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Escaping the city

Duration: 1:54 minutes
Accession No: TWCMS : 2009.270
This story has been viewed 1300 times

Summary
Steve's story is about his experiences of living in both the city and the country and how this differs.

By Steve Parkes


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Video transcript

Imagine you were born and raised within sight of mountains. You lived in a city, but everywhere you looked there were huge, sprawling, majestic mountains stretching as far as childhood's eye could see and not just countryside, but space. Climb into your parent's car and you could drive from busy, bustling city to open roads, forest land or beach and not really mind how long it took.

Imagine then that you moved to a city. A large, congested, foreign city with parks to walk in but few views that really made your heart race. Imagine feeling squashed, oppressed and constricted.

I don't live in a city anymore. I moved from city, to city to town to the country. From London to Sheffield, from Sheffield to Derbyshire, from Derbyshire to County Durham and then, to Upper Weardale.

My family and I came on holiday. Stayed in a ramshackle caravan in the middle of a field surrounded by hillside and then, years later, returned by accident to find a home just across the road.

Imagine now that you're walking your dog. Imagine, even if it's not a fine day, that you're walking through fields past chickens, sheep, horses or cattle and as you walk, you're talking on your mobile phone to your family in London. Imagine, that as you talk, you're picturing the difference. Offsetting the rows and rows of houses, the dirt, the congestion, the rush, the noise and the panic against the hills, the fields and the stars that light your sky at night. I still feel small but I don't mind. Feeling dwarfed by something that really matters ....that's fine by me.

That's a similar story to my life! That's a beautiful photo at the end of your story.Posted on 27/01/2010 at 01:52:54

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