What have you been up to this week?

Um (laughter) saw us a gig like last night

I went to see Gas Light Anthem they were so good (interruption) It was incredible.

(interruption) right

Me and (NAME) got right near the front 'cause we planned it. We went early (pause) to make sure (interruption) (NAME) was very confused at the protocol of going to a gig.

(interruption) (laughter) Where were they on?

Ur O2 Academy

Has she never been to a gig before?

Well yes and no. More like an acoustic stand there and sort of stare at the people but we had to be near the (interruption) front

(interruption) What

'cause of my pure love for (NAME) we had to be near him. (laughter)

is he the -- the main singer?

the lead singer Yeah, but actually when we were there I found the bass player and the other guitar player more attractive (pause) (interruption) he was wearing a um

(interruption) (laughter)

one of them was wearing a Northern Rock t-shirt (interruption) and he kept winding up the crowd by mentioning Sunderland and then the crowd kept going mental and being like 'boo!'

(interruption) (laughter)

Were there loads of people there?

Yeah it was sold out (interruption) (unclear)

(interruption) Really?

Rammed. It was the weirdest mix of people. This is what I was going to tell you. The weirdest mix of people right there was (interruption) these absolute chavs

(interruption) we had that last night

(pause) (interruption) Like complete chavs

(interruption) really?

like smoking in the crowd, wearing their stripy Fred Perry hoodies (interruption) swearing like shouting 'ah you       ' at people.

(interruption) (laughter) Really?

(interruption) We were just like (pause) p- proper (interruption) loving the songs

(interruption) at gaslight anthem though?

Yeah

No but that's funny though (interruption) but look at (NAME), absolute Goth but he's a chav.

(interruption) jumping around and loving it

mm-mm

mm-mm my ex boyfriend (interruption) (unclear)

(interruption) Two genre -- two genres you (interruption) wouldn't expect to mix, do.

(interruption) (laughter)

That's very true. It was just the weirdest thing though but there were like old men and middle aged women and then like fourteen year old (pause) little (pause) people and I -- and I stood there and I was like '(NAME) I know I'm not that tall but I don't consider myself particularly small person but I feel positively six foot (pause) (interruption) compared to all these.'

(interruption) (laughter)

(interruption) (laughter)

I was like 'I feel like a giant' 'cause like w- w- we were in a bit where there was quite a lot of (pause) smaller people (interruption) but

(interruption) mm-mm

was it lively like was it (interruption) (unclear)

(interruption) yeah the crowd were absolutely loving it jumping around, arms in the air, everyone singing along. It was just one of those really good atmosphere gigs.

(interruption) (unclear)

(interruption) I had that last night. I went to see um Paramore. But like with the crowds 'cause like the -- oh my God there were like just the disastrous like fourteen-year-olds (pause) alternative people that had -- really they give people with stupid coloured hair a bad name (interruption) and it really        me off.

(interruption) (laughter)

I take it personally and like they had green hair that was like half yellowy washed out and half actually brown and (interruption) it was just like oh my God do it properly and don't do it green.

(interruption) ugh

Like, what? (interruption) And there was a load of people you know wearing like the green and black stripy tights or green an- like red and black stripy tights and stuff with little tutu skirts

(interruption) (laughter)

and then like -- but like they were actually dressed like that not like how we went to Club-land (laughter) and like oh it (interruption) was just so bad it was like (laughter)

(interruption) shh shh (NAME) didn't know I went to Club-land now keep it secret (laughter)

eh? (laughter)

(laughter) it was (interruption) brilliant

(interruption) Club-land?

are you embarrassed? It was awesome.

did (interruption) you

(interruption) we went to Club-land and saw Cascada and urm (interruption) N'Dubz (laughter)

(interruption) N'Dubz

phworgh! (interruption) nice. (laughter) When -- when was that? (laughter)

(interruption) (laughter)

(interruption) Urm last Christmas

(interruption) about I got tickets for your birthday last year

Yeah

(laughter)

I know, it was (pause) (interruption) so funny

(interruption) what was it like a we- a (interruption) weekend?

(interruption) I got bottled

Did you?

(interruption) (NAME) got bottled yeah l- bef- before the last song of Cascada the last song of the evening this bottle comes flying from nowhere and just cracks (NAME) on the head

I was nearly sick. (interruption) It hit me that hard I was nearly (interruption) sick

(interruption) oh my God (interruption) erm er glass bottle?

(interruption) No the plastic

(interruption) No like the -- it's still a really hard plastic though like er (interruption) (unclear)

(interruption) it was thrown from afar so it picked up

it was like thrown from the seats I (interruption) think

(interruption) like a Smirnoff Ice sort (interruption) of bottle?

(interruption) Yeah

(interruption) Yeah, like one of those plastic (interruption) ones

(interruption) my God it hurt (pause) it (interruption) really hurt

(interruption) it twatted (NAME) in the back of the head

(laughter)

S I just went (interruption) down and (interruption) crouched there like (interruption) ahhh (pause) rageous S

I was like (NAME) the (interruption) music's not that bad

(interruption) yeah

you don't have to cr -- sit on the floor and do this

(cough) who were you watching?

Cascada

oh oh right

yeah (laughter)

(laughter) I want to go

yeah it was pretty funny

(laughter)

but er (interruption) yeah (unclear)

(interruption) I really enjoyed it

yeah it was a good gig. I got tickets -- we got tickets for Pendulum for this birthday (laughter)

(interruption) have you?

(interruption) I tend to just buy her tickets (laughter) these days (interruption) (laughter)

(interruption) When -- when's your -- is it for your birthday you're seeing Pendulum?

(interruption) Aye it's her birthday in August

(interruption) Yes yeah well in August so obviously you know how you buy tickets (interruption) a bit earlier?

(interruption) ohh yeah

we always go s- s- just see bands in sort of December (pause) but I get the tickets for my birthday

nice

well it's -- it's er it's like Pendulum's on the night before a hand-in date for this massive essay that I've just got to give in today so I literally have to get it done (interruption) before Pendulum

(interruption) Yep you do (laughter)

like there's no -- (interruption) there's no question.

(interruption) ah it'll be such a good celebration though

yeah definitely because if I get it just submitted then I don't have to worry about it and then (pause) (interruption) go out

(interruption) yeah

(interruption) and it's a bit like dancey night as well like (interruption) a bit of (interruption) dub-step on

(interruption) yeah

(interruption) Have you ever been to see Pendulum?

(interruption) about eight times or something we saw them in Durham

(interruption) like in Durham yeah

at Leeds Fest (interruption) a couple of times

(interruption) mm

They're quite good

yeah

yeah they're quite -- I like them

Yeah

do you know they're Australian?

(interruption) are they?

(interruption) oh I did not know that

yeah and they were originally a (interruption) heavy metal band

(interruption) oh

but they didn't make it as a metal band they started putting obviously the (interruption) drum and bass sort of (interruption) beats with it

(interruption) that's interesting

(interruption) yeah

and they're the first kind of band of that genre (interruption) but they're predominantly a heavy metal band.

(interruption) They're quite. They're quite like he -- like (interruption) heavy (pause) yeah like drum and bass

(interruption) you can hear it when -- yes Yeah. But when they play like properly live they're there with their guitars and like (interruption) they look a bit crazy.

(interruption) really?

(interruption) They've got lots of piercings and stuff

(interruption) Strumming away going for it

Oh really?

yeah they play like a live band on stage but then they've got (pause) (interruption) urm for the -- for the drum beat but if they just DJ then they just

(interruption) can be used in everything

yeah I've they just only ever seen them (interruption) DJ

(interruption) yeah

(interruption) the DJ set's the worst I've seen.

(laughter) (interruption) really?

(interruption) really? Was that when they played in Durham

yeah

It's not surprising, it's Durham we get all the        (interruption) (laughter)

(interruption) ah (interruption) (laughter)

(interruption) I might just have had some bad pills though and (interruption) then (unclear) (laughter)

(interruption) (laughter) just made you feel a bit       

maybe I don't know that's when I ki- kissed (NAME) when me and (NAME) started to (pause) (interruption) ah yeah

(interruption) get together

(interruption) who's he?

(interruption) one of (NAME)'s boyfriends

that's another ex-boyfriend

Oh right (interruption) (laughter)

(interruption) Another ex-boyfriend wow! you're bringing them all in shall we just -- shall we just bring the list here and just pick one and talk about them

oh I don't (interruption) know

(interruption) move onto the next

Go for it (pause) reel them out (interruption) (laughter) (cough)

(interruption) (laughter)

(interruption) (laughter)

When's the -- when's the Pendu- Pendulum gig (interruption) then

(interruption) the ninth of December and my hand-in date's the tenth.

Have you got loads of work (pause) at the moment?

Loads (interruption) like

(interruption) I just live in the library (interruption) now

(interruption) I feel -- yeah I genuinely (interruption) feel

(interruption) where's my personality (interruption) gone.

(interruption) like I (interruption) live

(interruption) It's depressing

And I've got nothing to talk about abou- apart from how stressed I am about work (interruption) and that's genuinely the only crack that I have

(interruption) yeah

'cause it's (interruption) boring

(interruption) me too

And how anno- I -- I talk about how annoyed I am about like er the internet not working in the library and like how staff at the university aren't doing their job properly.

(laughter)

(interruption) yeah (laughter)

I feel like I'm getting like -- I'm like an old (interruption) (unclear)

(interruption) getting old and (interruption) yeah

(interruption) yeah all I do is just complain and then just get really confused with technology and. I feel like my nan (laughter) (unclear)

I am. I know. Like me and (NAME) went to -- went like for a few drinks and that after urm Paramore and it got to kind of like half one and I was like 'can we go home and go to bed please I've got a nine o'clock' (laughter) it's just like oh my God (laughter)

What has happened to (interruption) me. I didn't even drink.

(interruption) it's like bloody hell (interruption) ooo!

(interruption) Not a drop of alcohol passed my lips last night. Are you impressed?

(interruption) Really?

(interruption) Really?

Are you impressed? Well, I (interruption) felt bad

(interruption) ah

'cause (NAME)'s been being sick for the past three days (pause) (interruption) shockingly enough not because of pregnancy (laughter)

(interruption) what with?

although with (NAME) you never know.

Oh (interruption) God

(interruption) But um (laughter) so she's been being sick for the past three days and was like 'I can't not go to Gas Light Anthem there is no way I'm missing this' so she was -- she was like (NAME) 'I haven't eaten all day I figured logically if I don't eat anything there's nothing to throw up so therefore I'll be fine' so I though 'oh jeez if you drink like you're going to be absolutely off your face'

yeah

mm-mm

And I was like well (pause) I went on a bit of a -- a tight money schedule and I -- and I (interruption) really wanted a t-shirt so that was like twenty quid

(interruption) mm-mm

and we got a -- we got a lift into (laughter) the gig (laughter) so I thought oh do I buy a pint do I break into this tenner and I thought I'm going to enjoy it without it anyway so I was like ah        it no so I (interruption) didn't -- no

(interruption) did you not spend anything? (pause) Impressive

(interruption) no me and (NAME) walked home.

(laughter) (interruption) (laughter)

(interruption) I (interruption) know. I know

(interruption) we got -- we got the Metro home (pause) (interruption) well we got the Metro into town (unclear)

(interruption) that's very impressive

it's great

(interruption) (cough)

(interruption) ah

Urm (pause) yeah what do you think you're going to do after uni?

Ugh here we (interruption) go

(interruption) that (interruption) question

(interruption) sorry

It's all right (laughter)

I'm lucky isn't it um. 'Cause I'm doing media and I've realised I don't like media (interruption) and um I did like a Newcastle work-experience placement thing

(interruption) oh really

thing and um even though I'm really pleased I did it I really don't want to do that like (interruption) in life. I don-

(interruption) wh- why? What did you have to do?

Er it -- it more or less was like a PR-based thing for a film production company which like I really enjoyed doing but like a lot of it is just (pause) crunch work in offices like e-mailing people for hours and hours ringing and ringing and ringing people like PR networking like that. And they make it sound so wonderful with like the cocktail parties and networking that way and everything and it's like that's about three percent of it (pause) so I was like wow! no but like I'm really pleased I did it because otherwise I would have probably thought I want to be in PR and it's like oh my God no I don't so (pause) I'm looking at um a masters I can do in um (pause) sort of like down the curatorial (pause) way because I'd like to work in an art gallery if I (interruption) can yes

(interruption) oh really? Oh right, like a sorr- yeah to be like a curator

Yeah (interruption) Yeah.

(interruption) oh that's really cool.

Or like even if you don't um -- if you don't get into like an art gallery as such you get more into like the arts (pause) domain away from media a bit.

so what would you do your Masters in? Would (interruption) it (unclear)

(interruption) Um you can do it in um it -- it -- a I can't remember the title but it's specifically about like art gallery how to run one and stuff (interruption) erm

(interruption) oh really?

I think one of them's actually called something like curi- masters in curatorial efficiency or something (interruption) um so it -- it's quite specific with that way but like uh nos- well me boyfriend's mum knows someone who did that sort of masters and he now works um (pause) er he arranges like lights (pause) (interruption) in art galleries and stuff

(interruption) oh really?

and (interruption) amongst other things so.

(interruption) that's pretty cool. Would you want to do (pause) (interruption) that?

(interruption) Just something more down that -- that road than.

Sit in an office at a computer (interruption) you actually -- let's face it.

(interruption) mm shouldn't do that.

I just can't do that.

A bit more practical rather than (pause) Yeah. What about you (NAME)?

oh God, the dreaded question (pause) I've made the epic sort of decision of maybe applying to medicine

oh really?

Yep. So I've got the ball rolling sort of all kicked off today. I got an e-mail from um this woman about doing some hospital volunteering and I've got the first ward round on Wednesday in the surgery wards which is going to be so cool but

is this what you and (NAME) are doing?

yeah we're both going on Wednesday (interruption) we've got

(interruption) so cool.

I know. We've got the surgery wards and the cancer wards and then some other ward that me might be doing but it's going to be pretty ur.

That's really cool though

I know it's weird like you plan what you're going to do you're like yeah I'll do medicine I'll -- I'll volunteer at the hospital I'll get work experience I'll do this that and the other and then you start doing it and it's like phworgh!

(laughter) (interruption) (laughter)

(interruption) Oh my God, I'm actually doing this wow!

Do you think you'll take a year out (interruption) next year?

(interruption) (cough)

yeah 'cause I didn't apply this year (interruption) for sort of next year

(interruption) oh ok

'cause it didn't -- I -- I guess sort of in school they didn't -- they didn't really encourage us unless you were Oxbridge candidate they didn't say yeah you could do that so I never even dreamed of applying to medicine 'cause (interruption) the way our school was like you -- I -- there was no way I was entitled to do medicine. At all.

(interruption) oh really?

They probably would have laughed in my face (pause) but applying for it. But they only encouraged the people who wanted to go to Oxbridge didn't they. The only people doing medicine (interruption) are the ones going to Oxbridge.

(interruption) there was definitely a um a separation of efforts (pause) definitely (interruption) Yeah.

(interruption) In (pause) how to get you in and stuff so I never really considered it I thought I just (pause) thought it was- wasn't on the cards for (interruption) me

(interruption) yeah

but I've always found that field really interesting and then doing this degree sort of I just realised I don't want to be in the research bit I don't want to be particularly in a lab and I don't want to be doing the sort of molecular biology of things. I want to do the clinical side (pause) I don't care about signalling cascades. I care about treating people and chemotherapy and (pause) (interruption) you know

(interruption) like the actual

yeah the actual practical side of it so (pause) I don't know I guess being with (NAME) and seeing him want to do it then I was like oh well if you can do it, (interruption) I'm pretty sure (interruption) I can do (unclear)

(interruption) (laughter) (interruption) I can do better (laughter)

(interruption) I can do it too (laughter)

like I'll gi -- I'll definitely give it a go if you're going to do it I'm going to -- there's no way I'm getting left behind. I'm not being the -- the lesser half of the couple no way you're want -- if you want to be a doctor I want to be a doctor God damn it (laughter) but um yeah and I've just got um -- (NAME)'s dad actually um had a word with the er -- had a word (interruption) urm with the

(interruption) (laughter) (pause) pulled some strings

Pulled some strings with the er the -- the consultant pathologist at Durham and I'm going to watch a post-mortem next week.

Uh (interruption) wow!

(interruption) I know I found out today (interruption) I was so excited

(interruption) that is amazing. What does that -- what -- so

Basically observe him cut up a dead body (pause) (interruption) and slice up all the organs

(interruption) that's incredible

and (pause) establish how this person died (interruption) so

(interruption) wowzas

I know but like I've don -- I'm doing work experience in all different sort of (pause) fields but ever since I was about twelve I think I got really into sort of like Silent Witness and like Waking the Dead and the pathology bit was just (interruption) the best bit yeah so

(interruption) really? Wou- could you ever work in like a mortua- mortuary? Is that what it is?

(interruption) yeah a morgue

(interruption) mm (pause) yeah you -- if (interruption) you

(interruption) a morgue

yeah 'cause you have to do medicine to be a pathologist

ah

(interruption) so I guess that's one field of medicine you could go into after obviously doing a medical degree (interruption) so yeah

(interruption) it almost seems like your efforts are somewhat pointless when the person you're working on is already dead.

(interruption) (laughter)

(interruption) Yeah yeah there is that (laughter)

A bit ironic really (interruption) (laughter)

(interruption) yeah I suppose forensic pathology would be good 'cause obviously you're determining how (pause) how someone died and sort of like a crime (pause) (interruption) aspect

(interruption) like in (pause) 'CSI'

so I suppose yeah but I've got some other work experience as well like I'm doing work in a sort of pharmacy department in (pause) January and I've already done cardiac and respiratory I've done chemotherapy I've done radiotherapy sort of (interruption) like a gynaecology bit

(interruption) wow! Really? How -- how have you -- what all work experience?

Mm-mm.

How?

Well the first one my mother pulled some strings because she works in the oncology sort of department in the hospital. But I still had to fill in all the forms and apply and things and write to them all. But I just wrote to different sort of departments and were like 'please take me I'm willing to learn I'll do anything'.

What when you were at school?

(cough) no I wrote to them urm at Easter

Oh really?

So that in the summer I could do um -- 'cause I got CRB checked and everything and um so I went in summer and I sat in on what like consultations with the gynaecologists and the patients and their families and things and they talked through how their treatment was going and if you have any side-effects and what they were going to do next like if they were going to enter more cycles of chemo or whatever (pause) and then I did a stint in the radiotherapy suite so where they give everyone the radiotherapy.

Yeah

And (pause) then I did (pause) a section something cw- called do- dissymmetry which is a bit like -- where they calculate the dose of radiation they are going to give you. Like they -- they literally map out the exact borderline of your -- of your tumour from (pause) the CT scans I thi- (unclear) they've taken so they can deliver the sort of the maximum dose to (pause) the area without creating damage to normal cells I suppose but it was (interruption) pretty interesting.

(interruption) That's incredible.

Yeah.

I was so excited. I genuinely get so excited about hospitals (interruption) I know I shouldn't and I'm going to have to cal- I just get

You're really going to have to watch that.

(interruption) (laughter)

(interruption) I just like helping -- I just like (pause) things coming together (interruption) and piecing the jigsaw together.

(interruption) as long as it comes across as helping and not being excited (interruption) that people are dying around you.

(interruption) no well it'll -- it'll -- no no -- it'll be like enthusiasm and willingness to help as opposed to like 'oh my God you've got that that's so cool.' No it'll just be like oh really that's (pause) interesting. But I got to um -- I went into the cardiac and respiratory units I got to watch um some dude's sort of minor surgeries like (interruption) an- angeograms

(interruption) oh really?

and um I watched them insert a pace-maker so I was all scrubbed up with my lead apron on watching. And the surgeon was really nice as well he was like pointing at things and properly teaching me and I was like (interruption) (unclear) This is exciting

(interruption) oh my gosh. What so when they put a heart -- a pacemaker in (pause) they (interruption) I have no idea (unclear)

(interruption) They literally cut you open so you can see your heart beating and then they put these little um sort of wires and they hook one into the bottom of your heart and one into (pause) the top into the atrium so and then in a little sort of metal box they stick -- they just slide it in your skin (pause) like and them um if your heart isn't beating (pause) urm (pause) regularly so your heart misses a beat the -- the pace-maker will recognise it and send a signal to your heart and stimulate it to (pause) (interruption) beat

(interruption) oh really?

yeah so like it's a -- it's sort of like a permanent fix as well like they're monitored to make sure they're still working (laughter) obviously. (laughter)

Do you -- what are they made off?

Metal.

Do they (pause) do they not (interruption) like

(interruption) no. Set things off at airports.

Oh yeah of course (interruption) yeah

(interruption) yeah you -- in certain like -- you got to be care- like sort of careful with them but once they're in. Like my granddad went into hospital 'cause he kept fainting (pause) because his heart kept stopping every eight seconds. (interruption) It just re- refused to beat

(interruption) (laughter)

and then so they -- they rushed him into hospital, worked out what it was (interruption) and then put a pace-maker in him.

(interruption) mm-mm.

Been fine and dandy ever since.

yeah

'Cause it's just

(interruption) Is it an electric thing then? Does it give it a shock?

It just sends sort of (pause) I'm not quite sure of the er. I (interruption) should know -- should know

(interruption) mm

but it was a few months ago. It just sort of sends a -- it recognises when your heart's contracted (pause) or not and if it hasn't (interruption) then it sends a little signal

(interruption) mm-mm.

and (interruption) (unclear)

(interruption) I'm just wondering what the signal is. Is it.

It's not like an electric shock. It'll be just like a (pause) (interruption) (unclear)

(interruption) A little nudge (interruption) (laughter) (pause) get on with it

(interruption) Yeah (pause) But I'm not entirely sure how. I've forgotten. They did tell me. (interruption) Properly.

(interruption) (laughter)

That's really cool though.

Yeah it was cool but I don't know which area I want to go into so I guess with all the work experience it'll help but I have t- I have to get in first so. (interruption) (laughter)

(interruption) it'll definitely help like probably more -- I do not know because for example like (NAME) and (NAME) I don't know if they -- if they could see all of that kind of stuff (interruption) like they

(interruption) yeah (NAME) reckoned it would help because he said that he applied to do medicine. Didn't he get -- he didn't get in (interruption) first time he applied did he?

(interruption) No.

so he did -- worked as a porter in a hospital for a year. (interruption) And applied again and got in

(interruption) oh yes, yes, yeah.

(interruption) (cough)

(interruption) But he said that if you mention that you'd been on work experience then you've got like a real (pause) sort -- view (interruption) what it's going to be like -- perception of what it's going to be like

(interruption) definitely

then he said that will definitely help you if you mention that in interview you'll get (unclear) you'll get sort of brownie points. (interruption) (laughter)

(interruption) You'll get like highlighted.

here's hoping 'cause I'm probably not going to get im- in on my brilliant first class degree. (laughter) It's probably going to be more like a two-one or a I don't even know. (interruption) But (laughter) I do not know.

(interruption) Well. (interruption) You'll have to see.

(interruption) (laughter)

(interruption) I know I know I'll know once I've sort of got my degree and (interruption) then I'll (unclear)

(interruption) Do you think you'll reapply here?

Yeah definitely I couldn't afford to do it anywhere else. I couldn't afford to live away and pay fees as well

yeah

So it's here or (pause) I don't know I think if I got in somewhere else I think my parents would pull out the stops purely on the fact that I'd got in so I would be going somewhere with it. I could be able to repay them.

And also medicine is a really like solid (pause) thing to have. You're -- you're going to be sure to have a job afterwards.

yeah and definitely be able to repay it 'cause mum said the doctors that she works with she was 'like they're on like a hundred grand plus they get paid to do -- to go to talks and conferences around the world' and I was just like bloody hell living the high life.

Yeah (interruption) (unclear)

(interruption) I want that. (laughter)

(laughter) (interruption) Do you -- do you think you'll go?

(interruption) Pretty much.

(NAME), do you think you'll go straight to um (pause) back to uni (interruption) or will you take a gap year?

(interruption) Oh absolutely not I need a gap year (laughter) Yeah. (laughter) (interruption) Urm.

(interruption) Where do you think you'll go?

Erm

Holiday (interruption) (laughter)

(interruption) yeah I don't know like um (pause) I'd want to do like an art history course before I did my masters anyway um 'cause all -- all I know about art really is through personal interest sort of thing like I haven't done it since A-Level. Um (pause) so (pause) er yeah but I'm -- I'm going to go away for a bit I don't know where um. I really want to go to South America and go diving there.

Oh

In the Galapagos Islands and I'm going to see Lonesome George.

Have you got um (pause) Have you got any like diving (interruption) experience?

(interruption) yeah I've got my diving license so I learnt in Mozambique in Africa urm (interruption) (laughter) (unclear) (laughter)

(interruption) As you do in the most (interruption) advanced dive site in the world (interruption) pretty much.

(interruption) (laughter)

(interruption) As you do um. So you learn how to dive while you're watching whale sharks (interruption) swim around

(interruption) wow! Ah wow!

and it was pretty good and I (unclear) I got stuck with em two bull-sharks one time which was really horrible (laughter) (interruption) yeah

(interruption) yeah I can imagine

it was like really scary but urm. (interruption) (laughter)

(interruption) what -- hold on. How did you get stuck (interruption) with two bull-sharks?

(interruption) oh well because (interruption) urm.

(interruption) clever        (interruption) took a plastic bottle (pause) down below.

(interruption) (laughter) How did that happen? (laughter)

(interruption) Someone mentioned that if you take an empty plastic bottle down with you and crackle it like and make that noise it attracts sharks and I kind of thought it was half        away I'd ran out of air so I was sharing my diving instructor's air

(interruption) Oh God (laughter)        (laughter)

and then half way up he ran out of air so then we had to do this emergency (pause) like yeuch back to the surface and um (pause) we got really really drunk 'cause we'd come up far too fast and like we just (laughter) kind of like sat there on the boat just like (laughter) yeuch and just like acting really drunk for like the next day. (interruption) (unclear) I couldn't dive for like three days later.

(interruption) Really? 'Cause doesn't it urm (pause) What does it do? Create air in your lungs? Something like that (interruption) (unclear)

(interruption) no it gets -- it gets air in your blood but that's when you've got decompression sickness.

Oh right (interruption) (unclear) (laughter)

(interruption) That's when you're a bit        to be honest. (interruption) Erm.

(interruption) Oh really?

Well it's curable but not in Africa (pause) um (pause) they will airlift you to Johannesburg but one they probably don't have a helicopter, two it'll probably fall apart in the air (interruption) urm.

(interruption) And three if you do get there it'll cost you ten grand.

(interruption) Oh nice

(interruption) And if you don't have ten grand they will just put you in a corner and let you die

(interruption) Oh my God.

(pause) (interruption) That's how they work it's happened before (interruption) um

(interruption) That's horrible.

(pause) Yeah so it wouldn't be a great idea but no the only danger we would've been in is if I'd had any air in my lungs and (pause) zoomed up and then my lungs would have burst 'cause the air expands as you come up (interruption) and then you're dead.

(interruption) Oh God that's horrible (interruption) (laughter)

(interruption) it's all different with like pressure inside your (interruption) head.

(interruption) yeah

(interruption) Yeah. But um no it was all right because we did something called the CESA ascent and you're breathing out the whole time so you're constantly (interruption) (unclear) acting even though your lungs are constantly expanding (interruption) (unclear)

(interruption) ooh ok. (interruption) Isn't it really hard to do?

(interruption) Er not when you're literally going to drown if you don't.

(interruption) To breathe out when you (unclear) Yeah fair.

(interruption) (laughter)

(interruption) You find it quite straight forward (interruption) when that's the case yeah

(interruption) good shout. (laughter)

How long were you in Mozambique for?

S A month, she left me for a month. S

A month.

That's incredible. (interruption) How come?

(interruption) mm. Urm I just decided I wanted to go somewhere on my own. (interruption) (laughter)

(interruption) Was it on a gap year (interruption) (unclear)

(interruption) No it was just in between summer and second year. It was the summer before second year rather (pause) um (pause) and so I just went off on my travels and um (pause) moved into like I rented a house with a German girl, and Australian girl and (pause) a Dutch girl (pause) and I was the youngest one 'cause I was eighteen at the time (pause) nineteen at the time and they were like twenty-seven to thirty-six sort of thing (interruption) so we had a right good time yeah it was really good.

(interruption) really? Yeah.

(interruption) I loved it. Absolutely loved it.

(interruption) That's really cool

So then I've only ever been diving in Egypt but I've done that a few times.

Oh well that's pretty good (interruption) not too bad (laughter)

(interruption) (laughter) It's pretty good to be honest yeah (laughter)

Um did you stay just in Mozambique?

Yeah literally just stayed somewhere called Tofu where. As in literally what you would eat tofu (interruption) like. Um (pause) oh I loved it so much it was brilliant um.

(interruption) yeah

The pictures are incredible (interruption) like incredible.

(interruption) I can imagine

Yeah em unfortunately though because I didn't have my license I wasn't allowed to take my diving camera down with me in Mozambique (interruption) so I don't actually have any photographs.

(interruption) oh really?

I've got um -- I borrowed one camera (pause) off somebody else urm well it was off the diving school (pause) 'cause I wasn't licensed to use my own 'cause if I broke it I couldn't claim be- 'cause of insurance and stuff and 'cause they have no money it's -- it's better if I break their camera than (laughter) my own. (laughter) So I took their camera down and I managed to get some proper good shots of the whale-sharks.

(NAME) really (interruption) wants to see them.

(interruption) (unclear) they -- they're good (interruption) fun.

(interruption) He got

You -- you've seen them haven't you?

(interruption) yeah

(interruption) yeah I -- I went on your (interruption) Facebook to try and find them

(interruption) Good.

and there's only a couple but he got really excited that the (interruption) (unclear)

(interruption) (unclear)

(interruption) What animals did you see?

Whale-sharks, humpback-whales oh my God we saw this baby humpback-whale uh ooo! it was the cutest thing ever but like (pause) you're not allowed to go diving if there are humpback-whales in the vicinity because like if -- if they just tap you with their fin you're dead pretty much 'cause they're huge. Like if you get in the way and they move so quickly like you think -- you think they're slow but they're not. When you're in their territory they're not and um. But when we'd done -- we'd been down for forty-five minutes and often boats attract them and they just come and like they're curious and as we were like doing a safety stop (pause) about em fifteen metres down I'd say (pause) no it would have just been ten metres or something like quite near the surface um they just started to circle us (pause) and they were just like singing and ooo! (interruption) it was brilliant

(interruption) wow

(interruption) (laughter) it was -- it was brilliant it was really good.

(interruption) ah that's incredible.

Are the babies massive?

Well when -- if the humpback-whale is in front of you y- you can't see the whole thing 'cause it's -- it's like being this close to a bus. Like (interruption) it -- it

(interruption) really? They're that big?

It's the most frightening feeling I've ever had being a (interruption) spec 'cause it's a sea creature

(interruption) (laughter)

and like they look like sea monsters when you're actually looking at it 'cause obviously everything in the water appears bigger (interruption) anyway.

(interruption) yes, yeah

And like if one's swimming past you i- it takes a year (laughter) for them to get past (laughter) and you're constantly swimming backwards to get out of the way of the tails 'cause the tails are so much wider than they are (interruption) and it's just like oh my God. (interruption) (laughter)

(interruption) (laughter) (interruption) my gosh

Like all this stuff going on.

It's incredible

Yeah.

So cool. So yeah in South America you'd like to do some more

Yeah

Um diving. (interruption) Where would you do it?

(interruption) Yeah (unclear)

Um just around the Galapagos Islands because they have a lot of turtles and I've never seen a turtle under water. (interruption) Um

(interruption) I saw a turtle in Australia when I was travelling and I was like oh my God that (interruption) is so so cool (interruption) w- h- how?

(interruption) It's a turtle. (interruption) Yeah. Yeah. (laughter)

(laughter) It was amazing. Did you -- did you (interruption) (unclear)

(interruption) I didn't see any turtles I've seen -- I've seen tur- we saw turtles in Turkey. You remember the- they were like this big an- (interruption) and you could feed them chicken feet what are chicken's (unclear)

(interruption) Yeah.

Ugh.

But they were feeding them anyway (interruption) they had really smooth heads.

(interruption) Why

(interruption) (laughter)

(interruption) Yeah.

They did (interruption) they were -- they were surprisingly smooth.

(interruption) They do.

(laughter) What -- how did you know that you could (laughter) feed them chicken? (laughter)

Because we went feeding. (interruption) We went turtle feeding.

(interruption) Well Yeah.

(unclear) that just a (interruption) general (pause) general knowledge.

(interruption) it -- it well the part of Turkey that we went to is like a um -- it's got this really famous beach called Turtle Beach and it's for like the hotspots of like sort of turtle egg laying and etcetera but there's loads in the water around there's like a fresh -- basically Dallion's set on like a delta so you go on a boat to anywhere just through the reeds and blah blah blah but (pause) It's like a fresh water side and a salt water side and you get different turtles and they're literally like (pause) huge (interruption) and they curiously pop their little heads up

(interruption) really?

(interruption) mm-hm.

(interruption) and swim around in the lake.

(interruption) aww

mm-hm

They're gorgeous (interruption) so cute and they've got these little pointed little noses

(interruption) so nice.

and they come out (interruption) and you throw raw chicken on one of these stones (pause) and they crawl up and eat it and go back It was pretty impressive.

(interruption) snouts.

(interruption) Yeah (unclear)

(interruption) mm (unclear) really cute.

They're a lot bigger than I thought. They're huge.

Are they massive as well in the Galapagos?

They're the biggest ones (interruption) ever. They're the giant tortoises.

(interruption) yeah really?

How big are they? (pause) Wow! Really?

For the microphone that was about a metre (interruption) off the -- off the ground.

(interruption) (laughter)

(interruption) (laughter)

(interruption) Um they're huge yeah that's the point. Grown men sit on them and get their photos taken and stuff like they're unmovable objects like just like a boulder like (pause) it's from the dinosaurs like they are dinosaurs (interruption) so.

(interruption) How old do they get?

Hundreds? (unclear)

How old is Lonesome George? Isn't he (interruption) two hundred?

(interruption) (laughter) Lonesome George (laughter) (interruption) (unclear)

(interruption) Who's Lone- who's Lonesome George?

Oh he's the- there's (interruption) only one (pause) well until recently there's only one type of his giant tortoise and he's the last one

(interruption) (unclear)

(interruption) (laughter) Sounds like a friend of yours.

(interruption) but he found -- he found a woman.

Oh (laughter) nice. (laughter) (interruption) (laughter)

(interruption) (laughter)

But the cute thing is because they've literally not seen any of them anywhere in South America we've no idea where this female's come from and they can kind of (pause) like text each other.

Really?

Yeah and they think that they were the last two ever and they've had kids oh (interruption) beautiful.

(interruption) oh wonderful

They're repopulating the dying tortoises.

Oh good. (laughter) (interruption) Are you going to go and see them?

(interruption) (unclear)

Yes I nee- I need to go before Lonesome George dies (pause) if he dies and I've not like sat on him I'll be so upset.

Well you've -- it's not too long. It's less than a year. (interruption) It could be anyway.

(interruption) Yeah.

(interruption) Yeah.

I've not got the money for it though (pause) (interruption) the flights and that.

(interruption) no.

(interruption) no.

I'm thinking it might be easier to fly (laughter) somewhere else (laughter) and then travel (interruption) around.

(interruption) Travel about yeah I'd love to go to South America. Brazil

(interruption) mm.

(interruption) Watching the Brazil carnival on the TV remember the other day I was just like 'I want to be there I want to dress in a stupid outfit and dance like (interruption) a        (pause) It looks like so much fun

(interruption) I know it looks like so much fun yeah

I really want to go (interruption) it looks incredible.

(interruption) yeah

Where else would you go (pause) (interruption) Would you do like the whole thing all in one?

(interruption) I wou- (cough) I don't well (interruption) I suppose when you're (pause) there it's sort of te- me, not necessarily America -- America

(interruption) I'm really not interested in the whole of America.

I'd like to go to New York or somewhere like that but (interruption) just that -- you can do that randomly at like -- when you're older at Christmas' or something.

(interruption) mm. When you can afford to shop.

Yeah definitely but I (interruption) think (pause) just more I do not know

(interruption) There's not much point in going.

my dad's always wanted to go to Machu Picchu. Like where all the yeah it's where the Incas (interruption) (unclear) so cool yeah I definitely would (interruption) love to do that.

(interruption) the Inca trail.

(interruption) (unclear) to do that.

Yeah.

It looks insane (pause) just anywhere that isn't England's fine for me really. I -- I'm not too fussed about Europe Euro Europe's never really bothered me as (interruption) (unclear)

(interruption) It's 'cause it's close though.

Yeah I suppose.

Yeah we've just (interruption) I don't know

(interruption) I quite like sort of A- Asia like obviously Thailand 'cause I -- I've never been and everybody always raves about it and (pause) tick that off the list and just places like that as well. Cambodia.

Yeah

Those kind of places.