 | 10 December 2009 Accessibility help Text only |
|
|
| BBC Homepage | | |
| |||
| Contact Us Like this page? Send it to a friend! | | |
PeopleYou are in: Isle of Man > People > Little and large  The busy Bullring in Birmingham Little and largeBy Adam Uren Being brought up on the Isle of Man is often quite a sheltered experience for Manx youth, so using his own experiences and those of fellow students, Adam Uren discusses some of the noticeable differences between island life and big city living. At the end of my three-year tenure at the University of Birmingham, I have become introspective about the city I have begun to refer to as 'home'. Such a thought would have been impossible to contemplate before I left the Isle of Man for university. Yet when I leave Birmingham, it will be an emotional exit. That isn't to say my transition from placid Manx life to the hustle and bustle of England’s second city has been easy. The differences between the two are stark and sometimes difficult to get used to. The sheer number of shoppers in the Bullring (Birmingham’s main shopping centre) means you walk around with perfect anonymity, whilst in the Isle of Man you can't help but run into people you know on Strand Street. When I first experienced the Bullring I was quite intimidated, as it was so unlike the local shopping experiences I was accustomed to. Finding my way around the city was the other problem I had when adjusting to life in Birmingham. The transport systems in cities are more complex and on a much larger scale than on a small island.  Jaime Quayle It took me a long time to become familiar with such systems. The only hint I can give to a future student in a similar position is to learn by doing. I had no idea about the train system in the West Midlands when I first came to Birmingham, but it was just something I had to work out. Despite it being nerve-wracking at first, it becomes an oddly liberating experience. Apparently it is not only myself who had trouble with moving to a big city from the Isle of Man. Cathryn Floate, a 20-year-old University of Manchester student, says she had similar problems as I when trying to find her way around Manchester. She combated this by walking around the city as much as possible. University of Nottingham student Scott Davidson, 21, found the main thing he had to adjust to was the lack of spectacular countryside in the Midlands which he had grown comfortable with on the Isle of Man. Whilst some find it difficult to adjust to life in a big city, others go to universities that share similarities with the Isle of Man. Jaime Quayle, 21, who has just finished his course at Lancaster University (barely a ferry ride away from Douglas) says because Lancaster is a small place like the Isle of Man, he settled into the surroundings much quicker than he expected and that it has the same 'local' atmosphere found on the island. Those reluctant to try big city life may be advised to choose a university like Lancaster for a life not too far removed from the one experienced on the Isle of Man. Whilst those of you who crave a big city, take it from me, you will miss it when it's over! last updated: 04/04/2008 at 15:15 Have Your SayIsland life or big city - which do you prefer?
mate
meelqui
shantell braynen
Katie Hemsley
sarah lowry
Jason Rider
simone
Lorna Parry
anne hamilton
Peter
Stu
zoe barrow
Emma
charlie
Siobhan SEE ALSOYou are in: Isle of Man > People > Little and large 
| ||||
| | About the BBC | Help | Terms of Use | Privacy & Cookies Policy |
