Ashford High Street

Every town in the country has a street called High Street, and this street is a place where all kinds of shops and services are available, so there is basically no need to worry about the lack of daily necessities. However, there are no high-rise buildings, and large supermarkets may require a bit of walking to reach.

From where we live, we can walk over a footbridge and cross the road to get to High Street. Basically, there are no vehicles allowed on High Street, so residents can feel safe while shopping here. And as for what High Street has, all the essential daily necessities are available. After crossing the road, we can see a bus stop, and most of the buses from this bus stop go to ASDA, Tesco Extra, and the hospital, among other places. 

Near the bus stop, there is a shopping mall entrance where you can find restaurants, such as Indian cuisine, and hair salons. There are quite a few hair salons around here, and their prices are not expensive. An adult's haircut costs around £15, while seniors can enjoy a discount of £10. Inside the mall, there are various stores, including a Poundland supermarket, clothing stores, pizza shops, burger joints, bookstores, shoe stores, eyewear shops, and more. Although the mall is not big, it has a complete range of stores. 

Exiting the shopping mall, there are shops lining both sides of the street, including Tesco express, B&M, post office, Boots, KFC, McDonald's, HSBC, Lloyds bank, Metro Bank, as well as other shoe stores, pharmacies, and so on that cannot be listed exhaustively. In short, as long as you have money, you can buy anything on High Street. There are occasional street performances in the middle of the street, and there are also performances inside the mall from time to time, making High Street a must-visit place for residents. 

When we go to High Street, we usually go to Iceland to buy frozen food such as meat, chicken, and seafood, which are relatively cheap. For household items, we recommend going to Wilko, and Poundland inside the mall is similar to Hong Kong's 12-dollar stores, while Boots is like Hong Kong's Watsons. There is a larger supermarket nearby called Lidl, but it's not a must-go as the prices are lower and they have fresh bread to buy. 

So, no matter where you go in the UK, as long as you walk to the High Street, you won't be lacking in essential goods, as long as you bring money and a few reusable bags. Our introduction to High Street may not be comprehensive, so you can also discover new things on the street. 

Welcome to Ashford.

Welcome to Ashford, a city located in Kent, England. Ashford is a common English place name. We have only been here for a little over a month, so we may not have a deep understanding of the city. Therefore, we would like to share our observations and experiences from a different perspective with you.

Our impression of Ashford is that it is peaceful and not too crowded, with no tall buildings in sight, with most buildings not exceeding six or seven floors. We live on the fifth floor, which is already the top floor, and the living environment does not feel cramped, making it a peaceful place to live. In addition, there are more green areas in Ashford because there are not many buildings, and the space for greenery is relatively abundant. It is possible that the locals do not want to live in a crowded environment, as we have seen on some social media platforms that some locals oppose the construction of more high-rise buildings. They believe that it will affect the environment and that resources are already insufficient, which will drive up prices.

Although it may seem like a suburb here, the facilities are very well-equipped. For example, in the community where I live or nearby, there are several large supermarkets surrounding us, so basic daily necessities are definitely not lacking. Unlike Hong Kong, where only one or two large supermarkets monopolize the entire market, there are many large supermarkets in the UK. The nearest Aldi stores can be reached on foot in about five to ten minutes, while slightly further away ones like Asda, Sainsbury, Tesco extra require taking a bus or driving. In addition, there are many different types of shops on High Street, such as B&M, Tesco Express, Lidl, Iceland, and many shops and restaurants in shopping malls, with a wide range of choices and complete facilities. Shopping at supermarkets is almost a way of life in the UK, while in Hong Kong, everything is so convenient that people often just go to the supermarket to buy things or order takeout. In contrast, due to the vast size of the UK, people often have to drive to get to the supermarket.

In addition to the many large supermarkets, there is also a famous place nearby called Ashford Designer Outlet, which is a concentration of designer brands. We have been there several times, and do we want to go again? Yes! Because the environment here is comfortable, and strolling around is a pleasure. The outlet is not far from our home, so we can drive there, and it's also within walking distance, taking less than twenty minutes.

In addition to supermarkets, there are also banks, bookstores, stationery shops, shoe stores, opticians, and other places that can be found on High Street. Everything you need is readily available, so there is no need to worry about basic necessities when living in Ashford (unless, of course, you don't have the money). High Street is not far from our home and is cleaner than other big cities, although we still think it could be better. Nevertheless, it's already considered good in this area.

There are many green areas in Ashford, including numerous parks. One of the most well-known parks, Ashford Victoria Park, is located right next to where we live. It has a large grassy area where people can run, cycle, and take leisurely walks. There are also frequent events held in the park, providing a great place for young people to gather. I personally enjoy running and walking in this park, and sometimes I even pretend to be a "Victoria Park uncle" to immerse myself in nature.

Here seems very nice and comfortable, so what kind of Hong Kong people would come to settle in Ashford? Kent has different towns, and Ashford is one of them. Hong Kong people look for settling points mainly in several places, including London, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Reading, Nottingham, Kent County, and so on. Most people would choose big cities, while some may also choose small towns. However, Kent has many different towns, and everyone has different requirements. Small towns are not as lively as cities, and may not be suitable for everyone. The two main types of people who choose Ashford are those with young children because Kent's school network is excellent, and those who are getting older, almost retired or already retired individuals because it is very relaxing here without the pressure of big cities. Therefore, these friends come here to experience a lifestyle that is impossible to find in Hong Kong.

From our observations, there are people of different races living here, apart from the locals, mainly Nepalese, and there is an increasing number of Hong Kong people. Nepalese people can be seen everywhere, of all ages. Of course, this is due to historical reasons that led them to live here. Although there are many ethnicities, everyone respects each other and coexists peacefully.

In conclusion, Ashford is a really nice town, at least Hong Kong people will feel comfortable here, without too much pressure, and it feels safer than big cities. For those who are new to the UK, I believe that towns like this would be a good settling point.

Start a new life

In early July 2022, we will finally leave our beloved Hong Kong and move to a town in Kent, England called Ashford. Ashford is not very well-known compared to other famous towns in Kent such as Canterbury, Maidstone, Sevenoaks, Royal Tunbridge Wells, and Tunbridge. However, Ashford has a landmark which is the largest outlet in the UK, Ashford Designer Outlet, a concentration of famous brands. Although it may not be as famous as other places, it is still a beautiful place.

Ashford is a beautiful place with many green spaces. There is a large and beautiful park here, which is also famous as Victoria Park. The place where we live is right next to Victoria Park, and we have a large terrace window that opens up to it. We can breathe in the fresh air just by standing on the terrace and looking out at the vast sky that is a blend of blue and green. The fresh and free air rushes towards us, making us feel healthy and happy. In fact, this place is really nice.

We flew from Hong Kong to London on the same day, and the flight took more than fourteen hours, which was really exhausting. We didn't rest well throughout the journey, but we knew that we were only a little while away from arriving in England and starting a new life. We didn't feel too sentimental about leaving the city that night. Perhaps we had gotten used to it as many people had been leaving over the past two years. We had been preparing for this "exodus" for at least six months and kept reminding ourselves to leave and start a new life. Therefore, we didn't feel too much sorrow, especially since there are so many communication methods available with technological advancement.

On the day we left, we were grateful for all the help we received from different sources. We had asked a friend to help us with the "reception" at our destination well in advance. Thus, the whole process of leaving went smoothly. We had already made arrangements from our home in Hong Kong to the airport, and then from the airport to our new home with a driver, so the "exodus" was not difficult this time.

Upon arriving at our new home, the first thing we did was to explore the place we would be living in. Wow! It was completely different from Hong Kong. The space was much larger, the rooms were bigger, and there was a huge terrace. We could never have enjoyed such a living environment in Hong Kong. In Hong Kong, it seems that only wealthy people can afford to live in large homes with beautiful surroundings, but in the UK, there are regulations on the size of homes, so there are no inhumane subdivided flats. After putting down our luggage, our friend drove us to stock up on supplies. Usually, when people arrive in the UK, the first thing they do is go to the supermarket to buy food and some daily necessities.

About supermarkets, the supermarket near our new place is called Aldi, which is only a few minutes' walk away. In addition, there are several others on the High Street, such as Tesco Express, B&M, Lidl, Wilko, and so on, as well as other well-known large supermarkets that are found nationwide, such as ASDA, Tesco Extra, Sainsbury's, Waitrose & Partners, and so on. Basically, there are supermarkets all around. At first, when we went to the supermarket, we were really not used to it because it was so big, which is incomparable to Hong Kong. (We'll talk about supermarkets more later.)

When we first arrived in the UK, we had to register for water, electricity, and council tax online. A few days later, we had problems with the toilet, broadband, washing machine, and even the mailbox, so we had to solve these problems. However, the problem is that the work pace here is too slow. We have to wait and wait, even for the simplest mailbox issue, which can take a few days. People here are slow at everything, but their speaking speed is surprisingly fast, and many times it's difficult to hear clearly.

Immigration is for the sake of the children. A few days later, we started looking for schools. Schools can be found through Council inquiries here, but since it's mid-term enrollment, we need to send emails to the schools ourselves. So, we sent multiple emails to the schools, and eventually received a reply from the primary school. However, it's more difficult for the secondary school, and we are still waiting.

The primary schools here are situated in spacious grounds with few people. Most of the buildings are single-story, and there are large playgrounds that provide students with enough space for activities. In addition, they place greater emphasis on the physical and mental health of students than on academic pressure. We have visited two primary schools, and the school staff were all very kind. One of them even conducted a home visit for us.

In the following days, we mostly went to the supermarket to purchase necessities such as a television, printer, and so on. We bought a 50-inch television, and we prioritized getting the best price. The cost of the television is probably similar to that of buying a monitor in Hong Kong. The supermarkets here sell televisions and printers, and it's evident that going to the supermarket is part of the locals' daily lives.

The locals have a habit of buying a large quantity of goods and food every time they go to the supermarket, enough to last for a week. Most of them drive to the supermarket, buy their items, load them into the car, and then head back home. This is the local way of life.

This month, our main activities were shopping for necessities, finding schools, and exploring the community. We slowly get to know the community we live in and gradually integrate into the local lifestyle. When living in a new place, we naturally hope to integrate quickly, but some things take time, and this is also part of the local culture. We need to relearn and adapt, hoping for a happy life in the future.