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.
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