Day 1 - There...
*Credits to Jacelyn for helping me to take the picture since she was nearer to the window!*
Honestly, before we embarked on this journey, I was not looking forward to the trip unlike many of my classmates. However, just only days before did I start to get hyped up, although I still had my doubts. It wasn't my first plane flight hence it was all a familiar sight - the tv screens, the blankets, pillows, etc.
At that point in time I was so focused on choosing a good movie to watch as we travelled up in the air and after much consideration, I chose The Secret Life of Walter Mitty which I had seen the trailer advertisements before at home. Basically I was watching the movie and eating my meal and may I say it was a very comfortable and cozy place to be.
MOVIE REVIEW
Plot: ( From Wikipedia so just skip this bit if you don't want spoilers)
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Secret_Life_of_Walter_Mitty_(2013_film)
Thoughts:I can relate to Walter in a way, because I often dream of doing something big and maybe even go on an adventure. Walter's career had been a barrier, keeping him from going anywhere as he has to work and continue this mundane lifestyle, but he had broken through it and went on an adventure of a lifetime when his job was at stake. I loved how his company's motto was:
" To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other, and to feel. That is the purpose of life."
The movie took my breath away as it viewed beautiful sceneries and its soundtrack was so fitting to the scenes sit made me want to get up and start doing something for a change but I couldn't, mainly because I was thousands of feet up in the air. It inspires me to take a risk and maybe go on an adventure when I have the opportunity. If I want to do something, I should go for it and not stay in my cocoon of conservatism. I am the architect of my future and that means it will be up to me to make decisions and to change something in my life if I don't like it. I feel like staying in school or going to work and only focusing on these is only a small part of our lives. We should go out of our comfort zone, maybe do something crazy or unexpected or spontaneous, creating an everlasting memory that will motivate us to do more of these activities which will in turn give us more memories to cherish and reminisce about our lives when we are old. I highly recommend you to watch it because you will realise how beautiful the world is. If you can runaway from technology for a while and go on an adventure, do it!
Our hotel was pretty much awesome, except for the fact that we had no wifi so I had to sms my mum instead of calling her through Viber which needed wifi to make calls. The beds were so comfy and the duvets were so fluffy and soft I felt like a marshmallow and wished I could stay in my burrito blanket forever.
Day 2- SIP Project
Prior to the trip, we were given lessons and worksheets regarding the Suzhou Industrial Park Project, where Singapore and Suzhou collaborated to develop an area in Suzhou. I actually though at first that it was a literal park, but never have I realised I'd been so wrong when I found out we weren't planning to visit any parks at all in Suzhou. During our marvelous OELP Trip, we had the priviledge of visiting wonderful and rather 'advanced' area known as the Suzhou Industrial Park, where we went through tours of exhibitions and even visited a school for a day. On first impression, I felt that in this project, Singapore has made its mark in the style of the buildings and greenery. Trees were neatly aligned and flowering bushes made the side of the roads more beautiful. I felt proud that Singapore, my home country has done a tremendous job to help construct the area. Being able to walk around exhibitions and learning more about the project was not exactly my cup of tea ( in fact I currently love jasmine green tea ), but I have to admit it has broaden my knowledge of what had gone on regarding the project.
I believe that this project has opened the gates for collaborations between Singapore and Suzhou, maybe even other parts of China. Nonetheless, I feel like some effort has to be made to also preserve the Chinese flare, in order to remind China of her roots. We also visited a school, which was very exciting as get to have an exclusive of the lifestyles of locals around our age. ( I didn't manage to snap a picture, hope you don't mind! ) We sat at a foyer where two students played the piano and violin, which I found was very soothing and beautiful but it was hard to keep awake at one point. We had a gift exchange with a group of its students and In return we were each given a beautiful hand drawn drawing and mine looked like this:
( The picture looks clearer in my photo gallery, don't know what's happened! )
I was amazed by how talented these students were and that they had the patience and skill to complete such a fine piece of artwork. It takes my breath away every time I lay my eyes on it. Afterwards, we attended a lesson on Chinese literature, which again, was not my cup of tea but it gave a rough idea of how lessons were conducted, but I don't want to generalise everything I see. The lesson was just like how we do it in Singapore, with a projector, but in this case they were using a chalkboard instead of a whiteboard. They had room to develop and I respect that. Who knows? Maybe China will surpass all of us in the near future.
Day 3- Gloooorrious Foood aka the highlight of the day
On Day 3 of our marvelous OELP Trip, we made a morning/early afternoon visit to 星海实验中学, where we attended lessons in our assigned classes after having a short talk in the meeting room of the school. When we entered the class, we were received with open arms and a round of applause which created a friendly and warm ambience :) The first lesson I attended was English and I was quite surprised to to a caucasian teacher giving handouts to the class. They were learning more about American advertising and were given questions regarding the different advertisement articles they had all received. I sat at the back of the class, which provided a good view of everything that was happening.
The classroom was rather small, and their wooden tables were arranged in the formation we use during examination. Their tables had hooks to hang their bags, and instead of one, they had TWO under-the-desk shelves to place their books and worksheets.
During lessons, my impression of the students there changed, I once though that they were somehow invincible in every aspect of their academics, but one student has helped me realised that everyone has their weakness and in their case, was English. The student sitting in front of me turned around and let me take a look in his notebook, where he wrote a sentence about a Calvin Klein ad. ' I see a woman's leg with a shoe called Calvin Klein', it was totally grammatically wrong, even though I knew his intention behind the written sentence. It was obvious that their English standard was not as high as ours, maybe at the same level as our Chinese standard, maybe lower. PE lessons were okay as the exercise was not intense and we were allowed to take equipment from the sports room and play games on our own! A group of girls approached us and guided us, including us in their games and they were warm and friendly people :) Although, because my Chinese isn't exactly good, I just tried to avoid talking, which I think made me come across as shy or quiet, but NOOO I just didn't know how to express what I wanted to say for them to understand me :(
After going through morning lessons, the whole class was reunited once again and we learned a traditional Chinese dance routine with the help of a lovely instructor. Sad to say, I felt awkard the whole time and my movements sort of showed that. I'm not a graceful dancer, I say so myself. Does everyone else agree? *nods*
Afterwards, we visited the Humble Administrator's Garden!
You can tell from the pictures that it has Chinese nature theme which I can totally appreciate and love. I had fun looking around and learning more about the history of the garden. I wished I had taken more photos though! But I trust my other group members will share some other photoes that they have took :) I loved that the garden has been preserved so tourists like us and even locals can visit here and enjoy the view. It was very relaxing and I just felt like taking a seat somewhere for some alone time but unfortunately we had to keep moving as a group :/ I highly highly HIGHLY encourage you to visit the place if you are going on holiday to Suzhou because I believe it is something everyone can appreciate.
Aaaaand here is the highlight of the day....HAIDILAO!!! We were supposed to have a meal there only a few days later but I was sooo glad that we could go there earlier that expected! Basically Haidilao is a steamboat restaurant and we consumed sooo much food but it was awesomely delicious :D I also want to give a shoutout to them for having great service as staff help to guide you to the restrooms which were situated outside the restaurant and there was even a friendly staff who would hand us the paper towels and a squirt a moisteriser for our hands. That made my entire night. But then again... I didn't take a picture!
Day 4 - SILK SILK SILK
On Day 4, we spent our morning attending more lessons at 星海实验中学. We arrived on time and lessons started at 8. They had a spelling test before they went down to assemble as a student body. I was like I lost puppy because I didn't know what was happening but it turns out that they gathered to do their morning exercise. They knew what gestures and movements to do, while all of us were like 'wut'. You could identify all the River Valley Students just by looking at all the confused and blurr faces. I tried to copy what they were doing but could not catch up and so after much awkwardness and embarrassment, I decided to stop and just look at them do the exercise. Once it was finally over, we headed back to class for more lessons :D
Chinese lessons were next and I honestly could not comprehend what the teacher was saying. They started to go through a worksheet and I realised that the teacher didn't show the class the answers or write them down for her students. The students had to listen attentively and then write down the answers. I think that this encourages and somehow forces them to pay attention and not copy mindlessly like how we do sometimes at school. In the midst of the lesson, Geraldine and I were called up to write a phrase on the chalkboard which I remember was '不省人事'. It was very rare to see and hear people clapping after you've something on the board but I appreciated it anyway. Maybe it was because they thought we didn't know Chinese?
English lessons were a treat and I was confident to listen up and follow the lesson. What shocked me, however, was that the teacher would still communicate with her students in Chinese unless she was reading the textbook or she needed to give a translation. This was not the case for our Chinese lessons but in fact our Malay lessons. Maybe their standard of the English language was between our standards of Malay and Chinese.
After our lessons, we had our lunch, which was delicious and students all ate the same thing as they queued up in lines to grab a tray of food, a piece of fruit and a bowl of soup. (The next two events may not be in chronological order because I can't seem to remember which came first!) We then gathered back to a small room where we went through a Chinese painting lesson, where I inadvertently blew ink into my face ( not a smart move ). Here's my painting :)
Then, our buddies were called down to the room for a gift exchange. I gave my buddy a card and a limited edition Singapore-themed badge while she handed me a bag which had a box inside. To be polite, I decided to open it later.
We sat down to have a chat and we learnt more about their lifestyles. They also found time to hang out with their friends outside school, doing things like watching movies, etc. Also, as we continued talking I noticed that they were also uncomfortable talking to us in English, just like how I am whenever I have to speak in Chinese.
After our little bonding session, we went to perform our song and dance for them. I was originally in the singing but because one of our friends only would come to join us at a later time, I only learnt the dance only a few days before. Everything fortunately went well as I sang and danced, even though I messed up the first move but I got back on track :)
After saying our goodbyes, we boarded the bus. I was so excited as I opened the gift and inside was a beautiful silk cloth. It was the first momento. I had received from our OELP so far and it had a special place in my heart, reminding me of the fond memories collected through my experience in Xing Hai.
After our school visit, we visited Suzhou's Number One Silk Factory! I had been to a silk factory in Cambodia before but I was still excited to see silkworms and the process of making the silk. What was different this time was that I touched a silkworm for the first time in my life, which needed some time for me to mentally prepare myself. I didn't HAVE to touch them but they were all in a wooden basket and I wanted to do something YOLO-ish. They were soft and squishy but I was careful not to hurt them though!
As we had finished the tour of the silk factory, we ambled into the silk gift shop where all the silk products were sold. By then, my arms were developing mosquito bites even though I wasn't bitten at all. It turned out to be some kind of allergic reaction to the silkworms I guess? But no worries, i was lent a wet wipe to clean my hands and arms, which made it subside :) Aaand that's day 4!
Day 5- Suzhou Museum and SHOPPING AT SHANTANG STREET
On Day 5, we set off for the Suzhou Museum where we went on a tour to learn more about Suzhou's culture and history. While we were there, Xuchen finally joined us! He couldn't come to China with us because of complications at the airport but he managed to get everything settled and we were all excited over his arrival. The Museum was filled with so many displays of artifacts such as jade hooks, traditional combs, accessories, even Chinese scrolls and embroidery. It was a lot to take in as our guide led us around almost every single exhibition and gave a more in depth elaboration while we had to crane our necks, tip-toe to snap photos and take notes.
Outside the museum, there was a beautiful view of a pond with water lilies and a fake setup of mountains made out of stone which gave a bit of a nature element, something I love and appreciate. It was screaming 'CHINESE CULTURE' and I couldn't resist taking a panorama which turned out beautiful :D
It added something special and made this museum unique and memorable. Overall, the museum has effectively helped preserved the culture and history of Suzhou as it reminds us of its roots and traditions.
Next was Shantang Street which was our opportunity to SHOP TILL WE DROP! But not literally because that'll be dreadful. I remember the atmosphere being super lively as people from all walks of life made their way around searching for potential purchases. We were instructed to stay with our groups as we made our way around so as to be safe. Also, our teachers emphasised that we carry our bags on our front, so that we could always keep a watchful eye on our belongings. Honestly, we were absolutely spoilt for choice as many shops sold interesting little trinkets. But before we officially began our little shopping trip, I promised myself that I wouldn't go overboard and spend a large portion of my OELP pocket money. SPEND WISELY KIDS!
The first shop we went into was totally filled with interesting items that I was tempted to buy off the shelves but I had to keep my promise. The first thing that caught my eye was a little Buddha figurine which was adorable. My family's religion is Buddhism, hence I thought that the gift was apt. I could bear to leave it on the shelve until I could officially decide, so I took it in advance in case someone else got their hands on it. After looking around and discovering many other items like fans, bracelets,watches,etc. I didn't find anything else interesting, except for that Buddha figurine that was safely held by my hand the entire time. Without any hesitation, I decided to go ahead and buy it.
However, to my surprise, the cashier charged me 10 rmb more than what was the actual price and despite me being a really quiet and shy person, I was not going to let it go ( watch frozen ) and pay and extra two Singapore dollars. I felt really proud of myself when I spoke up and told her that she got the price wrong. But instead of checking the price herself, she told one of the staff to help double-check, not willing to leave me with the cash register. I admit that sometimes I over analyse things but I was sure this was because she didn't trust me, thinking that if she turned her back on me, I could've grabbed a handful of cash noted from the register and make a run for it. Eventually, my eyes had not failed me and she apologised for the mistake which I tried to let her know that it was alright.
Another purchase I made was of a necklace, one for me and another for my sister, where the nice lady at the stand/booth would write our Chinese names on a grain of rice and slot it into a pendant and make it into a necklace. It was indeed fascinating to see as she used which I think was a pair of tweezers to hold the rice as she wrote our names in pen ink. I found it amazing how she was able to write her words super small which should be harder as it was in Chinese characters. But you might think, " Maybe she didn't really do a good job of it?" Well, I can tell you first-hand that each character of my full name was meticulously written and I was able to distinguish every stroke, every line. This was one of the reasons why I decided to buy the necklaces from her. It was something I had never seen before. Another reason was that I thought it would be more personal, since our own names were incorporated into the necklace which I was sure I would wear with pride. However, there was a downside. It took quite a while to get one necklace done, which was understandable but I remember in the end a group of us were the last few to arrive when we had to gather at a venue. Sorry teachers!
That night, we had to go back to Shanghai and back to the same hotel, which was a downer because previously I did not have an enjoyable experience using the Wifi there. But fortunately, this time we could connect to the Wifi system and I could message my family for free! :D I could not stop my excitement over the souvenirs I bought at Shantang Street and failed to resist the temptation of taking them out of my bag to scrutinise them at every angle. Overall, a fun day!
Day 6 - Acrobat Epicness
Hello again! On Day 6, we visited Shanghai Jiaotong University. As we drove into the campus, I was amazed by how big it was and wondered if Universities in Sinagpore were just as big. We were then given a tour around an exhibition set up in one of the buildings and I immediate knew that this University had a long history as I saw a large display of pictures of previous principles, some of which even wore traditional clothing and a timeline of when the University changed its name multiple times. Throughout the tour, I was highly impressed by the number of achievements by the students of the University and how pretigious the University seemed to be. One significant display that left an impression on me was a picture of Bill Gates visiting the school as Bill Gates is the founder of Microsoft and I feel that he is an important person in the evolution of technology.
Afterwards, we were led into a section of the floor where we attended a lecture or presentation. We learnt about Shanghai's past and culture and how it has changed into a more modern culture which I found fascinating as I personally don't know much about China's history.
This might come as a surprise to you as I haven't mentioned any of our meals since Day 1, but I thought I'd give you an idea of the food in China. They were similar to the dishes I usually eat at home for dinner - rice, vegetables, fish,etc. To my delight, each meal would end off with a nice serving of watermelon, which we always try to snatch off the plate. This particular lunch, might I say, had wondeful food ( but not as good as Haidilao ), but what was even better was the toilets. How can a toilet be more interesting than food? Instead of rambling on, I'll just show you.
Yes, that's my hand and half my body in the mirror XD. A group of us were ooh-ing amd ah-ing over the beautifully constructed toilet and out of fun, we decided to take a picture to share in our blog. So here it is!
Next, we visited the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall. Prior to the trip, my group was assigned to research on this place and I had a rough idea of what I was getting myself into at that time. When I went in, a large hall greeted me and there was a gigantic screen playing episodes of 西游记。However, we had to get on with our tour of the place and followed our guide to many displays set up. I was able to see the changes in the Bund over the years and the transportation network of the entire area of Shanghai, which was very complex and impressive.
The picture below show awesome panoramas of a large scale model of the entirety of urban Shanghai, which was definitely the main exhibitions of the hall as every building and every road was included, giving us a bird's eye view of the city.
After our tour, we had some time to run around and snap photos that might come in handy for our CID project. After my group was done and when we gathered back to the assembly area, the teachers told us to wait for a while longer till the rain died down! This created time for us to sit and relax, and view the episodes of 西游记 on the ginormous screen in the main hall. Unfortunately, because of the rain, we couldn't visit the next few places in the itinerary and went back to our hotel to have group discussions.
Speaking of group discussions, we had quite a few sessions of reflection time at the end of each day. Everyone was required to proide his or her opinion or answers on the questions asked on our OELP booklets and write a individual reflection after we reteat back to our rooms. Honestly, it was not an enjoyable experience as I was dog-tired after a long day and had to wreck my brain for things to say when it came to my turn. However, the sessions sort of forced me to think in depth about what I had observed and turn it into something educational, which proved useful for our CID project.
When it was near evening we boarded the bus and drove off to see an acrobatics show. It was awesome! There were was an acrobat balancing bowls on his head while standing on a board balanced on a barrel, while his assistant gave him more plates and eventually, a cup and a spoon to toss onto the stack on his head, successfully having spot on throws and landings. I was on the edge of my seat as I feared he would fall down or miss a throw and something would get broken. The night was followed by performers jumping through rotating hoops, spinning large, heavy pots on their heads, contortionists making beautiful formations, stunts where they sprung from a see-saw structure and landed on a small elevated platform,etc. There was a beautiful performance done by a couple where they soared through the air suspended just by wrapping long ribbons around their arms or legs, and even sometimes one of them was only supported by their partner, no ribbons at all! The last performance was of motorcycles driving in a globe cage which was scary as I thought they would crash into one another if they were not careful enough. Overall, it was EPIC and there are no words to describe how amazing it was, you just have to see for yourself!
More to come...
Day 7 - Fear of Heights
Day 8 - ...And Back Again
0 comments:
Post a Comment