Topic: Friendship

Three years ago, my sister, who is an education major, volunteered to teach the children
of Smokey Mountain in Tondo for our school requirement. She met a lot of people there
including the foreign volunteers from Germany who are members of a foundation who helps
the children in need. At first, my sister felt awkward and shy (which I think is normal) because it
is her first time working with foreigners. But they were so friendly and very easy to get along
with that’s why she enjoyed working with them. The first thing that my sister noticed while
talking to them was that they are obviously not very fluent in speaking in English that’s why she
is comfortable and not that conscious if her grammar is correct while talking to them.

She also met Leonie, one of the German volunteers, and my sister discovered that even
though she came from a different country with a completely different culture, they still have a
lot in common. Leonie have been staying in the Philippines for a while now and she have
already tried many Filipino foods such as banana cue and halo-halo. It’s glad to know that even
though Filipino foods are different from European foods, she still liked it a lot. They were like
childhood friends who haven’t met for a very long time because they really felt comfortable
with each other. Leonie is also so cheerful and very open to share her stories and experiences,
and likewise with my sister. They even share the same humor and they didn’t feel that they
both came from two different countries. My sister is very delighted to meet her and for a short
period of time, she felt that a genuine friendship was built between them.

I think, the reason why my sister and Leonie had a great time with each other was
because they are both aware of their own culture and at the same time, they are very open,
and they respect their cultural differences. They also show interest and willingness to listen to
one another which also helped them to learn more about their similarities and differences.

Friendship is powerful. It is a connection to other people which gives meaning to our

lives. It doesn’t matter who you are, where you came from or how you look like. Friendship is
sometimes built in the most unexpected time and place.