OELP reflection--- Regina -.-

Day 1:

Today was the first day of our OELP trip to Taiwan. In my opinion, there are certain areas of improvement for our class performance. For example, our IC for the day had to work very hard just to get our attention and get us organized. Thus by making the IC's work easier would be something that we can improve on. Suggestions like grouping and moving in groups, and reporting our attendance to our IC in groups would ease the IC's work. However, there was also excitement because it was our first day of the trip.we got to take the speed train in Taiwan and I was really surprised at the interior layout of the train. They were in a way similar yet different from our trains in Sinagpore. Both are divided into different cabins. However there are allocated seats for each passenger in the high speed rail,something that is different from Singapore where seats are at random. The interior of the high speed rail in a way resembles an airplane. By given the opportunity to take the Taiwan High Speed Rail, we are able to compare the differences and similarities in the trains. I look forward to more exciting activities and interesting places. 

 

 (Ticket for speed train)

Day 2:

Today, we went to the National Experimental High School At Science Based Industrial Park (NEHS), situated near the Hsinchu Science Park. It is a school with an educational system from pre-primary to Grade 12, a total of 14 years of schooling. We were able to compare differences in our educational systems and also get to understand the school culture. For example, in Sinagpore, lessons would start at approximately 8 to 3 on a day without our co-curriculum activities. However, in Taiwan, they have lessons all the way to about 4.30 each day. Students in Taiwan will then have a 1hr period for their lunch and an afternoon nap, something that lacks in Sinagpore. Because of the preparation of national exams, students are given time to sleep in class to "de stress". Through this experience, we can see some of the vast differences between the educational systems. Next, we went to the Central of Hsinchu Science Park campus. In there, we are given the chance to see different electronic products produced, some of which are incredibly intelligent. One of the most memorable for me was DockingScan Pro. It is a scanner, as the name suggests, that allows hard copy documents to be inserted and appear on the screen. It is rather interesting because I have not seen it before and how we can just scan the documents rather then taking a picture of the document. In conclusion, we are able to experience Taiwan school life today and also get the opportunity to see certain high end electronic products. Tomorrow, we are proceeding to the glass museum and I anticipate the many different glass products that we can see there...

 (One of the products: DockingScan Pro)

Day 3:

We went to International Bilingual School at Hsinchu Science Park (IBSH) for the day, interacting with a totally new group of students in the school. The IBSH is formerly known as the Bilingual Department, and is affiliated with NEHS. We got to interact with international students who speak English as compared to students of the previous day who spoke Mandarin as their main language. One difference that I spotted at the IBSH was how the tables weren't arranged properly, in rows and columns. For example, in our of our classes, tables were all clustered at the front and the side of the classroom. This is very different from Singapore, because in most schools, all tables are arranged in a particular order to facilitate teaching. Another major difference between Singapore and Taiwan's educational system would be the focus on recycling. In each class, there was a distinct recycling corner. All students would recycle anything recyclable and we feel that this is something Singapore can work on. Through the two days of interaction, we were able to learn more about the school culture in Taiwan and compare our educational system to theirs. But most importantly, we made new friends. They were our buddies and the fellow students who took care of us and attempted to help us adapt into the school. For example, there was a girl who offered her textbook to me during lesson time just so that I am able to follow whatever the teacher is saying. These actions make me extremely grateful because they are putting in so much effort to take care of us... Next, we went to the Glass Museum. My very first impression of the museum exterior was how it looked like a place in an amusement park. There were buildings designed like castles and a metal carriage. However, the inside was filled with pieces of art, all made in glass of different colours. Unfortunately, photography was not allowed and we were not able to capture the artistic pieces. Overall, I enjoyed the trip to the school and the glass museum as it allows us to be exposed to different cultures. 

 

 (Outside of the Glass Museum)

Day 4:

Today's itinerary consisted of the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village, and the Feng Jia Night Market. At the museum, we were introduced to different artworks by various artists, mainly portraying the artists' way of thinking. The artworks were mainly of abstract form. To be honest, if it wasn't for the museum guide's explanation, I would not have been able to understand the artworks and their background of it. In my opinion, these artists were creative and able to look at things from a different angle that many may not be able to understand. By presenting these artworks, artists are showing the world about their thoughts from a certain angle of looking at things. And thus, able to let us, other people, to try to comprehend and understand why they think the way they do. Next, we travelled to the aboriginal village. It is a village that combines the aboriginal culture and a theme park together. We got to watch a performance by the Ami Tribe, where they performed a traditional dance and song. We had also had the chance to learn a dance by the Paiwan tribe. In my opinion, it was really interesting as we got to further understand the different cultures of the various tribes. Not only that, but with the help of our teachers, we can understand why the Taiwan government is trying so hard to preserve the aborigines, mainly due to how their culture is dying and yet they are part of Taiwan's identity. Thus, Taiwan has to preserve them. We had also deduced a few reasons why an amusement park was situated in the culture village. It could be part of the aborigines' income because they are able to get employment there. And it could also attract tourists because in order to get to the amusement park, one had to cross the village. I think that it is a little sad that the aborigines had to use a amusement park to attract tourists because in my opinion, aborigines are very interesting in terms of their culture, food and the clothes they wear etc. However, one main highlight: I got to play the "UFO Gyro Drop", it is a free fall ride from a height of approximately 100m above ground at a speed of 105km/h. It was my first time trying it out and to my surprise, it was more exciting than scary. ^^ During the evening, we went to the Feng Jia Night Market. This was my first time in a night market and we got to roam around, exploring the market. I noticed that things sold in shops were largely similar, only varying in prices. However, we were finally able to experience the vast differences of the traffic in Singapore and Taiwan. At the night market, traffic lights at junctions were absent, and zebra crossings seemed as though they were not put into use. Compared to Singapore, we have traffic lights at every junction and zebra crossings is often used. We got to experience ourselves how dangerous the traffic at Taiwan is and honestly, it made me more appreciative of our transportation system in Singapore.

 

(Brochures and soveniors from the Aboriginal Culture Village and the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts respectively)

 (Free Fall^^)

Day 5:

At the 921 Earthquake Educational Park today, we got to look at remains from the 921 Earthquake, and understand the rational behind earthquakes. For example, we learnt about how the plates of the ground can spilt in the different directions during an earthquake. We had also learnt that each mark of 1 on the measurement of the earthquake magnitude is equivalent to 32 atomic bombs, and each 0.1 mark represents 3.2 atomic bombs. In the 921 earthquake, the total magnitude was approximately 45 atomic bombs. After that, we had proceeded to Lugang old town. From there, we could observe that houses than were narrow and long. Doors were all built smaller and lower, houses were all stretching all along the street vertically. I felt that the way the houses were built were very interesting because of the large expanse of it stretching to the back instead of the houses being wide. I got to briefly look inside one of them and it was really a pity to me that I was not able to actually tour a complete house. Following, we went to Xi Men Ding. In my opinion, it was really similar to the night market. However, Xi Men Ding focuses more on fashion than the food, opposite from the night market. Shops there have mostly similar things, prices varying only a little from shop to shop. For example, shops selling snap backs were common with mostly similar designs and prices were only varying from about NT50. I think that things sold there are more expensive then those at the night market, it is understandable as Xi Men Ding is a shopping district. However, some of the prices vary greatly as compared to the night market and having visited the night market the day before, it was slightly surprising to see such great differences in the pricing.

 (Earthquake site)

 (Door of a house at Lugang Old Town)

Day 6:

I released a sky lantern today! (: We were at Shih-Fen Old Street first thing in the morning and it was fun for me. I got to walk on train tracks where there are still trains operating, to me, it was fun because I never tried it in Singapore. At the same time, I tried a drink with Sin Re called "弹珠汽水". It is a carbonated drink inside a bottle and the bottle is designed such that after drinking, you are able to retrieve the marble used to open the drink. I had heard of it from a lot of people and was happy that I could have the chance to try it. In my opinion, the carbonated drink tasted like the soft drinks we have in Singapore, however, the design of the bottle was really special and thus caught my attention. There were various "coverings" at the top such that it seemed really complicated, the bottle was shaped in a way that the marble would get stuck at the neck of the bottle so that it can be retrieved easily by the drinker. And lastly, the sky lantern. To be honest, I was really looking forward to it even before the trip started. I had always heard from other people how it felt to release a sky lantern so when our chance came, I was really excited. I learnt that different colors of the sky lantern represented different things and because we were students, we had a purple one which symbolizes better results. Writing our wishes on the lantern was fun and even though the end product was a little disorganized, I still felt a sense of satisfaction in finishing it. I hope everyone's wishes would come true... Next, we made a visit to National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall. We got to see the things he once used and understood his various contributions to his country. We also got to see soldiers who had to stand still for a whole hour, which was a great feat to me. I had to admire their ability to not move for over an hour and I could see the self discipline they have in them. Lastly, we went to the National Palace Museum. Ancient Chinese artifacts and artworks were displayed and we had the chance to closely observe some. One memorable one would be The Carved Olive Boat. It is the size of a small walnut and yet, the artist was able to carve 7 people in it, all doing different things, where doors and windows could be opened and closed, and approximately more than 300 words at the bottom. In my opinion, it is a great piece of artwork that is no doubt even a challenge to modern day artists. And yet, in the past, where everything could only be handmade, the artist was able to carve out such delicate pieces. From this, we can also conclude: perhaps the present may not necessarily be better than the past. When someone in the past is able to carve out such a delicate piece without the help of machinery compared to one from the present who may not even be able to reproduce such an artwork with the aid of machinery. 

(Our CID group releasing the sky lantern)

 (弹珠汽水)

 (Inside Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall)

 (The Carved Olive Boat)

Day 7:

Today, we visited the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. Firstly, the exterior was beautiful. There were three buildings, including one main building which we visited. To get to the main building, we had climbed 89 steps up. From there, we are able to look at the entire place as a whole which was very pretty. Inside, the main hall was similar to that of the National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, with soldiers at both sides who had to stand an entire hour and also a statue of Chiang Kai-shek in this case. We toured the hall and got to see the things and clothes that Chiang Kai-shek once owned. After that, we headed to the the Eslite Bookstore. To be exact, the bookstore was only on the top floor whereas the other floors were selling stuff ranging from clothes to perfume to food. It is like a mini shopping mall and was quite similar to Singapore. Best of all, I managed to purchase my favorite kpop boy band, B.A.P's album...(: Adding to that, we tried the shaved ice sold there and it was really delicious. It's served in a big cup and I got to try the strawberry flavor. Their cups are made of hard plastic where normally in Singapore, customers would have to return the cups. Whereas in Taiwan, we got to take away the cup which was something that surprised me because I had expected that we would have to return it after eating...(: 

 (Soldier in Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall)

 (View from the top of the 89th step)

 (The Eslite store)

 (B.A.P album I bought^^)

Also, today was the last day of our OELP.... This trip had been one trip that I believed we will all never ever forget. For some of us, it was the first trip to Taiwan, and we made our first friends from Taiwan during this trip. This had been our first trip as a class of 2L after one and a half years together, and of course, it may be our last trip overseas. During this whole span of a week, there were times we were annoyed with each other, encouraging each other, laughing together, and of course, get scolded together. Despite everything, I believe that we grew stronger and more bonded as a class, experiencing the good and bad in this whole week together. Together with the three teachers, we have succeeded in making our OELP the best and most memorable trip ever. The times we spent together and the things we do together will never be forgotten. Memories forged shall not be forgotten, bonded ties shall not be broken, because 2L is awesome...^^ <3 

 (The Awesome class 2L at Shih-Fen)

Overall Reflection

To me, this OELP trip was something that I would remember for life. It was a learning experience, a bonding opportunity and a trip that formed so many unforgettable memories. To be honest, one of my biggest challenge was the culture shock (feeling of disorientation experienced by someone when they are suddenly subjected to an unfamiliar culture, way of life, or set of attitudes) we faced. There were practices we weren't used to and the language was a little hard to comprehend. For example, one very memorable culture difference would be how their roads are designed. When I had heard that there were roads in Taiwan that cars could drive in both directions, and when I had experience the traffic myself where cars pass by even at the zebra crossing, I couldn't help but link it to how dangerous it is. However, as I soon realized, it was all part of their culture. It was something the Taiwanese had grown accustomed to since young and we, as tourists, should learn to adapt to it. Another major difference would be the language used. In Singapore, we use a simplified version of Chinese characters whereas in Taiwan, the traditional Chinese characters are used. Even though spoken language may not be hard to understand, it is no doubt that written words are difficult for us to comprehend sometimes. The itinerary was designed such that it consisted of both fun and studies. One of my favorite place was the Aboriginal Culture Village. I had been really interested in the aborigines even before the trip thus it was really exciting to learn some things related to them there. Next, through this trip, our class has become more bonded. Through this whole week, where we experienced everything together, hanging on till the end. After one and a half years together, some of us are still not familiar with others. However through this trip, our class managed to interact more with everyone and create unforgettable memories together. Not only that, we have also made new friends from Taiwan at the school. In conclusion, this OELP was not only enriching, but fun. This is the first, and maybe last, trip together as 2L, but I believe that memories we created would forever be with us...(:

OELP reflection--- Sin Re ^^

Day 1:

Today we took the plane from Singapore to Taipei. After our arrival in Taipei, we immediately travelled to the Tao Yuan (桃园）speed train station to take the Taiwan speed train to Hsinchu (新竹) where we will be spending the next 3 days of our exciting trip! The train moves at a top speed of 300 km/h and I was amazed by the breathtaking scenery along the way, not to mention I also managed to experience first-hand the friendliness of the Taiwanese as a baby waved and smiled at me throughout the trip. I feel that while we did not go to any tourist attractions today, we still have learnt more about Taiwan by going on their public transport and interacting with the locals. I also observed that there are differences between the trains in Taiwan and the mrt in Singapore. Firstly, food is allowed on the speed train in Taiwan while food and drinks are not allowed on mrts in Singapore. I saw that even though food is allowed, all of the people clean up after themselves and did not litter which showed that they are responsible citizens as they cared after the public transport and cleaned up after themselves. Therefore, I was impressed by the Taiwanese and had a good impression on my first day. 

 

Speed train ticket to Hsinchu

 

Day 2: 

Day 2 of the trip is an exciting day that I looked forward to as it will be the day we visit the National Experiment High School at  Hsinchu Science Park (NEHS) where we joined the grade 8 students in their classes for half a day. I was assigned to class M201, as my group was assigned to different classes, I felt lost and awkward with the students. However, they quickly broke the ice and soon, thanks to their friendliness, we were chatting along and laughing. I feel that their lessons are interesting and fun and they have more freedom than the students in Singapore. Their lessons are interesting to me as there was a lot of interaction between the students and teachers during class and while they joked around, the students knew when to keep quiet and to stop before the line so as to give their teachers respect. The lesson that left me with a deep impression was the English class where the teacher taught the students English using personal experience, thoughts as well as amusing examples through such ways, the teacher also teaches them morals which is enriching. The class is also very bonded and no one is left out, including us! The students in class joke around and takes care of each other, seeing past each other's flaws and getting along well. Some differences between the schools in Taiwan and Singapore is how there is a 10 minute break in between lessons where students stretch and freshen up for the next class. This allows them to prepare mentally and physically for the next lesson which is a good way of making students learn and absorb more knowledge during class as the brain will be allowed to take a break. My buddy, Rose, is also lively and caring as she explained to me what they did the last lesson to prevent me from getting lost during the lesson. She also shares the same interest as me: kpop and we got along really well. After lesson, we went to Hsinchu Science Industrial Park where we were introduced to many eye catching technology. The guide there explained every product with detail, informing us of the uses of the products and how it functions well. A product that is unforgettable is the teddy bear of the character in Toy Story. It speaks and yet is still cuddly and cute, plus it's purple! The scanner also impressed me greatly as I had never imagined that information on a paper can be transferred to our iPads so easily. Today is really heartwarming as I saw how the people in the class helped me to adapt and I saw how modernized Taiwan's technology is as I saw, for the first time, many cutting edge technology. 

Brochures on NEHS and my tag (with my awesome name in bold ^^)

 

My class timetable

Presents from my buddy, Rose🌹❤️

Rose and I~

   

Awesome technology at the Science Park

     

Day 3: 

Today we continued to join the students in the school, but with a different class instead. I am assigned to class 9b where the students are a year older than me. However, they are also still friendly and accosting and gets along well with the teacher. We also went to a biology class where we learnt about corals. The lessons are interactive and the teachers are clear and straight to the point allowing clear understanding. As today will be our last day in school, we out up a performance to thank the students and teachers. However, the performance was a bit disappointing as we were not coordinated however, I was touched that the students and teachers still cheered for us with all their heart. After school, we went to the glass museum where we admired pieces of art made from the glass. The exhibitions are amazing as I had never thought that glass can be made into such magnificent pieces of art. Today, I felt how friendship can affect a person as the actions of the students and teachers made me really welcomed and happy. I also learnt how art is limitless and nothing is impossible as I had never thought that glass can be made into such pretty artworks. 

Art Museum ticket and brochure  

    A pair of swan souvenir from the Glass Museum


A fishing cat souvenir from the Glass Museum   

Day 4:

Today we visited the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Formosa Aboriginal Cultural Village and the Feng Jia night market. The National Museum is interesting and intriguing as many of the art pieces made me curious and understand how the artist feels. An art piece that caught my attention is the art piece: 第一个夏天1969年 this art piece may seem like just a few boxes on a white canvas with no meaning behind it. However, after the introduction for the guide, I understood why the artist had painted such an image. The guide is also funny and manages to help us understand the complex thinking of artists and the history of paintings by using simple terms. I enjoyed the museum as I felt that it is relaxing to appreciate the art pieces and learn about their interesting history. Next, we went to the Cultural Village where we watched the amazing performance by the many aboriginal people. However, there was many people there whom had went straight to the rides. I feel that it is disappointing that people do not visit the various places where they can learn more about the aboriginal people and instead goes to the park just for the rides. The park is interesting as the displays have detailed explanations and we can still learn a lot without a guide. Lastly, we went to Feng Jia night market where I experienced again, the friendliness of the people that was part of their culture as everyone will take initiative and go the extra mile to help us while in Singapore, people would keep more to themselves and lesser would take another step to help someone. Therefore, I feel that today has showed me the artistic side of Taiwan, the educational value of the country, as it has rich culture, and the character of the entire community. 

 

    Museum of Fine Arts 

    At the Aboriginal Village

Day 5: 

First, we visited the 921 Earthquake Centre,which has many interesting and interactive displays to educate us on earthquakes. For example we learnt how the earthquake was formed and why does Taiwan always experience earthquakes. We had also viewed the remains of the buildings after the earthquake and many were destroyed, displaying the damage an earthquake can cause. At the Earthquake Centre, we also went to an interactive earthquake theater, where we felt and saw the shaking of the earthquake and what it did to objects around us. I feel that the earthquake centre and enjoyable and educating as we had gained a lot of knowledge through the centre. The centre also showed the spirit of the Taiwanese as they did not just forget about the disaster but kept part of it to educate younger generations about earthquakes. Following that, we had toured the 921 Lu Gang Old Town where I was fascinated by the many well thought out ideas of the design of the houses that aim to benefit not only themselves but also others and to teach people morals such that they cannot just care about themselves. An example is a design of a well where half of the well is outside so as to allow thirsty passer-bys have a drink to quench their thirst. This shows the kindness of people as they are willing to help everyone, even absolute strangers, and not be calculative about the cost of the well and water, instead, focusing more on how they can benefit each other to work better together. The houses at the Old Town is also interesting as the houses are long and narrow instead of wide as in the past the amount of taxes a household had to pay was measured by the width of their front door. Therefore, many of the houses are long and narrow to reduce the taxes they had to pay. Next, we moved on to tour around Xi Men Ding, a shopping district with the latest fashion items for teenagers. The things sold at Xi Men Ding are definitely of more variety than compared to items at the night market. However, the prices at Xi Men Ding is higher than the night market but that is expected as Xi Men Ding is a shopping district. The time spent there was definitely enjoying for me as we shopped around the district discovering a lot of cute items that we fawned over. Today was interesting as we had toured the old town and learnt the culture from the past and also experienced the modern Taiwan through Xi Men Ding.

    One of the preserved earthquake sites at the Earthquake Centre

    Postcard from Earthquake Centre 

    Half of the well is outside of the house (at Lu Gang Old Town) 

Day 6:

Today we went to 十分老街 where we released sky lanterns on a train track, that still has a train passing through it everyday. The old street is attractive as all the shops have traditional designs and the train track adds to the traditional feeling of the town. It is interesting to walk on the tracks and move to the side when a train is passing through as the train itself is also of a older design and is a nice finishing touch to the town. The town also sells many interesting items as I had purchased a few mini lanterns that are adorable. I had also tried a drink with Regina, the 弹珠汽水, which Is basically a soda bottle with a marble in it and the person drinking would have to drink the soda and try not to tilt the bottle so much to the point the marble would block the opening of the bottle. It is fun to try this drink as the marble is indeed entertaining, blocking the opening until we found a way to solve that problem. Next we went to release sky lanterns.This is my second time releasing a sky lantern and I liked it a lot more than my first experience as this time, we released it at a old street, reminding me of movie scenes in old chinese movies which made the experience more special. We had released a purple lantern, which is for academics, and I do hope that the wishes written on the lantern will come true. Next, we proceeded to Dr Sun Yet Sen's Memorial Hall where we watched the formal changing of guards that had been standing at the same place for more than an hour. The changing of guards also attracts many tourists as it is special and the tourist can observe the marching of the soldiers up close. At the memorial hall, we toured the many historical artifacts that showed Dr Sun's contribution to his country. Later, we moved on to the National Palace Museum, where there is a permanent collection of over 650,000 pieces of ancient Chinese art pieces. The pieces of art are created by hand and yet is so detailed that it seems unbelievable that the artist created that without machines of any sort. This made me learnt that things in the past may be better than now and new is not always good. Many of the art pieces also contains the story of many characters in China's history and this shows that we can always learn something from objects that were from the past. 

                                       At 十分老街

                              弹珠汽水

 

                              Sun Yet Sen's Memorial 

 

Bookmark from Sun Yet Sen's Memorial

 

Day 7: 

Today is the last day of OELP and the day with the attraction a lot of us are looking forward to: the Eslite Bookstore! However, we had first visited the Chiang Kai-Shek memorial hall which is built to look like a palace.mInside the hall is an artifact museum with Chiang's two Cadillacs, various documents and articles from daily life. The artifacts are interesting and all had an detailed explanation on what it meant to Chiang Kai-Shek. Next, we moved on to the Eslite Bookstore. The bookstore is big, with the top level selling books and levels below selling gifts and accessories.The bookstore mainly sells books in Chinese languages, however they also have plenty of illustration books, magazines, comics. The bookstore makes people feel serene there and the staff are also helpful as they helped a tourist locate her book efficiently and politely. I had purchased a Big Bang CD at the music store, which sells a variety of music related items. Next, we travelled to the airport to catch our flight home. This trip has been fun, educational and unforgettable. I believe that this trip will always be remembered as this is our first trip overseas as a class, and may be the last. Even though, we got scolded along the way and had unhappy incidents but as a whole, this trip is awesome and the bad memories I had seem funny to me now. :) 

                         Chiang Kai Shek Memorial

                     The long awaited Eslite Bookstore!!! 

 

OVERALL REFLECTION:

This OELP trip has been enriching and the class had bond together through this time as it had created various opportunities for us to work together and know each other better.  It is a memorable trip, a learning experience and a great time as the class had laughed together, cry together and got scolded together. This trip has left me with memories of everyone in the class that would always be with me even if we are no longer together as a class next year. Through this trip, I have also experienced a lot that made me think and understand, gaining more knowledge on not just history but also life. I still remembered how the one thing that I was un-used to was the traffic in Taiwan as the traffic seems complicated and crossing a road seemed to be terrifying for me, however, I adapted to it soon as it is after all a part of their way of life and we cannot possibly want them to change for us. While this trip may have ended, the journey of our lives has not and 2L will move forward to achieve great success in our future, even though we may not be together physically but we will be 2L forever in our hearts. 

 

    The happy times with  awesome 2L through this

     7D6N OELP trip in Taiwan where we shared

     tears and laughter.  

What does Culture mean to us?

Regina

There are various definitions of culture, one being, the beliefs, customs, arts, etc., of a particular society, group, place, or time. Indeed, culture is the way of life of certain people from a particular place or society. In my opinion, one distinct point would be the language of different people in different parts of the world. In this world, there are approximately 2700 different languages spoken. In different countries, there are always different languages. Even though some may sound similar, they would still vary from country to country. A person from one country could learn the language of another but it would still sound slightly different when spoken, simply because he/she is not from that particular country. To me, language differentiates people. Language is unique to people because one common language can be spoken across the world but how many actually succeed in understanding it fully other than those from that particular country? We may understand all the words and phrases presented in dictionaries but then, there are always other aspects to the language spoken in the country. For example, Singapore all have a common language of English, however, underlying this English is Singapore's own language, Singlish. People from other countries may have heard or know the existence of Singlish. However, it is still undeniable that this is Singapore's own unique language, part of our culture. Therefore, I think that language is one of the main parts in culture diversity because it plays an important role in people's way of life.

Sin Re

Culture is how people of a group (mons, tribe, moiety, nation,) interract with each other. It is the internality of the distinct ways of their interraction that we can call the culture of their ways. Culture also defines the way they react to situations differently, using a different set of beliefs to choose what they feel is the best choice.

For me it is like an awakening to the newness of how peoples are viewed and what they have experienced. It changes one forever, for the better. I have learnt about how the different cultures all demand respect no matter how weird it may seem to our lives because they all function on their set of rules and priorities just like us. Culture also fascinates me as I can hardly imagine how our ancestors might have acted like that caused them to have such a culture. Culture also helps me to accept things no matter how weird or different it may seem because just like their culture seem weird to us, ours must have been foreign to them as well, and if they are able to accept it, why can't we? Culture is also something that is similar yet different to me as they all are set up and passed down generations in hopes of teaching their children to lead a more fruitful and meaningful life, which makes culture all the more special and unique to all of us as it is something our ancestors had passed down to us to guide us. Therefore I feel that culture is something close to our hearts that should be preserved forever.

Douglas

The definition of culture defers from a person to another. Everyone has a differrent view on what culture means to him or her be it language, customs, arts, beliefs, the gods they worships or even their lifestyle. But to me, culture is the language we speak. Although english is the common language among people, there are still many different languages around the world, as many as 2000+. Some of which are special and only spoken among a certain groups of people in a country. This makes it really signifcant to the particular country which in turn makes up their culture. Every single country has a language they call their own, only known to be spoken among themselves. Thats is their culture, something special and different from everyone else. As a Singaporean, i am proud to say that we have a language we call ours. One that is only understood among us Singaporeans. And that is Singlish. We often put ‘ lah‘ ‘ lor‘ at the end of our sentences. Other people may think it is irrelevant but to us singaporeans, it might be part of our sentence or a word that can help us express our words better. Although i cant deny  that there are some foreigners that can understand singlish but who made it? We singaporeans. And this a part of OUR culture. So to me, language makes up a huge part of culture as it distinguish one from another and plays an important role in our everyday life.

Lin Xu

Culture as defined by the Oxford English Dictionary means:The arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively. Culture, is what keeps each different race, minority tribes, organisations, schools, even teams different. Each and every group of people has a set of customs they follow. This is culture. In Singapore, we have our own unique culture. Let's say the Merlion just which country has such a unique creature as us. The Merlion is a sign of our culture. And oh, even our ever debated language-singlish. Singlish, put down by many intellectuals, adored by Singaporeans. So which stand you take on singlish; the advocater or the one who is fiercely against it? Whichever stand you might take, you can never forget that singlish is a part of our culture. Something that makes us uniquely singapore. It is an often critisized language that makes us unique. However, going to Taiwan, we will experience a different culture. I look forward to learning about theirs and of cause, sharing ours.

Consolidation for Learning

Douglas

CID really helped me alot by giving me oppurtunities to present in front of the class making me a more confident speaker. CID also let me write my feelings on certain things down on our CID blog. I really enjoy myself alot throughout the whole of CID 2. I really hope we can have more of such lessons whereby we can learn more about the things around us in a fun and enriching way. I regret not putting my best effort in my blog and presentation. So now on, i will do my best in CID. Many things could have been done better if i made an effort to work together well with my fellow classmates.

Regina

Through CID2, I was able to further improve my presentation skills because of various opportunities given to us to present to our classmates. By doing so, we are able to be more confident in our speech. CID2 has also allowed me to be able to think deeper into certain issues going on in the world and not to take things as what it seems to be on the the surface. We are taught to look at things from a different point of view and try to comprehend why he/she is doing certain things. This will then enable us to apply it to our real life where we may need to look at things differently because things don't always go they way you want them, and by looking at things from a different perspective, we may understand and find a alternative solution to the problem. On another note, CID2 has also made me more aware of teamwork. As a whole, CID2 is a group effort and without my fellow classmates and our teacher, Mr Chua, CID2 would not have been so fun and enriching. In conclusion, I enjoyed CID2 and I will try my best to do better in our tasks so that this will really be a enriching and fulfilling experience. 

Sin Re

I have enjoyed CID and also gained a lot through this module as I had gained a lot of knowledge from this module through active discussion and fun. However, I feel that the presentations by my group were not to our full potential, which is a point that could be worked on as we have a lot of skills learnt from CID that we have not applied during our presentations. I feel that the blog is also an interesting way to keep track of our learning as it allows us to use the cyber world to learn not only in our own groups but also from other groups. The fact that our homework is to post our thoughts and feelings also allows us to reflect and really voice out our feelings that we normally do not do in the other subjects. Therefore, I feel that CID helps us with our thoughts and to think about our views and stands on matters that may not concern us now, but will surely affect us in the future. The blog posts is also a place for us to learn about our friends' views and thoughts as we can understand them better and also learn the positive points of thinking from them. Thus, I feel that CID is not only a subject but a journey for us to learn to think deeper, reflect (as we realize and establish our views and stands) and also to bond as a class as we know each other better and see a different side of our friends.

Lin Xu: 

CID is a unique subject that is interesting, fun and interactive. It gave me the chance to brush up on my oral presentation although i flunked it. I learnt from mistakes and gave a better second presentation. It really helps to deal with the nerve wrecking feeling of speaking in public. This has made me a more confident person and hopefully, an eloquent speaker. I also truly enjoy the blogs as I would never have create one if it wasn't required. It made me realise the fun of expressing my feelings and reflecting on each lesson. The blogging is really enjoying and there isn't even much work. Just maybe a blog a week? CID is truly beyond just a subject, it teaches us life itself.