Goodbye London, Hello Northampton!

London, the city that everybody wants to visit. The city that I chose to leave.

Being 18 and ready to take my education to the next step, it was time to say goodbye to the place I knew as home. People would say growing up in South-East London must have been tough and dangerous, but in all honesty it wasn't. Where I lived was some of the nicest and caring people you could find. But wanting to see the world I decided to move to a place that not many people that I know has ever heard of, Northampton.

Being a city girl, I did not know what to expect moving to a town. It was a massive shock on how different Northampton was to London. The main two things that I was most shocked about was the busses and the people. Now, growing up in London I had an oyster card. I never needed to tell the driver where I was going. All I had to do was tap my oyster card on the reader and get on with my day. Moving to Northampton I did not have a that kind of luxury. I had to inform the driver on where I was going to get off so I could pay him accordingly. Paying is another thing I was not ready for. I've never left the house with anything less than a ten pound note, so trying to break that for a pound to pay was quite challenging, but it was done. Now I also grew up on a two door bus - one door where you enter and one where you leave. But nope, not in Northampton, they all use one door. So let's imagine the scene. I've paid my pound and I sit down in my usual spot, just behind the back doors, and my stop is starting to approach. I stand up and stand in front of the non-existent doors and everyone looks at me weird. It wasn't until the driver told me that you have to use the main doors that i noticed my mistake. I still believe that all doors should be used for people who are in a rush but you know, each to their own.

The people that lived there was much friendly than the ones back home. On my way to university, many people would say 'good morning' which was throwing as I've never had that from someone I didn't know. That was the moment I realised that what they say about Londoners was true. We are angry people for no reason.

As a student I wanted to experience the full ‘student lifestyle.’ By student lifestyle I mean trying to go out every night and still get to class by 10 am. It is not as easy as the movies make it look. Unless you are amazing at waking up early I would suggest having a full 8 hours. But as we all know, students will be students and with this, the lecturers understood that we wanted to know what the nightlife was like here, and still understand what we were to expect over the next three years. I can say Northampton knows how to throw some parties. Everything is cheap. From the drinks to the taxis and the food! The people who go out are kind, caring and just want to make some friends because they do not know anybody either. It's even better when you meet someone who is going to be on your course but you don't know it until they turn up to class late looking as much like you and gives you the look of 'didn't we do shots together?'

Personally, I feel like I will enjoy Northampton. Yes there will be some things I won’t be able to stop doing, for example trying to use a back door on the bus and also wonder why the buses do not speak; but the county as a whole is more welcoming than what I am currently used to. Northampton has done well, especially for me to say it is better than London, and Londoners are bias to their home town.

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