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SCMP Reporter

Name: Ashley Francis

Age: 16

City/ Country: London, England

School name: William Morris Sixth Form Academy

Star sign: Pisces

I am fun, outgoing person who is always making jokes. I like to laugh and enjoy having people who have a sense of humour around me.

I am caring and like it when people show me affection. I am sensitive of other people's feelings, and am always happy when making other people happy.

Teenagers in London are overly hyperactive. They are easily excited, and so are sometimes seen as nuisances, although they are often just engaging in harmless fun.

London is a busy city. It's not boring, and there is always something to do - day and night. The population is diverse, as the city is home to people from all over the world.

The weather in London is quite unpredictable. We can have lovely summers, with highs of around 28 degrees celsius. Our winters are extremely cold, with below-zero degrees temperatures. Right now, the air in London is  bitterly cold.

At school, I study English language and literature, philosophy, sociology and media studies - sociology and media is my favourite of the four.

My school life is quite exciting. I have lively teachers who make learning fun, and plenty of friends to socialise with. Homework takes about 40 hours each week.

My first language is English. I speak a little German, but not fluently.

I tend to hang out with friends at either my or their homes. We sometimes go shopping or to the cinema. We also like to dance, so we go to a street dance school.

In my free time I sing, dance, read and write. I also spend a lot of time talking on the phone to friends or speaking to people online. However, sport doesn't interest me.

For holidays, I mostly go to America or the West Indies. I have also been to France.

My family is very closely-knit. There is always someone to talk to, and we all care a lot about each other.

My mum almost always does the cooking. She usually cooks West Indian food, such as rice and peas, stewed chicken, curry mutton and fried plantain. I cook whenever she works late, or sometimes just to give her a break.

My mum pays for my clothes but I choose my own. I tend to wear different styles of clothes.  I wear a lot of Nike and adidas clothes.

My idol is American author Sista Souljah. She writes in order to educate people about sticking to the correct path in life.

In the future, I would like to work in journalism.

For me, Christmas is the most important festival, but it's not the most important festival in the city. London's diverse population means that many religious festivals are celebrated. At Christmas, I spend time with my whole family - it's hard to do this often during the year, since everyone is busy getting on with their lives.

There's a lot to do in London. Even though some of the attractions are really famous and too touristy, like the London Eye and Madame Tussauds, shopping on London's famous Oxford Street or seeing the guards at Buckingham Palace, I think most visitors would enjoy seeing them.

If you want to make friends with teens from other countries, send an e-mail to yp.epal@scmp.com. Sunday Young Post will forward all e-mails to Ashley.



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