A friend of mine from college is moving to my city, so I have been thinking about what she would and wouldn't like about it. I'd say the quality of life here, as far as fun and activities are concerned, is very good. The quality of life isn't very good, though, in other important ways..

Living in a large city is exciting, but you pay a price for it. There are lots of interesting things to do, and good restaurants with food from around the world. There are museums, art galleries, and lots of movie theaters. However, the crime rate is high, and people have to be careful about where they go at night. There's a lot of traffic most of the time, and finding a parking space can be a problem. There are also a lot of people living here. Sometimes it feels too crowded.

In a big city like mine, housing is very expensive. It costs a lot even if you're just renting an efficiency apartment. The good side is that there's a lot of choice about where you want to live and how you want to live. You can find apartments of all sizes in different settings. Houses of equal variety are available for sale or rent.

If my friend likes the great outdoors, she might be disappointed. Unfortunately, my city doesn't have a lot of wide open green spaces, 'and there aren't a lot of trees on the streets. We're not near the ocean, and the mountains are a day's drive from here. Still, we do have some natural areas. For example, we have a beautiful big park. It even has a lake in the middle that's used for ice skating in the winter. There's a different kind of beauty in the city.

Thinking about it, I suppose whether my friend likes my city will depend on whether or not she likes exciting places. I hope she likes a lot of variety as far as housing and activities are concerned. If she does, then this is the place for her.

Recently one of my friends will move to Shanghai from New Zealand and she asked me which aspects she might not adapt in Shanghai. I think that it is as follows:

Firstly, she may think that the air pollution is very severe in Shanghai. As everyone knows that New Zealand is a developed country known for its beautiful natural environment. There are fewer industry plants in New Zealand than in Shanghai. So New Zealand is a very clean and beautiful country, just like a garden. However, in Shanghai the air pollution is still out of control. When you come back home from your company every day, you will find that your shoes are covered with dusts.

What is more, my friend may find that the streets in Shanghai is very croweded with traffic. The population of Shanghai is 13 million, which is much more than that of New Zealand. She might find uncomfortable travelling in the streets of Shanghai During rush hours.

Finally, I think that she may complain about some other small things about Shanghai. For examplem suppose she walks on the pavement and will find that there are too many bicycles parked on it which block the sidewalk. Sometimes she has to walk on the street. I think having lived in New Zealand for a long time, these small things in Shanghai may bewilder her.

In a word, I think that my friend will dislike the air pollution, crowded transportation and other aspects of Shanghai. As a Shanghaiese, I think we all should try our best to make Shanghai a better place to live in the future.

It is almost always the case that a person who has been living in a rural area for a while confronts certain conveniences and inconveniences of living in a city. One convenience is the number and diversity of stores and shops available in a short distance in a city. A big inconvenience is the traffic congestion that takes place in many places.

One big thing I remind my foreign friend who is planning to move to my city is that there is cultural diversity, or even conflicts. My friend is an international student from Japan who is living in a small town in California. As a foreigner, he confronts with cultures of local people every day. On the other hand he realizes that there are few stores and restaurants that are native to his culture. It is very normal that such a person gets homesick and starts missing people and foodstuffs from his own country. Moving to a big city will satisfy such needs of him because there are many stores, restaurants, and supermarkets that are run by Japanese companies so he will less likely to be homesick any more.

However, there is one big inconvenience about living in a city, which is traffic. Especially people who drive often feel stressed on the streets that are always packed with cars lining up in the streets. It is always difficult to find parking spots either in the parking lots or on the street. Furthermore, apartments do not always provide sufficient parking spots to their residents. A lot of people who live in city feel less convenient to keep cars and choose to use public transportation. However, unfortunately, the public transportation system is not perfectly great around my neighborhood.

My city satisfies and dissatisfies my foreign friend who drives. The availability of stores and shops that are native to his country soothes his dissatisfaction about being surrounded by different cultures. However, on the other hand, traffic jam that is always the problem in big cities gives new stress that he is currently free from. It is a matter of balance between the two features that he needs to settle in.