Asuka writes about the differences between Sydney and Cairns:
"Hi. How are you doing? I'm doing very well. Now, there are 13 Japanese, 2 Chinese, 2 Spanish, and 1 Korean in our class.
I had a one week holiday recently, and I went to Cairns with a friend. I found big differences between Cairns and Sydney. Cairns is a not such a big city, it's more like a town which srrounded by a tropical rain forest and ocean. People in Cairns are always so kind and friendly. Because there are a lot of Japanese tourists in the city, you don't need to speak much English. The public transportation is also different. The buses in Cairns stop wherever the passenger is there, and you can get off wherever you want to. Bus drivers are pretty kind, too. They ask you where you want to go using easy English and sometimes you can meet a driver who can speak Japanese. Because of this, buses are always late. They never come on time. However, people never mind about it.
In Sydney, buses and trains never come on time either. But the numbers of them per hour are more than Cairns. That's why, it is more convenient even thought there was a strike during the last few days. Sydney is like a Tokyo or Osaka. The people are always so busy. They don't have time to say hello to a stranger. And there is a traffic jam every morning and evening. Here is one of the greatest places for shopping, I think.
I prefer Cairns as a place to live permanently But I think, for a short period and for the young, living in Sydney is a good experience and enjoyable.
Asuka