OELP reflection :Day 4
Instead of visiting the new campus of 树人中学, we visited the old campus instead which was much smaller than the new one but looks almost as grand.
We then headed to the meeting room to have a meeting with our buddies and to exchange gifts with them. My buddy is a male who is almost as tall as me and share the same interest as me :playing computer games. Thus it was very easy to communicate with him and understand his school life through our short conversation. In the end we managed to exchange phone numbers and emails to keep in touch with each other. Then the other principal of the school gave us an introduction of the school and proudly told us the achievements of the school. I was pretty impressed by their accomplishments and paid close attention to her speech. Finally we gave the principal a gift from River Valley as a commemorative present for the relationship between both schools.
Next we made our own chinese bracelets. It was pretty hard to grasp it even though the teacher made it seem so easy. However, after I got a hang of it, it was a piece of cake and i completed my chinese bracelet in no time.
After making the bracelet, we were brought to a room with a small stage. A couple of students then performed a skit really well as all of them were fluent in their lines and I could tell that they put a lot of effort in it. Then they gave us Yangzhou's speciality which was a salted egg for us to try.
After that we headed to the canteen to have our lunch. I then tried the salted egg and it felt like I was literally eating salt. It was really salty and I had to drink a lot of water to blend the taste.
Next, was a moment we have all been waiting for. It was time to put up our performance that we have been practicing for months. We had a mixed performance where the students from 树人 also performed things like singing, dancing, playing the guzhen and many more. They really practiced really hard as they performed really well. Then, it was our turn. Firstly, it was the dance group from our class. They did a chinese dance followed by their all-time favourite k-pop dances. Overall they did really well and next it was the skit group's turn, which was the group I was in. I was a little nervous but not as nervous as a few of my other friends. Although some things did not go as planned, we managed to engage our audience and make them understand Singapore better, which was our main goal. So I take it that our skit was a success. Thirdly, it was the class dance where the entire class came together to dance on a very small stage which I was surprised could fit all of us. However, we managed to put up a good show and I am proud of myself for not making any mistakes during the performance. Lastly, it was the singing group that first sang our national day song, Love At First Light followed by our entire class coming together to sing 隐形的翅膀. We did a good job and thus concluded our performance and our hard work over the past few months have finally paid off.
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| The 2 schools singing the song 朋友 together |
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| Our class singing 隐形的翅膀 |
Lastly, we headed for our final lesson which is about 书法. Though we had a bit of experience on it from our school, we were still not used to writing with the 毛笔. Thankfully, the students were very understanding and patient in teaching and guiding us.
With that, we said our goodbyes to the principals and teachers for bringing us through these 2 days and were really grateful for their help.
After we left the school, it was not the end of the day yet. We went to Xinhua bookstore to look at some books. We realised that the books were much cheaper in China compared to Singapore so I even bought one even though I am not an avid chinese reader but I wanted to improve my chinese by doing so.
With that, we ended our fourth day of OELP.
OELP reflection :Day 3
Today, we went to Shu Ren International School (树人中学) for an exchange program to understand more about the way the school in Yangzhou works and the difference between their school and our school. Firstly we were warmly welcomed by the school's principal and took a class photo with her with the school as the background. Then we had a tour around the school with the teachers and principal. There were several things that I saw in Shu Ren that River Valley High lacked such as a humongous garden which was similar to a park and a separated canteen for the teachers and the students.
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| The students having a chinese lesson |
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| Entrance of the school |
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| School field and track |
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| Indoor sports hall |
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| Group photo at the school's garden |
Afterwards we went to have a lesson with the students where we observed the student's studying behaviour from behind a double-layered mirror. We observed that they were very particpative during class and answered all of their teacher's questions even though I could notice some boys at the back not paying a lot of attention to the teacher. This is one of the attributes that I feel that we RV students lack and need to learn from the students from china.
Next we went to the Indoor sports hall to have a lesson on wushu. We managed to grasp the moves quickly as we have a bit of experience on it from learning 立化拳 and even impressed the instructor. Then, we showed them our 立化拳 that we learnt last year to show the students and received a round of applause.
Following that, we went to the school's garden which was what caught my attention the most. There is a very long walkway and many trees and plants peppered around the garden. There was even a river that seemed to fit very well with the garden. I feel that the reason why the school is able to afford such a big garden is because the plants and trees to decorate the garden is cheap, and the price of land is very cheap as China has plenty of land to spare, thus the reason why their school is so much bigger than River Valley High.
Finally, we had a sports competition where we participated in small events, games and a basketball match.Though we were losing the basketball match, our classmates still cheered on for our representatives for the entire time which kept the moral up for each and everyone of us. This depicted our RV spirit and that was one of the moments that I felt proud to be an Rvian. Though we lost in the end but i believe we tried our best.
Thus this concluded our third day of OELP.
OELP reflection :Day 2
Itinerary
Shanghai/Yangzhou
Travel to Yangzhou
Visit to Geyuan(个园)
Chinese Paper Cutting Museum(剪纸博物馆)
Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal(京杭大运河)
Local Market Visit
Travel to Yangzhou
We had to wake up much earlier than usual as we had to travel to Yangzhou and do our best to not waste time. It took around 4 hours to reach there so a lot of my friends took the opportunity to sleep as we were bored. Halfway through, we stopped for a toilet break and to buy some snacks for ourselves. While waiting, we managed to take a photo with 包导 and the bus driver.
When we finally reached Yangzhou, we had lunch and I found out that the dishes served there were more traditional compared to Shanghai probably because Shanghai's food is to mainly satisfy the taste of foreigners and thus made to suit their liking. Though I must still say the food was still very delicious.
Geyuan(个园)
清代扬州的盐商开始营造园林，至今还保留着许多优秀的古典园林。其中历史最悠久、保存最完整、最具艺术价值的，要算坐落在古城北隅的“个园”了。个园由两淮盐业商总黄至筠建于清嘉庆23年（公元1818年）。1988年个园被国务院授予第三批“全国重点文物保护单位”。个园是以竹石取胜，连园名中的“个”字，也是取了竹字的半边。这应合了庭园里各色竹子，主人的情趣和心智都在里面了。此外，因为竹子顶部的每三片竹叶都可以形成“个”字和在白墙上的影子也是“个”字，因而取名为个园。
We went to the Geyuan Garden after our meal and 包导 explained to us that Huang Zhiyun bought the land and built it as a private retreat. He liked bamboo as he believed it to be persistent, modest and loyal. The buildings were old but the bamboos were kept in good shape so it was still very scenic. The reason why it is called 个园 is because the leaves of the bamboo looks like the chinese character 个 and hence its name. Unfortunately, it was raining and we had quite a hard time climbing up some steep stones. However we still enjoyed it and learnt quite a bit.
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| The signboard outside the garden |
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| Cid grp 2 |
Chinese Paper Cutting Museum(剪纸博物馆)
中国剪纸博物馆坐落在扬州历史街区东圈门内的盐商名宅——汪氏小苑后花园里。这里小巷幽静、古朴典雅，尽显古城风韵。 中国剪纸博物馆由中国文联副主席、中国民间文艺家协会主席冯骥才先生倡导。它是扬州工艺美术集团公司和扬州工艺厂有限公司共同投资建设，以展示、保护、传承、抢救和研究中国剪纸艺术为己任，旨在促进中国剪纸事业的繁荣与发展。
Because of a bit of confusion, class 2G was there when we arrived there and thus we were understanding enough to let them carry on while we take a detour to the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal before going back to the paper cutting museum.
There were many works of art in the museum and all of them were hand made.The effort put in by the people cutting it is a lot and thus holds a special value to it. It also carries on the tradition of not relying on machines and instead on our own abilities. The chinese will be able to preserve this tradition by keeping this museum so that the next generation can also understand this interesting art.
We then proceeded to try and cut it ourselves and it was very hard although the teachers did it so easily. It took a lot of perseverance and patience to complete it and I was surprised that I did not do a bad job and am quite satisfied with my work.
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| My horses |
Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal
The scenary was very relaxing and it was really nice to sit on the boat as it went over the river smoothly and there was a television introducing to us places in Yangzhou.
Local Market Visit
Shortly after that, we went to a local market to buy some food for ourselves and to also compare the prices of things in Singapore and China. Mr Dela Cruz then gave us a task to find what China's Supermarket has that Singapore's Supermarket does not and vice versa, and also what is more expensive in China compared to Singapore and vice versa.
OELP reflection : Day 1
Itinerary
Singapore/Shanghai
Depart from Changi Airport
Arrive at Shanghai International Airport
Dinner at Shanghai
Cultural visit to The bund (外滩)
Cruise tour to Huangpu River (黄浦江)
Check-in Hotel ( Shanghai Holiday Inn Express Gonkang Hotel)
-Debrief
Depart from Changi Airport
My class arrived at the airport at 7.30 punctually and were very excited though some missed their parents just after the departure hall.
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| 俊杰好可爱哦 |
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| CID grp 2 |
After checking in and doing all the necessary things to board the plane, we boarded the plane. Luckily there was a mini television with games and movies to keep us occupied during our 6 hours of flight. We were very lucky to be able to board Singapore Airlines as I find that it is the most comfortable and am grateful for being arranged to board it.
Arrive at Shanghai International Airport
After arriving at Shanghai International Airport, we were greeted by our tour guide by our tourguide whose surname is bao (包) and he told us to address him as bao dao (包导).My first impression of 包导 is that he is a little shy but very informative as he doesn't speak to loudly on the bus but he has a lot to say. When we boarded the bus, 包导 introduced to us Shanghai in general.
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| Class selfie at Shanghai International Airport |
Firstly, Shanghai is known as 堵城 because of its enormous population, traffic is normally congested. thus slowing down our journey especially during peak hours, which is rather similar to Singapore. It is also called 大上海 because of the many tall buildings and skyscrapers that it has, even more than Singapore, which is saying quite a bit.
Shanghai got its name 上海 from one of the most famous ports of 上海, which is the 上海滩, therefore giving it the name 上海.
Dinner at Shanghai
The bund (外滩)
外滩是上海市中心的一个区域，由一段沿黄浦江的马路和沿路的建筑和设施构成。可说是上海重要的地址之一。全长1.5公里，南起延安东路，北至苏州河上的外白渡桥，东面即黄浦江，西面是旧上海金融、外贸机构的集中地。外滩沿路坐拥二十多幢风格各异的的历史建筑，有折衷主义的，也有文艺复兴式的，还有早期现代式的，故而被誉为“万国建筑博览群”。自上海开埠后，外滩就开始成为了上海乃至中国的金融及贸易中心，也被称为“东方华尔街”。1943年起，外滩的正式路名为中山东一路。
The scenery at the bund was really breath-taking as all the buildings were lit up at night and the place was not too crowded. It was really relaxing to just walk along the sides as it was also very cooling. We also saw several buildings that 包导 mentioned on the opposite side of the bank. We could also see the financial district and old colonial buildings from a distance away from the bund.
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| Class photo of the bund |
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| Old colonial buildings |
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| Financial district |
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| My cid grp -_- |
Huangpu river (黄浦江)
We then boarded a cruise for a ride on the Huangpu river and the view on board was extraordinary. The lights from the buildings were dazzling and one could feel the cool breeze just by standing against the railing of the cruise. However it was a little too crowded and we did not have a lot of space to move around on the cruise, Though it did not change the fact that this was a memorable experience.
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| View on top of the cruise |
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| ticket for the cruise |
Debrief for day 1
We reached the hotel at around 10 pm and were really exhausted because of walking around so much and also from the plane. We were lucky that our form teacher Mr Dela Cruz finished the debrief as fast as possible so that we could have maximum rest for the next day.He gave us some questions to think about regarding China and then we were dismissed to our hotel rooms to call it a day.
Reflections
See...Think...Wonder
Describe one place or situation you saw today.
Huangpu River.
What are your thoughts on it?
I feel that the Huangpu river was essential for Shanghai's economic growth as it boosted the tourism rate of Shanghai. The hotels and shopping malls beside it also proves that Shanghai is very concern about it's tourists. There are also banks which contribute to Shanghai's economy financially. The most surprising thing is that it was a fishing village and also a trading port, just like Singapore. That is why Shanghai was build around the river because of the trades.
What are some questions you have?
Will Shanghai still be able to grow economically without tourism and finance?
OELP Pre-trip reflection
Is this the first time you are travelling overseas without your family? Write down how you feel about embarking on this journey.
No, this is not the first time I am travelling overseas without my family.I travelled to New Zealand with my classmates during Primary school and had an enriching experience. However, I am still excited about going overseas with my new friends and because it is going to be my first time going to China. Thus I am very grateful to the school for giving me and my friends this opportunity to learn about the country.
What are your expectations for this learning journey?(What I hope to learn, what I hope to experience, how I hope to grow)
I hope to learn about the cultures of the citizens of China and more precisely the people of Yangzhou and Shanghai, the difference and similarities between China and Singapore economically, and the growth of China over the years. What I would hope to experience is the pace of life because the pace of life in Singapore is always fast and I would like to see if it is different in China. I hope to grow to become more mature in my thinking and learn to be self-reliant and independent to be able to take care of myself.
Best representation of Singapore's icon?
I find that the best representation of Singapore is not the Merlion.
I feel that there are many representations to represent SIngapore and it is not made up of only the Merlion.Even though no other country has a sculpture of a fish with a head of a lion,there are many unique things about Singapore that is not just the Merlion.
One of the things that I feel can represent Singapore is our local delights with an extra tinge of spiciness compared to other countries, just suitable for us Singaporeans because of our humid weather.Such examples are our chilli crab, nasi lemak, and chicken rice.
Another thing that can represent us is the singlish that we speak.The "luh"s, "orh"s, and short forms that we use are exceptionally unique about Singapore.If u meet another Singaporean overseas, it is easy to identify one from the way the person speaks.Though it is not a good way of expressing proper english, it is very hard to change and thus I feel that it is a good representation of Sigapore.
Hence I conclude that Singapore cannot be represented by just the Merlion.
27/3/2015
With what you have learnt about the golden age of Tang Dynasty, reflect on the things you have learnt about LKY and how Singapore can be seen to be at its own version of the "Golden Age"
During the golden age of the Tang Dynasty, China became a great world power. It was a period of great strength and prosperity.
I believe Singapore also had its Golden Age thanks to our late founding father, Mr Lee Kuan Yew for his great contributions and the effort that he put in to shape Singapore from a third world country to a first world country.After Singapore's independence from Malaysia, we had nothing left. No money,no resources and no peace between the races.
Meritocracy is where everyone has an opportunity to succeed on the same tests and challenges, and the best is selected, regardless of who that person is. A meritocratic system prevents the most debilitating excess – the transfer of positions of power to one’s kin regardless of capabilities, which would cause most government and enterprises to lose their effectiveness. Therefore, Singapore's government is very effective and we are able to be at where we are at now.
Since Singapore consists of many races, it is important to be a racially harmonious country to maintain peace and harmony for Singapore to prosper. Therefore, Mr Lee fought for equality between races and helped Singapore to become a racially harmonious country.
Thirdly, Mr Lee believed in no corruption since he knew that Singapore would not prosper if people especially leaders are corrupted, so he make sure that there is no corruption and because of that, Singapore now has one of the least corruptions in the world.
Lastly, self reliance which is reliance on one's own capabilities, judgment, or resources; independence. Mr Lee used what he has to the very best and try to solve problems and challenges faced in Singapore. Therefore, because of that, Singapore has become a prosperous country and hence Mr Lee hoped his people can be self reliance too.
13/2/2015
This CID lesson,we learnt about some general knowledge about China through an online quiz and powerpoint slides.I learnt a lot but a few examples are,the trading partner of China.China's population and even China's land size,including many more facts.I hope these facts will aid us on our immersion trip so that we do not make a fool out of ourselves or fail to understand their culture and offend them.
8/2/2015
During today's CID 2 lesson,we learnt about china's one child policy and discussed the negative social and economic impacts of it that will affect china greatly.Even so,the changes to the one-child policy,first announced last month, will mean couples will be allowed to have two children if one of the parents was an only child. Currently, both parents must be sole children to be eligible for a second child.Thus here are my views and impacts on the one child policy.
Now i will be talking about the only economic impact that i feel that will impact China the most.This is the fact that since there are little kids now,there will be less adults to work for China in the future.This is quite a big crisis as there will be several empty jobs and that company might close down with insufficient workers.
Thus these are my opinions and feelings of china's one child policy.
23/1/2015
Today we had a lesson regarding "a picture speaks a thousand words".Miss Huang,My CID teacher showed us some pictures and asked for our thoughts of it.The one that made the biggest impact on me were the 2 pictures about the man and a woman carrying a baby,both begging for money.At first I voted to give my money to the woman as it looked like the woman and the baby needed it more than the grown man.However,Miss Huang later revealed that the woman was from a cheating association but the man was a real beggar but his working tools got stolen and now he is unable to work,thus he needs money to get back up on his feet again.I immediately changed my decision and decided to give the man the money instead.I felt cheated that the woman was using the baby to attract sympathy for her just like how it has affected me.I feel that she should try to find a job or at least beg to get a job,like the man instead of cheating others and the trust that they have given you.I have learnt that the picture does not mean everything and that there could be hidden meanings in the picture.
Thank you for reading another post once again.
I spent my December holiday reading books,going back to school for cca,playing computer games,doing some homework,going out with my friends,and going to Europe for 2 weeks during December.
I read both English and Chinese books even though I prefer English books to Chinese books.I have been reading fiction books mostly in the adults section as I find that I should be ready and mature enough to read books of that section.The book that I have been most interested in is a series of books known as the rain wild chronicles.Some parts are rather disgusting and might be unsuitable for my age but the plot and the characters are still interesting enough.It is about a group of young people who are rather disfigured and are unwanted by their society.They are entrusted with the job of accompanying a group of dragons to their original habitat known as kelsingra.
My cca is npcc.Even though I don't really like my cca,i know that it is very troublesome to quit so I try very hard to persevere and do my best in the cca.Npcc is very tiring and demands you to concentrate very hard unless you want to get scolded.If you do,npcc has a quote,"one for all,all for one".Everyone in the squad will be punished depending on how serious the mistake.I guess I will have to bear with this for another 2 years and I will have a chance to pick another cca.
My friend introduced to me a game called League Of Legends 2 years ago.Since then i have been playing it whenever I have some free time.I admit that I might be a little addicted to it but it is nothing compared to how much the people around me play.This game is about 10 people,5 on each team,selecting 1 character among over 100 to go against the opponent.This game is worldly famous and there are many championships held all over the world.I heard that the number of online views for the championship is 2 times more than the amount of viewers for the baseball world championship.
Theres nothing much to say about my December homework.Just that i never had December homework and this is the first time studying during the December holidays.
The friends that I went out with were my primary school friends.It has been quite a long time since I last saw them and I certainly would love to go out with them after such a long time.After a long discussion,we decided to go to the rink at jurong east.There were 9 of us.5 boys and 4 girls.We had a lot of fun falling down,laughing at others falling down, and making people fall down.Yup.We are a really sadistic bunch,even the girls.Still,it was a very fun day and I would love to go out with them some time soon again.
This Europe trip might be the last time going to Europe as it is very expensive and it is to celebrate the end of my sisters PSLE and my brothers o'level.We went to 5 different countries.Germany,Holland,Belgium,Switzerland and Paris.It was the winter season and we could see snow occasionally.The most enjoyale day was the day we went up the snow mountain as it was the first time I came into contact with real snow.We took many beautiful pictures and the one I am going to post is taken by my sister.NOT from google images.
Thats all I have for my December holiday blog.Thanks for reading
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