| I used to work as hard as most other people did in my native country. I think Americans have more free time than we have in my native country. They are more concerned about their family's lives. According to some statistics, most working people in my native country spend their leisure time watching TV. That's probably the same as here, but it seems that more Americans exercise during their leisure time than people in my native country. We used to work half a day on Saturday. Now we don't because my native country's government encourages us to have more relaxing time. We work longer from Monday to Friday instead of working on Saturday, but we have the same work time. I think it's good to balance between working and our families.--Emily |
| In my native country the weather is very different. I don't like that weather. The fall is cold and the summer is hot. The area is bad and a lot of people there have difficulty finding a job, but in San Francisco the weather is very good. I like it here very much. If you speak English well and work hard you can find a good job.--Tiffany |
| Everybody loves leisure time, but it has different stages. When I was in school, during the student stage, I had to study hard, learn regularly, and only on summer holiday could I take a little breath and a break. During the marriage stage, I had to raise my family and I was busy with house chores, taking care of the children's food, clothes, and education. After it was their time to marry, I felt I was old and getting into a ripe age. Now I understand leisure time. I have a lot of leisure time right now. I can increase my knowledge by going to John Adams College, or taking a vacation to Europe and China. Twice a year I have to visit my children in New York and Los Angeles.--Yin Yin May |
| I think a lot of people like to travel some places on a vacation. In my native country if you wanted to travel to another city, you had to go to the city government office and apply first. Then you waited for them to say okay and then you could go. But over here if you have time or money nobody cares where you go. People who live here love to take a vacation a lot. Every year we take a vacation. We go to different places. We went to Las Vegas, L.A., San Diego, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, and Canada. This year we plan to go to Wyoming, Colorado and Utah, and then go back to Las Vegas. I hope we'll have a good time.--Julie |
| I like to read books in my leisure time. I read many, many books in my country when I was young. Now I don't have a lot of leisure time because I do everything slower, but I like reading a book more than anything. Sometimes I watch TV. Sometimes I go on a walk. I can't answer question number 4. That is not a simple question. I had a trip in my country every year, but only in my country. I had 24 vacation days a year and that was enough for a good trip.--Nelli |
| In my native country I worked as a teacher in the university and I had big vacations. Usually during this time I was working in my garden or I went to a spa where I drank water for my kidneys. Now I don't have a garden and I can drink good water at home, so I can take a trip. This year my wife and I took a trip to Spain. It was a very interesting but very hard trip. We flew 15 hours from Madrid to San Francisco. I was tired. I didn't have the strength to go to school. I could sleep, only sleep. But the trip was very interesting and I am happy that I could take it.--Yuriy |
| I like to clean the house, wash the clothes, go shopping, cook, and garden in my yard in my free time. In my native country I helped my parents to wash the clothes and go to the market to buy some vegetables and do some housework. In the United States, I really don't have more free time than in my native country. People in my native country have more free time and neighbors visit each other's houses. In the United States and my native country we spend free time differently. In my native coutnry we learn how to sew, cook, and knit from our parents and sisters. Sometimes we visit other valleys and have a lot of fun. Last October, I went to Taiwan for my vacation. I enjoyed it very much. This year I will go to Hong Kong, China, Hawaii, or Mexico. I haven't decided yet.--Alice |
| I always go on the Internet in my leisure time. Whatever I am doing, when I get home, I open Windows. This helps me very much. I don't need to buy a newspaper. I can get a lot of information I need immediately, any time, anywhere. How fun it is! It is not only for leisure, but also a necessity for my daily life so far. I like to listen to music when I'm home. Recently I always listen to the radio. The American songs remind me of a lot of memories. I'm sure it is helpful to raise my listening ability in English--Keiko |
| I've liked reading books all my life and I always try to do it if I have time. Also I like doing exercise. Here I spend my time another way than in my home town. There I spent a lot of time with my friend because I was unmarried, and here I am busy with my family because I'm married. I think people in the USA have less free time than people in my native country, and spend it differently. Americans pay more attention to sports and during their vacations they travel more than people in my native country.--Inna |
| I like to read books and listen to music in my spare time. Sometimes I like to play games on the Internet. Since 9/11, America Against Terrorism became a very popular game. That's my favorite game. I could choose different kinds of guns to shoot people who are blocking peace in the world. In my native country, people have more free time than Americans, because most people's jobs in my native country don't have too much pressure. People have a lot of leisure time. I really like to take a vacation. I think maybe next year I'll take a trip to Japan.--Li |
| In my free time I like to exercise. I go to the gym 4 or 5 times a week and I enjoy swimming every day. I love to read, to chat with my friends, go out for dinner, and meet new people. When it's possible, I take vacations as much as possible. I like to discover new places, to learn about other cultures, and to meet new people and customs. On vacation I love the sea. In my country I practiced scuba diving and the life in the sea is simply fascinating!! In a couple months I hope to travel to an interesting place.--Jorge |
| Although I have been in the US for three weeks, I still miss my life in China. When I was in China, I had a colorful life. In my free time I enjoyed going to a bar and appreciated classical music. After I came to the US, I also went to a bar and listened to a concert. Frankly, I felt bad in the US bar. It's too noisy. In China, it's quiet in the bar. Everyone has a low talk with his partners and the music is soft. About the US symphony, I have to say it is my own problem. I can't understand the western symphony. In China, I can understand and enjoy a Chinese classical music show. I think it is the difference in culture between the US and China that makes me have different feelings, so I need to take more time to learn and understand US culture.--Yingjun |
| Those people who don't care about time can't achieve their goals, but it doesn't mean that people spend all their time working. All people have the same time--24 hours a day, but how they spend their time depends on the person. I think spending time should give you fun. Those people who know it's fun can do everything. Fun means they know how they can divide their time for work, family, social occasions and other activities.--Muhammad |
| In my native country I did many more things than I do here. I had my business and I worked very hard. I had a big garden with many fruit trees. Also I grew many kinds of vegetables. Here, I have a lot of free time. I like to watch TV news, read newspapers and short stories. I try to read more English books. Sometimes I go shopping. I like to call my friends. I don't like to write letters. In my native country we had more free time than American people.--David |
| When I was in Korea, I was still single. We took a vacation to the mountains, river, and beach. At that time we didn't have our own cars. Some days we took the bus or train many times. But I want to go back to being a young boy. I came to America. I've just had time to take a few vacations with my family. We had our own small business. We have 3 children. We didn't have enough time. They usually go to school and come back home and go to exercise. Last month we took a vacation for a week. We drove to Canada, except my daughter. She had classes in college. We are sorry about our daughter. Now, me and my wife have time for the time being, but my kids don't have time. In summer time we will try to go to Chicago by car. Do you have a good idea for our family vacation?--Yoon-Saing |
| In my leisure time, I like to read and plant flowers. In my native country, when I was a child and teenager, my parents bought or rented a lot of books for us. I used all my leisure time reading books whenever I finished my homework or housework. I read them when I ate, or on the bus. I even read them when I cooked. You know, 30 years ago, China didn't have many electrical appliances. We used coal to cook anything. I often scorched the rice and my mom scolded me. I read many masterpieces, including domestic and overseas ones. After I grew up, I started to read magazines and newspapers, but now, when I go to adult school, I don't have time to read books. I have to finish my English homework. On the weekend, if I have a little leisure time, I like to work in my backyard. I like to plant flowers and potted plants. That's my hobby.--Wendy |