Describe a situation when you met somebody from your past by accident.
You should say:
- when it was
- where you met
- how you know this person
and explain why it was surprising for you.
Model Answer 1:
Interesting topic and it just happened to me almost a year ago when I was quite surprised to see Paula, one of my school friends, at a shopping mall all of a sudden. I met her after a very long time that day.
Last year I went to the city super mall to purchase some dresses for my family and met Paula there. Paula was my classmate and one of my closest friends in my high school. Her family settled in Canada just after we graduated from the high school. After a few initial communications, she went silent and I have not heard from her for more than 10 years. Meeting her in a supermall and being in the same shop at the same time was totally unexpected and I was very much thrilled to hear her updates.
When I was buying a leather jacket for my younger brother, I noticed a girl was selecting a red dress for a kid and she seemed very familiar to me. I was not sure who she could be and was thinking that she looks like Paula. In fact, Paula looked quite different than she used to look in the school days. It was very tough to recognise her after a long time. However, when she talked to a salesgirl, I recognised her voice. It was unforgettable! I approached to her and to my surprise, she recognised me! We hugged each other and left the shop after we purchase the items we had selected. We sat in a nearby coffee shop and talked for more than two hours.
She got married, became the mother of two kids and settled in Australia. Her husband is an electric engineer who works in Australia. I was sad to hear that her mother passed away recently and that’s the main reason she came home. She apologised for not keeping the communication, explained her reasons for doing so and took my email and phone number.
Meeting Paula all of a sudden was indeed a great surprise to me. It was totally unexpected and I had no idea I would meet her someday. She was one of my best friends from my school and we had so many memories together. A few years back when I met another friend from high school and he told me that Paula had never communicated any of our school friends, I thought I would never meet her again. However, the world is small indeed and we have our surprises waiting for us just at the corner of the street!!! This was something that came to mind when I met Paula after more than 10 years.
These days I mostly get her updates on Facebook and she sometimes calls me. I know her updates even if she stays a far away and we are good friends again.
Sample Answer 2:
My short trip to Singapore amazed me in different ways. I met with one of my cousins living in the country after a long. Thank you for allowing me to speak about the issue.
I was born and brought up in Indonesia. I have passed my childhood in Jakarta and never been to out of the city until the completion of my graduation. So, I made a plan immediately after graduation to visit some of the Asian countries. Accordingly, I made the trip to Singapore. I heard a lot about the Singapore street markets. While shopping in one of the local street markets in the city, I met with Farhan Halim, one of my cousins from my mother’s side. In fact, he has been living in the country for over a decade. I met him last about 10 years ago in Indonesia when he went there with his newlywed wife.
I went to Bugis Street Market to get some new clothing for me. While I was shopping at the market, I met with Halim. He was extremely happy to see me in the market. I wanted to make the trip alone and thus did not inform him about my arrival in Singapore. Besides, being an introvert, I love to do everything alone. Socialising is really difficult for me. So, I intentionally did not inform him about the visit. He was angry with me for this reason. Then he took me to his home and cancelled my stay at the hotel. He has not been changed a bit than the time I met him last. He is happy with his family and two kids. In fact, the accidental meeting with him helped me to get reunited with his family and other relatives of mine living in Singapore.
Halim is my cousin. He is the elder son of my maternal aunt and senior to me of around 13 years. I did not have a close contact with him in my childhood. When I grew up and got matured, he left the country and settled in Singapore. He also got married here and maintaining his medium-size store. He has a departmental store and remains busy round the day to take care of it. Though I did not have a close bond with him, he and his family gave me a warm hospitality. I am really pleased with their initiatives to entertain me till my departure from the country. We had lots of fun together and I especially enjoyed the remaining days in Singapore.
The meeting with Halim was surprising to me. In fact, I did not expect that I could meet with him. His shop was adjacent to the street market where I was shopping. He was moving to his store and on the way he noticed me. I knew that he lives in Singapore but I did not have the address of him. So, I also thought it was unnecessary to look for him. But meeting him on the street really amazed me to the largest extent. As he was familiar with my shyness and introvert nature, he took the event easily and chided me with a smiling face. Later, the events at his home were filled with enjoyment and happiness. Considering everything, it was a kind of a surprise to me.