OELP Daily Reflection

Day 1

这是来到中国杭州的第一天，或许是因为还没适应，感觉周边的一切都异常新鲜。虽然坐了五个多小时的飞机，但是当我们来到宋城时还是兴奋不已。杭州宋城是中国人气最旺的主题公园，年游客逾600万人次。秉承"建筑为形，文化为魂"的经营理念，这里到处都有着宋朝的气息。店主们都穿着传统的服装，还有着很多属于宋朝时期的建筑。看着周围的一切，我们仿佛回到了过去。到处转了一圈后，我们终于迎来了最大的震撼，大型歌舞表演“宋城千古情” 。宋城千古情，就是宋城的灵魂。它用歌舞的形式向人们呈现演绎了古人的传统和艰辛，梁祝和白蛇许仙的千古绝唱，把丝绸、茶叶和烟雨江南表现的淋漓尽致。从中我也体会到的近代和古时候的相同之处与差异，表演中先进的技术见证我们的发展与进步。而一些传统也流传到了现在，比如喜欢庆祝的天性，每当有什么节日或喜事，中国人一定会聚在一起庆祝。虽然并不是每一位游客都能从中体会到中国古代的精髓，但是却都会有着一些属于自己的领悟。而这一切我们都有可以带回新加坡，比如从历史中吸取到的教训运用在我们的日常生活中，对我们来说，这一次的体验都非常之珍贵。

Day 2

在第二天的旅程，我们先是去了哇哈哈工厂，又来到了胡开文墨厂和程大位珠算博物馆，最后还去了呈坎茶博物馆和茶园。在哇哈哈，我们见证了一个校内小卖部转变成中国最大全球第五的食品饮料生产企业。从这励志的过程中，我学会了创业成功最主要的几个重点。首先，我们要有勇气和决心开始一段全新的旅程，不惧怕失败；要学会有效地运用手里的资源，包括人才的分配和奖金分红等来鼓励员工尽心工作；再者，我们越得勇于创新，领先于起跑线上。而这一切哇哈哈都做到了，所以它才有了今天。而胡开文墨厂和程大位珠算博物馆则代表着传统与历史。在没有笔和纸还有计算机的时代，墨汁和算盘的发明可谓是带给了人民许多便利。而这些发明在现在已不是非常必要，但是还是有许多人在学习和运用，把这些文化传承下来，而不是流逝在悠久的历史中。疲劳的神经在看到茶园的一瞬间松懈下来。茶叶的清香向我们袭来，满眼的嫩绿色让在新加坡看不到农业的我们惊喜万分。在呈坎茶博物馆和茶园，我们学到了茶叶的品种和采摘方法，并且还有机会品尝茶叶。在体会茶香的同时，我也不禁想起那荒山上的茶叶种植。在新加坡，因为土地有限所以并没有很多农业，所以说像中国这样的大规模种植还是非常珍贵的，但是却因为气候的变化并且人们现在更偏向于酒或汽水的口味，茶叶种植逐渐减少了。但如果就这样让茶文化渐渐消失，会是文化的一个巨大损失。

Day 3

经过昨天众多的参观后，我们的第三天则是充满了视觉上的冲击。那天，我们去到了屯溪老街，宏村居民区和西递居民区。被称为活动的“清明上河图”，屯溪老街保存着完整的古代风格建筑和街市，悠久的历史为屯溪留下了丰厚的文化遗产，包括许多传统的手艺和小吃。除了安徽特产的的毛笔和茶叶外，还有一种古老的零食吸引了我，那就是那麦芽糖。手工制作，老人们把热化了的焦糖做成了一个个甜美可口的小人儿买给了我们品尝。除了传统的龙和凤状，现今流行的卡通人物也在他们的灵巧的双手下变出，真是又可爱又好吃。但虽然这个古老的小吃已经为了融入到现今的社会已经做出了改变，但是还是变得越来越少见，越来越不那么普遍了。就如新加坡，如今的人们多喜欢去吃快餐冰激淋，为了贪图那点速度和刺激，去慢慢的遗忘了那些历史留给我们的成果。而在宏村和西递，我们也再次见证了古人留给我们的震撼。宏村被誉为“中国画里的乡村”，原来只在照片上见过的美丽风景被一一展现在我们面前，那古老的村庄，精致的小桥，如水墨画般的河水与莲花。在导游的带领下，我们在那古老的住宅中领悟这前辈们的的智慧，在没有任何现代的科技下，古人么如何通过房屋的设计和装饰来分辨每个人的地位，用地洞的方式来建出天然的空调来保持温度舒适，并且通过完美的人工水系和牛形设计来确保每户人家都有着足够的新鲜水源，而这一切也都吸引着世界各地的旅客们来探索。古人们在什么都没有的情况下都能做出这一切，拥有着各种科技与帮助的我们则需更加努力来创造奇迹了。

Day 4

黄山是中国十大名山之一，而我们很幸运的有机会来到它的顶端。在吃饱喝足后，我们憋足了精神在旅程的第四天开始了我们的爬山之旅。我们先是坐缆车去到半山腰，那天正好云雾很多，在隐隐约约间看到各各山峰，那种朦胧之美让人惊叹不已。当我们真正开始步行爬山时，导游带着我们来到个个古松前，有卧龙松，凤尾松等，这些都是大自然的鬼斧神工。我们也去到了传说中发现灵芝的地方，那里有着巨大的灵芝形亭子，为已经感到疲劳的我们提供了一个休息之处。在下山的时候，天气忽然变得极为寒冷，虽然我们都穿着厚厚的褂子，但还是免不了冻的脸蛋通红，呼出的气也变成了白色。但是知道马上就要到了，我们都咬咬牙继续坚持了下去。后来在去餐馆的路上，老师们留给我们了一个问题，在这么多旅游活动影响下，黄山还能保持原状吗？我认为其实是不行的，因为游客们留下的垃圾会污染黄山的环境，就算有垃圾桶也因为上下山的不便而难以清理，人们不小心的踩踏可能会破坏植物，也会因为发出的声音吓坏或影响动物，这样久而久之，黄山的生态被破坏，它也就不会再那么美丽漂亮了。但是不能否认的是，通过黄山的旅游活动，人们可以更加享受大自然，学到全新的知识，并且从繁忙的生活中偷一分闲。

Day 5

还记着几天前的我们还在悠闲地练着要呈现的节目，没想到今天就要表演了，我一边练着演讲台词，一边想象着寿春中学的模样。但在这之前，我们先是来到了合肥美菱。美菱和前几天参观的哇哈哈一样，也是一个非常成功的品牌，它通过和 Electrolux 和 Panasonic 等国外知名品牌合作，在国内外打下了很大的市场。听公司的员工说，通过和那些已经很出名的品牌合作，美菱不但不用重新在他国宣传自己或或开分公司，还能在减少开支的情况下开辟市场并争取更多利益，而且危险性大大降低。除此之外，美菱也和哇哈哈一样勇于创新，开发新产品来吸引顾客，如智能冰箱，可以提醒有快过期的食物等。这或许就是那些成功的大公司与众不同的地方吧。终于，我们迈进了寿春中学的大门。学生们都在上课，整个校园都安安静静的，但是当我们经过那些教室时还能感觉到学生们向我们投来好奇的目光。我们在来之前都与新同学们联系过了，所以当他们坐在教室里迎接我们时，虽然很尴尬，但很快大家就混在了一起。中国同学们为了迎接我们，放弃了他们许多宝贵的时间，甚至还在墙壁上画了一个小小的新加坡，这让我们马上把前一晚练节目练到半夜的苦和累忘却了。后来表演的的时候我们也尽了最大的努力，听着他们的掌声让我们感到荣幸至极。这让我明白只要我们肯花时间去准备，那我们就能收到回报；只要我们能舍得努力准备，就能得到想要的结果。

Day 6

今天我们把我们把大部份时间都留在了寿春，跟着那里可爱的孩子们上了几堂难忘的课。寿春的学生们上课的场景让我非常难忘，而且是今天我们才真正的体会到了寿春的热情。在课堂上，同学们会为我们着想，把课本和笔记借给我们，还为我们讲解难懂的部分。我发现，寿春的学生们都非常积极，老师每问一个问题，几乎每一位学生都会一起回答。他们对待学习的态度认真，老师在上面讲课，他们每个人都会在下面抄笔记，很少有窃窃私语的情况。这不仅让我联想到中国的人口问题。中国拥有世界上最多的人口，这也代表着中国的竞争力非常之大，大学毕业后还找不到工作的大学生遍地都是。这或许就导致了现在的状况，中国的学生们从小就非常的重视学业，想要长大后出人头地必须从小就作出努力。这一切不禁让我明白在新加坡生活的我其实是多么的幸福，虽然竞争依在，但是却少上很多。而且可能难以相信，寿春的同学们直到现在还跟我们联系着，确保着我们的友谊长久。今天是见到他们的最后一天，我的心里很是难受。

Day 7

现在离回到新加坡已经进入倒计时了，但是今天对我来说却是异常重要，因为我将近距离地认识我的伙伴，去她的家中感受合肥特有的文化。我们怀着兴奋的心情早早地到达了寿春中学,没想到我们的伙伴们和家长来得更早。在腼腆地打过招呼后，我的伙伴带着我们在一些附近的地方景点逛了逛。首先去到了一个公园，听说每天早上都有许多人去那里锻炼，呼吸新鲜空气。但是和新加坡大部分都是老人相比，我们在这个公园里见到了各个年龄段的人，他们偶珍惜这段时光，老人强身健体，年轻人则是放松一下心情。在新加坡，许多年轻人都以繁忙等理由窝在家不出去，和中国有很大的反差。中国人口这么多，竞争压力这么大，他们都不闲忙为什么我们会囔囔着喊累呢？我们应该学习他们的心态，学会享受生活并且放松自己。这之后，我也见到了年了许久的包青天的坟墓和有幸见到了他的棺材，也通过李鸿章故居了解到了许多新的历史。我也在他们家吃了一顿阿姨亲手做的美味佳肴，感受到了他们招待人的热情与礼貌。再分开的时候，我们真诚地向伙伴和她的家人道谢，感谢他们抽出时间和精力来招待我们，让我们更加了解中国的待客之道和更真实的一面。

Day 8

终于，我们到了回家的那一天。我们第一次坐上了轻轨，发现了一个比地铁更平稳，速度更快的交通工具。这不仅让我联想起从新加坡通道马来西亚的高铁，它们都是链接人与人的工具，希望通过这个高铁的存在，人们的交流更加普遍，加深视频新加坡和马来西亚的关系和友谊。我们也来到了海底捞吃火锅，海底捞因为他良好的服务而出名，当然他的食物也异常美味。我还在那边遇到了一群可爱的小孩子们，因为中国的儿童节就在后一天，六月一。这让我回想起中国的食物。比起新加坡的偏甜，中国安徽这边的食物则是更加油腻，咸，或许是为了补充身体里因为工作丢失的盐量。在在飞机上度过了五个小时，但大家都因为马上要回到家而兴奋不已。这次的旅程让我们获益不浅，感谢学校和老师们给我们这次难得的机会，带领我们去其他的国家。我们会把这次的收获和得到的经验收藏在心中，在以后的生活中让它们派上用场。

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oelp overall refection

1)  I chose to go on this trip as I believe that it will be very enriching and fun . Enriching in the sense that we are gaining new knowledge during this trip and fun because we are learning in the process of sightseeing .Furthermore, we are going as a class , which is something very rare as we don't usually see a class of 36 spending seven days together in a foreign land. This may also be the very last chance for us to bond and interact with other classmates we are not so familiar with ,before we split classes next year. Thus, we must cherish this opportunity.Moreover, hearing that there would be a school exchange programme, i felt very excited and this confirmed my decision of going for this trip.I'm a person who loves making new friends as i believe that friendship lasts for a lifetime and it would be very unique to make friends with people who are not from Singapore. I was not exactly scared of meeting them as this was not the first time i participated in a school exchange programme .A few years back, i also went to China for the school immersion programme so i more or less got the experience of interacting with someone around the same age as me in Chinese . Definitely, i would get a little afraid that my buddy would be the reserved and shy type and our conversations would be awkward but fortunately everything turned out well in the end .Of course, some decisions had to be made when i chose to go on this trip. For example, i made a choice to step out of my comfort zone. I knew that this wasn't a typical family trip and there would be no one there to remind me to pack my bag for tomorrow, no one to hurry me to sleep, no one to help me pack my luggage and no one to help me buy souvenirs i wanted. After this trip, i aspire to be a more independent and self-directed learner.Through the sightseeing , i hope i can learn more about China's culture, heritage eg. their language,costume, architecture and their way of living. This would hence increase my insights of the world and knowledge of China which would be very beneficial for me in the future.

2) During this trip , a traumatic incident happened to me on the first day.  I had a very bad stomachache and went to the toilet. I had informed a teacher before i left. However, as there were too much people moving about in that area , he thought that i had came out already and went ahead with the group. Thus , when i came out and realized that there was no one waiting, i was very shocked and scared. How afraid i felt, i never panicked for a moment , because i knew once i panicked , my mind would go frenzy and start breaking down. Furthermore , i believed that someone would be coming back for me and so i waited outside the toilet. True enough, the teacher came back for me soon and I returned to the group safely. From this lesson, i learnt that keeping calm in desperate situations is always the best solution. Never panic, and hold on to the last glimpse of hope that someone would be back for me.One person that i had seen that taught me more than what could be achieved in class would most probably my home visit buddy's mother. Firstly, she taught me how to treat our guests.She was very courteous and generous to us, and we could how feel how happy and honored she was to have us as guests.When we arrived at their home , there were snacks on the table and the house, as i observed, was very clean and neat. When we  came back for lunch, we saw a wide spread of food on the table . Furthermore, she kept asking us to eat more and at sometimes she would even pile food on our plates, even after we refused already . Thus,from this house visit, I've learnt that as a host , we need to be warm and courteous to the guests, and try to accede to the guests' request. Most importantly,the host should make the guest feel comfortable like as if they're at their own home.One fact that i had found out during this trip that impacted me the most was that the competition in Singapore is alot lesser than that in China.  From my observations through the school immersion programme, the class is relatively bigger (39 students) and there are about 1000 students in a level. This was really unexpected and rather shocking. As the number of students is higher, the competition would of course be tougher. Moreover, I've heard from my house visit buddy that they usually spend 3hrs daily on school homework and sleep only at 11pm+. After hearing that and telling them our side of the story, I felt very fortunate and blessed to live in Singapore and they felt very envious of us. However, after putting some thought into it, i really wonder whether lesser competition is actually better for us, because strong competition can actually spur us on to do better ,work harder and force out our true capabilities , instead of simply resting on our laurels. 

3) I hope that after embarking on this trip, i can be a more participative and focused student in class, and a patriotic Singaporean. During this trip, i've seen the burning passion in the students of 寿春中学 towards studying , eg. when the teacher asks a question, he gets a spontaneous reply from not only one or two person, but almost the entire class. During their recitation competition held on the second day i arrived at the school, i could then feel the love of the students and the sense of pride of being a Chinese beaming from them from the way they spoke. That really touched me and i pondered why didn't i have the same feeling towards my homeland. I could not find an answer, maybe because i had been living in Singapore my whole life, i have already took this for granted and never ever realised how fortunate i was to live in such a country. As i am also the group leader of Group 1, i have also gained some thoughts and feelings from being a group leader personally. As a group leader, to get your members to listen,you have to make them respect you first. But respect is not one-sided and you have to respect them too. Listen to their views and opinions, and make sure that everyone has a fair chance to speak .In my opinion, a leader does not necessarily need to be smart, but as long as he has good interpersonal skills,confidence and a positive attitude,he is fit to lead.

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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.

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OELP Overall Reflection (Sent to Teacher IC)

I chose to go on this trip because I had never been to China and I wanted to gain more experience from places outside of Singapore. Initially, I heard a lot about China from a lot of people, and was actually very shocked to hear about their living conditions, because the things that I heard were all very negative, such as bad hygiene and weird variety of food. I started to become very worried and hesitated about actually going there. However, after much consideration, I still decided to go, because I realized that seeing was definitely going to be better than just hearing what others have to say about that country. I started to do some research on China on the Internet and soon I was very interested to know how a place closer to the countryside and further away from the city would be like, since I would not get such an experience from always staying in Singapore, because unlike our small country, China is huge in comparison and therefore I definitely expect it to be very different. I was also very keen in going on this trip after I had made up my mind because I wanted to know how different China actually was compared to what I always thought it would be. I wanted to be exposed to the differences and similarities in our culture, tradition and everyday life between China and Singapore, and hoped to know more about China in return. I decided that if I was going to go on this trip, I would want to make use of my time properly and learn as much as I can so that I would remember and share my knowledge with others when I get back, as well as reflect and think about what can be done further even when I am in Singapore. Not only that, I also decided that I would find a proper time to enjoy myself, and at appropriate times settle down so that I can study and learn what I probably cannot in Singapore. Lastly, I also decided that I was going to learn how to be much more independent than I was then. This meant that I wanted to be more independent when it came to learning, taking care of myself and others, and also be more self-disciplined. In the process, I also wanted to be able to learn other very important values that I had yet to grasp, such as teamwork, friendship, and respect, as well as independence. From this trip, I believed that I would be able to gain a lot more knowledge and understand more about China and their economy, especially in Anhui.  I also hope to know more about their culture, and expose myself more to their tradition, background, or even the food they eat and the way they talk. In fact, I very excited to go to China because Anhui was a place I had never heard of before, and was therefore very interested in the kind of traditions and cultures that they have over there. Personally, I believe that this is a good chance for us to go out as a class, since it is going to be our last year together, and I would thus like to cherish the remaining time I have with my friends, and to go through thick and thin and survive such a unique experience together as 2F.

One situation I came across that I felt strongly about was during the day I had to attend classes in Shou Chun High School. It was the first time I met all of the students in Class 13, and as much as I was excited to see them, I was at the same time, very nervous because I was afraid that it would be difficult getting along with them. They were having Chinese lessons during that period, and I was assigned to sit in a group. For a moment it really felt very awkward because I did not know if I should start introducing myself first or just keep quiet. So, I just decided to pay attention in class and see what happens next. Throughout the whole lesson, I could see the people in my group looking at me, and had the intention of starting a conversation with me, but whenever I smiled at them, they would look away immediately. I was getting very worried because I did not know what to do. Just then, the girl sitting beside me passed me a note that said, “What is your name?” in neat handwriting and I was indeed very surprised that she would actually take the effort to try and know me. I was very happy, and decided to just tell her. That was when she realized that I could speak Chinese. She was so delighted; she attempted to hug me to show her kindness but refrained from doing so when she saw the teacher looking at us. Soon, the whole group knew that I could speak their language and they soon stopped holding back. Some of them even tried to talk to me in English so that they could practice speaking it. I felt a sense of warmth because of the great and cute welcome that they gave me. I realized that I was not the only shy and nervous one; they were all very shy and did not know how to approach me either. I believe that this is the one situation that I felt most strongly about because I realized that they were actually very nice and friendly, and I was very glad that I managed to make so many new friends, even though we just met each other. I was really very excited when they were all talking to me because they were so interested in Singapore and our culture, and I was also very interested in their background and environment. We managed to talk a lot about ourselves and learning environment during the short break that we had in between the periods. They were very relaxed around me and I could really feel the warm feeling when I was with them. It was not as awkward as I initially thought it would be and I was really glad that we managed to get the conversation going. I guess what made me feel strongly about it was really how I made friends over there just within a short period of time. One person that I had seen that taught me more than what could be achieved in class is Mrs Lee, one of the teachers in charge of our class. She was a very responsible and firm teacher, who would ensure the safety of the students and put us before anyone else, especially when some of our students had fallen sick during the trip. She would stay behind and take care of the students instead of following us to enjoy our activities, and stay beside them until they are feeling better. I find that she is very responsible and at the same time very caring because she wants us to learn to our fullest instead of wasting our time in China and would also take care of us when we really need her help and company. Mrs Lee is very responsible as well and would never fail to make sure that all the students are present and that none are missing when we reach a certain place. I believe that all these cannot be taught or fully achieved in class, and I find that she is a very good example to lead by. That is why I Mrs Lee is someone that I had seen that taught me more than what could be achieved in class. One fact that I had learnt during the trip that impacted me the most was the reason why the school does not have doors and mirrors in the toilets. The difference between the toilets in the schools in China and Singapore is that the toilets in China lack doors and mirrors. It was soon explained by our teachers that that is because the school does not want their students to waste too much time in the toilets by looking at themselves in the mirror or taking their own time in the cubicles. As much as it did seem a little weird and things were a little hard to do when nature was calling, I realized that it was actually a very effective way of preventing students from spending too much of their time in the toilets instead of listening and paying attention in class. This definitely impacted me the most because the idea was very fresh in my mind and it was the first time I had heard of such a thing in my life, since all the toilets in Singapore had doors and mirrors, and people usually spend a lot of time in it. It was therefore something that impacted me the most, as I know feel that something should be done in Singapore to prevent too much time from being wasted.

Through this trip, I have learnt about the importance of communication and how languages really play a big part in our lives. I seldom appreciate it in Singapore when I have to speak and learn proper Chinese because I did not find it to be anywhere necessary in the future. However, after going to this trip, I realized that that it obviously untrue because China is and will continue to be a place for good and effective business, and communication. In order to catch up with this, I found out that Chinese has to be something that I treasure here back in Singapore, in order to help myself with talking to others in proper and fluent Chinese in the future. This trip would affect my future behaviors and attitudes and I will continue training my communication skills here so that I can speak better Chinese and converse with other people easily in the mere future. Some long term changes I hope would take place would be how I can continue and make an effort in perfecting my Chinese so that I can communicate with more people using this language in the future. This may even be helpful and effective in strengthening bonds with others and can be useful during my work next time. I hope that I will be able to better appreciate the importance of communication especially in different countries and continue to strive harder and study Chinese to help me in the future. Not only that, I also hope that other Singaporeans can also understand such an importance in learning Chinese and not give up on that language just because they think it is irrelevant. I hope that people can converse more in Chinese rather than always speaking in English as this can help train our communication skills in our Mother Tongue. I learnt in this trip that we should better appreciate what the government in Singapore has done for us, especially in terms of hygiene, whereby Singapore is a very clean and hygienic environment. As mentioned before, we are given the privilege of enjoying good and clean toilets. Not only that, we also have the luxury of enjoying clean streets and proper housing. I think that that is something I learnt that I can bring back to Singapore because I realized that I took a lot of things for granted when I was in Singapore and ignored the fact that Singapore is really very clean and green especially because of the people who took the effort to clean our country and keep it safe and hygienic. This was something that I learnt in the trip that I could bring back to Singapore while I was in China as it was something that I noticed only when I did not have it.

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Individual Overall OELP Reflection (Sent to Teacher IC)

Why do you choose to go on this trip? What decisions were made when you choose to go on this trip? What do you hope to learn from this trip?

I choose to go on this trip as there are many Chinese stereotypes in Singapore, one of such is that Chinese people are stingy and rude, However, I did not believe in these Chinese stereotypes and thus chose to go to China to observe the people and clarify all doubts of the Chinese stereotypes in Singapore. I am also interested in the life of Chinese students and also wanted to know how stress and hard their lives are compared to our Singaporean students’ lifestyle. The decisions made were that I must fend of ourselves and be aware of the surroundings, independent, responsible and respectful to the citizens of China due to that this is the first time that I have travelled overseas without my parents or my parents’ help, besides in the hotel room, all the clothes and logistics you have to prepare it for the next morning. Besides, China is a very big place and that my CID teacher said before in class that there are many con-mans and thieves in China, henceforth, it is important to take care of your own belongings and do not fall blindly to the beggars in China. My CID teacher showed us a picture of a young lady holding a baby and asking for money from a passer-by. She then explained to us that there are many beggars who work for the syndicates and that they make the babies drink vodka so that they would sleep most of the time and be quiet when the young lady is asking for money. She also told us that some of the beggars act pitiful so as to gain the sympathy of the passers-by to donate money to them. Thus the decisions that had to be made were that I must fend of ourselves and be aware of the surroundings, independent, responsible and respectful to the citizens of China. I hope to learn about the culture of China, history of China, and also about the lifestyles of the people in China. More importantly, I hope that from OELP, 2F would become even bonded as a class as well as making new friends in China from the school buddies as well as house visits. I also hope to clarify that most, if not all of the bad Chinese stereotypes in Singapore are not true and that Chinese Citizens are just the same as Singaporeans; we are all human and that we should not judge a person by its country of origin but his/her personality and moral values as a human being. Besides, 2F has a bad reputation and that I hope that through OELP, we would also be more discipline and I hope that we could improve our reputation among the teachers in River Valley High School so that 2F can prosper and improve together as a class.

What is one situation you come across that you feel strongly about? What is one person that you had seen that taught you more than what could be achieved in class. What is one fact that you have learnt during this trip that impacted you the most?

I felt that the conjoined performance of Aud Lang Syne with the school that we visted in Hefei, China , ShouChun Secondary School had a strong impact on me. Even though it was the first time 2F performed together in front of a thousand strangers, we sang our lungs out and even put our hands around each of our necks and swayed side by side while the ShouChun Secondary School’s Chorale stood straightly and firmly, being very serious and confident which stood a great contrast with 2F. This showed that the students were taught very strictly in ShouChun Secondary School, given their serious and confident way of Singing while the students in River Valley High School were taught not as strictly and there was a sense of bonded-ness despite gender differences. This impacted me strongly as I had already thought that Singapore’s education system is strict enough and never had I ever thought that China’s education system is stricter. This was a very interesting experience which led me to think about how grateful I should be to my teachers and Singapore’s education system and we should always treasure what we have as we never know when those things that you have may disappear one day. My China Buddy is one person that I had seen that taught me more than what could be achieved in class. Ever since we met, I was always curious about her student life in ShouChun Secondary School and immediately asked her about her studies as well as her workload of homework every day. She replied that there is a lot of competition and homework pressure from school every day with the compounded pressure of tests every week with their 12 hours of school every Monday to Friday. I then asked her if She was happy with her life in ShouChun Secondary School and she replied with a smile,” Yes because if I study hard enough, no matter what circumstances I face in life, I will overcome them and get a good job to support my family in the future” in Mandarin. Her reply greatly moved me and made me realise that studying is just not about just memorising blindly and regurgitating all the facts, it is about your motive to study. I have always studied blindly and memorised as well as regurgitate all the facts on exam papers and never had I realised that there were people in this world that studied for a motive. Her source of determination and perseverance are not something that can be learnt in school or in class, they are shown through when you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe. She taught me that in everything you do, you must have a motive that you want to achieve, if not, you are just wasting your time. One fact that I had learnt during the trip that impacted me the most is the traditional painting of the孝word. 孝comes from the word孝顺which means filial to your parents in Chinese. In this traditional painting of the word, the top of the word is drawn like a monkey’s face towards the right side and a man’s face towards the left side the bottom right half of the word is drawn like a monkey’s body as if it is ready to fight and bottom left side of the word is drawn like a man bowing. The traditional painting of the word can be looked at different ways to understand its meaning. If you look at the traditional painting of the word孝, it shows a man bowing which is a sign of respect and formality towards elder relatives of parents, however if you look at the right side of the painting, it shows a monkey being rowdy and have totally no proper respect and upbringing. This shows that if you do not respect your parents and be filial to them, it will reflect on your poor upbringing and bring disgrace to your parents and you will be just like the monkey portrayed in the painting- rowdy with no proper respect and upbringing. I had never known that such a word such as孝could be portrayed so simply yet so detailed in a Chinese painting of the word and it made me even more interested in the Chinese Culture.

How would this trip affect your future behaviours and attitudes? What are some long term changes you hope will take place? What did you learn in this trip that you can bring back to Singapore?

The experiences that 2F faced throughout OELP and the countless as well as fruitful knowledge that I have gain through everyone in OELP would make me much more interested in Chinese and I would study harder in Chinese as I have always been very weak in Chinese and had no interests in it before OELP. I realised that Chinese is a very valuable asset in our lives and there are many people in the world who are Chinese and thus it is important to brush up in the Chinese Language.  I hope that some of the long term changes that would take place is that I would be more disciplined, independent and that I would be more aware of my surroundings. In class I am distruptive to my classmates’ learning and thus I hope that through OELP I would be much more aware of my surroundings and not distrupt their learning. In this trip, I learnt various things through OELP but the most important thing that I have learnt is that in order to succeed, we must all have motives that we want to achieve desperately to persevere and overcome all obstacles.  All in all, I felt that 2F even though it wasn’t at its best performance during OELP and even though there was a limiting factor to further maximize our bonding and sleeping time, we still had fun and bonded much more than I have expected. 2F is not just a normal class, we are extraordinary and I am sure that 2F will bond even more and prosper throughout this year.

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Individual OELP Reflection

经过一个星期的旅程，我终于回到了新加坡。这次的旅程有八天，不长不短刚刚好，足够另我细细体味安徽的风土人情，刚刚好使得我开始怀念家里温暖舒适的大床。在旅行中，比起看看风景，散散心，拍拍照，留个“到此一游”的纪念，这种独一无二的体验才是最珍贵的。这种体验中，无论是对当地风土人情的观察，或是对自己内心情感的梳理，都需要我自己去品味。

这一切始于我决定踏上旅程的那个瞬间。最初，我只是单纯的想要借此机会好好的和老师同学们一起出去游玩，联络感情，毕竟这即将是我们在一起上课的最后一年。那时候，在离开父母的怀抱学会独立的同时，我也想要回到中国走走看看近些年中国的变化与发展。而在那一个瞬间，我也发觉到了自我意识的重要性，不能让远在家乡的父母为我操心，这不只是对他人负责，更是对我自己负责。当然，我也没要忘记这次旅程最主要的目的，那就是更加深刻地了解中国当地的传统文化。中国拥有五千多年的悠久历史，中华文化源远流长，深入了解中国的传统文化不是一朝一夕的事，但是通过这次迈出的第一步，以后的路会好走许多。而且通过在中国的所见所闻和学到的新知识，我也希望可以把它带到新加坡加以运用，说不定可以取到意想不到的成果。我也会和大家一起去拜访合肥寿春中学，一家顶尖的学府。读万卷书，不如行万里路，我相信通过这次的交流可以让我们和中国的学生互相交换知识和互换友谊，并且更加了解中国的生活方式。这一切在任何一个其他的旅行中都不会实现，所以我非常珍惜这次难得的机会，并且为这次的旅程做足了准备。

对于旅行真正的享受，在于旅程过后的回味和怀念，在于对经历和见识的欢欣鼓舞。在整个旅程中，我在寿春中学的经历给我留下了非常深刻的印象。还记得我们到那里的第一天，我们在他们的朗诵比赛中表演了自己的节目，但是我到现在还没发忘记他们充满激情地朗诵。《赤子情 中华梦》是朗诵的主题，而表演者们都一致选择了《七子之歌》，《我骄傲，我是中国人》等激扬的诗词。激荡在诗行间的热爱祖国、热盼统一的浓烈情感深深地影响着每一位观众。看着那些才上初一的学生们，我被他们强烈的爱国精神深深的震撼。爱国主义是中国千百年来累计起来，对自己祖国一种最深厚的感情，是一种崇高的思想品德。它加强了中华人民的凝聚力，把中国团结在了一起，也在一个个幼小的心灵里种上了兴国耀国的种子。而且不仅如此，在安徽的大街小巷，很多地方都有着复古的气息。这说明了中国人重视传统与历史的影响。除了这个，寿春的学生们上课的场景也让我非常难忘。在课堂上，学生们都非常积极，老师每问一个问题，几乎每一位学生都会一起回答。他们对待学习的态度认真，老师在上面讲课，他们每个人都会在下面抄笔记，很少有窃窃私语的情况。这不仅让我联想到中国的人口问题。中国拥有世界上最多的人口，这也代表着中国的竞争力非常之大，大学毕业后还找不到工作的大学生遍地都是。这或许就导致了现在的状况，中国的学生们从小就非常的重视学业，想要长大后出人头地必须从小就作出努力。这一切不禁让我明白在新加坡生活的我其实是多么的幸福，虽然竞争依在，但是却少上很多。

回到家，喝杯温开水后，就到了该静下心思考的时候。在中国安徽经历过的种种一切，都明确地表明了中国的巨大进步。中国人民团结奋斗推进了中国的发展，脚步越走越快。是时候是我们紧张起来，为新加坡作出贡献。我们需要维持原有的传统价值观，良好的品德，并且从历史中吸取教训，提升自我而不犯同样的错误，我们也可以从中国等其他国家提取经验。而首先我们要做的，就是在人民的心中培养出对国家的自豪感。新加坡在这短短五十年的成就不容小觑，但是我认为我们没有中国人对国家的那种骄傲。我们要把这种归属感慢慢地培养出来，国民们团结一致，一起向目标前进。当然，我们对待生活的态度也需要改变。新加坡虽然是世界上消费最高的国家，但是也是生活质量非常高的国家。比起在中国那激烈的竞争，我们应该更珍惜在新加坡所拥有的一切。在新加坡，政府努力地照顾每一位国民，医疗和保险做的很到位。我们不该抱怨自己所失去的或没得到的，而是珍惜政府为我们所提供的一切，调整态度。身为学生，我们现在最主要的任务就是学习。所以我们现在能做的就是力所能及的增加自己的见识和远见，而不是把时间都浪费在各种各样的琐事上。向中国的学生学习他们对待学习的严谨，加上我们本身的积极态度，我相信我们一定能提升自己，为国家献出自己的一份微薄之力。

这次去中国安徽的旅程让我们获益不浅，感谢学校和老师们给我们这次难得的机会，带领我们去其他的国家。我们会把这次的收获和得到的经验收藏在心中，在以后的生活中让它们派上用场。

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Pre-Trip Task: China's Education System

Hefei is a urban area in China.

1⃣The modern education system of China is composed of three parts: pre-school education, basic education and higher education. The Chinese education system requires that all children attend school for a minimum of nine years (six years of primary education and three years of secondary education), It is considered to be a crime for the parents to deprive their children of this right in cities of China. With such a large population, there is extreme pressure put on the students to excel, as space in the best senior secondary schools and universities are limited. Students who desire higher education must take two very difficult tests, each only offered once a year.

Schools in China are divided into four levels

•Primary school, for children ages 6 to 11, covers the first six years of their compulsory education

•After primary school, students continue on to junior middle school. In junior middle school students will complete grades 7, 8, and 9, as well as their compulsory education requirement

•If students choose to continue with their education they will advance to senior middle school, the equivalent of high school in the United States, and finish grades 10, 11, and 12

•Afterward, they will have the option of attending university or entering the workforce

Pre-School Education

As usual, the pre-school education starts at age three and ends at age six, and it was also known as a kindergarten education in China. A kindergarten is generally divided into three levels: Lower Kindergarten (小班) for three to four years old children, Middle Kindergarten (中班) for four to five years old children and Upper Kindergarten (大半) for five to six years old children.

The kindergarten provides three meals a day for children, where they spend most of their time playing indoor and outdoor games. Most kindergarten teachers are from childcare schools and are good at singing and dancing, and they are responsible for taking care of the children.

Basic Education

Basic education in China is composed of an elementary school education, a junior high school education, a senior high school education and a vocational school education. The junior high school education and the senior high school education together are called the nine-year compulsory education in China.

Elementary School Education

The elementary school education usually starts at age six and ends at age 12, and the pupils are absolutely tuition-free under the law of the nine-year compulsory education. As a result, they usually prefer to attend a primary school in their own village for convenience.

The elementary school system is slightly different between urban and rural areas of China. The elementary schools have six grades (from grade one to grade six) in urban areas and five grades (from grade one to grade five) in some rural areas. The entrance examination from elementary school to junior high school has been canceled since the 1990s in cities.

The curriculum includes Chinese, math, English, PE (physical education), music, drawing, science, and morality and ethics in primary schools. However, only Chinese, math and PE are set up in many rural areas.

Junior High School Education

The junior high school education usually starts at age 13 and ends at age 15. There are three ways for pupils to enter junior high school from elementary school in cities: by a computer aided allocation system, by selecting a school and by the proximity principle.

Computer aided allocation means the pupils are randomly distributed to a junior high school, which is comparatively equal for everybody. Most parents would rather select well-equipped schools (both in hard and soft infrastructures) for their children although they would need to pay some extra money. The proximity principle means the pupils prefer entering a junior high school in their neighborhood.

The curriculum of junior high school consists of Chinese, math, English, physics, chemistry, history, politics, geography, biology, PE, IT (information technology), music and drawing, which is also combined with practical work experience around the school. The students whose final grades of all subjects are above 60 are allowed to graduate from junior high school and are admitted to senior high school, and those who fail it will stay down at the same level for one year.

Senior High School Education

The senior high school education usually starts at age 16 and ends at age 18. The junior high school graduate students can either study in a senior high school or at a vocational school. Owing to the high tuition fees of senior high schools (usually ranging from 4,000 to 6,000 RMB each year), most students from rural areas choose to study in vocational schools so as to get a job as soon as they graduate.

Senior high schools are very popular among the cities of China, through which most parents hope their children will go to college. Usually, only those who get high scores in the (senior high school) enrollment examination can enter the key senior high schools. Senior high school is divided into three stages: elementary stage in Senior One, transitory stage in Senior Two and the college entrance exam preparation stage in Senior Three. The curriculum of senior high school consists of Chinese, math, English (Russian or Japanese in some urban areas), physics, chemistry, biology, geography, history, morality and ethics, PE, health and IT.

Bureaus of education at all levels in China stipulate that Saturday and Sunday are rest days for all the senior high schools. However, most senior high schools have their own countermeasures, and they make it a rule for students to self-study in the mornings and evenings and even on weekends.

The senior high students are overloaded with studies and a lack of rest, with the aim of passing the college entrance examination held in June each year.

Higher Education

The higher education (usually known as college education) usually starts when pupils are over 18, and its composed of tertiary vocational school (two or three years), a technological academy (three years) and an undergraduate school (four years), but only undergraduate school students will get their bachelors degree.

The undergraduate school students can continue their education through a graduate record examination, and those who pass it will study in a graduate school for three years and get their Masters degree. Those who get their Masters degree can apply to pursue a PhD degree, and it usually takes about three years to graduate.

For more info about the history of China's Education System go to http://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/education.htm

Education System

China wants inventors and entrepreneurs, but its schools, built around the notorious gaokao (高考) exam, are still designed to produce cookie-cutter engineers and accountants. Students are tested on everything from Chinese and math to geography and government over two days for nine hours. How they do on the test will play a big role in determining not just where they go to college but, because Chinese colleges often feed directly into certain industries and fields, what they do for the rest of their life. It is an extremely important part of a Chinese student's life, which is why high schools dedicate months or even years to preparing for the test. China's education system has been great at imparting math and engineering, as well as the rigorous work ethic that has been vital to China's rise so far. However, if the country wishes to keep growing, the system will need to encourage entrepreneurship and creativity, neither of which is tested for on the exam. We learnt in the previous CID lesson that Junior high school students in Shanghai had outperformed their peers in rest of the world in math, science, and reading, beating the U.S. averages by a wide margin for SAT. However, China students are lacking in domestic innovation. The education system reinforces their ability to memorize and emulate instead of to analyze and question. Most students are required to take the same classes regardless of their talents or interests. Their achievement is measured solely by their scores in gaokao, and hobbies not helpful during gaokao are deemed distractions. 

2⃣The school we are visiting is 合肥寿春中学(Hefei Shouchun Middle School). The school motto is "

为成功人生做准备" (Preparations for a successful life). It is a private junior high school, the biggest in Hefei. It's present principal is Mr Lü Daokui. Currently it has 98 teaching classes with over 3400 students. Hefei Shouchun Middle School is inspired by the spirit "CPC Central Committee and State Council on deepening education reform and promote quality education", it was stated in the "National education'95 Plan and the 2010 Development Plan" that by 2010, the basic form of government running mainly under the school system and the public schools and private schools community were to participate in the joint development pattern "in 1999 founded a standardized management, high-grade facilities, mass charge of full-time private junior high school based on new ideologies, a new system, a high starting point, high-quality educational ideas, 

In September 2001 the school moved from the original forty-five to the 11th Caobing CENTRAL Red House Lane. With the further expansion of the size of school, September 2004, Shouchun high school to achieve the second take-off, moved to its present address (eg. the middle of Hefei Suixi Road west of the southern summer garden shop Road). 

To return to the community, the school will educate the new system as an opportunity to perfect the teaching quality of the school legislation of the country, to make every effort to Shouchun accomplishing high school recognized by society, parents satisfied the class schools, the government continues to share those concerns, as Parents drowned their sorrows for students taught a guide for educational reform Pathfinder, contribute to social stability.

3⃣

1)How do students there cope with their studies?

2)How do they spend their free time - with friends or with family ?

3)According to research, children in China spend most of their time studying, so what is it like in real life? What are their opinions on their heavy work load?

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