As you probably gathered from the blog title, I'm from the posh part of Manchester. Hale to be more precise. Although I despise letting it onto anyone. If an outsider asks, I always say Manchester. If they ask which part I always say Altrincham. I didn't even tell my own boyfriend (who I met at uni in Norwich, may I add) my exact address until about a week until he was due to visit at Easter. And I was very reluctant to give my address to a friend so she could send me a birthday present. I just don't want to be judged by people who may think that I (well, my parents) live in a £1,000,000 house, with 2 Bentleys with personalised number plates casually sitting in the very large driveway, and that I spend my free time sitting in expensive coffee shops with a chihuahua's head popping out of a ridiculously large expensive handbag, and crashing cars in the airport tunnel, just because I have more money than common sense. Oh, and that I have a framed photo of Margaret Thatcher, which I kiss every night before I fall asleep. That's the aura that Hale people give out. Have I mentioned that I dislike it?
My reality is very different. Yes, I live in a fairly large house, but that's just because we recently inherited enough money to build an extension. And we have a fucking Kia Picanto. Probably the least show-ey car you could possibly have. And a Land-Rover, but that's practical for my dad's long-distance job. Although we do own a poodle. A large miniature black poodle to be more precise. She's sat next to me now actually. Sweeeeeeeeeet. And I'm very left-wing. I voted the Green Party at the local council election. I didn't tell anyone from around Alty, because I knew I'd get callings of "Right is Right"(?!), "Why did you vote for such a nothing-y party" etc etc etc. Surely everyone's entitled to their own political beliefs? These are mine.
I'm ridiculously glad I moved out of this area for uni and moved 200+ miles away to Norwich, out of the "Hale bubble". I've met new people who's opinions I actually agree with, seen different perspectives on life, and for the first time ever, I'm fully myself. And I'm fucking loving it. I was actually very reluctant to move back to Hale after my first year. That speaks volumes in my book.
Although it's not all bad. I'm proud to be associated with Manchester, and to have lived there for 16+ years. Just not the Hale part of it. There's something about the city that just draws me back into it. I'm yet to figure out properly what it is. The music maybe? I'm a massive Oasis fan. And the Smiths. And the Stone Roses. Any halfway decent Manc band, actually. Even, dare I say it, Take That. Yes, I know, I should be hung, drawn and quartered for actually admitting that. Meh.
Also, the football. It both brings the city together, and divides it, especially on Derby Day. It's more a a banter-y division. I've never seen or heard of anything really serious breaking out between the two fan bases. I'm a Red, and every time I see United playing on TV, I feel a sense of pride to be from Manchester. I actually welled up when Sir Alex Ferguson made his retiring speech at Old Trafford, and I'm willing to bet that others, including grown men did. Take my boyfriend, for example.
I think I've said everything. Over the next few months, I'm going to be in limbo between here, Cambridge and Norwich. Although Manchester will always bring me back to it, in one way or another. You can take me out of Manchester, but you can't take the Manchester out of me.
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