Next week I’m t    1     to Australia to visit a friend there over the school holidays. I plan to keep this b    2     to record my experiences and what I learn. I have already done some r    3     on the country. L    4     to the south of the e    5    , below many other countries on the globe, it’s often informally r    6     to as “down under”.

I have also read about some i    7     sites, such as the Sydney Opera House and the Great Ocean Road, and animals like the cute koalas and kangaroos. I can’t wait to see all of them! H    8    , as I’m    9     in social studies, I’m more interested in meeting people in Australia and e    10     their culture, food, and way of life.

...it     1     feels good to be back in the city again. And what a city—a city that was able to rebuild itself after the earthquake that     2     in 1906...My hotel is near     3    , in the Mission District...

Next week I’m travelling to Australia to visit a friend there over the school holidays, I plan to keep this blog to record my experiences and what I learn. I have already done some research on the country. L    1     to the south of the e    2    , below many other countries on the globe, it’s often informally r    3     to as “down under”.

I have also read about some i    4     sites, such as the Sydney Opera House and the Great Ocean Road, and animals like the cute koalas and kangaroos, I can’t wait to see all of them! However, as I m    5     in social studies, I’m more interested in meeting people in Australia and e    6     their culture, food, and way of life.

I’m here in Sydney! Since I arrived, my friend has brought me to my first open-air b    7     b and has also shared many different but yummy meals with me, so my first impressions of Australia have been all about food! A lot of t    8     Australian food, such as the Sunday roast, is originally British. Bakeries, fast-food joints, butcher shops, cafes, and restaurants everywhere provide some of the p    9     food experiences in the world. The influence of Asian cultures, on the other hand, led to the introduction of bean curd and Asian herbs, along with Australian versions of foods like the Chinese- i    10     dim sim.

My hotel is near d     1     in the Mission District, one of the oldest parts of the city. Many of the people l     2     here are from Mexico or Central America. This d     3     used tо be a poor area of town, but is now a c     4     for art, music, and food. In fact, an art m    5     called the “Mission School” started here. It’s i    6     by graffiti art and comic art. I walked around l     7    аt the street art for а few hours. It was quite modern and l    8    . A     9    , I ate some delicious Mexican-Chinese noodles from a food truck. A real mix of c     10     here!

Today was my first day back in San Francisco after camping in the Redwood Forest and visiting the wine country of Napa Valley. I have to admit that it d    1     feels good to be back in the city again. And what a city — a city that was able to rebuild itself after the earthquake that o    2     in 1906. There are so many beautiful old buildings — many — sitting on top of big hills, offering great v    3     of the city, the ocean, and the Golden Gate Bridge.

My hotel is near d    4    , in the Mission District, one of the oldest parts of the city. Many of the people living here are from Mexico or Central America. This district used to be a p    5    area of town, but is now a centre for art, music, and food. I    6     fact, an art movement called the Mission School started here. It’s i    7     by graffiti art and comic art. I walked around looking at the s    8     art for a few hours. It was quite modern and l    9     . Afterwards, I ate some delicious Mexican-Chinese noodles from a food truck. A real m    10     of cultures here!