When you come here in America for studying English, entering a University or just visiting; you will have many chances to meet people from all over the world. And ıt’s very interesting to contact with various cultures and to know them.Talking about our own culture is a nice topic when we first meet people in America, I think.
So I recommend you bring many postcards which is printed national landscapes or memorial buildings. Sharing traditional stuff helps you get along with new friends.
Welcome to America 
America is very a nice place.
It has many beautiful landscapes, big oceans, and kind people.
California has warm weather.
But in the morning and night, it is a little bit cold.
So , you have to bring your some warm clothes.
And I recommend that you bring your swimming suits.
Americans wear shoes in their houses.
They like to eat hamburgers, sandwiches, meats so on.
But some people are vegetarians.
There are many kinds of people. American, Spanish, Asian, African..
So you can enjoy many cultures in America.
Come here! Right now! 
The day before yesterday I was in a car accident. On the way home, I drove as usual. I smelled something was burning, I checked the signal lights of my car but nothing was wrong with them. At that time I noticed the car in front of me was driving too slowly, I think something was wrong with that car. I changed lanes and passed the car. I had to stop because the traffic light turned red. I looked in the rear-view mirror and noticed that the car didn’t stop. Suddenly, the car crashed into the back of my car. It made me very afraid and it felt very strange like a dream. Fortunately, I wasn’t hurt. I really love my car. It is in garage now. I hope they can fix my poor injured car quickly.
It’s like a dream. You would never expect that your parents would tell you that one day you would leave your home country, your brothers, best friends and neighbors. One morning, your parents say to you, “Boy you are going to the United States or Europe.” You say, “What, for real?” Your father says, “Yes, my son you made it. You deserve it.” The next day, you start telling your friends that you’re going to travel.“I’m going to continue my education in a different country.” You would be excited like it was the most important day of your life. Your family and friends gather together to say goodbye and wish you well.
I miss all my friends. I especially miss when we used to prepare food together. We used to have parties and play soccer every weekend with the girls at the beach, even at night. I miss the food that my grandmother used to prepare. I miss eating with my family out under the patio. We sat as a group of five to six people, and someone would make a joke, or say something silly and everyone would say, “Yeaaaa!” in unison and laugh. For example: I’m good-looking. Everyone says “Yaaaaa!” and laughs.
Leaving home is wonderful, but missing home is sad.
My favorite food here is hamburger, fries, grilled cheese and pizza. They are far more tasty than they are in Taiwan.
Maybe it’s because they are more original here. The best place here in FLS, Marymount is Room 211A, it’s the place where I gain most grammar, vocabulary, movies and slang, which help me to become a better speaker in English. You got to visit this magic room when you have the chance to be here.
I gained as much as possible in speaking English everyday and the way to communicate with other students who come from different countries is also the best souvenir for my life here. Thanks for everyone who attend my life here.
Valentina
I arrived to the U.S. in October 24th of 2009 and that day my life began to change. I came to the U.S. to improve my English but I already have been here more that 3 months and I gained more than a lot of skills in this language.
Since I’ve been here in Boston, I really improve my English abilities but more than that I gained security and maturity in myself. I know how to value the important things of the life and the most important thing, I gained is a lot of friends from different parts of the world. For example Korea, China, Japan, Mexico, Belgium, Colombia and Brazil. I learned a lot about their cultures and I find that they have many similarities with my culture and also some differences but the differences don’t make barriers between us.
Finally, I can say that my life changed a lot since I’ve been here. I improve and also make new friends.
Iris
I am Iris, from Ecuador, and since I was a child, I really wanted to visit U.S.A. (The country of my dreams) and right now I’m here studying because U.S.A. gives us a lot of opportunities like to be a famous actress, that’s why my dream city is Hollywood. I always like to talk in public or do funny things to entertain people and Hollywood is the correct place if you want to become a famous actress. There is the amazing place like “Disney”, where dreams come true if you believe that you can do all you want. Another dream city for all Ecuadorians is Orlando-Disney. It’s an amazing place for both children and adults. One of the most attractive and interesting places you can have fun and enjoy during your trip. If you have the opportunity to come to the U.S.A. only think it once and come to know a different culture and meet a lot of friends that can help you to speak your English very well. Look at me! I am learning and then I can have a good English like Americans.
Natalia
Living in a different city should be a wonderful experience even if you experience culture shock. It can be very difficult when you arrive in another country and have to immediately live in a new culture with new values. When I first arrived in Las Vegas I immediately noticed the distinct behavior of American people. They were definitely not acting like Brazilians! What I noticed first was what Americans were wearing and of course how they were speaking English. I have been living with my American Brazilian family for two months my experience of culture shock wasn’t a very intense experience. I did notice some things about Las Vegas and America. The traffic is organized in Las Vegas; buses run on time and people don’t walk on the streets. In Brazil it is the opposite. I also noticed that Americans eat a lot of fast food and don’t care about their health. There are many over weight people in Las Vegas. I think to experience culture shock is one of the most valuable experiences to have in your life because it gives you a global perspective and understanding of people.
When I arrived in California four months ago, the first place that I came is my home stay where I did not know anything and I would stay through six months. Even though, I have relatives who live in California, I did not want to stay with them. I wanted to stay with a host family in order to really experience American culture. During the way from LA airport to my home stay, I felt very excited but I also worried about my host family. I did not know who they are or what type of people they are. Are they kind or mean? Would I be able to understand their language? How about their food? Would they like me? It’s like a thousand of question come to my mind. At that time, I was filled with concern. Surprisingly, when I saw the house and met them who are my host family, I did not feel afraid of them. The house is such a nice and snug house that I felt very familiar like my real house. My host parents are so nice and they are very welcome me to their house. They knew that everything was new to me so they tried to help me get used to new environment. They considered me like their daughter; they made me feel very comfortable. They are really like my parents and my teacher. I’m so happy because I have a good host family.
It is so interesting to experience American culture with American people. I can open my knowledge wide. I do not need to do research about American culture. I can ask my host parents anytime if I want to know about their culture. I was so impressed some American culture like holiday, foods and lifestyle. When any holiday comes, we decorate the house and celebrate together. My host parents will tell me about traditional in every holiday. For example, on Halloween day, we dressed up in Halloween’s costumes; we made pumpkin pie and some traditional foods. Before coming here, I did not know much about American culture, I did not know about Thanksgiving Day which we do not have in my country. They told me about the meaning of the day and some traditional foods which cannot be without such as turkey, potato and apple pie. Besides holiday, they also told me so much about their culture or their lifestyle and foods. They are so considerate that I feel very comfortable in their house. They understand that it is not easy for me to stay in America in the first time. They are always willing to help whenever I need their help. They try to help me get used to new culture. They also want to learn about my mother language and the culture in my country. We are having a good time and enjoy with each other. I really experienced American culture with them.
When I came here, everything was so new to me such as language, learning environment, and culture in America. As I said I so worried about that. I did not know whether I could get used to new environment or not. To learn another language is not easy. When I spoke to native people, I was afraid that I could neither speak nor listen well so they could not understand me; also I could not understand them. That’s why I did not feel confident when I speak English. My host parents know that so they want to help me improve my English in order that I feel comfortable when I speak the language which is not my mother language. They usually talk to me every day when they have free time. At first, I could not talk much because I did not know how to say and they told me that I should explain what I’m going to say; then they will help me how to say a perfect sentence. Sometimes, I made a sentence which was right grammar but American do not usually use it in speaking in daily life so they told me how to say correctly. I have learned so much from them. Besides, when I pronounce a word wrong, they will correct it immediately and I have to say the word 10 times. For example, first, I could not pronounce correctly some words which included the letter “x” such as text. When I say 2 words “test” and “text”, they could not recognize which one I mentioned. Then they help me say 2 words correctly. My host mother said that practice makes perfect. Therefore I practiced pronoun the word every day. Now, I have no problem with it. However, I speak English with a Vietnam accent so it makes people hardly to understand me. That’s why my host parents usually strike up a conversation to help me practice speaking fluently. I also learn a lot of new words when I talk to them. I have a bad memory so this is a good way to remember the word easier than learning by heart. In addition, when I did not understand my homework clearly, they explained to me; or I had to write essay, sometimes, but I had no idea. They gave me some suggestions to help me write essay easier. I have learned English not only at school but also at home. My English is much better and I do not feel shy when I speak English now. As a result, I talk to my host parents more often.
Furthermore, they cook very well. Although American foods are so strange to me, their foods are so good then I eat so much. Therefore, I can learn how to cook American foods, Italian foods also from them. Every day, when I come home, we will make dinner together. After that, we enjoy eating together and tell about what happened by day. I feel like this is my family. They take care of me like their daughter. Whenever I have a problem, I can share with them. They will give me some suggestion to overcome it. When I was sick, they worried about me and they took care of me. They said that I’m a member of their family so I should not be shy, I should consider them like my real family; then I will feel more comfortable. When I need their help, I let them know and they will help me with their ability. For example, I do not have transportation to explore the area where I live. They took me to some place when they had free time in order that I do not feel bored. I do not have many friends because I have just been here for 4 months so that I often stay at home with them on weekend. We usually sit around TV, talk to each other and enjoy watching American football. My host parents are a fan of American football. They are so excited when they watch football. They shout for joy very loud and they jump when their team got point. My host parents are so funny. Sometimes, they teased me and they were laughing at me. Some weekend, we hang out together or my host mother will take me to go shopping or we will have nails done together. I’m having a good time with them.
I feel so lucky because I have a good host family in the first time I came here. I remember I was so afraid of them and worried about what will happen if I live with a strange host family. Now, I don’t worry anymore because they are so kind, considerate and funny. They try to help me get used to new environment, new culture. They are not only like my parents but also like my teacher. They take care of me; they care what I’m thinking about. I also learn a lot of thing from them. They consider me like their daughter, a member of their family; not like a person who just rent their room. I’m so happy about that. I know that I have a good choice when I decided to stay in a home stay. Not only it helps me improve my English so much in a short time but also I really experienced American lifestyle and American culture.
My first impression of U.S.A. is that everything in here is really big, compared to Japan. First of all, we can think the size of America and Japan. For example, the size of Japan is as big as California. It means their size are totally different. The population of America is also larger than that of Japan. However, I found some another huge things ever in visual form in here, and these impressed me very much when I came here first time.
First thing is its road. When I arrived at LAX, the car was coming for me. Then I rode it and came to my host family’s house. During driving, I could not sleep because of jet lag though I was so tired of the long flight. So I was gazing the view from the window. At that time, I realized the car seldom turned round for long time. We drove on the very long road for long time. It meant the road was really long. Furthermore, I saw a road had four lanes in each. There rarely are types of the road in Japan because of the small ground. I also thought a lane was much winder than Japanese. I was really impressed by these and thought these were symbol of the extent.
Second one is anything I saw in the market. I was surprised when I went to the market first time. First, the size of the carts is really huge. I guess this is over twice as big as Japanese. People who were shopping put much of food in it. I was amazed at the volume of the snacks too. The smallest size of them is usually the biggest size in my country. In addition, the deal of each pack was very much. For example, too many potatoes as I could not count were packed in a bag. Especially, I was so surprised the size of the pumpkin in around Halloween. I have never seen such a big vegetable. I considered that anything in the market in America was really huge, and was impressed so much.
Finally, American house is so big. I have seen Hollywood movie many times. That is why I have known that the house is really larger than Japanese. It is natural that American house is larger because of the difference of their square. Yet, I could not help being amazed at such a big house when I saw it in real. First, each yard is so large. It sometimes has a pool. Only the rich are usually able to have a pool in the yard in Japan. The inside is also very wide. It has many empty rooms as the family can accept international students. This means they had big family and now the children just have their own family in another place. I believe the big family is also the reason of the big house.
Now I become familiar with something big in U.S.A. So I am not surprised at those very much than before. However, when I come back to Japan, It is sure I am surprised at anything small there. They are like the roads, products at the market and even my house.