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...(:
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