The experiences of people from the South living in the North???

I have been living in Derry for over 12months now, I am leaving here Friday and I have mixed feelings about the place.....

I am just curious, but what have been the experiences of other people from the South who live or have lived up in the North??
positive? negative? or mixed?

Fiann

Derry is a nice place to visit, but for me not a city to live.

pow wow

Didn't like Derry when I lived there but I don't think being from the South had anything to do with it! Much more of a sectarian vibe in Belfast I find, which makes me miss Derry in a weird way.

Glad I don't live there anymore though!

Latchy

There are some beautiful places in NI and lot's of lovely people to

But Derry /Belfast ? I could'nt live in either .The whole history of those place's objectively, the suppression , just freaks me out thinking about it .The natives will most likely love it.Although I have met a few ,some who were obiouslys disturbed by their expierences growing up there .

meanie boots

meanie boots wrote: »

Didn't like Derry when I lived there but I don't think being from the South had anything to do with it! Much more of a sectarian vibe in Belfast I find, which makes me miss Derry in a weird way.

Glad I don't live there anymore though!

It is interesting that you find Belfast more sectarian than Derry,
I was told the opposite by many people. I have only been around the city centre and in Stormont once and I found it more metropolitan than Derry....
Then again, I was reading that story about the "paddy wagon" bus getting burned because it was parked to close to a protestant area!

http://www.anphoblacht.com/news/detail/24465

Im going movign out later on today and my landlord is refusing to give me my deposit back..... 100pound!!!!!!!

So my advice to anyone looking for accomodation in Derry is to avoid <SNIP>

Does anyone know a consumer body or something like that which I could complain to?




Mod edit@ We dont want the company or personal names posted here.

I got a few PMs about what I said so I said I'd explain.......

There are positive aspects to living in Derry…
Derry's history, both ancient and modern, is incredibly interesting and surrounds you everywhere you go.
The scenery around Lough Foyle is very beautiful. The countryside around Derry, in both County Derry and County Donegal, is really beautiful as well.
I studied Politics in Magee and I have to say that the Arts and Politics departments at University of Ulster have some really good lecturers. A large number of widely respected academics work there.
The nightlife in Derry is also quite good. The Red Rooms, the Nerve Centre, Bound for Boston etc
It is quite rough though; it doesn't take much to get into a row.

I experienced an awful lot of social problems while I was there, often because of my accent. The neighbours in the first housing estate I lived in <snip> were incredibly rough, prone to screaming matches on the street. The kids were horrible as well. A number of times, I had to listen to "you're not from here…" "Go home" type crap. The retired guy I lived with was a heavy drinker as well who behaved fairly aggressively a number of times in front of his mates.

So I moved out of there and into a flat on the <snip>.... more trouble there. The neighbours used to fight all the time (more alcoholics) and one time the woman below bet up her husband so bad he had to go to hospital. A police man interviewed all the neighbours the next day. So the next time they fought, I called the cops. The idiot cop told them it was me who had called the police and after the police left they came up and tried to kick in my door!! I reckon the cop heard my southern accent and did that out of spite. I called the ombudsman on him, but they said it wasn't serious enough to be investigated.

Worst of all was getting attacked on <snip>, some guys attacked me and my <snip> mate. They cracked my mates head open off the ground and he had to go to hospital and get stitches. He left Ireland a few days later and went back home <snip>. Even though the area was covered in cameras, they said they couldn't do anything.

The guys who work on the gate at <snip> also used to cause me hassle when I was going in there at night time. There was always parties at the student village and people used to enter freely but they told me I needed a pass to get in at night, even though many other drunken people were simply walking in past me. Once again, I was getting hassle for being from the south.

It wasn't just myself who experienced anti-social behaviour. College friends of mine from <snip> all had bad experiences. There were two Japanese girls in my class had an awful time. One of them was attacked in the train station. I also got abused by two girls on the train to Belfast one day.

Although, I met some nice people and made some friends (mainly from Belfast and Donegal); I was happy to leave the place. Anyways…… that's my gripe!! I didn't think it would be that long!!! I lived there for about 12months altogether. So was I just unlucky??? Or is what I have noted above quite common??

GAAman

Deleted User wrote: »

The guys who work on the gate at <snip> also used to cause me hassle when I was going in there at night time. There was always parties at the student village and people used to enter freely but they told me I needed a pass to get in at night, even though many other drunken people were simply walking in past me. Once again, I was getting hassle for being from the south.

Forgetting everything else said i honed in on this point. Why? Cos you are bang out of order on it. I know both lads who work security in <snip> and they are sound lads who think the world of little oul DUBLIN me. One of them is from Donegal which as far as the northerners are concerned is "southern" if you had bothered to check. They were "causing you hassle" because they have a job to do, the people they let pass might be livin there up to three years and they know them well hence not looking for a pass, i used to WORK with them and was asked for a pass. You know god forbid they ask you for a pass to check you lived there, i mean why not open the gates let everyone in for rapes and destruction based fun :rolleyes:

You werent getting hassle on this point for being from the south so take the pity me hat off

Oh and for the record i have been living here for three years so you cant tell me anything i dont know about being from the "south" and living up here, in fact its actually closer to 4

pow wow

+1 with GAAman. I never once encountered problems with my Southern accent in Derry. It sounds like you've been incredibly unlucky in general; the people picked the thing that made you different (which happened to be the fact you're from the Republic) to have a go about.

Like GAAman I'd also disagree with your comments about security at <snip>. I know when I lived there passes were required, maybe they were a bit easy on people they knew/recognised but to say it's because you're from the Republic is miles removed from that.

<snip>

regob

i ve been living up in belfast for coming up to two years now, ive had trouble once, well it wasnt to do with my accent, and the people that were with me were from the north, basically it was a sectarian attack, on my 18th bday.

but other than this i have had no trouble in belfast