Intercultural Speedfriending: A Day to Remember

Intercultural Speedfriending: A Day to Remember

On Monday, March 10, 2025, our class (5.16) joined the CLIJA students for an intercultural speedfriending event, and it was unforgettable!
At first, we were nervous. What if we said the wrong thing? What if we didn’t understand each other?
But the moment we stepped in, with music playing, “Hello” written in all kinds of languages, and snacks on the tables, the nerves started to melt. One of us said, « I was scared I’d run out of things to say… but then she smiled and said I had cool hair. Just like that, we were chatting! »
Each round brought someone new. Each story was unique. We laughed, we shared, we listened, and we discovered that even if we didn’t speak the same language, we could still understand one another. Pictures worked. Gestures helped. Smiles did the rest.
We spoke in a mix of languages. A little French, some Portuguese, but mostly, we connected through English. And surprisingly, it flowed so naturally!
To help the conversations along, both classes had prepared multilingual questionnaires in advance, which made it easier to get to know each other and explore topics together in different languages.
We also realised how much we had in common. The conversations didn’t feel forced. They felt like the beginning of real friendships.
What inspired us most was seeing the strength and resilience of the CLIJA students. They’ve arrived in a new country, learned a new language, and adapted with such determination. It really made us reflect on our own lives and how easy it is to take things for granted.
As a follow-up to the event, we even wrote thank-you letters to each other. It was a small gesture, but it made the experience feel even more personal and meaningful.
We would like to thank Madame Adelisa Kozar for her support and help with practising the French “getting to know you” questions with the CLIJA, and Monsieur Gilles Muller for helping the CLIJA students practise their English questions.
And of course, a huge thank you to Miss Laura De Robertis for coming up with such a fun and meaningful project, and for organising it.
We truly believe that this kind of event should happen every year in LBV— and in every school in Luxembourg! 🙂
Class 5.16