Describe a time you were friendly to someone you did not like.
You should say:
- when and where it happened
- who he or she was
- why you did not like this person
and explain why you were friendly to him/her on that occasion.
Model Answer 1:
Well, this is an interesting topic to talk about. I can recall few such events when I did not like someone I was talking to or dealing with and yet I behaved very friendly and was quite amiable to this person. One such event that I recall very clearly occurred about one year ago when I visited one of my friends’ house.
My friend John invited me and Chris to his home for the dinner and we were very excited to meet his parents and siblings as we had never been invited by John to his home. On a Sunday evening, I went to Chris’s house and two of us then headed for John’s house. We live in the same neighbourhood so we walked to reach John’s place. On our way to his home, we bought a box of chocolate and a small gift for John’s younger brother David. This was the first time we were visiting John’s house though John has visited our house several times. It was always a mystery to us until we visited his house!!!
As soon as we reached John’s house we could understand why John felt uneasy to invite us. John’s father stays outside till late night and on that day he was not present at home even after John specifically requested him to stay and meet us. John’s mother was a bit rude (I am sorry to say so, but I do not know how to describe her using more polite words!!!). The only person who was friendly and good behaved was David, who was only 12 years old. After we gave the gift to David he was very happy and wanted to gossip with us and tell many stories from his school. However, her mother sent him to his room and rebuked him for something we could not understand at all. After that, John’s mother started interrogating us like a detective does to reveal secret information from a bunch of criminals. I felt quite uneasy and yet could not leave the place only because I cared about John. I felt terrible by the unfriendly behaviour and whimsical questions of John’s mother. It was quite tough and challenging for me to keep my usual calm and maintain my composer, and I noticed that Chris had turned red already as he does whenever he gets irritated. I talked to John’s mother very politely, gave as many answers as possible and showed our concern for her. I thought she would act differently as we were showing our utmost respect and sincerity for her and her family. She did not!!! After we finished the dinner (she was a terrible cook!) we did not wait any further and rushed to get back to our house.
‘What I did not like about that her?’ Honestly, I had a soft corner about her as she was the mother of John. But I did not like anything about her except that she was the mother of two wonderful boys –John and David. She was rude, did not know how to talk politely to someone, asked us all the personal and irritating questions, did not know or did not care how to treat a guest and acted very funnily with her own kids. I am quite amiable to others, especially to guests or someone I meet. But when people forget to act at least moderately, I become very angry. Though I acted very respectfully to this woman, I was angry deep inside.
The main reason I acted very friendly with her was because she was the mother of my friend. I know how important it is for us to show our respects to our elderly – be it my parents or my friend’s parents or someone else. This is why I did not show my anger or disrespect to her for a single second. I tried to behave as politely as possible and so did my other friend Chris. I knew any disrespect and rude behaviour of us would only worsen the situation and John would be hurt. That’s why we behaved very cordially and maintained our equanimity.
Sample Answer 2:
Being always friendly does never mean that the friendliness you are showing to will be the same from the opposite side. Such an event took place with me in last month after I went to attend an interview. I had to be friendly with a woman whom I could not like at all.
In December last, I went to attend a formal interview with a locally reputed organisation here in El Salvador. I applied for the job from a job seeking a website where they advertised for the post. Accordingly, I was selected and was asked to attend the interview. But I was displeased with the receptionist of the company. She was a very arrogant in nature and hardly provided any support to the attendee applicants for the post. I was asked to be at the office compound before 11 am and I did so. But the attitude of the receptionist made me think that I might have made some sort of mistakes being at the right time.
Initially, I could not get her name or rather I would like to say – I did not try to know about her personal details. She was assigned, I assume, to welcome the applicants and show them the rooms for the written test against the post. She also was supposed to provide all the necessary supports to the applicants regarding the interview. But she sat at her desk with a displeasing attitude. Of course, she was a pretty girl with a cute smile but she reserved the smile for some of the officials, not for the ordinary employees. She looked beautiful with her business suit but I think she was a bit arrogant as well. Later, I came to know that she was Samantha by name and was the in-charge of the reception desk.
To be frank, I could not like the person for some specific reasons. First of all, she was not supportive to the applicants at all. When the authority made the phone call to me, they told me that I will get all the necessary information and supports from the receptions desk if I need.
Accordingly, I tried to get help about my seating arrangement. But she did not respond until I asked thrice to her. She did the same thing to everyone attended there for the interview. She pretended that the applicants cannot speak well and thus she is having a problem in listening to them. Further, when an applicant asked to drink a glass of water, she responded as if the man has done a serious crime. It was really shocking. For all such reasons, I did not like her.
I had to be friendly with her as I was a stranger at the office. Moreover, I did not know if I could get the job or not. She was an official of the organisation and I was an outsider. Besides, it is not my nature to show hostility in the first appearance with someone as she did. In fact, I was not the same like her. I am different with some humane qualities which she lacked most. Hence, I tried to show friendliness to her as much possible. But she was just the opposite not with me but with everyone else present there for the interview.