This learning journey to China has been a fruitful one and I got to learn a lot more about China's history, culture and experienced many things I had never before. Our first visit was to the Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP), where I got to learn a lot more than what I had known or assumed. At first, I found this SIP project as a mere unimportant project. However, through this trip, I understood the importance of this project, and how large-scale it is. The SIP was quite similar to Singapore, with many greeneries, high rise buildings and even schools. This project benefits both Singapore, as well as China, thus it is a win-win situation. For China, this project is a great learning experience from Singapore, such as urban planning which is significantly shown in the SIP. As for Singapore, it is a spring board for businessmen to get into China's market. Furthermore, if China does well, there will be more import and export opportunities for Singapore, thus Singapore will also do well, and our economy would improve. This made me understand the importance of these collaborations Singapore had with other countries, and also how many other countries would soon easily take over Singapore, and become more developed, if we remain the same, not changing into a better and more developed country.
We visited the Suzhou Experimental School, which was in the SIP. Through the visit to Suzhou Experimental High School, I have also gained a deeper understanding of the education system in China. In China, everything is taught in Chinese, which was really different from Singapore, where classes were mostly taught in English. Also, most of their lessons were of a higher standard as compared to ours, and the students seemed to understand without fail. This made me realise the importance of studying, and that the assumption of Singapore’s education being one of the top few might not necessarily be correct. Also, the Suzhou Experimental High School has eye exercises, and mass physical exercises between classes, which were really different from our school as we do not have such exercises. This really shows how the welfare of the students was considered. Also, their classes end rather late, at 4.40p.m., as compared to ours. Also, their food every day in school is fixed, and they do not have choices to choose from unlike us. However, the students do not seem to complain about this, whereas we complain a lot, even when we end schools earlier and have many choices of food to choose from. This is really something that we should learn from the students there, and not complain about things, but be grateful and appreciative. Similar to Singapore, the schools are academically driven. They prioritise exams a lot, just like we do. However, they prioritise the exams a lot more than we do. When they have the National Higher Education Entrance Examination, the roads in front of the school are sealed off, to allow for the full concentration of students. This is very different from Singapore, even though we also prioritise exams a lot. It is actually a little exaggerating to do so, as I feel the students should not be given all the perfect conditions for an examination, but instead take what there is. However, this also shows the culture of China. Similar to us, the schools in China also aim to develop students holistically. Like us, they are trying to be bilingual. However, they are learning English through rote learning. Furthermore, they use Chinese to teach English, which is different from us.
We also went to the Humble Administrator’s Garden, where I learnt a lot more about the Chinese Culture and history. For example, I learnt that the Chinese were superstitious. They made the pathway curved, as they believed that ghosts could only go straight. I found this really smart of them, as they had thought of such a way, to prevent ghosts from haunting them. Also, the Chinese used many different animals to create the shape of their infrastructures, to make them look like the animal. For example, a dragon-like infrastructure was shown in the Humble Administrator’s Garden, and it was to show success and power. The Chinese liked to use powerful creatures to symbolise their power, which is significantly shown. I think that they are really creative by doing so. Also, the Chinese liked lotus, and grew lotus in the Humble Administrator’s Garden, as it shows that even though they are in a dark world, they will still be able to be outstanding one day, just like the lotus. From all these, it really shows how the Chinese put in a lot of thought and effort for this place.
We also went to the Lu Xun Memorial Hall, where I learnt a lot more about Lu Xun and his importance to China, and how greatly he was treasured. He was considered the father of modern Chinese literature. There was a plaster mould of Lu Xun’s face, on which was stuck 20 moustache hair and 2 eyebrows hair, which were the only remains of Lu Xun. Also, an umbrella which he had used when he went to a friend’s funeral was also exhibited. These really show how much he was treasured, such that his hair and umbrella was kept and shown. Lu Xun could really understand how it was to be from the rich to the poor, as he came from a well-educated family but his family fortune declined. However, he studied hard, and once saw a picture of the execution of an alleged Chinese spy by the Japanese army. In the picture, the other Chinese looked just like passers-by, seemingly not feeling anything seeing their fellow Chinese being executed. This made him feel that curing their minds (as he wanted to be a doctor at first) was more important than their body. He did many works, which influenced the people. This shows that with determination and resilience, there will be a way out. Also, his works could be used as teachings, as there are a lot of values in it and I myself had learnt through one of his works “风筝”.
Other than the places mentioned above, we also went to the Suzhou Museum, where I got to learn more about the culture and history of China, Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall, where I learnt more about the developments of Shanghai and how the urban structure of Shanghai is like, the Shikumen Museum and the Commemoration Exhibition of Expo 2010 Shanghai, where I learnt more about the World Expo and the reason in which Shanghai was chosen as the location for it. Overall, I understood a lot more about Suzhou, and Shanghai.
Comparing with China, we have many similarities, but within which we have many differences too. Our cultures are different, and we should learn from each other, to achieve greater successes. One significantthing that we can learn from this trip is probably their education system. The students all strive hard to get good results, but they, unlike us, are really proactive, positive about life, and efficient. They are able toprioritise and accomplish things, whereas some of us are not able to, and all we do is complain. We should really learn from them. Through this trip, I have gained a deeper understanding and experience. From schools, to museums, to the many different places we had went to, it has taught me a lesson, to keep learning. With rapid developments, good geographical locations, and a great land area, Shanghai will easily surpass Singapore, or might already have. Being such a small country, we would have to work extra hard, so as to keep up with the other countries, who will easily push us down. Also, to further develop my bicultural orientation, I believe that I should read up more on the Chinese culture and history. Rv Lit., or Chinese language lessons itself are very good and important classes that I should listen to, in which I will gain a lot more knowledge and understanding on the Chinese culture. Personally, I think that I have also gained a lot from this trip, and I believe that more of such trips would definitely be helpful to develop my bicultural orientation.
Sean:
Over these few days or so in Shanghai and Suzhou, I have definitely learnt many things that I couldn’t have learnt in Singapore itself . These things include the culture of the Chinese and some things people in the past like Lu Xun tried to do to change China but unfortunately, failed.
On the first day , when we went to visit the Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP), initially I thought Suzhou Industrial Park was just like an ordinary park , with flowers, fitness corners and elderly jogging there . I also thought it was as big as a normal park you would see, which is not very big. However, now my ideas about the Suzhou Industrial Park project has changed . Now I think and know that Suzhou Industrial Park is a project between Singapore and Suzhou , where there are many houses and buildings in it that will help boost the economy of China. Also, it is very very big . It is as big as a city !
When I went to the Suzhou Industrial Park, one thing that left a huge impact on me was the fact that China has more shares on this project than Singapore. This is because , through research , Singapore used to have much more shares than China . But now , the tables have turned and China now has much more shares than Singapore, clearly showing that China is getting stronger and stronger and Singapore has to learn from them if we want to increase in our social status in the world.
On the next day , we went to visit the modern side of Suzhou. Suzhou is a beautifulcity with history .The humble administrator’s garden consists of many things that come from thepast. What I saw yesterday was high rise buildings. Clearly from what I have observed over these two days, I learnt that Suzhou is a place where it has traditional and modern things at the same time.
Also, I have learnt a bit of the culture the people had in the past. The corridors are curved as people in the past believed that ghost could only move in straight lines. With curved corridors , the people living there would be safe and would not be easily affected or possessed by ghosts. Adding on , mirrors are used so as to ward off ghost . According to what I heard , the ghost would not dare to look into the mirror as they would be unable to accept the fact that they are a ghost . Hence , with mirrors , we can say that the amount of ghost incidents that will happen will be reduced . People in the past were especially superstitious as they didn’t want to get into any bad incidents.
Adding on , on the second day , I saw one specific building that I remembered clearly, a building that resembles a dragon head. In China , especially in the past , dragon symbolized power,strength and political success . Something everyone would want . This shows that the Chinese in the past found meaning in everything , such as animals , objects , everything.
On the exact same day, we went to Suzhou Experimental High School , the best school in Suzhou . On the first day , we did not have much time to interact with our buddies , but more of just learning how lessons were taught in Suzhou . Their lessons were quite difficult to understand as everything was taught in the Chinese Language . While in Singapore , everything Is thought in the English Language . At first , when the students in the class looked at me , they thought I did not understand how to speak chinese at all !
From this , I can see how important bilingualism is , and why our minister mentor Mr Lee Kuan Yew encourages bilingualism to the children in Singapore . Having to know more languages is better for you, and somehow, the people around you will start to respect you more. Bilingualism also helps with business opportunities , therefore if a country wants to prosper , bilingualism is very very important .
Following that , on day 3 we went to Suzhou Experimental High School again and today , we had more time to bond with our buddies . But also , spending two days with them , I have observed some things . I observed that between every lesson , there is a 15 minutes break . Adding on to that , at the end of every lesson , there is a bell to indicate that the lesson is over , unlike RV. I have also observed that it is only occasional that the teachers would use visualizers . Most of the time, the teachers would just say the answers out and the students have to catch what he or she says in time or else , they would miss it . Also , for the full 40 minutes, the teacher just keeps talking and talking non stop , making use of every second . Somehow , most of the children can understand and catch up with the speed . If RV teaches this way , it will definitely impossible for me to catch everything the teachers say as it is just too fast for me . The teacher uses chalk while we use markers .
In China , the main focus is academics , and a very few percentage of the people in China focus on their passion and talent . However , most of the children do not know what they want to be in the future , and most of them will go by the “safest” way , studying . Mostly influenced by their parents . However , as you grow older , you know what you want in life , and work to excel in it . But in Suzhou Experimental High School , they do not give you the chance to do so as their main focus is studies and the amount of time spent on sports its nearly compared to nothing . I went around asking whether some of the students enjoyed studying , and the majority said no . However , to be in this school , you definitely had to work hard to get in . Hence I conclude there there is no stupid people , or people that aren’t intelligent . All there is are lazy people . In Singapore , it’s the same . As long as youre willing to work for it , there will definitely be results and your efforts will pay off.
Although the time I spent with my buddy is little , but we are already considered friends and we do chat over the internet . Knowing him was something ill never forget and ill never forget my experience to their school .
Over the forth day , we went to Suzhou Museum. I feel that this museum gave me the most knowledge . The looks of the museum , the facilities , everything was just above our expectations and we understood what the tour guide mentioned about the past of Suzhou. I feel that after this experience to Suzhou Museum , Singapore has to progress at a high pace as we all know that Singapore doesn’t have such a long history and china and so , being such a small country , if we don’t look at keep improving ourselves , we will soon start to drop , while China continues to get more powerful .
DAY 5 was filled with information for almost the whole day! We went to a University , Urban Planning Exhibition Hall and in the night , an acrobatics show that helped end the day well . The talk at the university was really quite helpful as the man went through everything quite in depth and he simplified it so that we would understand . Shanghai is really a city with a huge population with 25 million people . In the Urban Planning Exhibition Hall, we could see and hear how well planned these buildings were , with everything well planned , for the economically boost of the city . At first , I just thought that buildings could be just easily placed at anywhere you want it to . But now I know that the location of the building does matter and the size of the building does matter.
Day 6 … day 6 was a nice day but knowing that you are going back tomorrow really just makes the day kind of bad. The Lu Xun memorial Hall was nice as we kind of knew what happen in his life and I just found it so unfortunate that he died quite young as compared with normal people . Lots of people respected him and he deserved that respect. Although he did fail in trying to change China , but he did try his best and that is why people respect him for it . Its not always about succeeding or winning . In my opinion trying your best in everything you do is more important . You may win or succeed but if you didn’t do your best , or if you went through underhand means to achieve your goal, there would be no meaning to it at all .
At the Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone , we learnt about the financial status of China and how it is continuing to balance their financial status and is even getting better. Also , what gives China its financial status .
The last day of the OELP … L We went to visit the Commemoration Exhibition of Expo 2010 Shanghai , Xintiandi Shikumen Museum and French Concession . Everything had knowledge to it and it definitely gave me more knowledge than I use to have . Something that impacted me the most was the French Concession , from this , it can be seen that the French used to rule them . However now , China is one of the most respected country in the world and seems like it will be in the future . It shows that a defeat doesn’t mean everything , as long as you don’t give up , theres always a chance to comeback and take back whats yours . WE SHOULD NEVER GIVE UP.
I like to save the best at the last so .. I really really enjoyed the Visit to Shantang street , the acrobatics show, Dinner at Haidilao , Oriental Pearl’s TV Tower , Cultural Visit to Nanjing Road , Cultural Visit to Tianzifang and chenghuangmiao, the visit to the bund . Im not saying I don’t enjoy the others because I would be lying . I just really enjoyed this few the most . All these places are places I will never ever forget as many memories were created there and spending time with your friends just made it better J
As a whole , this days were the best days of my whole schooling life . Having teachers that are always there to keep you safe , friends that you care , and a tour guide that is just too caring . I could not have asked for more (Except shopping time)
In my opinion, during the whole oelp trip, I have learnt many things that would be beneficial to me in future and now. For example, during the trip to the Suzhou Industrial Park on our first day in Suzhou has gave me a wake up call that I should not be so complacent, thinking with the mind setthat Singapore is the top few countries. This is because the Suzhou that I imagined all old and run down actually had places, the Suzhou Industrial park that was really industrialized and modernized which was something unexpected to me. This made me realized how much Su Zhou has industrialized over the years rapidly and that it actually had high rised buildings, similar to our HDB flats and also a clean and green environment. At first the moment when I heard Su Zhou Industrial park, I expected it to be a boring place. A place filled with greenery, swings, just like a normal park except that it has one or two huge industrialized buildings in it. However the trip there really gave me a huge eye opener. This allowed me to understand why it was so beneficial for Singapore to have collaborations with other countries. In the past I used to think that Singapore would be at the disadvantage collaborating with Su Zhou, a town . However I was wrong, the collaboration was a win win situation, enabling Suzhou to improve itself and at the same time benefiting Singapore as with Suzhou Industrial park being so successful, there would definitely be more successful projects, improving China's economy. This would then benefit Singapore as business man who wants to start their businesses in China could use the Suzhou industrial Park as a springboard for further investments. Thus by maintaining good relations with others countries would benefit Singapore and us in future if we plan to start businesses in China.
Not only that, the trip to the Suzhou's Experimental School was a very fruitful one and I got to experience how school was in China, their lessons, topics, students and holistic education. During my two days there, I had many lessons along with my china buddies but the lesson that impacted me the most was the cce lesson they had. During their cce lesson, they had to have spelling and learn from textbooks which was just like any other lessons and very academic wise. There was no hand on activities but just studying. This made me realise how tough their lessons were in Chinaand how fortunate I was as I was able to learn from hands on activities, group discussions, etc, instead of rute learning. Not only that one thing that I observed during their english lessons was that there were forced to learn by memorizing sentences and words. There was also no hands on activities and was once again rute learning. However despite these, the school like most schools in Singapore also tries to develop their students holistically and there are morning exercises every morning and eye exercises in between their lessons. In my opinion, I find these exercises really useful as it help give the students a short break and it will allow students to be able to pay better attention in their lessons. This shows that we, China and Singapore both have our weaknesses and there are things for both sides to learn from each other, thus we should continue to maintain good relations with China so that we can learn more from them and improve ourselves. This also further shows that we should stop being complacent and instead learn from others and constantly improve ourselves.
To add on, the trip to the Suzhou Museum, Humble administrator's garden, Luxun Memorial hall and etc, has allowed me to learn a lot about the culture and history of China. For example the trip to the Humble Administrator’s Garden has allowed me to learnt how superstitious people were back then and how detailed and meticulous they were. This is because they actually built their pathways in azig-zag form as it was believed that ghosts only walked in a straight line and with those pathways they would be safe during the night. Not only that, due to superstition that dragons symbolized power, they actually had buildings built in the shape of dragon. This also allowed me to see hoe creative people were back then. Not only that, the whole garden was really big and grand with many detailed work and lots of greenery in it. For example, they actually used the technique of Jie Jing and 'borrowed' the scenery of the pagoda such that it could be seen in the humble administrator garden and looked just like it was inside the garden. This showed how detailed the people were to think through so much just to build a home. However one thing that made me ponder on was that just how much hard work did the people in the past put just to built this house... Not only that, the trip to the luxun memorial hall also allowed me to learn many new things. For example, during the whole trip there, I had learnt that lu xun is a really noble person and has made a big contribution in helping to shape china to become what it is now and he is a very important figure in the history of China. In addition to that, I had learnt more than just the history during the trip there. From the trip, it was said by the guide that despite facing many set backs in his life, he did not give up, instead, he chose to start a revolution to improve the lives of the people after seeing how cruel the society was then. Luxun despite facing poverty after his father was sentenced for a crime, did not give up on his life, instead he worked hard on his studies and even got a scholarship and furthered his studies in Japan. When he saw how cruel the society was, where peasants stood seeing their ownkind being tortured but, yet none spared any help or showed any sadness but just crowded and did nothing, he decided to start a revolution, to change how the society was. Thisshows how much will power and determination he has, depsite facing set backs, he still cared for others and constantly wants to improve. Thus this left me a deep impression and made me think back on my past actions and make me want to improve myself and to not be so weak and give up so easily on things.
All these observations and learning so have made during this trip would definitely helped me a lot. This is because these things that I had experienced here in China is something that I would not be able to experience in my normal daily life in Singapore thus, it was a really meaningful trip as it allowed me to learn many things and even gave me a wake up call on many things such as to stop being complacent and how weak my will power is, this made me want to further develop myself by not giving up easily after facing small set backs such as bad results and to also work harder to strive harder for better results and also better achievements in my CCA. In addition, after going to China, I learnt that being complacent is not a right thing to do anymore and that to further develop myself and my biculturalism, I need to pay more attention in my chinese lessons and rv lit which I often neglected. Also, I should read up more on Chinese related books and not only english books which I was more comfortable with. I also should interact more with my china buddies that I had made in China even after I have returned to Singapore as from that, I would be able to learn more about china, their lifestyle and also even improve my chinese standard as by interacting in Chinese with them, I can learn from them my mistakes and new words.
Yuling:
This learning journey to China has proved to be very insightful and
eye-opening for me as I got to learn a lot about the different aspects of
China. Over there, I got to experience first-hand the things that I have been
taught in classrooms, and have a chance to finally understand more about it. For
example, I observed that different places in China each have their own unique
flavor, that they are generally different in not only the dialect used, but
also their cultures. Shanghai bustles with people as its good geographical
location allows it to be an ideal natural harbor, causing it to be the one of
the most developed cities in China, and therefore attracting people from
other cities or countries, even, to settle there. In fact, I have learnt that
80% of Shanghai’s population was made up of people from all around the world.
However, compared to Shanghai, Suzhou seems to be much less busy in both the
old and more developed areas like the Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP).
Even
in the places I went to in Suzhou, the differences are very evident too. SIP
was definitely not like what I expected at all; when I first entered the SIP,
I was not aware of it at all. Therefore, I was very surprised when I found
out I had been in it the whole time and that it was like a town in itself
where the buildings were high-rise and the overall feel resembled Singapore.
However, when we moved on to visit the older part of Suzhou where the Humble
Administrator’s Garden can be found, the area there was completely different,
with buildings mostly preserved from the past. This shows that despite
China’s eagerness to become a developed country, they were still very enthusiastic
about preserving the remains of their rich history. In the Humble
Administrator’s Garden, I was shown many traces of the superstitious side of
Chinese. Even when designing the place, much thought was placed into the
structure based on superstitious beliefs to ward off ghosts, like how the
corridor was purposefully made to be curved as they believed that ghosts can
only travel in straight lines. Another trait of Chinese was shown through a
particular building and even its surrounding corridors which was built to
represent a dragon, signifying political success.
Being able to visit the SIP was very eye-opening for me. I was amazed
at how quickly it was able to develop into what it is now in just 2 decades.
This, added with the fact that Singapore has decreased its shares from 65% to
35% made me realize China’s rapidly growing power which led me to think at
first that the project might have been disadvantageous for Singapore as China
might sooner or later gain enough from the collaboration to start to disregard
Singapore’s contributions and significance. However, I soon changed my
opinion when I learnt that it was in fact a win-win situation for both sides.
China would hopefully be able to achieve what it set out for along with
additional monetary benefits while Singapore could likewise learn a lot from
China and can perhaps adopt some useful knowledge or policies back in
Singapore, while being ensured that both countries will continue to remain on
friendly terms and use it as a springboard to enter the China market.
Due to China’s big size and its thousands of years of civilization, it
is able to boast of a rich and long history. Till now, the government has
made many efforts to preserve aspects of their past such as recreating a
portion of Shikumen which was a very popular type of building in the past;
and opening many museums such as the one in honour of Lu Xun, where I was
able to tell how much he was treasured that even his few strands of hair are
being carefully preserved.
During the trip, we visited three schools, though 星海实验中学 was the only school we stayed at for a long
enough time. There, I was better exposed to the education system in China and
to put it simply, it was certainly very different from Singapore’s, though at
the same time still similar in some ways. First of all, I have noticed that
the younger students had to wear uniforms and tie scarfs (though not all of
them did for some reason) but the higher levels were allowed to wear their
home clothes to school. It made me wonder how they are going to wear their
uniforms once winter comes. Or do they not have to wear it? Now I’m starting
to regret not having thought to ask it whilst I was in China. The second
obvious difference between there and here in Singapore would be how they
conduct their lessons. In China, all their lessons are conducted in Chinese
except for English-actually, even the English lesson I attended was taught
with Chinese too. I was surprised when I realised the teacher probably spoke
more Chinese than actual English. I have a feeling she was just literally
translating from Chinese to English; she even used Chinese to explain why a
sentence had to be formed that way, which word was a verb and so on instead
of using English. Perhaps it is understandable for them to teach that way for
the students to learn more easily, but what appalled me the most was when the
teacher wrote a grammatically wrong sentence on the board. It impacted me greatly
and made me wonder what our standard of Chinese might be in their eyes. This
motivated me to want to learn my mother tongue better and not to be
complacent but instead constantly seek to improve myself, especially when
their other lessons were barely comprehensible to me. Chinese Singaporeans
generally have a good grasp of the Chinese language, but for all we know we
may not be as good as we may think. Even if we are good enough, we still have
a lot more to learn as we are definitely still lacking compared to the people
there in China. Another major difference which I’ve noted would be that the
students there do not get to choose what to have for their lunch, while we
are spoilt with a wide variety of choices here in Singapore. Not only that,
while we Singaporeans typically get to enjoy any dish the whole year round,
due to the changing seasons there, they are stuck with eating pretty much the
same thing for each season, depending on the crops available for that period
of time-or at least, that’s what we experienced. Looking at how many of us
were not really used to the food there, I have learnt to be more appreciative
of the things I have.
One of the things that struck me the most
when I was in China was how we were constantly reminded to keep an extra
vigilant eye on our belongings. Every time we were given free time to roam
around and go shopping, I was afraid to carry my bag the normal way despite
how uncomfortable I felt walking around with it at my front. Not only that,
we were all particularly wary of the hygiene in China. People spitting on
roadsides and not cleaning up after their dogs have done their business is
quite a common sight there. Of course, these kind of happenings might be
present in many countries, but compared to China, it is safe to say that it
is definitely much less prevalent in Singapore. To say the truth, I was a
little skeptical when we were told not to trust any roadside stalls selling
food, but I began to understand when I experienced repetitively how even
their restaurants might not be as hygienic as we are all used to. This standard
of public safety and hygiene is perhaps the biggest difference between
Singapore and China. Yet again, I have been shown why I should not take the things
that I have back in Singapore for granted. Not all countries are considered
as safe as Singapore, and I have to know to be more cautious.
Being able to go on such a trip has certainly proved to be a very
meaningful experience. It provides the type of learning that would otherwise be
impossible in typical classroom environments and I am glad to have gotten the
chance to have went. It
was not only educational, but also enjoyable at the same time and acted as an
excellent opportunity for us to bond and make new friends along the way. Now
I understand the importance and benefits of Singapore maintaining good
relations with China, and also the underlying possibility of China becoming a
threat to Singapore’s economy in the near future. That said, there are still
many more things we can learn from each other; how and why we are similar in
many ways but still different, and then strive to continuously improve
ourselves. Something we, as students can learn from our China buddies would
be their attitude towards their studies. Over there in China, despite both
countries being focused on the holistic development of students, China
schools can’t help but be more academic-driven due to the heavy competition
present in China. But because of that, China students have become more active
in their learning and are able to take setbacks noticeably better than
Singaporean students. In this case, China can learn from us on how to be able
to better produce successful all-rounded individuals while Singapore can know
how to increase efficiency in learning through more positive attitudes. After
this fruitful learning journey, I am now determined to improve my Chinese
standard to be hopefully as proficient as my English where I can comfortably
finish a Chinese book-that’s what I shall try to do from now onwards, to
actually find more Chinese books to read and broaden my usage of the
language.
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Shin Ru:
Through this
overseas learning experience, I have, of course, learnt much that would not
have been possible if not for this invaluable chance that was given to me,
and also, thoroughly enjoyed this journey, which enabled me to bond and face
challenges with my classmates as well as improve myself through the knowledge
gained through this trip..
This learning journey promoted the
awareness of the world around us not only to me, but visibly, to my
classmates as well. I feel that after going through this journey, which
exposed us to the world beyond our little red dot, I have an increased
knowledge towards world affairs and deeper understanding on the current
situation of our world in many aspects. Through my personal observations of
my surroundings, as well as enriching explanations by our teachers, tour
guide and all who have taken the trouble to enlighten us on our surroundings,
I have indeed learnt much about China, one of the biggest countries in the
world. These include details of China’s many attractions as well as China’s
overall economy and political standings, and through these, I now understand
a lot more of the situation of the people around us, leading me to feel even
more strongly on being able to make a difference and improving the lives of
not only the people around us, but on a much larger scale, the people around
the world.
After
these observations, of course, I started to compare the two countries, both
situated very close to each other, yet worlds apart. The first observation I
made, of the exterior appearance of China, was rather shocking as I always
thought that China was far behind in terms of modern technology and
development, but I then realized that I was very misinformed. Arriving in
Shanghai, I was appalled to see that it bore a striking resemblance to
Singapore and it really changed my impression of the country. However, this
impression later changed when I went to the rural parts of China, witnessing
all those high-rise buildings turn into small, beat-up shop houses in the
blink of an eye. In China itself, there was a great difference in the living
conditions of the people, those in the more developed places having
comfortable houses and higher standards of living, but the ones who were not
so fortunate, could only huddle together in small sheds. Seeing this contrast
in real time left me a deeper impression as compared to looking at pictures
of the less fortunate online, and it really made me more aware of the
conditions of those not born in such well-to-do conditions like us. It really
motivated me, knowing that there were people out there who couldn’t afford
education or better living standards, while I had the luxury of all these
things, yet was taking them for granted and not working hard enough.
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