I think San Francisco has very beautiful views, but that's true. My aunt said that when I hadn't come here yet. San Francisco is colder than my country and everybody drives a car, but in my country almost everybody rides motorcycles. If you have a lot of money, you can buy a car, but it's expensive. There is a problem for me because I can find a job in my country but not here. It requires me to get a license for my job. I don't like the weather in San Francisco because it's always cold.--Dieu

Before I came to San Francisco, I knew the Golden Gate Bridge is a great bridge, and the weather is very nice. It was my family that told me. I was surprised here that every day at nighttime it is very quiet. In my country, daytime and nighttime are very noisy. I like San Francisco's weather and the bus drivers are very polite. I don't like San Francisco taxes. They are too high.--Lai Yee

Last year, when I lived in Japan, my husband lived in San Francisco alone, so I heard a lot of things from him about it. He said, "It is very expensive to rent an apartment." In Japan, we have to pay a lot of money to rent an apartment too, but San Francisco is more expensive than Japan. When I first came here, I was surprised that there are people from many different countries here, for example Chinese, Mexican, Brazilian, and so on. I like it here because people are very friendly and kind. But I don't like the bathrooms here because the toilet and the bath are in the same room, and most bathrooms have only a shower. Japanese love baths and they think that it is important to spend a comfortable bathtime.

I knew about San Francisco's Alcatraz Island, and the Golden Gate Bridge is amazing. Also I was surprised about the streets that go up and down like mountains. I like the famous street, Lombard Street. It is very interesting. I visited Fisherman's Wharf. It's a very nice place. There are a lot of stores, and also you can see sea lions and ride a cable car. I don't like the traffic and I was surprised because there are a lot of homeless people.--Gloria

My friend told me about San Francisco before I came. I was surprised when I saw big buildings. I like it here because all the time I need to talk in English. I like to walk on the beach and watch the sunset so much.--Paulina

The streets are so quiet. The houses' shapes are so cute. The yards are so wide. The people are so kind. The buses are so spacious and comfortable. The prices are so high. The supermarkets are so far away. The beach is so close to my house. The seagulls are all over the beach. The pigeons and birds follow me while I walk on the street. The people speak so fast and it's crazy. English is so difficult to learn! The weather is so mild and I can wear the same clothes all year.--Vera

I saw many surprises in San Francisco. It's very nice in Fisherman's Wharf and this city has cable cars. Downtown there are big buildings. The houses are in the Victorian style and have big gardens. The weather is very good for my health. I like San Francisco so much because my husband works here. He has a good job, and I think everything is very nice.--Nantiya

Before I came to San Francisco, I didn't know many things about it. I only knew about the Golden Gate Bridge and Lombard Street because my husband sent me pictures and he said to me, "When you come here you need to wear a jacket all the time because here it is very cold for you." I was surprised the first day, because I went to Oakland. I passed over the Bay Bridge. It is the longest bridge I ever saw in all my life. I like everything about S.F. It's my second home, after my country.--Maricel

Before I came here my husband told me in San Francisco everything is very good. It is very beautiful. I thought it was so cool and so windy in my first year. I thought it was very beautiful and quiet. I was very surprised some people could wear thin clothes. I had to wear a thick jacket and a lot of sweaters. I like the weather in the summer. I can see many more flowers and it's not very cool. My children had a good education in San Francisco.--King Fung

I knew about San Francisco before I came here. My husband's family told me information about San Francisco and famous places, so I came here. I like it here because there are many trees, nice weather, wide streets, the beautiful ocean, and it's easy to find the addresses, but I don't like to buy something expensive and drive far away to go shopping.--Wendy

I am from China. There are four seasons in China, spring, summer, fall and winter. In China I can wear different clothes in different seasons, but here I can't. I think there is one season in San Francisco, 365 days a year. I must wear the same clothes. I was surprised to see two things in S.F. as follows: The cats, dogs, and pigeons on the street are very fat. They are very lovely when they are walking and finding their food on the street. Many old people are limping. Sometimes I can also see the pigeons the same as old people.--Zhao Ping

San Francisco is wonderful. I heard about it before I came here. It is on the Pacific Ocean and it has beautiful beaches. I read a guidebook to get an idea about it before coming, but what really surprised me was the huge green mountains that I'd never seen before. Also the weather surprised me. It is four seasons in one day. It's amazing.--Doaa

I see which people like San Francisco, but everything is expensive (renting an apartment, clothes, etc.) and they come here for a job. My surprise about S.F. is the people's life here, because you can go to the parks, on the beaches, and have more freedom to do your things. Only San Francisco has the culture of many places of the world inside it.--Cláudio

When I came here, I was surprised to see the big buildings. I didn't know that San Francisco was like this, but now I know that San Francisco is very different than my country. I like San Francisco because the weather is cool!! and the people too. Also I like S.F. because the houses are around in the Bay Area. Sometimes I don't like it here because the language is very difficult, and I have to learn, but I like English. I just have to learn it.--Nancy