oelp reflection - qi ting

In the 7 days of this OELP trip to Yangzhou, China, I have learnt a little more about China’s history and culture and also gained new experiences. In the 2 days when we visited the Chinese school, I also had a chance to make new friends with the Chinese students there and experience how studying in a school in China will be like. Also, I feel that this trip has provided me with opportunities to bond closer with my friends and classmates.

In these 7 days, I have learnt to take care of myself better and experienced living without my parents around. I did not I have parents to take care of me in the trip so I had to take care of myself, and this was a new experience for me, because normally, at home, my parents, or maid would usually be there to take care of me. Besides having to take care of myself, without parents, there would also be no one there to always watch me or control me. I feel that while it is nice to have a little more freedom without parents around, I should still try to learn a little more self-control.

Apart from experiencing living without parents around, this trip has also improved my knowledge on China and exposed me their cultures. In these 7 days, we visited many of China’s historical sites and places of interest such as Geyuan Garden and the , got to try much of Chinese cuisine, and even had opportunities to try doing some of China’s traditional handicraft such as 剪纸. Since I rarely go to China, and only went once before, all this is a new experience for me. This trip has also let me see China in a different light, as there were certain stereotypes I had against China before, but after this trip, I can see that some of these stereotypes are not true. This trip has made me more aware of the values and beliefs of people from China.

In the 4th and 5th days, we visited the Chinese school 扬大附中东部分校初中学部 and interacted and attended with some of the students there. We were assigned buddies to take care of us in the 2 days at their school. Although it was rather awkward at first when we first met our buddies and some of the Chinese students as they spoke mostly Chinese while we Singaporeans were used to speaking English, it took a while before we got used to speaking with them using Chinese. Apart from communication, it was also difficult for us to find a common topic that we could talk about. In the end, I still managed to make some friends with the Chinese students. In these 2 days attending lessons with the Chinese students, I experienced how studying in a school in China felt like and found out the differences between China’s education system and that of Singapore’s. I also observed some good qualities in the Chinese students, for example, during lessons, the students are very attentive, they sit up straight, do not make a lot of noise by talking, they do not even go to the toilets much until after the lesson. Unlike in Singapore, students are usually completely opposite of Chinese students in this aspect. I feel that this something I can learn from the Chinese students. China’s school system is also different from Singapore’s. In a school in a China there is always a short break in between lessons and lunch break is much longer than in Singapore’s as there is even a rest period after lunch 午休. However, this also makes their school time much longer than in Singapore, school ending at 6 on normal school days. I still prefer Singapore’s school system though as although we have CCAs that also end at 6, our normal school days still end much earlier than in China.

In conclusion, I feel that this trip is a new experience and has increased my knowledge on China, exposed me to China’s cultures, allowed me to make new friends, and at the same time bond with my friends and classmates.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Has the trip increased my knowledge of China and how it has an impact on Singapore?
Yes, the trip has increased my knowledge of China. China is prospering and becoming more and more developed, so maybe next time when I grow older and I need to find work, I may need to go to China for work, so having more knowledge of China would be beneficial.


Have you become more aware of the values and beliefs of people from China?
Yes, in these 7 days spent in China, we visited many of China’s historical sites and places of interest, and this has let me have exposure to China’s culture and heritage.


Are you proud to be a Singaporean?
Yes, I am. Although I enjoyed the experience of staying in China in this trip, I still prefer Singapore and I am proud to be Singaporean.


In this trip, you have visited two cities with a long history and rich culture. What did the Chinese do to preserve and promote their culture? What can Singapore learn from China to preserve and promote Chinese culture in Singapore?
While China is developing, the Chinese are trying to strike a balance between modernizing and preserving culture and heritage. There is a restaurant we visited in this trip, Lushi Old Mansion, which focuses on preserving tradition and culture. The building of the restaurant is not like the modern restaurants we did normally find; this restaurant preserves many old-fashioned designs and architectures. In Singapore, we might be focusing too much on modernizing, and in the process, we may have forgotten our past, heritage, and culture. We should learn from China, to strike a balance between developing and modernizing and preserving culture and heritage.