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Learning from Different Flowers
Junior Category
Junior Category
You’re on a school exchange in a Commonwealth country different to your own. How do you make friends with people your age? (Consider similarities and differences in culture that may unite you).
You’re on a school exchange in a Commonwealth country different to your own. How do you make friends with people your age? (Consider similarities and differences in culture that may unite you).
Matshona Dhliwayo, a philosopher from Zimbabwe, once said that “A garden’s beauty never lies in one flower.” In my opinion, making new friends especially during a school exchange can be extremely fun and intriguing, but also very stressful and anxiety-inducing. In quote above by Matshona Dhliwayo, it is stated that a garden’s beauty never lies in one flower which, to me, means that beauty never lies in one place but in multiple places. Diversity is something that makes things beautiful. With that, here's what I learnt about making friends, despite all the differences.
My school recently had a cultural exchange with Thailand students from Phayao Pittayakhom School (or PPK, for short). During this exchange, I learnt numerous things, especially in socialising with the students, despite there being a few differences between us. Through my interactions with them, I also learnt about the Thai culture which was like exploring a new garden! One thing that aided me the most in socialising was being open-minded. By employing this mindset, I was able to discover similarities with the Thai students that brought us closer together.
A challenge I generally faced was the slight language barrier, but despite that, my friends and I were successful in overcoming it . Even if we do not speak the same language fluently, we were able to communicate through gestures, and even a few descriptive words. In fact, I learnt a tiny bit of Thai when I was with the students. They taught me a few basic words in the language, along with sentences like “How was your day?” and “Thank you so much!” To them, learning even just a few words of their language signals that we care and that we are willing to make an effort to connect with them.
“Shared experiences are like the sunlight that helps friendships grow.” That was what one of my teachers told me when I was still unsure of interacting with different people. Whether we played sports, flew kites, went to museums, or even shared meals with one another, doing things together creates positive memories and bonds. Plus, it can be really fun!
The most important thing to me was being understanding and respectful. We always needed to be reminded that not everyone does everything the same way that we do it. By showing even simple empathy and consideration of others’ culture and beliefs, we can avoid conflicts or misunderstandings and create trust with one another.
Ultimately, making friends on a school exchange is all about making diversity a norm and celebrating the unique traits that everyone has. Just like a garden with different types of flowers, the friendships we build can become stronger and more stunning when we embrace our differences . So, what are you waiting for? Go explore and make wonderful new friends!
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Do you enjoy making friends from different cultures? What is one great tip in making friends?
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