Write About Your Home

My family and I lived in a tall building in Hong Kong. In 1997 we moved to San Francisco and we bought a flat in the Sunset. Our family lives on the first floor. There are three bedrooms, one kitchen and dining room, one living room, and two bathrooms. It's bigger than the Hong Kong home. Downstairs there is a garage where I keep my car. My family and I like the flat very much and the area's environment is nice. Traffic is okay. It's easy for us to get a bus. I have been here a few years, but I never talk to my neighbors because my English is very poor.--Victoria

I live in Daly City. The view is beautiful. We can see all of San Francisco and the Bay Bridge. The neighbors are very nice and the place is very clean. In my native country I lived in a village. We had a big house. The weather was different. I like the weather here.--Tiffany

I live in an apartment as I used to in my native country. I like Victorian houses, but I am not brave enough to live in that kind of house because it seems not to be safe enough for me. In my native country, we usually live in a place which is kind of like a bird cage (the windows and the door of our house have iron bars). I know it's silly, but it makes me feel safe. I like the houses here. They're so beautiful and cultural. The house in Taipei is ugly but both are expensive to live in. I prefer to live here.--Emily

During the second World War, I was living in Burma's rural countryside with my parents. We lived in a cottage house. Beside the house there was a long and big river. In the rainy season there was a lot of small fish and waterlilies. At that time I was a teenager and I liked to catch the fish along the river and pluck the waterlilies. After ten years, we moved downtown and in another 30 years, we flew over the Pacific Ocean and are now living in S.F. It was very convenient to live in an apartment in Chinatown and to buy food or go anywhere, but recently we shifted to the Richmond. I think this is the last move. The environment is very nice and it's a good neighborhood .--Yin Yin May

I have been living in a 6-unit apartment building for over 17 years. I like it very much and also my family does. Since I got to the United States, I have moved three times. Every place that I lived was very convenient for transportation to everything. My neighborhood is very excellent and I've met only three neighbors. Most of the businesses are laundromats, restaurants, grocery stores, flower shops, and some other businesses. Schools are very close to my house too. The house in my native country that I'd lived in before was a one-story house that was big enough for my family. All the neighbors knew each other. We played every day outdoors in our family backyards and front yards around the houses. In my native country most houses have back yards with no fences, so we climbed all the trees that were our neighbors'. My childhood was fantastic.--Alice

Living in my native country and San Francisco are different because in my native country we don't have to pay for housing, just a small bill for the water and electricity. In my mind, I still don't understand how people live there in not quite freedom. But here housing costs too much money, and electricity and water cost double too. As for freedom in the life here, it is better than in my native country. When you wear clothes, no one cares what kind of style you like to wear, but in my native country, if you can't follow the new style, then people look down on you all of the time.--Julie

The other day, while I was waiting for the bus, I found a magazine about Real Estate, which someone threw away or left behind on the bench. I took it in my hand and saw the pages that showed houses in San Francisco with expensive prices. Those were almost $500,000 to $1,000,000. I compared S.F. and Tokyo. Anyway, it is not easy to purchase your own house. I live in the Myratoma area and I pay room rent. I have an incredible view and a really nice neighborhood but transportation is inconvenient if you don't have a car. Even though I don't have my car here, I like my place and I love San Francisco.--Keiko

I have lived in S.F. for 3 years. I like my neighborhood. It's very nice and has many shops and good transportation. My neighbors are very friendly and polite. Many places look wonderful. S.F. looks like my native country. My native town, Odessa, is very famous. Many people know it. S.F. is very famous too. I like S.F. and want to live here, but I want to see some other towns too.--David

I've lived in an apartment since I came to San Francisco. I've lived here for 10 months. All houses in this city are made of wood and it's inconvenient for me to hear my neighbors. I like public transportation in San Francisco. I use the No. 5 bus. The big difference between S.F and my town is in my town people usually don't have their own houses, only apartments or flats in buildings with many floors. Single-family houses are usually in the suburbs. I like the houses, streets and parks in San Francisco. Unfortunately, one big problem here is the very expensive rent.--Inna

I live in a house now, even though the rent is more expensive. I like it all. I live with my husband and daughter. We have two bedrooms, one living room, a kitchen, bathroom and backyard. Sometimes I do exercises in my backyard with my daughter. It makes me enjoy my life because we planted a lot of plants and flowers there. But I never think about buying a house in San Francisco because it costs a lot. Maybe after a few years, we will move to another place and buy a house. I never lived in an apartment. My friend lives in an apartment in Daly City. I visited her and looked around the apartment. It was good. I think maybe some day I'll try living in an apartment.--Li

Well..I've lived in many places before coming to San Francisco. I think that Vancouver is similar to S.F. in many ways. Currently I live in a big house with two other friends. I like the neighborhood very much. I have Golden Gate Park in front of my house and I enjoy running and walking in the park when I have time. There are many restaurants and bars where I can spend a good time.--Jorge

I live in a one-bedroom apartment. I like my apartment because it has spacious closets and a spacious kitchen. Also it has a balcony with a beautiful view of Presidio Park. I like my neighborhood because there are all kinds of stores, restaurants and services. One block from my house there is a Walgreens. Just across the street is the hair salon and the linen outlet. I have three options to take the Muni buses. Buses number 1 and number 2 stop on the corners of my block. Also I can take the 38 bus which is only 2 blocks from my place. The places in Mexico are built with bricks and they are bigger than San Francisco houses.--Desirée