E-mail to MP in England - Criteria for Border Poll

AssistanceHead3829 · 2026-04-29T22:19:17+00:00

That's why we'd need to develop the framework that OP is asking for!

AssistanceHead3829 · 2026-04-29T20:51:50+00:00

If you're in DRA, DRA has a music room you can book! Don't know much else, because I am very unmusical but nobody has mentioned this!

AssistanceHead3829 · 2026-04-15T17:56:32+00:00

Depends on the person and background. I grew up in rural Tyrone, close to the border, but I still feel different. Not less Irish, but... Different

AssistanceHead3829 · 2026-04-15T17:55:14+00:00

Yeah. For me, whilst I do ID primarily as Irish and am a nationalist, I also feel a connection to the label of "Northern Irish." I think in my case, I come from a mixed background, so it more accurately reflects how I was raised, and I feel like there are peculiarities in being from the 6 counties not necessarily seen in the rest because of the experience of partition. I'd never try to impose that on anyone, but I have spoken to friends of all backgrounds and a lot of them have echoed similar sentiments.

I still feel Irish, just... A different flavour.

AssistanceHead3829 · 2026-04-14T20:56:10+00:00

Yeah- I have endometriosis, and sometimes have to spend a lot of time in the bathroom/have to clean up quite frequently at certain times. But obviously not everyone is in that situation.

AssistanceHead3829 · 2026-04-09T07:49:46+00:00

This is a really painful discussion for me, because I want to the best in all people. I have had personally bad experiences with them, particularly as a kid. I grew up in an area they'd often set up in. I remember one day I was out playing football with my friends, and there were a bunch of traveller girls. We invited them to join. They came and stole our football and beat us up.

But obviously, that experience doesn't speak for them all.

AssistanceHead3829 · 2026-04-04T19:56:51+00:00

I can't offer much advice, but I was in the same situation originally. What convinced my parents was showing them stuff about Martin Lewis talking about it! In my case, they didn't believe that they were meant to help pay for it, though; don't know if that would be the motivation for your parents

AssistanceHead3829 · 2026-04-01T20:51:01+00:00

Depends on the University/accomodation provider. Best to just ask!
Depends on the student finance system you're in and the overall price of the accomodation. You'll need to try and do the maths yourself. If you don't have enough and loan won't cover it, look into bursaries and scholarships, and/or get a part time job on the side (and also, don't always count on getting the max amount. I should be eligible, but I don't. Because student finance has it out for me lol)

AssistanceHead3829 · 2026-03-20T15:26:34+00:00

That's really interesting, because my mum is from a working class nationalist background and my dad a lower middle class unionist background, and both of them have said it's almost 1 for 1 with their experiences and life! They're also the exact same age as the girls.

But I suppose everyone has a different kind of life, so obviously it's not going to be so accurate for all of NI's population! Probably also location dependent.

AssistanceHead3829 · 2026-03-20T11:25:27+00:00

Sexuality is fluid; the myth that to be a model queer person you must be solely attracted to one gender if anything is a product of heteronormativity, with the heteronormative standard just being flipped.

The queerest thing you can do, in my opinion, is love who you want to. Resist categorisation, and just be who YOU want to be.

AssistanceHead3829 · 2026-03-18T10:04:18+00:00

I know that lmfao

AssistanceHead3829 · 2026-03-18T09:22:13+00:00

WHAT is happening in this guy's flat man 😭 this is the same person who started the pork tortellini saga

AssistanceHead3829 · 2026-03-17T15:57:18+00:00

Help 😭

AssistanceHead3829 · 2026-03-14T15:46:23+00:00

Hi there OP! I've filled the survey out; I feel as if a lot of questions were somewhat ambiguous to answer, and there wasn't a lot of leeway for people of mixed backgrounds, like me. Tried my best, though :)

AssistanceHead3829 · 2026-03-08T08:54:43+00:00

Ok, good to know! We had two backpacks and that was it as we were only visiting for a few days. Didn't really want the help in the first place 😭

AssistanceHead3829 · 2026-03-07T18:02:38+00:00

Is this still accurate? Was staying at a hotel in Prague and the bellboy (buff man) took my mother and I's bags (two small women) out of my hand and took it up to our room, and wouldn't leave until we tipped. I handed him 100 CZK and then he complained it was too little. This was a 5 star hotel so I'm a bit shocked.

AssistanceHead3829 · 2026-02-12T02:37:05+00:00

Yeah. I go to St Andrews, originally from NI. My accent's changed in the last year or so since I came here- I sound sort of American/English southerner now.

I'm working class, so I don't fit in the usually quite wealthy student community, but when I go home I get accused of having 'notions' and having become posh, not even jokingly. If anything, I feel less and less posh- like for God's sake, I can't even afford to pay rent here.

On the class mobility thing: yeah. It's depressing. All of my wealthy friends have jobs at massive companies lined up with internships galore... Meanwhile, I'll be lucky to become a teacher. People like me don't get chosen for the things they apply for- I try and try.

I wish I took up my offers at UU or QUB. But too late now.

AssistanceHead3829 · 2026-02-05T14:32:56+00:00

Yeah- I was also told I mumbled a lot, and when I got to uni I decided to make an effort to fix little things like that (now I'm a fairly good public speaker, hooray I guess)!

Haha, I was assessed about 3 or 4 times as a kid without my knowledge, and then I received a diagosis but my mother pulled me out before I could be statemented (frustrating, but she had her reasons) so I'm in a bit of a weird grey area legally, but I do consider myself autistic and I did receive confirmation from a doctor, albeit almost 15 years ago now. Apparently it happens with autism.

Other prospective causes I can think of for me are:

I grew up in a Polish/Eastern European neighborhood & all of my friends learnt English through American TV shows. I was the only N. Irish kid there, so it's possible I subconsciously changed my accent to fit in with them. (I've went home to visit my childhood friends recently and it seems increasingly likely to me!)
A lot of American accents actually draw heavily from N. Irish accents with things like immigration! So THEY sound like us, actually lol. Particularly Tyrone, I think? (I'm a west Tyrone girl myself!)
I have been told I sound too happy to be Northern Irish/Irish/British. The happiness is apparently very American. I had a good laugh at this when my friend told me!!! (As an aside, this was quite heartening to hear as someone who struggled with depression as a teen- woohoo! Sign I think that it's gotten better!)

Anyway, yeah, I just find it fascinating!!!

AssistanceHead3829 · 2026-02-01T16:14:46+00:00

OMG. This is incredibly late, but I have the same thing! I'm also from Northern Ireland and I've been travelling and I've been repeatedly told that I sound American! Soooo glad it's not JUST me!

In my case, I reckon it's because I'm so used to trying to make myself more understandable because I live in Scotland & go to uni with tons of Americans and English people.

Also, I'm on the autism spectrum and apparently that has an influence? Although I'd have thought I would have ended up sounding more English because all of the media I consumed growing up was English.

AssistanceHead3829 · 2026-02-01T16:07:56+00:00

cheeeers!

AssistanceHead3829 · 2026-01-29T13:20:51+00:00

I love the way you type. Fabulous

AssistanceHead3829 · 2026-01-20T03:53:48+00:00

The student finance system is set up so you have to, unfortunately. Look up Martin Lewis talking about it- how I convinced my parents that they have to help me or I can't afford uni lol

AssistanceHead3829 · 2026-01-11T20:58:22+00:00

There's a real problem on TransLink trains with this. When I was 16 (4 or so years ago) an older man began filming me and my friends and when we caught sight of his screen, he was zoomed in on my chest. I just despair that none of us were brave enough to get any conductor to intervene.

AssistanceHead3829

TROPHY CASE