Country Roads, Take me home

Country Boy In The City- The Student Life

After growing up around farm machinery and cattle (that’s cows to you city folk) I found the transition to student at Hull University strangely weird. I don’t mean weird in a oh-my-Lord-it’s-hideous way but to me it’s a culture shock, it makes me feel older than I actually am and fills me with a sensation of resentment to my fellow first year students.

“But why is this?” I hear you cry “Surely you’re a first year just like them” well I am and I’m not. In the literal sense, sure, but in the cultural sense I’m far different than your average first year. I like to think I’d sit with some of the older readers, tutting about how things aren’t the same anymore with them thar stoodents boozing up the streets, falling in gutters and generally being a nuisance.

Perhaps this is due to the fact that I never had this problem back where I’m from (the Country!) but I have taken my Land Rover on the odd swerve towards a gaggle of drunken students who thought it was fine to cross the road when I have a green light. (And yes you read that right, I have a Land Rover, I’m a proper country boy. I’ve also got a flatcap!) Again though I digress! From what I’ve seen of Hull (and I’ve seen a fair bit) I feel safe in a peculiar sort of way, that everything has its place and things just sort of happen in an odd equilibrium. Why I was just wandering down Spring Bank the other day looking here and there thinking “Wa-hey, a tavern!” turns out said tavern contains the man who’s given me the opportunity to do this article( but also serve food and drink at reasonable prices!) But I digress with my shameful plugging so I’ll move on.

If you’re reading this and perhaps you’re an older person thinking “yeah he’s right, but at the same time students do bring Hull some money” then let me say to you, milk them bloody dry by all means; I’m pretty sure the infamous Sugar Mill and Pozition already do. (not to knock them mind, they’re alright places, just not my cup of tea) bring me my dim lit pub and pint of cider to sup while I chit-chat until the sun goes down and I’ll be happy as Larry…whoever Larry is.

My point is Hull is appealing to different people, I like to think of myself as up to date with fashion and whatnot but this doesn’t make me gay. Much in the same way that not going out boozing 6 days a week makes me any less of a student; I take much more happiness in wandering the city centre looking at the buildings and wandering into ye-olde time shops

There’s some heritage here and it’s damn proud of it! And ya know what? Good for Hull! Too many places are selling out to make way for new, just look at Leeds and the new office/apartment things that were being built (thank you credit crunch for stopping that) I like Hull the way it is and that’s the way I want it to stay. Bloody Northern and Bloody Grand!

Luke Fenton Aka- The Country Boy.