The Returning Tourist

Further Info

This story was made on a four and a half day training workshop for library staff in Bristol. It was the first Bristol Stories workshop to use entirely Windows software.

It was led by Paul Matson, Sarwat Siddiqui and Paddy Uglow and was supported by Bristol’s Museums, Galleries & Archives.

Transcript

University summer holidays, in the early 90s, and I was looking for a job. My father suggested I worked at his firm in Bristol. Good money, no interview. The downside was that we lived in Kent. We commuted, Dad & I, driving to Bristol on a Sunday evening and back east after work on Friday. During the week we stayed in a plush company flat in Sneyd Park, but the office was in the Castlemead tower block - not so pleasant.

It was my first real experience of working life, among people without pretension, who, it seemed to me, worked for the weekend. But to a certain extent their work defined their lives and for a few months it did mine too. Drinks after work, 5-a-side football and team-building bowling evenings. All with people who I wouldn’t otherwise have met.

However, I felt an outsider - not a Bristolian, not experienced in office life and its politics. I couldn’t even make a cup of tea that wasn’t stewed. I think they thought I was a bit strange.

But I loved Bristol. I loved it on a Sunday evening when the sun was going down but the balloons were still floating over the city as we drove in on the M32. I loved it when you could walk to the Downs and the sky was big. And I loved it when I came back to live in Bristol after university.

I’ve been in Bristol for 12 years now, and although I’ll never feel that I properly ‘belong’, my children will, and that’s enough.

Vivian, Jo, where do you come from? “Bristol!”

Credits

All media not otherwise credited created by the story author, or permission obtained, used under Creative Commons Sampling Plus 1.0 licence.

Suspension Bridge image created by All glory to the hynotoad, used under Creative Commons Sampling Plus 1.0 licence.

Oast houses image created by Cushdy, used under Public Domain licence.

Office sound created by LG, used under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 licence.

Bar sounds created by Fogma, used under Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 licence.

Bowling strike sound created by Microsoft, used under Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 licence.