Anna from Ukraine

My name is Anna and I come from Ukraine. I came to Scotland in April. When I first arrived in Scotland, I spent a few weeks in a hotel in Edinburgh. Now I live in a house in Irvine. Irvine is a town in the south-west of Scotland.

When I first came to Scotland it was very difficult to understand people because of the Scottish accent. Scottish people also speak very fast. I go to English classes and I also try to learn English at home. I watch videos on YouTube and read and listen to stories to improve my vocabulary. I also go to a local language cafe to practise speaking. Every day it's easier to understand people.

I am 35 years old and have two young children. My children go to the local primary school. It was difficult for them in the beginning because they didn't know the language. Now they have friends in school and speak good English. Children learn languages very fast!

In the town centre, there are lots of cafes, shops, fast-food restaurants and a shopping centre. I like to go to the town centre. I usually take the bus into the town centre from my house. The buses are regular and it only takes about 15 minutes to get there.

I like the big shopping centre in the middle of town. There are lots of good shops. I enjoy looking around the shops when I have time. I like to go the shopping centre when my children are at school. It's difficult to go around the shops with young children. I enjoy looking in the shop windows to get ideas of what to buy, especially the clothes shops! There are many clothes shops in the shopping centre.

My favourite clothes shop is Primark. In Primark there are lots of discounts. It's already cold in Scotland and it's almost winter so I think I need to buy a nice warm coat soon. I hope to find a good discount in the shops