My First Days in Australia

Hi, my name is Yuriko and I am from Japan. I’ve stayed in Australia for just 3 weeks and a half. I would like to tell you about how I’m feeling here.

First, I want to introduce my school, CCEB (Cairns College of English and Business). There are many students and staff from many countries; mostly from Japan and Switzerland. Of course I have friends from Japan but I cannot speak with them in Japanese, because there is a very strict policy: English Only Policy. We are allowed to speak only English in our school. I think this is a good policy for people studying English like us. What I was shocked with the most is students leave the classroom whenever they need. Japan is very strict so if I want to leave my classroom, I need to ask my teacher for permission.

My homestay family’s dog

When I go to school, I always take a bus. Cairns has no trains because it is enough to take a bus if we want to go somewhere. There are many routes so it’s very useful. I can go anywhere if I take a bus. Moreover, there is no timetable with names of stops. I have missed my bus stop twice, but I was very lucky because the bus driver was very kind. I still watch the surroundings carefully whenever I take a bus. However, my new sharehouse is within walking distance from CCEB and I don’t need to take public transport anymore.

One is the most surprising things was the weather in Cairns. I didn’t bring a thicker jacket because I heard Cairns is always hot even in winter. However, at the first moment when I went outside the airport, it was much colder than I had expected. It’s not only at that time but also every morning and evening, so I ended up buying a new jacket.

In spite of many cultural differences between Australia and Japan, I’m enjoying the life in Cairns. Aussies are open-minded and smiling or talking to me kindly. During my stay in Australia, I would like to try lots of things and meet many people in Cairns and other cities.

Yuriko, Intermediate

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About CCEB

We are teachers and students at the Cairns College of English and Business (CCEB). How lucky are we to work and study in the Australian Wet Tropics with the world's oldest rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef at our doorstep! We would like to share our happy posts with the world! Welcome to the CCEB space eveyone.

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