Band 6+: Give an example of a time in the last two years you had to work with someone from a different background or someone who is different from you. What did you do? What did you learn?

Not too long ago I had the opportunity to host an Erasmus exchange student from France, we had a lot of fun, but.. she didn’t have the ability to speak or write in English.

In December ’24 I spent one week with a nice girl from France, Justine, but she couldn’t speak English which made communication a real challenge at first. During the week she stayed with me, I quickly realized that traditional conversations weren’t an option, so I had to find new ways to communicate. We both had to brainstorm to think of ways to communicate, which led to using body language, gestures and facial expressions. I also used drawings & pictures to explain things and understand what she needed! This taught me the importance of patience, openness, and creativity when working with someone different from me.

At the end of the week, we made tons of good memories together and to this day we sometimes send updates on our lives to each other.