A southerner ventures north

Standing outside the library in the cold air and slight drizzle of rain I was approached by a friendly face asking if I had a lighter they could borrow. I did, so I gave them my lighter and was then asked if I was having a nice day. The friendly stranger then thanked me very much for the use of my lighter as I walked back inside. This kind of behaviour seems normal now after 3 years of studying in Leeds, but thinking back to the way of life in my town, which sits just south of London, it couldn’t be more different. Before I arrived at university I thought that anything above Watford was northern; Birmingham was WAY up north, and I had never crossed the border from London to the rest of the country above. I had always fancied the north for my university choice, as I thought the north brought a more ‘fun’ way of life.