Question 1

I have a few friends who work as financial advisors. They constantly need to expand their network and build a wider client base. I don’t think I would be good at this job. Firstly, it requires years of experience and a license is also essential for credibility. On top of that, I am not so good at making first impressions.

Question 2

I enjoy meeting new people if it’s an organized event where attendees have a similar interest or hobby. I love meeting new people when attending workshops or seminars. However, I get nervous if it’s an unplanned meeting and I panic thinking of small talk ideas and start behaving awkwardly.

Question 3

I’m not good at making first impressions. People often say I seem cold and distant. I guess it’s because of my poker face. One of my university friends mentioned that he felt uneasy approaching me when we first met because of my droopy eyes. I also remembered in my first years working as an online English teacher, I had to receive additional training because they want me to have cheerful expressions when greeting students.

Question 4

In the Philippines, people always find ways to socialize. In the morning, we can often find elderly people sitting at the front porch of their houses while drinking coffee. They would always greet people passing by and sometimes they even invite people for a snack or a light breakfast meal. I think these moments are important for community-building. When neighbors are familiar with each other, the security in the area increases and we have better camarederie.

Question 5

I’ve made a golden rule to avoid talking about relationship status, careers or family life when meeting someone for the first time. However, if they initiate the topic’s conversation by themselves, I would indulge and ask subtle follow-up questions. I don’t want to ask anything intrusive and I think the safest topic is to talk about hobbies.

Question 6

If it’s a work event, we can talk about the contents of the event such as the booths, lecture topics, and other work-related information. Consequently, if it’s a wedding event we can talk about how we know the couple or praise the wedding ceremony venue or decorations. It’s best to customize our topics based on the context of the event we are attending.

Tough Vocabulary

Question 1

People who work in the tourism industry are constantly meeting and talking to new people, helping them plan trips or find the places they want to visit. I think I could be good at this because I enjoy talking to people and the subject of traveling is always fun. When someone is excited about something I also get excited about it.

Question 2

Yes, I do enjoy meeting new people. I always have, even if it is for a short time. I learned the Japanese phrase "ichi go, ichi e" after moving here and I love this concept. We don't have a word for this in English, maybe "once in a lifetime", but I feel like that is more serious. Either way I really love it.

Question 3

Yes, I am always happy to make new friends! The more the merrier! You can never have too many!

Question 4

I'm still kind of new in my area, but I would say that cafes are usually a decent place to hang out and meet other regulars. Public events would also be a good place to meet people with similar interests.

Question 5

The riskiest topics are always politics and religion. Unless you're sure they will have a similar view it's best not to bring them up. As for more casual topics I would warn against asking too many personal questions such as if or when they will have children. If you don't know the person well you could accidentally offend them or remind them of a painful memory or situation.

Question 6

"Atsui desune/Samui desune" are absolute staples in Japan. Everyone loves talking about the weather here. Myself included! Small talk is big in Japan, at least from this viewpoint. At gatherings people tend to talk about the weather or their jobs. I could also say that these topics get old pretty quickly. You can only repeat them with so many people at the gathering before it becomes mind numbing.

Tough Vocabulary