Is there a natural place from your past that has changed a lot since you were young? How do you feel about it?

B Natural answer

Yes, the river park where I grew up has changed quite a bit. When I was young, it was mostly open grass, a few trees, and a simple path along the water. We used to go there for picnics and bike rides, and it felt very peaceful. Over time, the city developed the area, and now it has cafes, exercise equipment, and much better lighting, so it has grown a lot busier. My feeling about it is a bit of a mixed feeling. On one hand, it's safer and more useful for families, so I understand why they changed it. On the other hand, I miss its open space, because that was the best part for me. It felt like one of the few places where you could breathe and hear yourself think. I still visit sometimes, and I try to focus on the good side, but I can't help comparing it to how it looked when I was little. The memories are still there, even if the landscape isn't.

Key phrases in this answer

• grown a lot busier — become much more crowded or active“The park has grown a lot busier since the new cafes opened.”
• a bit of a mixed feeling — a feeling that is partly positive and partly negative“I have a bit of a mixed feeling about the changes.”
• its open space — the wide, uncluttered area of a place“I miss its open space and quiet air.”
• more built up — more developed with buildings, roads, or facilities“This area is much more built up than it was ten years ago.”
• the old lakeside trail — a familiar path beside a lake from an earlier time“We used to walk the old lakeside trail after school.”
• the place I knew — a place as it used to be in the past“The place I knew as a child is gone now.”