Max's E&C week reflection

Overall, I think that the E&C week was quite interesting despite the fact that I've already went there last year to the same place. However, there were a few new additions. As usual, we went there and learnt about the Chinese dialects and their origins and culture. It was really interesting to know how different cultrues first started and how they are now in the present. For example, the museum trip gave us magazines that were made by themselves, they also let us try some of their hometown foods. I guess I did not really appreciate it because I didn't seem to like it, so I guess I have to buck up on that factor. In school, I remembered Mr Lam giving us a quiz. It was really fun and funny because I got to know a lot about Chinese history and how it's related to the present. The fact that I didn't manage to answer any of his questions made me realise how bad my Chinese was. I thought the bicultural day camp was really fun because the seniors made everything more fun. I also got to know some information on the three kingdoms which were very interesting too. However, I'm not very sure if I'm joining bicultural studies in year three though. In conclusion, the E&C week was quite fun and interesting, being knowledgable at the same time.

OELP Daily reflection- Zhong Xun

 

Day 1 

On 25th may, 9 in the morning or so, my family and I reached the main entrance of the airport. Having to rushed off to work, my Dad drove off to work after saying goodbye. I was told to report to terminal three row seven at 10:30 sharp. In that hour and a half we went to grab bite at a cafe before meeting my classmates and teachers at the designated place. After listening to a short briefing form the teachers, checking in our luggages and saying our final goodbyes, we finally enter the departure area. We then shortly board our flight SQ832 and was ready to take off a few moments later. In that five hour long flight to Shanghai, I watched a few movies, played some games, and had my lunch. The meal was better than I had expected, it was pretty good just that it was a little hard to eat as there was hardly any space between me and the seat in front of me. For the rest of the flight I had some sleep, making sure that I have enough energy when I reach Shanghai. After hours of sitting, our plane finally landed at Shanghai Pu Dong Airport at 6:05. With our stiffed bodies, we proceed to immigration clearance and collect our luggages. After that was when we met our tour guide, he was standing there with a green flag and a bright smile. The first impression I had on him was friendly and outgoing. He brought us to the place the bus was waiting and help us to load our luggages onto the bus. On the bus ride to the restaurant we having our first meal, he brief us on some simple facts about Shanghai while we have a good look at Shanghai from the Bus. When we reached the restaurant, we found out that we are the only customers there. We were able to taste some of China's delicacies such as the xiao long Bao. After filling our stomach we board the bus again to our hotel. As everyone was dog tired, we quickly check in and have a short briefing before going up to our allocated room to rest. 

Day 2

After having our first dinner, we immediately set off for our tour in Shanghai. We were all excited and on the bus, our tour guide gave us a brief description on the first place we visited, Cheng Huang Miao. Cheng Huang Miao is a place filled with historical and cultural features. The place is very lively, filled with many various shops, selling almost anything you can imagine. We were given time to shop around Cheng Hua Miao freely in groups. In the end, Jia Chen and I went to Starbucks to get a drink. When we stepped into the shop, we realized a great difference between the branches we have in Singapore and the one here. The menu was in Chinese, and we had a hard time ordering the drinks as the shop managers hardly understand what we wanted when we ordered in English. Besides that, it was 端午节, they happened to be selling 粽子. After that we visited the bund, it was a captivating. The tall western influenced buildings definitely made me feel that I'm in Europe. Right next to the buildings, is the famous Huangpu river. After that we visited Shanghai Book City, a seven stores high building. We were all amazed by the size of the book store. There are many different kind of books, and highest level sells music albums and movies. After that we headed to Nanjing Road. Unlike Cheng Huang Miao, Nanjing Road sells all the branded goods, so we hardly bought anything on the during the given time for us to shop. Overall, it was fun filled shopping spree, we really enjoyed that day. 

Day 3 

Today we woke up slightly earlier, to visit our partner school, Shanghai Nanyang High School, for our school immersion program. We were late even when we had set off from our hotel earlier, as there was a bad traffic. When we reached the school, the principal and the teacher of the partner school welcomed us warmly, and had a picture  with us before leading us to an allocated room for a short briefing on Shanghai, and had a paper tower making session. After that, our dear buddies who rushed down for us straight from their lessons, and we self-introduced. We had some interactions with the students and had a tour around their school. We were also shown how 香包 and 粽子 are made. After the school immersion program, we made our way to Hai Di Lao for our lunch. Everyone looked forward for that meal, as we all know that Hai Di Lao is famous for their high quality service. When we stepped into the restaurant,  we were warmly welcomed and instantly brought to our seats. after we settled down, they immediately brought us hot soaked towels for us to clean our hands, and they even gave us and extra table to leave our belongings. As I brought my jacket down from the bus, I conveniently left my jacket hanging on my seat. A waitress brought a cloth over to cover my jacket to prevent it from getting dirtied. I was surprised by her thoughtful act. Overall, we all felt that the service staffs are friendly and helpful. They are also very attentive to our needs which makes dining there a very pleasant experience. After our meal at Hai Di Lao restaurant, we visited Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall. At the centre, there is an enormous scale model of the city centre that takes up an entire upper floor.  It shows current and future development, and it’s mind-boggling.  There are raised walkways for viewing the model from different angles, and the detail is fascinating, showing clearly what’s planned, and what already exists. Shang Hai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall also have an 3 dimension model of the entire city plan displayed out. All of us were amazed by how detailed the model is. 

Day 4 

This was the last time we are visiting Shanghai Nanyang High School, learning from our mistakes, we set off earlier from our hotel. Upon reaching, we were invited to see how the students carry out their usual morning exercise routine. We were amazed how orderly they got into their positions in the parade square, and we decided to join in the exercise. We could hardly keep up with the speed of the routine but we had a great time. After that, we were separated into groups to attend their lessons. The students listen attentively to the teacher and stood up without any hesitation when called upon. After that it was time to say our final goodbye, as we make our way to Oriental Dreamworks company. We were briefed about how they create animations, the processes and some sneak previews of the upcoming Kung fu panda movie. At the later part of the day, we went to visit Fudan university, where we met our graduated Seniors. They led us on a tour around their school and also share with us some tips about studying and personal experiences. Through their sharing, we learned that foreign students are highly competitive. We must learn to work hard so as not to be overtaken by others. 

Day 5

This is a day that we are going to Hang Zhou. We checked out of our hotel, board the bus and begun our three hour long journey. Once we arrived at Hang Zhou, we notice vast difference between Shanghai and Hang Zhou in terms of environment and traffic. Besides that we also notice a lot of the same type of red bicycles around the city. Our tour guide told us that they were meant to be rented out by the citizens at a cheap and affordable price. The first stop in Hang Zhou is Zhe Jiang university. Unlike fudan university, Zhe Jiang university is mordern and have great facilities. The students there take designing as their first major and another subject as their second. The next place we visited is the Qing He fang Ancient streets. It is filled with shoppers and we were needed to squeeze  through the crowd in narrow streets. It has the same feeling as Cheng Huang Miao, traditional buildings with modern shops in it. 

Day 6

It was a great and exciting day. We first went to Yue Fei mausoleum, where we learned many things from our tour guide as he explained about the history of Yue Fei. Later, we went on a ferry ride in west lake. The scenery of west lake is the most amazing and beautiful place I ever seen in my life. The bird eye view from the lei feng pagoda was even better. I took many pictures form the top. Through the trip to west lake, I learned many things and facts about hangzhou example the tale about lei feng pagoda. 

Day 7 

Today is the last day we are gonna spend in China as a class. In this oelp trip, I believe everyone that participated have gain a certain amount of valuable knowledge. This trip to China exposed us to a different culture and environment, nurturing our social skill, cultural and leadership skills. In this trip we are arranged with different roles, creating a platform for each of us to display our leadership skills.  The most important of all, we have a chance to spend quality time with one and other, bond together and get to know each other even more. This is a once in a lifetime experience for every secondary two student. It is a fun and enriching journey, we visited many historical sites and learned many wonderful things that may help us in the future.In this oelp trip, I believe everyone that participated have gain a certain amount of valuable knowledge. This trip to China exposed us to a different culture and environment, nurturing our social skill, cultural and leadership skills. In this trip we are arranged with different roles, creating a platform for each of us to display our leadership skills.  The most important of all, we have a chance to spend quality time with one and other, bond together and get to know each other even more. This is a once in a lifetime experience for every secondary two student. It is a fun and enriching journey, we visited many historical sites and learned many wonderful things that may help us in the future.