My name is R, an exchange student from Japan, and I want to talk about the thing that came up to my mind staying in Adelaide, Australia for a half of month. From the very first of day, I have been always excited for whatever I am going to face. And what I noticed in this country for the very first time is that there are hundreds of thousands of cars passing through me. I have been cheered by that, because I love cars. I remember the first day seeing tons of cars out of my host family’s car and talking about cars around here, because my host father also loves cars.
Then, I arrived at the house and met the whole family, and at the very first glance, I fell in love with the house. The whole house looked so fancy, that made me think how privileged I am right now. On top of that, the whole family was very nice. They all welcomed me with great respect and hospitality. Then, the school terms started, for the first time ever, I encountered hundreds of students in Gleeson college. I was just thrilled meeting them. They were all interested in me. Many of them talked to me, and asked many things about me, and the country I come from.. I guess you wouldn’t believe, but I made over 10 friends within a week. I was unimaginably happy and excited. I have never thought that going to school and meeting friends would be this exciting and inspiring.
The first weekend came up, so I hit the town. I found something amazing. It was the tram train which is under Adelaide metro. There is only one tram line running in the city of Tokyo, and only in a limited area, so even I lived in Tokyo, I have almost never seen one. And I wondered, “How much would it be to ride on it?” And I was hypnotized seeing how much it was. It only costs 30$ to go everywhere, anytime for a month, including tram, train, and bus service. I was totally astonished by that. Then I came to think, “what’s different in here compared to Japan?” Well, I had enough time to think and say that it’s everything. Everything is different here. Mostly in a good way, but sometimes in a bad way. I do love the atmosphere in here, owing to the goodness of the community I belong to. I am happy with interacting with all people in here. Then, I found something a bit scratch in my head. It’s the price. Price of the necessities and some entertainment. Yes, I have to think that it’s pretty much over the top compared to the price of things in Japan. Every time I buy something, I feel like I’m getting ripped off. But that’s ok. I know the supermarket that sells things relatively cheap. Besides that, everything is fine. I feel great joy living here. Whatever inconvenience I feel here, the great community in here them all. I do want to come and live here again and make a stable life.
