My first experience with International Friendship Daywas this year, on April 4th, 2018. I volunteered to bepart of the team helping to teach the girls to makefriendship bracelets, and was a little nervous as thelast time I had attempted to make Friendship braceletswas when I myself was an IJ girl, at CHIJ Secondary!

The focus for this year’s Friendship Day was on ASEAN,the relationship between ASEAN countries and howthey work together. There were 3 information boothsset up, where students couldfind out more about the flagsand flowers of each ASEANcountry, as well as greetingsin each national language.

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At the friendship band station,there was much excitement asthe parent volunteersreminisced on the differentstyles of friendship bracelets weused to make as studentsourselves. The friendship bandswere organized in the ASEANcountries’ national colours.

The girls seemed to be a bithesitant to approach us at first,because they thought thebracelets were for sale, butwhen they found out that wewould be teaching them how tomake these friendship bands,they were very enthusiastic andeager to learn.

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The P1s and P2s were so earnest; they were so cute intheir attempts to master the skill of knotting thebracelets. The P5s and P6s were next, and they wereexperts within minutes. The P3s and P4s did a great jobfollowing instructions and on the whole, all the girlsmanaged well and were happy to have a friendshipband each to take home and complete.

I had a wonderful time volunteering at this event. Asusual, the enthusiasm and excitement of the IJ girls isalways infectious and it is a joy to be around them.

by Cara Ann Pereira, mummy of Isabela Jade D’Penha,P2 Violet

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