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.