From Essex to Arnstorf

There is a sharp contrast between the bustling high-streets of an Essex town and the relaxed village atmosphere of Arnstorf.

I live in a reasonably large town only 30 miles east of London. The atmosphere is busy and can sometimes be quite stressful. There never seems to be enough time to relax and spend time with family. I think our town could learn a lot from a place like Arnstorf. Not just by being a bit more laid back, but also by being more of a community. I have lived in my current house for nearly five years now and I still don’t even know the names of half of my neighbours. Maybe if we had some more free-time, we would be able to spend a few hours a week with the people living in the same street as us.

Arnstorf could also learn a lot from Essex though. Yes, in Arnstorf you can walk through the streets without the possibility of being mugged and yes, you can leave your front door unlocked without the risk of being burgled, but in Arnstorf, you can’t walk to the nearest cinema and you can’t just get a train or bus to the local leisure centre. Public transport in Britain is often talked about as being dreadful and depressing, but in comparison to the bus and train services in Arnstorf (which are non-existent), it seems great. I guess it’s better to have a late bus than no bus at all.

Perhaps the thing about Arnstorf which shocked me the most was the fact that there is no litter lying around on the streets and pavements. There isn’t an empty McDonalds wrapper or a chewed piece of Hubba Bubba in sight. Of course there are a few places in England were the streets are completely clean; Oxford is one of these places. But in the ordinary city or town you can walk down the high-street and find over a hundred pieces of litter left behind by some careless adult or lazy chav. How hard is it to walk five metres to the nearest bin?

In Basildon (the town I grew up in), there are chavs everywhere. They stand around outside shop-fronts and smoking and drinking alcohol, randomly shouting abuse at people passing by. Also, you don’t need to watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to see an absurd looking orange person. You could walk down the high-street to see that. Only these people are not from Loompaland, these people are from fake-tan land. Fake tans can look good, but for some reason, anybody who goes to a tanning salon in Essex always comes out more orange than... well... an orange.

In Arnstorf there aren’t any chavs on street corners or people who decide they want to look like a walking tangerine. But there also aren’t as many groups of friends walking down the street, laughing and making fun of each other. There isn’t the night life that there is in England either and there aren’t as many things to do in town: there are no arcades, no snooker clubs, there aren’t any bowling alleys and there are hardly any cinemas. As I said at the beginning, the difference between the two places is colossal. But if I had to choose between Essex and Arnstorf, I would go for Essex, if not for the transport and the entertainment, then for the fish and chips!

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