Day 1
Today is the first day of our Overseas Emersion Learning
Program. I arrived at the airport with my parents in anticipation to be able to
be overseas without any parental supervision. My parents were hesitant and
worried about me, their wary emotions plastered clearly on their faces. Yes, I
was indeed also worried about being away from my parents for six nights. But I
was more excited and that masked my fears. We took a class photo before we left
Changi Airport, well, not just one. All our parents had crowded in front of us,
pulling out their cameras and phones, snapping photos away in a hurried manner.
Haha…we were in our poses for about ten minutes and I guess others in the
airport must be judging us pretty badly. Then we were on the plane for a six
hour flight down to Shang Hai’s airport. We arrived at Shang Hai, China, about
midafternoon. We boarded our bus and got to know our enthusiastic tour guide
better on the way to the Bund. The Bund is a place built for tourism around the
Huang Pu Jiang river. On one side of the river are the tall skyscrapers we
would all expect to see in such a modernized city like Shang Hai. But on the
other side of the river was a whole street of old buildings. At first, I was
bewildered, why were there olden buildings in the center of Shang Hai’s town
area? Later did the tour guide explain to us that the olden buildings were
built during the French Concession in Shang Hai, which is now used for
businesses. I found this quite interesting as Shang Hai had managed to make use
of the olden buildings, turning them into offices instead of tearing it down.
We then went for dinner at a restaurant. I enjoyed the food there as we were
having the Shang Hai cuisine for the first time. I found it very entertaining
as we tried to guess the ingredients in the dishes and daring one another to
try it. Afterwards, we went back to the Bund. Only this time, we were going to
be taking a boat ride in the Huang Pu Jiang. The boat was no ordinary boat or
bumboats like those we see at our Singapore River. It was a magnificently
lighted up three-level boat. The top most level had no roof for visitors to be
able to gain the best views. There were also multiple seats in both the first
and second levels. Yes, I find this idea of having many seats in the boat well
for the elderly to be able to admire their surroundings without having to go to
the top most level. However, the windows
were mostly closed, having very little ventilation. Thus the two lower floors
were very humid. The top most floor of the boat was very windy and comfortable.
I enjoyed the wind blowing against my face as I watched the colourful lights
light up on the buildings as we went along the river. My classmates even did
some school cheers there, such as the banana cheer and the “my side my side”
cheer. It was quite entertaining to watch them, there were even other tourists
watching them do the cheers. By the time we returned to the hotel, it was quite
late and we were all exhausted from the day’s events. Yet, I didn’t find the
hotel comfortable. It was quite scary with the lights all dimly lit, mirrors
all around the corridors and one another’s rooms being so scattered around. I
didn’t really enjoy that night in the particular
hotel. <div><br></div><div>
Day 2
Today, we had our breakfast in the hotel. I find the food too
oily and heavy for my taste. Perhaps it’s the Shang Hai people’s diet to have
such a heavy breakfast. Afterwards, we left the hotel with our luggages and I
breathed a sigh of relief to be able to leave the scary hotel. We then went to
the French Concession. The French Concession is a place in Shang Hai with
Victorian styled buildings. The buildings were old and had signs of wearing.
However I realized with a start, when we were allowed to explore the place,
that it had modern shops such as Starbucks. I think that we can learn from
Shang Hai how we can preserve both the historical buildings while introducing
new and modern ideas to the buildings. The fact that there was a Starbucks in a
more quiet part of the city made me wonder why Starbucks had decided to open a
shop there. It is probably because that place is only a tourist site, thus with
a Starbucks opened there, they would be able to earn more money from tourists
whom recognizes Starbucks as an internationally popular shop. From the French
Concession, we made our way to Tian Zi Fang. Tian Zi Fang is a popular shopping
district in Shang Hai, which is why I was shocked to see that it was a
combination of old alleys with bare wires hanging across the shoppers’ heads.
Despite the olden outlook of the place, there were modern shops selling tea and
even Eurasian Cafes. But mostly, the place sold handmade products at prices
ranging from sky high to a very cheap price. I even bought a keychain with my
surname carved on it for just a Singapore dollar! We then visited Hai Di Lao
for lunch. Hai Di Lao is one of the highlights of my OELP trip. We were treated
like kings and queens. The service at Hai Di Lao was just tremendous and I
would encourage my family and friends go for the experience too. Even though we
were only considered kids, we were treated with an immense amount of respect.
In fact, they were just so courteous and respectful towards us that I was
staring to feeling awkward. When our cups were only half filled and we had to
ask for a refill, they apologized repeatedly for not noticing earlier and would
instantly fill them up. Their attitude towards their customers was truly
remarkable. I find that people in Singapore’s service line should also learn
from them. In Singapore, there are waiters and waitresses who are impatient in
serving their customers, thus their attitudes towards their customers would
also be unpleasant. We then went on a 4 hour bus journey to Yangzhou. Most of
us slept for two hours of the bus ride while we had some music and games as a
class with the remaining 2 hours of the
trip. </div><div><br></div><div>
Day 3
Today, we went to the 冶春荼社 for our breakfast. Along the way to the teahouse,
we past by a canal side whereby there were elderly with pets. Some were selling
the animals while others were simply giving a performance. This reminded me
back home in Singapore when the elderly would gather at the first level of the
block every morning just to talk about life. In the 冶春荼社, we were served with more than six
dishes per table. I couldn’t believe my eyes. In Singapore, most of the time,
we had bread or just milo for breakfast. Yet the Yangzhou residents actually
had such a heavy beakfast. There were noodles, three different kinds of buns
and many more dishes. Being light eaters, all of us only managed to consume
about one quarter of the food given. I find the rest of the food quite a waste
as it would most probably be thrown away after we left. It was quite a
delicious meal and I wouldn’t mind going back again. I particularly enjoyed the
bao which we had to use a straw to suck our all the soup before we could eat
the bao. The soup was still piping hot and it was delicious with the distinct
taste of meat in it. The skin of the bao wasn’t very thick either and I
wondered how they had managed to cook the bao with so much liquid inside
without breaking the skin a slightest bit. We went to the Slender west lake
after the meal. The place was very very peaceful and despite the mass amount of
people there, I could feel the serenity of its surroundings. At first, I felt
that it was similar with Singapore’s Botanical Gardens, only did I realize that
it was much much bigger, with a history much older that Singapore’s. We took a
boat ride in two separate bumboats operated by women in the Slender West Lake.
The boat ride was very enjoyable on the calm and soothing waters. When we reached
the other bank of the Slender West Lake, we were given time to explore the
beautiful historical place. I remember that there was a small shelter called
the diao yu tai which was said to be Emperor Qian Long’s favourite fishing
retreat. Our tour guide even told us about how the eunuchs in the past had to
hide below water lilies in the water. When the emperor went fishing, they would
attach dragon fishes to his hook secretly such that the emperor would feel good
about being able to catch something. The place had a very old history to it and
I feel honored to have been able to visit the Slender West Lake. Finally, we
went to the block printing museum. We were all expecting the block printing
museum to be a boring old museum to visit. But we were proven wrong. Block
printing is not as easy as we thought. Firstly, one had to use a brush to write
out the words. With one mistake, one had to rewrite the entire thing on a
manuscript again. Secondly, they had to carve the words on a block of wood.
This requires concentration and skill. With one wrong move, they would have to
carve it once more. There was no rewind button. Moreover, unlike our computers
and printers, if they had wanted to edit the text, it would have to carve it
once more. It is not an easy process and I admire their patience for such
work. </div><div><br></div><div>
Day 4
Today was day one of our exchange program with one of the local
schools in Yangzhou. I was nervous for I did not know what kind of a person my
buddy would be and if I would be awkward. When we were split up to join our
buddies at our respective seats, I was really awkward. I didn’t know what to do
and how to recognize my buddy. Fortunately, the students there came forward to
us, asking for our names and directing us to our buddies. When I spoke to my
buddy, I realize that their standards of Chinese are just very different from
us. Half the time as she was speaking, I could barely understand what she was
talking about and had to ask her to simplify her words. It was quite
embarrassing though but enriching as I learnt many different things about their
school. I couldn’t find suitable topics to bring up with her so we spoke mainly
about school life and the differences. I got to understand about their school’s
emphasize on mathematics. However, I learnt that their CCA activities were also
academically related. My buddy’s CCA was math enrichment. I feel that China
educational system can make CCA compulsory for all and also make CCA longer,
with more physical activities. CCA enables us to be able to know more people,
while at the same, it allows us to learn skills and qualities outside lessons.
We also attended their music lesson. I find their music lesson tougher than
Singapore’s as they are asked to identify the Chinese music instruments
involved and also asked to sing the tunes of the music. Being unused to such
music lessons, I find it enjoyable and enriching after going for their music
lesson. I liked the way their teacher had been able to engage everyone’s
attention throughout the lesson. I was stunned that time had passed so fast
when the lesson ended. We went to the Lushi Old Mansion for dinner. The place
was enormous and once again, I was amazed with how China had managed to merge
both the old and new together. The building was an old heritage site, the home
of a salt merchant in the past, yet it was changed to a restaurant for the
tourism industry. Moreover, each table in the Lushi Old Mansion had its own
room. The mansion was very spacious and grand. The food served was also very
traditional. Although the food was not to our tastes, I still enjoyed the
atmosphere of the restaurant as a whole. We also went for the Beijing-Hangzhou
Grand Canal boat ride. Throughout the boat ride, there were the elderly doing
exercises along one side of the river and youngsters dancing along the rivers
on the other side. Although it was night time, there was still a lot of
activities occurring on both sides of the
banks. </div><div><br></div><div>
Day 5
Today was the last and final day for the exchange program with
the school in Yangzhou. I was hesitant and sad to leave my buddy. After knowing
her for a day, I had hoped for more time to know her better. But it was time to
say goodbye. We had a performance planned for the Yangzhou students. When the
performance began, I was actually very worried. My hands were icy cold and I
could remember Miss Zheng trying to get me to relax. Haha…the students there
had performed traditional music and what were we going to perform? Pop music
with a little singing towards the end. When we reached the mid of our
performance, I could see the students there starting to lose interest in our
performance and so I was kind of disappointed and upset. But when I saw my
classmates having fun and enjoying their time as a class together, my mood rose
again and I started to relax a little. Even as we were leaving, I did not
manage to see my buddy for the last time for she had something on afterwards. I
was disappointed but I hoped that she had enjoyed the little gift I had given
to her earlier on when I saw her. Then, we made our way to the paper cutting
museum. Along the way, I saw something which made me feel very disgusted. There
was a little boy about the age of three and his parents were teaching him how
to urinate along the streets. I felt ashamed and disgusted. How could they have
taught their son to do such a thing? Moreover, they were just near the toilets.
Being a tourist, it gave me a very bad impression of the people in Yang Zhou.
We did some simple paper cutting in the paper cutting museum with our scissors
and paper provided. However, the paper dog that I tried to cut turned up quite
awful. It did not even have its tail attached after I was done with it.
However, I enjoyed and appreciated the experience given to us. After the visit
to the paper cutting museum, we went to the zhu zi qing residence. It was
located in quite an old alley. I find the residence rather small and old. It
made me feel claustrophobic as I passed through pathway to pathway. The
residence was quite well preserved though. Despite its age, it was still
maintained as a historical site. This shows Yangzhou’s efforts to preserving
its history for its future
generations.</div><div><br></div><div>
Day 6
Today was the second last day of our OELP and we visited the Ge
yuan first thing in the morning. From there, I found out the names of the
different kinds of bamboo, introduced by the tour guide. Deeper into the
historical site, there were four seasonal pavilions built just to admire the
scenery at its best in the different seasons, mainly, Spring, Summer, Autumn
and Winter. We then took a bus ride to our next location, which was the da ming
temple. The Da Ming temple is a temple whereby parents pray for their child’s
zhong kao, which is equivalent to Singapore’s A-levels. Upon our visit to the
temple, we walked into this part of the temple, whereby there were statues of
different disciples of Buddha. The tour guide briefly explained several
disciples to us and the story behind them. We were then given time to explore
the da ming temple. At first, my friends and I wanted to climb the pagoda, but
when we heard of the price we had to pay to climb the pagoda, we decided
against it. Instead, we walked around the temple and took pictures. Then we
went to the gift shop which sold amulets for students. Lastly, we went to the
Shang Hai Volkswagon factory. We were at first wary. Why were we brought to a
car factory? Then upon being shown the video in the conference room, I realized
that it was related to Shang Hai’s economy. We were also given a tour of the
car making process within the factory itself. It was quite cool to watch the
cars being manufactured from scratch as it is our first time being able to
enter a car factory like that. However, some of the sparks had come pretty
close to coming into contact with us, which may cause us to be hurt. But I
still enjoyed watching the cars get manufactured. We could also see the
comparison between Singapore and ShangHai. Whereby in Singapore, we look out
for cars like Hondas and BMWs, In ShangHai, they look out for
Volkswagon.</div><div><br></div><div>
Day 7
Today would be the last and final day of our OELP. I was filled
with disappointment for not being able to have a longer time together with my
classmates. But I was ready to go back home. As we were at the bullet train
station, ready to return to Shang Hai’s airport, my friend bought an extra
large drink from the train station before we boarded the train. We were told that
food was allowed on the train and I was shocked when I got onto the train. The
place was sparkling clean and there wasn’t a single litter on the ground. How
is it possible that even though food was allowed on the train, but the
environment was super clean? Even when food was banned in Singapore’s trains,
but still we see litter all around the MRT. I guess it’s the people’s
attitudes. In China, the people actually make the conscious effort to keep
their environment clean and that is what we should be learning from them. The
seats of the bullet train were all facing towards the front but our tour guide
taught us how to turn the seats such that we would be able to face our
classmates. After alighting from the train, we were ushered quickly to the
airport where we boarded the 6 hour long flight back to Singapore. Through this
OELP, I have grown a lot. I’ve become more independent and responsible. I’ve
learnt so much which I can never learn from through textbooks. I’ve also seen
how much the class had grown, how close we had all become throughout these six
nights of being only dependent on one another. I’m proud to say that this OELP
has been a very fulfilling one for me.
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