This September, I went to Perth in Western Australia with Chikako
for 3 weeks. I studied English and experienced a different culture. While I was
in Perth, I commuted to a language school and stayed with my host family. What
I gained in Perth is one of the most valuable things in my life. I want to
introduce what kind of city Perth is and my experiences.
Before I visited Perth, it took a long time to decide which city I
should go to. Every city is attractive, but I decided to go to Perth. There are
some reasons. First, there are fewer Japanese than other cities in Australia.
That is a good point to study English. Second, Perth is a middle-size city, or
not such a big city. For example, when you visit a big city like Sydney, it
takes a long time to get accustomed to. My counselor also said you can get accustomed
to the life there soon and Perth has good surroundings for students.
There was only a mother and a dog in my host family. At first, I worried about communication, but my host mother was very kind and lovely. She always encouraged me and I took energy through her help. I was always looking forward to seeing her after school. On the first weekend, I stayed the night at the host family where Chikako was staying. Her host family invited me. My host mother was an Australian but her host family was from Indonesia, so it was interesting to see another culture. There were some things which were the same, but from food to the way of washing dishes, many things were different. It was a precious experience for me, because I could stay at two different families!! My host mother also invited Chikako, so on the next weekend; she stayed the night at my host family.
In the language school, I had a main class and an elective class. In the main class, I studied speaking, listening, vocabulary and occasionally played games. In the elective class, I studied writing English. In my class, I made friends from many other countries: Korea, Brazil, Thailand, Malaysia, Germany, Switzerland, and Saudi Arabia. To communicate with people from other countries was a fresh and good experience for me. I got to know various cultures through these classes. In class, every Friday we went out or held a party. I loved Friday. I went to a pub and to the Kings Park with my classmates and my teacher.
Perth is the state capital in Western Australia and faces the Swan
River. Perth is called the most beautiful city in the world. There is silent
and rich nature. The view of many skyscrapers and the Swan River from Kings
Park was so beautiful.
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Kings Park is located near the downtown. Kings Park is such a big
and famous sightseeing spot. In spring, various wildflowers bloom. Fortunately,
when I visited there, wild flowers were in bloom. It was so beautiful and most
of them were flowers I had never seen.
My favorite wild flower is the kangaroo paw which is shaped like the paw of a kangaroo.
Perth is not such an old city, now it is still getting bigger. If I had the chance, I would like to go there again.