Ok, let's get started. So how long have you both lived in Newcastle?

Erm, I've lived in Newcastle my whole life, since I was born.

Me too.

Really? Er what do you think about your area?

Erm, I love it but I don't live in Newcastle, I live like in Prudhoe which is a bit out of it which I prefer like I hate, I would hate living in the city centre, like I prefer being like, my area's quite countryish so (pause) (interruption) I prefer that

(interruption) And you prefer that to the urban?

Yeah, definitely.

I live a bit out of Newcastle as well but

Still not like townie (interruption) is it?

(interruption) Yeah. I'm not really bothered about the area I live in, just the people like

(interruption) Yeah, definitely.

(interruption) 'Cause I've got like all my best friends around where I live so

That's the same with me as well.

Yeah.

Yeah. What's your favourite place in Newcastle?

The Metro-Centre. (laughter)

Why? Why is that?

(laughter) Definitely for me. 'Cause I'm just a total shopping addict. I'm a (interruption) nightmare. (laughter)

(interruption) That does not surprise me at all.

(laughter)

(laughter) I go there like anytime that I'm bored or anytime that I've got spare time, I'm in the car straight to the Metro-Centre and just shop.

Really? How often do you go?

Erm at least like twice a week. (laughter)

Wow! Ok.

(laughter)

At least. I never shop in town, I don't know why, I just prefer (pause) in the Metro you're like, you can park and you're right there, you're in the Metro-Centre whereas you've got to park a bit out of it in town. And then by the time you get in and stuff and it's always cold in town, at least you're indoors in the Metro-Centre. I just love it.

Yeah. What about you, (NAME)?

I don't know, I don't really think I have (interruption) a favourite place in Newcastle

(interruption) I know, I don't. I can't really think of anywhere. There's nothing. I think you just, to be honest, you just take it for granted, do you know what I mean? (interruption) Like

(interruption) Yeah.

As for the Metro, I just honestly take that for granted so much, like they say it's like the biggest shopping centre in the whole of the UK kind of thing but I just take it for granted 'cause I've gone there since I was tiny. Growing up, we'd always go to the Metro-Centre so

Yeah. Probably my friend's house 'cause that's like

Yeah.

(NAME) lives on my street so it's like, it's like my second home.

Yeah probably for me, you know the places where I work which is The Falcon, which is like a pub, a local pub, that I work at but not only do I work there and spend my whole life there as well, like I go out there drinking, I go there for meals all the time. I go all the time with my friends so it's like it's really good 'cause I work there but all my friends come in all the time, so it's like not like a job at all, it's like really, really good.

Wow.

I spend most of my time there. I can't really think of anywhere else to be honest.

What do you think of the nightlife in Newcastle?

Oh I love it. Sinners. Favourite place.

(laughter)

Me (interruption) too.

(interruption) But to be honest, you get a bit bored of it though, don't you?

Yeah. Apart from Digital.

Yeah, I hate Digital.

Digital. I went to Digital on er Halloween.

Oh!

And I waited in the queue for an hour and a half

(interruption) I know that's the thing there's always a snake queue.

(interruption) And then, when we got there it wasn't eighty pence anymore, it was seven pound to get in.

No

So I just left and went home.

Did you?

My mam came and picked me up.

(laughter) I've done that so many times you know, I've been in the queue to Digital and erm but I've got, I've got into the queue and I've been out for pre-drinks, I've been out for erm like I've been to Sinners, Gotham Town, all that type of stuff, get in the queue for Digital and it's just so long. And I hate Digital, every time I get into Digital, I insist on going there, and I get there and hate it.

(laughter)

Especially Stone Love, I hate Stone Love.

I don't like Stone Love.

I just don't know any of the music at all. And honestly like three times as well I've done that, I've been in the queue and I've been like just can't be bothered.

Normally I wait but it was like so big. It was absolutely massive.

Yeah.

So what do you think your best night out in Newcastle has been? (interruption) Or your worst?

(interruption) I've had loads of good ones 'cause we always do fancy dress so erm I've been out as Smurfs

(laughter)

And I've been out as like old people, all dressed up as old people, we went out as army for my birthday, erm I can't really remember. One of my best ones was probably my eighteenth when we all went out to Digital surprisingly enough.

(laughter)

But I actually loved it then, it was really good. I think I'm just getting sick of it though, I think that's what it is, I think I've been too many times and now I've got high expectations of it.

I think we need to try different clubs.

(interruption) Yeah. definitely like Dirty Pop.

(interruption) Everyone goes to the same places.

(interruption) I loved Dirty Pop when I first started. But now I've getting to the point when I'm a bit sick of that, 'cause like I totally (pause) like did it to death over the summer holidays.

Yeah.

I was at Dirty Pop every Friday so.

I think one of my best nights out was at Dirty Pop though.

Yeah, I love it. I love all the music, it's just, it's mint.

Digital's music is getting better though.

Do you think?

On a Monday 'cause I used to not know any of the music.

I know, I don't.

But now I do.

I haven't been for ages mind. I haven't been for absolutely ages. My brother goes to digital all the time. He lives in Digital.

(laughter) So you mentioned your birthday then, what did you do for your birthday?

Erm I don't know. It wasn't really anything special. For my eighteenth, we erm we all just went out but we didn't do fancy dress or anything but it was just really good 'cause everyone, it was before we started uni, erm, actually no I think we might, I think we'd just started uni. Oh no I don't think we had, it was before we started uni and erm so everyone was up. I had like my entire friendship group were out.

Weren't you eighteen like a year before we started uni? (laughter)

Yeah, I think so (laughter) but yeah it was brilliant, just everyone being out and I think 'cause we hadn't really been into town that much so (pause) like it was really good. And for my nineteenth, we all went out as army people which was really good as well. But it was, it wasn't as good 'cause people were obviously at uni and stuff so a few people came up but others obviously couldn't so went on a Thursday night it was really good.

What about yours (NAME)? Have you had a recent birthday?

Well on my eighteenth it was my leaver's ball like the day before

Oh.

Oh was it?

At midnight I was eighteen.

Oh right, that must have been mint.

Then we all went out but I was so annoyed 'cause everyone went in the club, we all went in the club and everyone got ID-ed apart from me.

(laughter)

And I wanted to get ID-ed because it was the first time I had ID. I was so annoyed.

Oh. What about your nineteenth?

What did I even do? Oh, I went to Digital

(laughter)

(interruption) (laughter) Everyone goes to Digital.

(interruption) And James made me cry. And that was about it. (laughter)

Why?

They argued.

Yeah we just, in Digital. Every time I go to (interruption) Digital.

(interruption) I know.

(interruption) Something happens and I'm crying.

(interruption) Every time yous are in Digital. She's in Digital, she's like crying, fell out.

Every time I go to Digital I seem to cry or something.

It must be the type of drink you're drinking. Vodka makes me cry.

I know, VK's.

As soon as I have one Vodka that's me up, I'll end up crying at one point in the night. Trying to avoid it.

(interruption) (unclear)

(interruption) Like the plague. Hate Vodka.

So you mentioned (NAME), that's your boyfriend, isn't he? Is he in Newcastle?

No. But he is at the moment (laughter) until about seven o'clock tonight.

Oh. Where is he normally?

Manchester.

Oh, is he at uni?

Yeah. He's got a job there as well. But it's really stupid though 'cause he's got, he goes to uni like full-time and then he's got a job which he basically works at full-time as well.

Oh.

Must be so busy then.

'Cause he works as a chef (pause) so

I often find it hard now like I work part-time but probably more than part-time I do like erm (pause) like minimum of twenty hours a week and I find it hard to like, like 'cause by the time you like, you've got to give yourself some time to get ready for work, I know it sounds stupid but by the time you get ready for work and then like and by the time you get there and stuff I just find it so hard to like manage everything like.

Well, I'm carrying my work clothes round with me in my bag to go to work. (laughter)

Yeah (pause) but it's with seeing (NAME), I've obviously got to get the time out for that and seeing my friends, coming to uni, doing uni work and work, I just feel like I'm just, never have any time.

No.

(NAME)'s in Newcastle though?

Erm yeah he lives in Prudhoe as well but he doesn't go to uni, he's a erm, he's a trained bricklayer but there's not like, no work going at the moment in brick laying so he works for Comet 'cause his mam's manageress of Comet at erm, do you know Team Valley?

Vaguely.

Well she's like, his auntie's manageress at Team Valley and she's manageress at Silver Link, don't know if you've heard of that.

Oh yeah.

But erm then they were both like really high up in Comet and his auntie's boyfriend works for Comet as well so he works as like a delivery driver but he doesn't drive and he like fits tellys and cookers and fridges and that type of stuff.

Oh.

So (pause) but erm it's really good because he does twelve hour days. So like it's a long day, like he starts at seven and comes back at seven normally on most night's but like even three hours, three days a week, he's still done thirty hours and he normally does, averages at four weeks so it's still a forty hour week and he manages to have like, normally if he hits on he keeps having his Friday, Saturday and Sunday off, so he's got a long weekend so even though it is long days for him, he seems to love it and erm, like, at the moment he's training to be like a like a like a do an engineer and like fix things and come out and do stuff like that so he's getting trained up on loads of different things and it's, it's educated, it's educated him loads on like how to fit tellys and stuff and like when I got my, 'cause last Christmas I got like a plasma for my wall.

Wow.

He fitted that and he's like put all the sky in and everything, and he's dead good at things like that now. So, but he's still on the lookout for like getting back into bricklaying, he's always looking out and erm his dad's a bricklayer and his dad's always looking out for him as well but it's just so hard to get into it at the moment, there's just like no jobs going at all.

Have your fr- friend's that haven't gone to uni found that from around here?

Have I got any friends who haven't gone to uni? Is that what you said?

No your friends from uni that have found that they can't get a job because (pause) it's so difficult?

Yeah well, but you got a job within.

Yeah, well I applied for my job and got it.

Got it.

Straight away.

It was like the first job she applied for

No.

And got it straight away.

Well I worked at the cafe so I think that helped just I think just any job that you have before you apply for gets like will get you an interview.

Yeah.

But then I went into my interview thinking 'I'm not going to get the job' so I wasn't really nervous so I just went and had a chat with the man.

Brilliant.

And I found out that that man is actually the head of like the manager of my floor.

Yeah.

So he was just like chatting away with me and then I got a call back like two days later saying I had a job.

Brilliant. And where do you work?

TJ Hughes.

What do you think of it?

I quite like it actually but I think my hours are just (interruption) getting a bit stupid.

(interruption) Do you get a discount?

I don't know, 'cause I haven't had a pay slip yet.

(interruption) Oh right.

(interruption) I'm getting a bit concerned about this.

Oh.

I'm not even sure how, well I get paid weekly but (pause) it's been paid really dodgy.

(interruption) God I know (unclear)

(interruption) 'Cause I haven't been paid for like four shifts so far, like for like two weekends.

That's bad.

They just pay me random amounts of money, I don't really know what they're doing.

And I was really lucky 'cause erm the owner of The Falcon which is where I work, I've worked there for over three years now 'cause erm like it was like The Falcon was closed down and the owner who was one of my dad's best friends like he was at my dad's wedding and everything, he's called (NAME) (NAME) and he owns Barmoor Garage which is at Ryton, I don't know if you've heard of it but (pause) he decided he was going to take over and like he's like done it all up but like three years ago he did it all up, him and (NAME), (NAME) and (NAME), and erm, with my dad being friends I just got the job kind of straight away, I didn't have an interview or anything so I was really lucky and it's such a brilliant job as well so really lucky, I've never had to ever ever look for a job like I don't even have a CV, I started writing my CV the other day, 'cause I was thinking I do actually need to like make some kind of note of the achievements that I've done so

I've had

I've been too lucky in a way.

I got my job at the cafe quite easily though.

Yeah.

'Cause they put a notice up outside, me and my mam saw it and walked past and after we'd been to get some lunch we went back and just had a chat with the woman and I was like 'I saw the sign outside, do you need people?' And she was like 'yeah'.

Did you not have an interview?

And she said 'when do you want to start?' I was like

Oh that's good.

(pause) all right then.

But that place always seemed dead unprofessional didn't it?

So bad.

Why did you leave?

I got made redundant.

Oh.

'Cause er I worked for Milligans.

After every single member of staff possible (interruption) was sacked before her.

(interruption) And Milligans went out of er business. They went bankrupt.

Oh.

You know how there was like, oh I don't know if it was there when you moved here but there was a Northern Bakeries like

No.

In Eldon Square.

No (pause) don't know.

I think it was called Northern Bakeries. But that got taken over by Milligans 'cause Milligans took on loads of their businesses.

Yeah.

And they'd just taken on too much so the whole thing went bankrupt.

Oh no. How long ago was that?

Erm.

(interruption) Like last year.

(interruption) Like last January.

Yeah.

Oh.

And you got sacked or made redundant.

I got redundancy pay though so.

I know. That's ok then.

Not bad and a new job straight away. Fantastic.

I know. Well, after she'd partied for a bit didn't you?

(laughter) Yeah (pause) (unclear) (pause) with you and (NAME) for a while.

Erm (pause) who do you both live with?

I live with my mam, my dad and my little brother, (NAME).

Do you get on with them?

Yeah. I get on with them really well. We never used, well we went through like, when we were growing up, we got on like a house on fire, like we're always like, I was talking about this the other day, like we used to sleep in each other's rooms like like

Aww.

We used to get this camp bed out and sleep in each other's rooms and like we got on so well because like on my street there was like me and (NAME) and we got on really, really well and then erm across the road is (NAME) and (NAME), she's twenty-one now and he's in my year, he's in our year, so like when we were growing up we had them, and then there was (NAME) and (NAME) who were another two and (NAME) and (NAME) and we all and we all got on really, really well so erm (pause) but then we kind of, as he like as we were growing up, (NAME) went through a bit of a stage whereby he was kind of like a stroppy teenager kind of thing and erm never used to speak and it was like getting blood from a stone every time you spoke to him but he's like, the past couple of years, he's came right out of it and he's, I think 'cause he gets on so well with (NAME) as well so he always comes out with like me and (NAME) so yeah I get on with him really well. He's just booked an eighteenth birthday party for erm start of December so can't wait.

Where's that at?

Erm it's at The Cross at Ryton, in Ryton village erm so it's but he was meant to have it on the nineteenth of December 'cause he's eighteen on the nineteenth of November, no sorry it's his eighteenth on the twenty-fifth of November but they rang up last night to say that we, he'd sent his like, he'd done invitations and everything and erm, they rang up last night to say that they had to change it to the third of December which is like

Oh.

(interruption) Erm

(interruption) Is he having a lot of people?

Erm (pause) I think it holds like two hundred and fifty so it's not like huge (interruption) but like

(interruption) Quite a lot though.

Yeah so it should be, I think it should be quite good. But he said, he was like, 'which of your friends do you want?' and I said 'to be honest I'm not really that bothered' because like if (NAME) goes, and (NAME)'s mam and dad 'cause my mam and dad and (NAME)'s mam and dad get on so well, like we're always going out and stuff and we're going out tomorrow night all four of us (pause) and erm (pause) so like if they're there and like if my fam- like my aunty and cousin and everyone's there, to be honest, I'll be quite happy having like just (NAME) and that.

(interruption) Yeah

(interruption) So I was just said 'I was all right'. But he's a bit gutted 'cause it's like it's his birthday the twenty-fifth and the party not until the third, it's a bit like, bit of a wait but he sharing it with this lad who is one of his mates, (NAME), who's just like, oh God he's just an absolute head case. (laughter)

(laughter) Why?

He's just wild like he, like, he gets like into fights when they're out and like, it sounds really bad but erm, when he was like two he was involved in a car crash and they thought he was going to die, like he was really severely brain damaged, still. And erm, like always like, that's why he's a bit wild if you know what I mean, like he's just got such like bad tendencies, like he gets kicked out of night clubs, he'll walk home and like, like the other day, erm one, the people that my mam knows was driving on the bypass like coming up past Blaydon McDonalds and there he was walking along and she pulled over and said excuse, like '(NAME), what are you doing?', and he'd been kicked out and he'd walked from the town and he'd which is quite a way, and walked all along the way down Scotswood Road and the bypass and erm, so she'd rang his mam, this lady and said 'look I've got (NAME)', he's called, (NAME) (NAME), erm here so but he's honestly he's just (pause) my mam doesn't really like him that much to be honest.

Oh.

'Cause (NAME)'s got friends that are all like, (NAME)'s like the popular ones they're like the (pause) they're the popular group but some of them are lush like (NAME), he's (NAME)'s like his best, best friend and erm like (NAME)'s grown up with him and erm

Is he the one that went on holiday with you?

Yeah, he came on holiday with us in the summer. There was me, (NAME), (NAME) and (NAME) and my mam and dad and honestly he's just lush like I get on so well with (NAME) and there's (NAME) who is (NAME)'s little brother and erm that's like one of my best friends, (NAME), so me, (NAME), (NAME) and (NAME) have all grown up together. She's actually called (NAME) but it's just a nickname. And erm (pause) but he's another one, he just like gets into fights and erm, he's just a nightmare. But he always has been as well, even like growing up like it'd always be him and my mam like, (NAME) is such a follower that he just like, he just goes along with it if you know what I mean so (pause) but a lot of them are nice like (NAME), (NAME)'s little brother whose dad's just died

Aww.

He's gorgeous, he's so canny and erm loads, loads of nice ones but some of them are just a bit on the wild side. (laughter)

Oh. What about you, (NAME)? Who do you live with?

Er my mam, my dad and my little sister.

Do you like living with them?

Yeah I do, I kind of wanted to move out but

I know, I go through phases.

Yeah.

Last night when I stayed out all night, no on Tuesday night.

(laughter)

But when I went back in to the house yesterday I just wished I'd moved out 'cause my mam was like 'where were you last night, why didn't you let anyone know?'

Oh.

Yeah it does get annoying.

(interruption) Yeah.

(interruption) When you still feel like you're little.

(interruption) Yeah like 'why do I have to tell you?'

Yeah.

I'm nearly twenty. But never mind.

Yeah.

I suppose parents will always be like that. She was like 'why don't you move out?' And I was like ''cause I don't want to.'

(laughter)

(unclear)

My mum doesn't want me to move out 'cause she'd have no-one to straighten her (interruption) hair.

(interruption) Yeah.

Is that the reason?

Yeah, well I straighten her hair once a week, 'cause my mum's got really curly hair.

Oh.

(interruption) Oh yeah, you were saying.

(interruption) Like me, it's like really, really curly and I straighten her hair once a week and it will stay straight all week.

Does it?

Oh.

God that's good.

And she'll just go over it.

Yeah just do little bits.

Yeah.

It's so annoying.

How old is your little sister?

She's fifteen (pause) have to think about that. (laughter)

I know.

(laughter)

I did that the other day. (NAME)'s mum was asking how old (NAME) was and I totally blanked and (NAME) was like 'she's fifteen.'

(laughter)

Oh.

You always forget though don't you. I do as well

Apart from she's like double my height and (laughter)

Really?

She's really tall (pause) it's so annoying.

Erm, how long have your parents lived in Newcastle?

Erm, well my mam grew up in Whitley Bay.

Oh.

And erm, then she met my dad who is originally from Wylam which is just two seconds from Prudhoe and erm then they kind of like when they got married they moved to Prudhoe and just kind of like mutual, in the middle kind of thing so it's actually more close to Wylam and my mam but we go to my grandmother's every Saturday which is in Whitley Bay and all my family from my mam's side are from there and they've got like, my aunty lives in Seaton Delaval and my grandma lives like in Whitley Bay just next to the beach and like my cousin lives in North Shields so they're all from that neck of the woods but my dad's side are all from like, well my grandad is in Seahouses, 'cause and has moved to Seahouses, don't know if you've heard of that.

Oh my aunty just bought a house

(interruption) Has she?

(interruption) Like a holiday home.

He's got a gorgeous house 'cause he's an architect, my grandad

Oh wow.

So he's got quite a lot of money, so erm, but he's designed his he's designed his own house that he lives in and honest to God it's like one of those show houses you go in it's just (interruption) amazing.

(interruption) Is it massive?

Yeah it's huge, it's all got heated flooring like the whole way through and like it's just lush.

God it sounds like my aunty and uncle. My aunty and uncle just moved house in Australia.

Oh right.

And their house is absolutely

Huge?

Mental. Well their old house that they used to live in, 'cause it's not really like, you know houses here are like, you'd have like a living room on the ground floor and then you'd go upstairs.

Yeah.

Not many of the houses in Australia are like that. They're mainly like bungalows

Oh.

And like a lot of land.

Yeah.

But their old house was like their house here and the house that they've moved into now is oh

Amazing?

It's got like twenty acres of land and they've got a massive swimming pool but (interruption) they've got

(interruption) What made them move to Australia?

An Olympic sized swimming pool.

Yeah.

Erm my aunty and uncle moved there like the day after I was born. (laughter) They got married on the day that I was born and then moved there the day after I was born.

No.

God.

So my cousin's have been born there.

Yeah.

My cousin's have got the cutest Australian accents.

Aww.

Aww (pause) Do you go over there and visit them?

I've been once.

Was that when, did, when, was it your mam not going in the sum- Christmas or something or were they trying to organise it? I'm sure I heard something about Australia, I can't remember.

Erm. Can't remember. My mum wants to go again either next year (interruption) or year after

(interruption) Is it your mam's sister?

It's my mam's brother.

Mam's brother.

Mum doesn't have that much family here.

I know. That's weird.

'Cause it's, she's got one brother in London, one brother in Australia.

Oh. So why, why did they move away, do you think?

I don't know. It's just a, I think it's just a nicer way of life (interruption) in Australia.

(interruption) I know. I can imagine.

When I went it was so nice (interruption) over there.

(interruption) I know. Like I've got a friend, (NAME) and (NAME). (NAME)'s in my year and (NAME)'s in (NAME)'s year and er we grew, kind of grew up with them and my mam's friends with the family, that's the mam. That's the ones friends with my mam and they've just moved out there. And they've been out there about a year now and they've got this cafe. And I go, I was on Facebook and I got like a, erm, notification asking us to join the group and it was their cafe, it was like (NAME) who had made the group up of her own cafe and I was looking at it and I just thought my God there is just no comparison.

Where do they live?

I've got no idea but honestly the cafe, like it's just, it's straight, you just look straight out onto the beach and the sea.

Oh.

And it's just like, it's not like a cafe, it's got like sofas and it just looks so nice. It just looks amazing. And the house and everything, just oh, it's just such a different way of life isn't it? It must be just, I think it's just be such a relaxed way of life.

Their house is mad now, they've got like a guest like suite and my cousin is getting, I think my cousin's fourteen now, so he's got like his own part in the like house.

That's so good.

Where he's got like a bathroom and games room in his bedroom.

God that's really good.

It's absolutely mental.

That's like erm I've got the twins, have you heard me talking about the twins? They're my friends and erm their mam goes out with this lad (NAME), and he's, he designs kitchens and he, he drives a white Lamborghini.

Wow.

He's just like so rich and his house, his erm, his son has an annex, which is like basically another house, it isn't even attached to their house, it's in Stocksfield, it's absolutely mad and (interruption) he's always had that.

(interruption) Like in the garden?

Yeah, it's like in the garden but it's like his own house and then erm like he's got like another littler annex 'cause his daughter's disabled and he's had it all like specially like adapted for her. It's just amazing.

Do you see yourself living abroad or going to stay in Newcastle?

I would love, I, I'm really bad for being abroad, I just want to be on holiday all the time.

(laughter)

I could actually see us living out there, but I just don't know if it'd be too big of a (pause) like it's nice to go on holiday but I think living out there is just totally different isn't it? I'd like to think that I'd love to live out there, I think I'd probably just go on, like, a year's travelling or like spend like a long time out there but not, nothing permanent.

I think if I did move away I think I'd want to live somewhere like in an English-speaking country.

Yeah.

'Cause like Australia, like, oh it was amazing when we were there like everyone's so laid back, like it's not, everyone's not as stressed as they are here.

Yeah.

But it's just so far away.

I know.

Like I think it's been so hard growing up for my cousins like not being able to see us.

Yeah.

'Cause the first time I saw my cousin (NAME) was when she was a baby and then I didn't see her again until she was like eleven.

No.

I hadn't seen her for ages.

Must be so weird.

It's really weird.

You mentioned erm your holidays (pause) when, when did you last go on holiday?

(laughter) Erm in July I went to Spain with my mam and my dad and (NAME) and (NAME) and (NAME) and in March, I went to Mallorca with (NAME) for his twenty-first. Erm (pause) and then I went to Zante last year with everyone like all my friends, nineteen of us went to Zante. That's it. I wanted to go again but (pause) 'cause my mam and dad have got an apartment in Bulgaria so erm.

Wow.

And they went out there on the thirtieth of August for a week. But erm I'd have loved to have gone but it's just, 'cause it's like even though, like, they've got the apartment out there, flights are not cheap to get there. They're like three hundred and fifty pound on average and it's like with your spending money as well but the only thing is, you go to Bulgaria and it's so cheap, like unreal, like you can get like a pizza for like two pound, it's just like the food is just like, you know when you're looking at your bill and you're like, 'is this right', it's just crazy the prices, like you get cocktails for three levs which is like erm (pause) I think one pound fifty or something. It's just amazing. I love it.

Why did they choose Bulgaria?

I don't know. They just went out there and erm like fell in love with it basically. They'd always wanted to do something like that so (pause) they invested, a bit of an investment. They also have a flat on erm Kepier Chare estate in Crawcrook. They've got like a two bedroom flat there which I love as well. I'd love to live there but there's someone in and he keeps like increasing his time there so it's really nice but when we got it, my dad bought it and my mam, she gets so stressed out about things like that like spending a lot of money so she was like 'I don't want to be involved', she was like 'just do it, just do what you want to do and just keep me out of it.' So anyways my dad said 'right it's ours, do you want to come and see it?' so we were like 'right, ok' so along we went and honest to God, he opened the front door and the living room, it had sofas a bit like this but cerise pink, the walls and carpets were all cerise pink, everything.

No.

The whole room was cerise pink and we were just like so that took it took like a lot of work like, just to get rid of the cerise pink, like you needed like loads and loads of coats.

I thought you'd have liked the pink.

I know but this was just like, you know when it's just like blows you away and I think it must have been a young girl living there or something but honestly the house is just mad but they've done it all up and it's lovely now. But as I said, just for a bit of an investment, like I think they'll probably like sell it when they retire and use the money as their pension kind of thing.

Yeah.

But they go to Bulgaria all the time like be it my mam and grandma might go out for a week or my dad and his dad went out for a week, my dad and my grandad. Erm and then next year, we're in the process of trying to organise for erm my mam, my dad and then me and (NAME), and (NAME) and (NAME) again and then erm, (NAME)'s mam and dad and (NAME)'s aunty and uncle and erm (NAME), that's (NAME)'s little sister and her friend (NAME) to all go and just get like a few apartments and to have the apartment, I think we've had it for about five years now, and my mam like knows loads of different people on the complex so we should be able to get like an apartment for cheap so we're trying to organise that for next year which will be really good but

That sounds good.

Yeah. It's lush, it's so nice. The only thing in Bulgaria is erm ma- it's really really mafia. 'Cause you've got like you're, it's mad, you've got Ferrari's up and down the street all the time and it's like, it's crazy. Like one day, when we went out, I've been out there about five times but one year we were there, we were all lying around the pool and erm these, this couple came into the pool, and they pulled up in a Ferrari which like just that in itself was a bit like 'woah'. Er, and then he was so like big, he was absolutely huge and he was like, he had such a hairy chest, he was horrible and this beautiful girl, she was like that size, gorgeous hair was with him and I just thought and honestly you've got no idea what it was like. He was erm he was in the pool and she had his tab and she was putting it into his mouth for him, like this. And erm he was just like smoking and like she was just running around after him like mad and then erm (NAME), he like owns the complex, erm he's Bulgarian, but erm he was like honestly like running around like mad and my mam went in and was like 'what's going on' and he was like 'that's the mafia.' He said, they've come to check up on you kind of thing and he was part of the mafia and honestly, everyone, the atmosphere was so, just like weird, it was horrible and erm but honestly erm it was just totally, totally weird.

You can't really imagine anything like that.

I know. It was just, just everyone was like on edge if you know what I mean and the bar staff, they were just like obviously just bringing food out to him for free, drinks all the time. It was just, he was only there for probably half an hour but just that half hour, we were right next to them as well, me and my mam were sunbathing and they were like there, it was just crazy and then another couple turned up with them and it was the same carry on whereby he was like this big, fat, ugly man and she was like the most gorgeous, young girl but money I suppose attracts them

might be love. (laughter)

I know it might be. You never know. But honestly he walked on and you've got like, it's crazy 'cause you've got like, the one, like it's like you got the two opposite extremes, there's no happy medium, like you've got, you'll walk along the back like to get to the supermarket, it's a bit of like a backtrack kind of thing, it's like not really been made into a road yet, it's all a bit dirt track kind of thing and you walk along there which is a bit out of the way to go to the supermarket and you see beggars on the street, and you see like little children coming up to you saying 'can I have this, can I have this?' and then you go the opposite way and you, you've got Ferrari's driving down and Lamborghini's you've just got like, it's just like two totally different ways of lives but (pause) it's weird.

Wow. What about your last holiday, (NAME)?

Er, in summer, I went to the Lake District with (NAME) and his mam and dad and his sister and her fiance.

Wow.

Which was good. But it was like, we stayed in this like cottage but it was absolutely massive and it had a hot tub and everything.

Did it?

And they've got a dog so it had like

Aww lush.

a few acres.

(interruption) Yeah.

(interruption) So they just let the dog run around, it was so nice.

Oh that sounds lush, I'd love to do something like that. Love to.

Yeah, it was really nice. But it was really weird because it was like the first time I'd gone

(interruption) Yeah.

(interruption) away with (NAME)' mam and dad.

I know, it must have been totally weird.

Yeah so it was quite weird.

What did you do while you was there?

Erm, we just went round like all the little villages, hung around the house quite a bit as well because it was so nice.

Yeah.

It was quite hot as well, while we were there so.

(interruption) Sounds really nice.

(interruption) We just lazed around. It was really good.

Wow. Erm, why did you choose to go to uni in Newcastle?

I don't know. I just, I didn't feel ready to move away which is one main reason. And also (NAME), which I know is a bad thing to be held back for a boyfriend but I, I've been with (NAME) for two years and like it was just a case of like nothing, I've got really nothing to move away for, like not only that like I'm never at home like I'm either staying at (NAME)'s or he's staying at mine or erm and I know that can kind of all come crashing down tomorrow but I still do think I've made the right decision. I've just saved so much money, I've managed to keep my job, managed to, it has, I would, I mean, again, I would have loved to have moved away as well, it was just I wasn't really like swayed to either so Leeds was my second choice so it was a case of like fate, do you know what I mean?

Yeah.

Erm, it was a case of if I don't get into Newcastle then I'm meant to go away, which is the same as my friend (NAME), she's at uni, at Leeds Met now but her first choice was to go to Northumbria and she didn't get in so it was a case of 'well, I'm obviously meant to go away', and it's been the best thing she ever did, she's just absolutely loving it but erm, I got into Newcastle and it was a case of 'well, that'll be it.'

Yeah.

I wasn't really bothered.

Yeah, mine was pretty much the same.

Yeah.

I don't know, I wanted to go, I liked Newcastle. It was either Newcastle or York.

Uh-huh.

For English and I got into both and I was just, I liked Newcastle uni better.

Yeah.

I don't like how York university is so far away (interruption) from the actual like

(interruption) From the actual York.

York. And I've got friends that go there and just say there's no, like it's not a very good nightlife there and stuff there so (pause) I do like York, just

Yeah.

I see it as somewhere you'd have like a day trip.

Yeah, definitely.

I can't see myself living there. I just liked Newcastle Uni.

We went on a school trip that was for English to York St John University and erm.

Oh we went to that as well.

In sixth-form. Did you? (interruption) To the conference?

(interruption) Yeah, yeah. We went to a few, well I think we went to like two. Did you get the train there?

That is so weird. No we got a bus there.

Oh, we got a train. You were probably there as well.

Oh my God, yeah.

(laughter)

Yeah all the schools.

Yeah.

I just didn't really like, I suppose that was the St John, which is a bit like the poly uni.

Yeah.

And I just didn't, I just wasn't feeling it. I thought that uni was       

I don't know, I suppose it was all right.

I just wasn't feeling it.

But I needed like nothing to get there, I think I needed like a hundred UCAS points or something.

I know.

I don't think it's that good er uni. I think it's good for like teaching. If you did English with teaching.

Yeah.

I think it's quite good.

Yeah.

Oh. So have you got any ideas for what you want to do after uni or too soon?

Erm. I don't know, I've got like loads of ideas. I'm a nightmare really. My auntie's a journalist. Erm she lives in London and she works for erm have you heard of Red magazine?

Yeah.

It's like the big thick one. Erm and she works for, she does like little things on health and Boots magazine and she's got like, she's freelance so she does loads of little things. And ever since I was growing up I just wanted to do what she did, she was just like, she was just so like, such a high-flyer and she was just, I've always thought she was so cool and erm, even now she's just like so rich and since then I've always loved to do journalism but it's just getting into it, I think you'd have to go to somewhere big like really metropolitan like London or Manchester or somewhere like that. Erm, teaching is another option.