OELP Overall Reflection

1⃣I chose to go on this trip as I wanted to learn more about China’s culture, history and way of living, both in the past and present, as well as how it differed from Singapore. Moreover, I saw this as an opportunity to bond more with the class. 

I had hoped to learn more about China’s culture and history through the different scene and sights we visited. For example, the Song Dynasty Town. I was able to gain a deeper understanding of the Song Dynasty through the performers at the Song Dynasty Performances, who were able to portray the essence of the Song Dynasty through their dance. Another example would be the Hongcun and Xidi Ancient Villages. We explored the heritage sites and learned more about the history about it through its architecture (At the Hongcun Ancient Village, we saw an old learning facility, and learned how school was held in the past, as well as how it differs from the present).

 Furthermore, I had hoped to learn more about China’s way of living, both in the past and present, through hands-on activities. When we went to the Hefei Shouchun Middle School, we were able to learn more about their education system through having lessons with them, as well as hands-on activities, such as making dumplings, learning about Chinese Opera masks, ink-drawings etc. Through their lessons we experienced how different their school system was from Singapore. Contrary to what we had been told (the students there were very serious in school and did not fool around), the students there could joke around during lessons and yet be serious in their work. Moreover, their lessons were taught in Chinese, something we were not accustomed to. The way they made their dumpling differed from how we do it in Singapore, and it was interesting to learn how they made it there. We also made house visits to the students’ houses, to learn how their living conditions differed from ours. Although the houses we visited were well-off, I felt like we were only looking at the good side of China’s way of living, and not the whole picture.

The schedule was changed a few times during the trip. On the first day, the teachers cut our debrief short as they saw the students worn out from the day’s activities. If they had not ended the debrief the way they did, I think I would not have been able to absorb anything they said due to fatigue, which could have created miscommunication the next day. Moreover, they pushed some of the activities to the next day as there was not enough time for them. Had they not done that, I think we would have been rushed from place to place, which would have hindered us from properly enjoying it. Lastly, they changed the debriefs to OELP performance practices, which helped us for the performance, as without the practices we would not have been coordinated and would have embarrassed ourselves in front of the the Hefei Shouchun Middle School

2⃣One situation that I came across which I feel strongly about happened on Day 5. When we first visited the Hefei Shouchun Middle School, the students welcomed us with open arms. Even though they were not the personal buddies we had been assigned to, they acted very friendly towards us and asked us for our QQ numbers to stay in contact with us. Even though we did not know them, they still helped us to find our personal buddies. When we had lessons with them, the class gave us presents even though we were the guests. Contrary to what we were expecting (cold, distant, serious), they were very nice, much nicer than we would have been had they been the ones to visit Singapore. We had foreign students in RVHS before, and we did not really bother to get to know them better. We simply said hello when they came and left it at that. Had they been us, I would have felt very unwelcomed. I think we should follow their example and welcome foreign students to Singapore next time just as warmly, even though we may not know them.

One person I have seen that taught me more than what could be achieved in class was Tommy, one of the tour guides. He was the one who narrate us through Mt Huangshan, Hongcun and Xidi Ancient Villages. At each landmark of each place he would always have a story to share with us, be it the narrations of the pine trees at the Mt Huangshan or the scenary at the Ancient Villages. These bits of information is impossible to learn in textbooks or from the internet. They would only be known to locals. Thus I am grateful to Tommy导游 for teaching us these stories, as well as for not getting angry with us, even though we may not listen to him at times.

“Treat others the way you would have them treat you”, this saying can be applied in this situation. This is one fact that I have learnt during this trip that impacted me the most. The way the tour guides have treated us, the way the students and their families have welcomed us, has taught me this fact. The tour guides never openly got mad at us, even though we were not the easiest students to watch out for (maybe they reprimanded us once, but that was it). They was casual and joked around with us throughout the trip, which made the trip much more enjoyable. If not for them, the trip would not have been as enjoyable. Students from Hefei Shouchun Middle School have visited RVHS last year, yet we did not welcome them as warmly as they have to us. Thinking back, I feel ashamed. They even went through the trouble of getting us presents and getting to know us during lessons, yet we showed them less than half their sincerity when they visited. The families welcomed us warmly as well, strangers from another country in their houses. We should treat others the way we would want them treat us.

3⃣This trip has affected me in more ways than one. An example would be at the dining table. In the past, I used to be very picky with my food and never had a reason to use chopsticks while eating. Through this trip I have learnt to be thankful for the food, to eat what is on your plate, that it may taste good if you give it a try, and have (almost) mastered how to use the chopsticks. Now I won’t have to face teasing during family reunion dinners.J Moreover, in the past I took our lifestyle (way of living, environment etc) for granted, as it seemed so simple in Singapore. After going to China, I realised that we should take what we have with a grain of salt, and not take it lightly. A long term changes that I hope will take place will be my attitude towards studying. When I was at the Hefei Shouchun Middle School, I saw that they took their education seriously, and kept their study area neat and tidy. Also, when I went for the house visit, I saw that the house buddy kept her room clean, with everything where it should be. When asked about it, she said something along the lines of “To study well, one must have a good studying environment.” My study area at home and in school is kept relatively neat, but tends to get messy easily. The house buddy had a system of where her things should be placed whereas I simply dump my materials in an empty space. Moreover, when asked, the house buddy said that she would often spend her Saturday finishing up her homework and Sunday revising through what she has learnt that week. I recently took a psychiatric survey about studying, which said I did not have proper time management. Normally on my weekend, I would spend my Saturday lazing around, then Sunday rushing my homework, leaving no time for revision. Due to not revising through old material daily, when common tests come I have a hard time recapping what is tested, resulting in my grades dropping. I hope that through the experience gained from the trip, I will be able to manage my time properly and keep my studying area tidy, so as to improve my grades. I have learnt in this trip how to make different Anhui cusine dishes, through the school activities and the house visit, which I have brought back to Singapore. The nanny at the house we visited taught me how to make some Anhui dishes, such as pork cutlet and honeyed chicken etc. When I got back home I tried to make some of the dishes taught. My parents tried and said it was good, although it needed some practise. My aunt also learned from me the recipes and could not wait to try them out. I was able to learn some Anhui cusine recipes and bring it back home.