My Pinoy Life in Essex
Marvelin Madridejos
Since when have you been staying there? Can you recount briefly why you moved there?
I have moved here in June 2005. I was based in Singapore previously, but was also involved in the Taiwan High Speed Project in Taiwan for four years. After the project finished, I went back to the Philippines to take a breather and to consider my next move. After a few months, I decided to go to England because I was always fascinated with the country, especially every time I saw English movies like Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill and the Full Monty – I have always wondered what it was like living here. I packed my luggage and headed here and told myself that this would be my next destination.Tell us something about your place?
I am currently living in the Southeast of England, the county of Essex. It is excellent for road and train transport links, with commutable access to shops, the town centre and central London. There are three main National Train Stations nearby where commuters take a thirty minute train ride to London.
My location is very close to Basildon Town Centre with travel time by car of approximately five minutes and on foot by about 10-15 minutes. This town center is filled with small shops and restaurants, and two major retailers Marks and Spencer and Debenhams. There are also two large supermarkets, and a few shops for computers and other electronics. It is complete with amenities, parish churches and post offices. There are also various primary and secondary schools nearby. From what I’ve heard, Basildon also hosts the biggest car boot sale in the UK where you could find a lot of cheap second hand items in good quality, even antiques that sometimes, people sell very cheap without even knowing the real value to find out that they actually cost thousands of pounds.
The surrounding district is not densely populated, hence, there are many green areas surrounding the vicinity. This provides a healthy and safer environment of fresh air, low noise, and less traffic compared with many population centres. Moreover, the natural surroundings provide greater opportunity for relaxation and recreation outside work and school hours.
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