if it had been (pause) in the -- (pause) if Newcastle had been Manchester I would still have wanted to have (interruption) gone there.

(interruption) Yeah you pick what's best for you (interruption) rather than

(interruption) Yeah.

There weren't many (pause) universities that did (pause) three languages (pause) in your first year

Mm.

Which is what I wanted to do. I think the- there was only Newcastle, Manchester and maybe one other one.

Mm-mm.

And it was the same.

(cough)

I had a job here. I was er working as a waitress. Em and like just hobbies and things. I had sort of quite a -- a firm sort of group of friends. You just

Mm-mm.

'Why -- Why disrupt it and go?' I knew I was going for a Year Abroad so it wasn't like I was never going to leave anywhere. I wasn't sort of

Unlike me. I've never (interruption) left Whitley Bay. (laughter)

(interruption) No, I just realised -- (laughter) I didn't -- I didn't mean to imply that

Yeah you did.

(laughter) No.

Yes you did.

(laughter) No No, but I didn't feel like the pressure on me to sort of like go somewhere go and do something else, go and -- I was quite happy to just (pause) plod along (laughter) (interruption) the way I was going So, yeah

(interruption) Yeah.

'Cause quite a few students these days choose Newcastle for the nightlife, don't they?

Yeah.

I suppose um

Yeah, it is good.

Yeah.

Mm.

But it depends on what you like as well.

Mm.

Yeah.

What do you two normally do if you go out? Where do you normally (interruption) go?

(interruption) Eat.

Yeah, yeah that's er

Yeah no we normally go, we go -- we quite often go to er La Tasca.

Ah.

Yeah.

For tapas and stuff. It used to be a really really nice (pause) (interruption) was it an independent restaurant called La Vina?

(interruption) La Vina.

Yeah.

And er, that was great. But -- and it -- since it became La Tasca it's still nice but it's more expensive and the food's (interruption) not quite as good. Is it?

(interruption) Yeah.

You don't get quite as much.

(laughter)

Which -- no but you just sort of get -- you used to get sort of (pause) sort of fairly sort of decent portions of nice food and now it seems to be quite sort of like mass produced to sort of (interruption) whack it on our plate sort of

(interruption) Yes it is.

It -- It's 'cause it's a chain, (interruption) a proper chain of restaurants.

(interruption) Yeah, yeah

But it's still quite nice.

So we used to -- We went through a phase for quite a while, there would be a few of us who would go to La Tasca and then go to, em

The Vineyard

The Vineyard, which was a -- a nice bar on the corner, and we'd sit there and just have a couple of cocktails. Em but yeah that would be my night out.

Yeah?

It would typically be a bar rather than a -- (pause) I like having a dance but I'm not a big clubber. (interruption) I don't know it's just not my scene.

(interruption) I don't dance. (laughter)

(laughter) It's just not. Oh I like having a dance. I enjoyed it last night.

Yeah.

Yeah. In flat shoes. That's what makes the difference. If you've got flat shoes on you can do it.

Mm.

High heels are supposed to be better for it but you just sort of go 'ouch!'

Mm

From all (unclear) (laughter)

Yeah (laughter) but they look nice.

Yeah, yeah so -- (laughter) But yeah that would be (pause) mainly eating I think.

Yeah

I would agree with that.

That's my main motivation.

Sounds very good.

(laughter)

It sounds like we're some sort of like (laughter) terrible (unclear) things that (interruption) go to MacDonald's and just --

(interruption) (laughter)

(interruption) Yeah. (laughter)

No we don't go to MacDonald's. We are (interruption) classy.

(interruption) We go to nice cultural places and try different things.

Yeah.

But have you got any embarrassing stories (pause) from any nights out?

Oh God (pause) embarrassing stories from nights out?

Or do you (interruption) know anyone that's had an embarrassing story?

(interruption) I don't think

Well we were just talking about someone getting half way in a taxi and the taxi driver

Oh yes.

When she was about to fall out of it. Oh

She was sober though. That was the thing.

Was she?

It was the taxi driver's fault. Yeah, she was stone cold sober.

Oh dear. Oh (interruption) well.

(interruption) Well it was the taxi not her.

Oh well yeah (interruption) but still you would think

(interruption) Because she got in and he drove off.

I've got stories of people (pause) em being sick in taxis and then (interruption) rumours going round the year that it was me! When it blatantly wasn't.

(interruption) Oh.

(laughter)

Oh, well that was (NAME) wasn't it?

Yes, yes it was (laughter)

It was (laughter)

This was at the -- the

The ball.

The second year Modern Languages Ball, and I think they'd decided they were going to put eight bottles of wine on each table of ten. Em (pause) which then led to (pause) I think there was like four of each colour, like four white four red.

Yeah.

And the girls had (pause) a couple of white er between them and the two lads on the table drank all the red and finished off the (interruption) white.

(interruption) Yeah.

They were (interruption) awful.

(interruption) But this is -- this was the first time I met (NAME) who's (NAME)'s boyfriend.

(laughter)

And (pause) he was absolutely off his face most (interruption) of the time and just kept twirling every girl in the room.

(interruption) (laughter)

(interruption) I don't know what you must have thought.

(interruption) (laughter) Oh he was

Because he was going like 'Let me twirl you!' (interruption) and like, spinning them round and you -- you just didn't know what to do.

(interruption) (laughter)

Chatting (interruption) up the Spanish lecturers.

(interruption) But yeah he didn't make -- he didn't make the best impression on me the first time I met him.

(laughter) Did he not?

(laughter) No! Well he was hammered! You could -- You could barely make sense out of him. But he's a -- he's actually really lovely (interruption) (laughter)

(interruption) (laughter)

And then he was sick in the taxi.

And then everybody told -- because we lived with people from university from the same course. We were in a lecture, a grammar lecture the next week. 'I hear you were sick in a taxi'. 'It wasn't me!' (laughter) 'I wasn't sick in a taxi!'

Bless.

Other than that I don't know. Other than the sort of slightly standard stories that (pause) go around University I couldn't possible tell because they may or may not be true. But, there's always a rumour (interruption) (unclear)

(interruption) There's always the cow in the lift one.

Yeah (interruption) But did that really happen?

(interruption) That happened in Castle Leazes.

But no because it goes around every single year (interruption) that they put a cow in the lift.

(interruption) Yes.

Every fresher's week they put a cow in the lift. I doubt it. How the -- How on (interruption) earth do you get a cow in the lift?

(interruption) No.

(laughter) I don't know. It sounds like the start of a joke.

(laughter) How have you had a cow in the lift (unclear) No I don't know, there's not an answer to (laughter) that.

I think it's -- It either happened once and it's never happened again or it's just a -- a myth.

Mm.

Well, I think there was one at Nottingham about a sheep up a stairwell (pause) so

Some (interruption) things that these

(interruption) I think it goes around.

Yeah.

Yeah it does definitely.

Like some farm yard animal. (laughter)

(laughter) Yeah

Oh well.

So you mentioned that you l- went abroad last year.

Yes, (interruption) yes.

(interruption) Tell us about that. Where did you go?

I went to er (pause) sort of north eastern central (laughter) er Spain. So central Spain but m- more north and eastwards. Um, it was Zaragoza.

Mm-mm.

And that was sort of just inland from Barcelona, and just north of Madrid. Em and I studied there for five months. That was really good. Um I did some ridiculous modules.

What did you do modules in? I don't think I ever knew this.

Spanish Morphology.

What's Morphology?

How words have come around and how sort of um (pause) um the word bodega came from em abodega, and things like that.

Oh.

And how -- how certain noises become (pause) other noises and stuff like that. But this was in Spanish and I had no training of that at all.

Mm.

Like I had never studied that in any way, um which was slightly interesting especially when the teacher used to go 'and you, Erasmus student'

(interruption) (laughter)

(interruption) 'What -- what is the answer?'

(laughter) What -- what -- (pause) w- did you do Spanish History and stuff like that or (interruption) did you?

(interruption) I did two -- two modules of Spanish Morphology. I did em Twentieth Century Art, and I did -- that was The History of Twentieth Century Art.

Right.

Um and French. Which was quite good. And then I did an Intensive Spanish Course as well. But that -- it was only three weeks but it was er it was really good. It was all American. (laughter)

(interruption) Oh. Oh well.

(interruption) (laughter) Which was strange, there were lots of Americans who

Yes.

In the military, they were on military bases. But for some reason they had come (pause) to Zaragoza, but there was quite a big military base there so they might have just had some sort of a link or something.

Mm.

But em, yeah it was really good. It was quite a small -- quite a small city.

Mm-mm.

I mean sort of after the first week or so you'd kind of walked up every (laughter) street so. But there was lots to do and there was lots of students there so (interruption) it was all right

(interruption) Was it quite pretty?

Yeah, really really pretty. Um, there wa -- it was quite famous for its big, um (pause) what's the word, not -- the Basilica. That's the one.

Oh right.

Um, er which was just stunning. That was the first view I got of it was when we came in from the -- the motorway, through sort of like the countryside, it's called the um Zaragoza Desert because it's just nothing for hours. Um when you come out of sort of Barcelona. That way. Er and then you've just got this massive basilica just rises out of nowhere, like there's a huge (unclear) Um, but Yeah, and then after that I went to Paris.

Ok.

For five months (pause) and worked there.

Very nice.

What were you doing?

I worked in an Arts Marketing company. (laughter) Which

You went to Vienna, on a (pause) what -- on a works trip (interruption) was it?

(interruption) Yes that's right.

The -- part of the -- every year the company organises an international conference em to sort of er help (pause) museums and galleries to market themselves well. So sort of consultants sort of thing.

Right.

But they put on a big sort of show and dance of (pause) speeches and how to do this and how to do that. And last year it was in -- it was in Vienna so we were kind of helping to organise that. And then -- I'd never been to Austria before so that was quite a -- (pause) it was sort of a new place to go. It was really good. Em er I really enjoyed it. I loved Paris, absolutely loved it. I was terrified before I left.

Whereabouts in Paris were you?

Ce- centre, bang in em, I was sort of -- w- I lived just south of the river, but I mean sort of two minutes walking south, and I worked em near Mamais. So north but not (pause) too far north, still in the city centre. Em, yeah it was really good.

Yeah? Did you get many visitors when you were out there?

Em (sigh) (pause) yeah, yeah I had em (pause) a -- a couple.

Your auntie and (interruption) your auntie and your sister went.

(interruption) Yeah, yeah I was trying to think then.

I

(interruption) Auntie and y-

(interruption) I don't even have a sister! (laughter)

Auntie an- (interruption) No! (laughter) Your mum not your sister.

(interruption) My mum! (laughter)

(laughter) Yeah (interruption) my mum and my auntie Yeah.

(interruption) Sorry.

Yeah, yeah I was trying to think, oh did other people come out? They did. They definitely did. I er

(NAME) went.

Um (NAME) came twice. I had a couple of friends came out on different occasions. One came twice. Em (pause) my mum and my auntie came for a bit of a girls' weekend, and that was really good. And then (pause) they brought my grandparents, and that was the first time they'd ever been abroad, which was (interruption) quite

(interruption) Aww.

Well it was the first time my -- my Gran had ever been abroad. Grandad came to Barcelona th- the year before when I was studying in Zaragoza for my birthday. But em, yeah it was (pause) er it (laughter) was great.

Yeah? Did you get to travel around

Yes, (interruption) yes.

(interruption) quite a lot?

I -- not -- I didn't in Paris. Em oh I didn't -- sort of within France. When I was in Spain I did, and Madrid and Barcelona and up into the Pyrenees and stuff. Em in -- in France I was just working all the time so I didn't really -- I only had the weekends

Mm.

and then sort of -- You would just have to go and come back so that wasn't really worth it. But I did lots of -- within Paris, lots of different trips and it was a massive place so it was er, there's all lots of little different towns and things. I didn't go too far.

OK, did anything bad happen (pause) when you were out there?

Em (pause) no not really. Em

Didn't you get something stolen?

Yeah I had my -- my purse was stolen in Madrid, just before Christmas but I mean (pause) it wasn't really (pause) the end of the world. Sort of -- i- it happens. It happens to I think everybody who's been on their Year Abroad, has had something stolen.

Mm.

Yeah

It's just, I d- I don- I don't know what it is but, I just -- it happens all over the place and you kind of -- I think you think you're on holiday, so you don't -- you're not as aware as you should be. Like you wouldn't walk around Newcastle with your bag open and stuff would you?

Did you in (pause) (interruption) Zaragoza?

(interruption) Well no, not like -- no but you just like sort of em, I think you do sort of y- you do sort of drop your guard a bit, you sort of em (pause) just because you -- you think 'Oh I'm away. It's fine. It's fine.'

Oh I think I'm the opposite. I think I'm more on guard on holiday.

Do you think?

Yeah, (interruption) definitely.

(interruption) I mean it wasn't -- I mean, there wasn't anything I could have done to stop it from being stolen.

Mm-mm.

Just em (pause) I don't know, it's e- just e- everybody's had something stolen, I didn't really class it as a massive problem.

No.

My mum was sort of crying down the phone going 'you're not going to be able to h- come home for Christmas' (pause) 'Why?'

(laughter)

I still have my tickets, I still have my passport (laughter)

(laughter) I just need a plane!.

(laughter) It's just because I weren't have got my purse. But em, no it was fine, it wasn't a -- a huge problem.

(interruption) Mm.

(interruption) Do you -- do you wish you'd had a year abroad? Or do you -- are you quite pleased (interruption) you didn't?

(interruption) No, I'm quite plea- well, (interruption) I liked going to visit people on their year abroad.

(interruption) I (unclear)

Yeah, yeah, yeah

That was nice. Em

Yeah.

But no if I'd done a year abroad i- it would have meant I'd had to have stayed in Modern Languages which I didn't want to do.

Yeah. (laughter)

So -- so no in that way I'm glad I didn't.

Yeah.

But it sounds like -- it sounds like everyone's had a really good time. There was only one person I've spoken to

Yeah?

Or heard about who hasn't really seemed to have a

Ah right. (unclear)

Absolutely amazing time.

Yeah I've heard -- there's a few people sort of -- I think like illness and things, like things that can't be helped. They would have been ill if they'd have been (pause) at home, sort of, so that's sort of stopped them from having a brilliant brilliant time. But em, everybody else seems to be absolutely (pause) ohh!

Yeah no-one wanted to come back really did they?

Yeah.

Everyone hates fourth year because it's too much work and it's not abroad.

So much work!

(laughter)

Yeah. 'Back in England.'

(laughter)

All the lecturers are sort of either Spanish or French as well so you've got the accent all the time like

Yes

(laughter) proper -- pro- proper authentic accent. Very good that. (interruption) (laughter)

(interruption) (laughter)

Do you think you will go back, after you finish?

Em oh I'll definitely go back. I've got sort of friends in each place that I'd like to go back and visit. But I don't know whether I would work there.

Yeah.

I don't think I would live and work in Paris. I loved it when I was there, but I loved it being sort of me in this tiny little studio and having my little sort of, going to work coming back and having this sort of, pre set life that's sort of

Mm.

helped out by the university. I would hate to go

(pause) Mm.

and to have to set up proper -- like a proper life there. If that makes sense. Sort of like move, I don't know like your family over or whatever and get like all your taxes and things like that. It would be an absolute nightmare in (interruption) France.

(interruption) And they're always on strike in France.

Yes exactly. Mm.

And you couldn't get anything done. (laughter)

I would like to be abroad though. I would work abroad. I would work in Spain especially. Em, Zaragoza I'd go back to but I don't know whether I'd work there as such. It was quite a poor place, it didn't really have lots of, sort of industry or, sort of (pause) it would be working in a shop, pretty much (laughter) That's what you're going to do

Yeah.

Em, so -- but I'd definitely go back and visit. It's a great place. We had a good er (pause) festival on in October.

(interruption) Oh I remember that.

(interruption) Which I missed this year.

I should have been to see it. It's like a weeklong (pause) festival. Really good.

No- not the White Night thing was it?

It -- no no no it's em (pause) Fiesta de Pilar

Ah

and it's celebrating the er (pause) er Mary.

(laughter)

No! i- is it? What is it? (unclear)

Yeah! (unclear) Yeah I think so. It's

Who's Mary? As in (interruption) the Virgin Mary?

(interruption) Like Jesus' Mother Mary, yeah. (laughter) Mary just (pause) every Mary. (interruption)

(interruption) (laughter) Yeah.

It was really spectacular actually when I was there. They sort of -- they have this sort of big em (pause) sort of like building of what do you call it? What you construct a house with. When you're building a house you put

Scaffolding.

Scaffolding!

Oh dear.

There was this massive scaffolding em sort of (pause) building and everybody went up to it and were climbing up and putting flowers in. So at the beginning it was horrible. It was just this big lump of scaffolding. And then within like a couple of days it was so like covered in flowers.

Aww that's nice.

And then there was like a big statue at the top of -- of (interruption) Mary.

(interruption) Mary.

Holding Jesus. (interruption) (laughter)

(interruption) Right.

But it was great, I watched and it was just queues and queues and queues of people.

Waiting to put flowers on.

Yeah.

Mm. And did you go and put a flower on?

Er no.

Oh.

Just because er (pause) as it was happening I came home for a couple of days (laughter)

Oh right.

So I saw it and then before I had a chance to -- I had to come home for er for something, so I didn't get a chance to (laughter) sort of, wait in the queue for a long time.

Did you come home quite a lot during the year?

Em a couple of times. When I was in Spain I think I came home twice. Em (pause) well at -- th- Christmas and then one other time, er when we had sort of a break from uni, sort of like the -- the half term sort of thing. In Paris (pause) I came back (pause) er I came back quite a few times but sort of maybe in six week (pause) sort of (pause) er blocks.

(unclear) every weekend but -- although I'm sure it felt like it for my parents.

Probably.

'Stay away!' (laughter)

Yeah. (laughter)

'It supposed to be a Year Abroad. A year.'

Yeah.

(laughter)

But I mean I only ever came home for a weekend. It wasn't sort of like, 'I'm coming home' and (unclear) 'I'm going to stay at home for a while.'

Yeah.

I'd come home sort of Friday to Sunday and then go back. Go to (interruption) work on the Monday.

(interruption) Well it's close isn't it so you can just

It only took an hour to

Fly.

Fly Yeah. Not even that sometimes. We got back home to Newcastle in er I think forty minutes or something wasn-

Well

I don't know how fast he was going.

Yeah that's a bit worrying because London's like

Yeah.

An hour isn't it?

But then he couldn't -- em couldn't land. So we ended -- it still took like over an hour. 'Cause he (interruption) had to go round again.

(interruption) Had to circle.

He just had to keep circling. We- he shouldn't have gone so fast.

Yeah (interruption) it serves him right.

(interruption) (laughter)

Yeah, I d- it was ridiculous. Yeah it was -- (pause) 'cause it used to be an hour and five minutes. This is a riveting conversation. (laughter) Sorry

(laughter) No, no. It's quite all right. Carry on.

An hour and five minutes, and then one time it was very very short. And I (interruption) don't know how.

(interruption) Was it?

Yes.

Oh good.

Yes. (laughter)

(interruption) So you came back for Christmas?

(interruption) An-

Yes. Yeah I came back for about (pause) er three weeks I think.

That's nice.

So

Are you both (pause) (interruption) fans of Christmas?

(interruption) Yeah.

Yes.

Yeah?

Yeah, yeah

I like it. I like the build up to Christmas more than I like actual Christmas itself.

Mm-mm.

(laughter) Yeah.

I like -- I like the time surrounding it when you just -- (pause) you can either stay in the house and eat chocolate or go to other people's houses and just

Yeah.

Enjoy the atmosphere.

Yeah.

It is a slightly -- it's a very warm atmosphere, isn't it?

Yeah.

Sort of everything smells like cinnamon and stuff like that. I like it.

Do you have particular routines in your houses with your families?

On Christmas Day?

Or Christmas Eve, Christmas Day.

Oh right. Em (pause) er used to when we were younger, we -- when I was younger, don't know why I used we. Who's we? (laughter) When I was younger. Em (pause) but my mum -- now that I'm older she's sort of -- 'cause she's a nurse she does shifts, and because there's other nurses with younger children she t- tends to get the sort of rubbishy ones.

Mm.

So it's either night shift Christmas -- sort of, Christmas Eve night and Christmas Day, or like the early shift on Christmas Day. So it's not really the same as sort of getting up really early and going down and opening your presents. Em we usually sort of wait for her to turn up (laughter) from work and then sort of, sort the presents and stuff out. And then we always go er up to my Auntie's because she's got two little kids for Christmas dinner.

For Christmas dinner?

For the dinner Yeah, which is always really good.

Is she a good cook?

Yeah (interruption) yeah (laughter)

(interruption) (laughter)

No, she is. She is very good. And em my gran always goes up the night before and sort of

Helps out.

Yeah. And they get everything prepared. And my mum usually finishes her night shift and she has er -- she has a glass of wine and then she falls asleep in the corner (interruption) like some mad old auntie so

(interruption) Aww.

(interruption) Bless her. Does she have like the woolly jumper on as well?

(interruption) (laughter)

(interruption) When she's doing it.

(interruption) (laughter)

And a cat. (laughter)

Well I think there -- one year she was er I think the kids had got some sort of strange wig, like -- like a monster wig or something.

Mm.

And she was asleep in the corner and they put this funny wig on her so (laughter) there's loads of funny pictures of her.

Aww, bless her.

(laughter)

Just 'cause she works hard.

I know, I know. How about you? What do you do?

We'd (pause) well it's just me and my mum and dad on Christmas Day now. Em, but normally m- one of my Uncles comes round on Christmas Eve and just sort of (pause) sits and chats with us and things and that's quite nice.

Yeah

Because more or less is just -- it is quite nice because it's a tradition, because you know that it's Christmas Eve when that happens.

Yeah

But then (pause) n- now we've started going round to like um an auntie's on Christmas Day Night after dinner and stuff and she has loads of people round 'cause she just loves her family.

Yeah

And that's really nice, and we just play silly games and stuff like that. And that's quite good. Em (pause) but sometimes -- I -- I work at a Pharmacy so I have to (pause) go there sometimes but hopefully not this year.

Yeah hope so.

On Christmas (pause) Day?

Oh, well no. On Christmas Eve.

Oh I was going to say.

And then last year they were open on Boxing Day 'cause Boxing Day fell on a Saturday.

Yeah that's right.

And I was working on a Saturday.

Mm-mm.

But this year Christmas Day is on a Saturday, so who knows what they'll do. They just make it up as they go along I think.

I had to work -- It was a couple of years ago I was working in a -- in a shop up in Metro-Centre and I went in on Boxing Day. And i- it's amazing how it sort of shortens Christmas to

Yeah, it really does doesn't (interruption) it?

(interruption) Yes.

'Cause usually you have sort of Christmas, you have Boxing Day, you have a couple of days afterwards when (interruption) you just don't really do anything.

(interruption) Mm-mm.

And maybe sort of, eat things that have been left around or sort of, visit people. But it was like, Christmas Day working again.

Yeah.

Get back to work.

You always have to go and see -- at Christmas, those people that you never see the rest of the year.

Yeah.

Yeah.

You always make the Christmas trip and I don't understand (laughter) why didn't you see them the rest of the year you just see them at Christmas.

Yeah (interruption) yeah

(interruption) And you'd always -- and when you're little and they'd always say 'Eee! Haven't you grown!' and you'd think (laughter) 'Well, obviously.'

(interruption) (laughter)

(interruption) (laughter) Yeah

'It was a year ago.' (laughter) 'If I was still the same height as when I was two you'd be worried.'

You do as well. I do -- I -- why? You're obviously not that bothered about these people. No- n- not in a horrible way but

Yeah.

Not enough to see them every week like to go and visit them regularly. Why does it have to be (pause) at Christmas if?

Mm.

I know it's sort of a family time.

Sometimes it's nice but sometimes (pause) I just find it really odd.

Yeah.

And (interruption) when you're little also

(interruption) Why are you here?

whenev- if ever you got a really awful like t-shirt or trousers or something off a relative you (laughter) had to wear it when you (interruption) went to see them.

(interruption) Yes!

Yeah it's not great.