reflection of parts of the trip

During OELP part 2

Notes taken by scribe!!(lixin)

Learning points are written inside!

This features the story of the heroic Bao Qing Tian(包青天) as he uphold justice for China!

Are you drooling? This are some of the dishes that we ate in china! Showcasing the different tastes of Chinese food,these eight to ten course meal was definitely satisfying.

This belongs to part of the bed frame of the royals. Even the simplest objects like bed frames consist of delicate and unique carvings of animals that symbolizes different values and meaning to the families.

How do you even tell the difference between the few people in the painting? That's because they are drawn by a descendant who did not see those faces before, so they are drawn entirely based on their own imagination, with references to their own face features and the parents' one.

During trip to anhui

    Here are some exciting photos taken during the trip to OELP!

   We are not suppose to play with food...

    

    Oops... Some are covered (Huang Shan)

    Wood carving of a man. I wonder why he is so pissed off.

    Just wonderful...

Trip advisor

1.  What to continue
-We should continue going to the former residence of Li Hong Zhang. Going there has helped us to learn and understand better the events that took place during that time and the contributions Li Hong Zhang gave. In addition, the former residence reflects a lot of Chinese thoughts of the past. Students will be able to understand more of the Chinese culture and thoughts there. Furthermore, the place there is relatively quiet. Hence, it is a good environment for learning.
- Hong Cun must be continued as it is still conserved well. Unlike San he gu Zhen, the things sold signified the place of origin and its significance. The designs of the house olden days were seen clearly. There were many path ways between the houses for easy access.
- It is rather unique to be able to take part in the lessons there in China to experience the culture of learning in a foreign country, and to compare the state of their school facilities to this we have here in Singapore. It also gives us a chance to look at their syllabus, to see what they are learning. For example, during our OELP, we learnt that schools had 10 minute breaks in between lesson, and that the students were rather active in class. They did not require promoting from the teachers to answer questions given.
- The industrial visits gave us a bigger picture of the economy of China, and how well developed China was. The visits to the industrialized part of Hefei also changed our mindset; removing the stereotype that China was an underdeveloped country that only manufactured goods that were of poor quality. Both Meiling and Iflytek showed us how innovative the Chinese were, and how popular they were too. To us, the visit to the factory of Meiling to view how the refrigerators were made was the best part of the visits. It allowed us to see the steps behind manufacturing a refrigerator, but more importantly it gave us a sneak peak of the working conditions of the people. Yet again, this allows us to draw links and compare the working condition in China to that if Singapore.

- Tunxi ancient street is a must go for visitors to Hefei. To have an understanding of cultures, we can't miss out their traditional food and items. Most importantly, the chance to communicate with the local Chinese. In our opinion, this is a good way to know more about their heritage, such as the history of handmade traditional desserts they sold. (This was declared to be passed down from many generations.

2.  What to improve
- We felt the school immersion was too boring. It was a waste of time sitting in the classroom, trying hard to understand what the teacher is saying, but to no avail. We feel that we should have more chances to interact with the students there. For example, give them a chance to teach us something we do not know and vice versa. Doing so also be able to give us more confidence in interacting with strangers who are not proficient in our language.
- Education is vital for every country in order for progression to be made. Having a school exchange with the local students was securely one of the highlights that we were looking forward to. However, it ended seemingly too fast, even before we get to know about their normal daily lifestyle. Perhaps, a house trip to the buddy’s house may make the whole experience more enjoyable and memorable, and let us take back to Singapore a more detailed picture of the culture in China, and ultimately what makes China itself.
- During the tour of the factory grounds, we could have been given more time to stop at each stage of the assembly line to monitor the progress, given the fact that we were not allowed to take photos for reference. In this way, we would be able to observe their working systems.

3.   What to remove
- we went to a garden that showcased China’s special plants that were planted by royals in the past. After learning about the plants, we feel that it was not really beneficial in a way as that knowledge could be easily searched out through the internet. (whereby we do not even need to travel to somewhere so far just to know it) It seemed to us that those were not worthwhile since we could not sieve out any observations that could not be made through an online search. This meant that we would have wasted the trip there. On the other hand, the same amount of time can be spent on something more meaningful, like another place of interest.

4.  What to add
- San he gu Zhen can be taken away from the plan as most of the houses are empty and there was nothing interesting things to see. The things sold there were mostly plastic items that could be found in Chinatown in Singapore.

- Areas around the Huang Shan. (黄山市)We did have some takeaways in most part of the places. However, as ancient villages have similar cultures and infrastructure designs, the content of various explanation became similar and we didn’t not gain more cultural knowledge from similar contents. If there was something different, we believe it will be a more enriching day.

- Although both were meaningful experiences, we thought that the Iflytek visit was not really necessary as it did not provide us with a bigger picture of the industry of China. On the other hand, the Meiling visit let us take a look at the assembly progress of the refrigerators. Also, since the showroom was quite small, we wasted quite some time in another room while waiting for the group in the showroom to finish. It did, however, teach us a bit more about the employees of these companies (e.g. 80% of the employees there are local graduates). However, if we were made to choose between the two, I would like to go Meiling Company.

-We think there should be more time allocated for us to tour Shanghai.  Since we have visited Hefei, a second tier city, we should always make our way to the most developed part of China to make a better comparison of Hefei's environment and development. Maybe, a short stay at shanghai for 1 or 2 days is very beneficial for us.

China’s economy development (Tourism)

Making good use of China’s rich culture and heritage, China has developed tourism into a source for making money.

Firstly, there are tourists at every heritage sites to bring tourists around and explain to them the culture and significance of the place. In addition, the tour guides there are always fully prepared with their microphones. They also have adequate knowledge of the place to explain every single aspect of the site. Their service standard is good and therefore it is a guarantee that many other tourists will continue to visit the heritage sites. Thus, as the service is good at these sites, there will be a continuous flow of tourists and money will continue flowing in as well.

Secondly, not only has China improved their service standards, it has also gone into many Chinese conservation projects. E.g., Sanhe Guzhen, Shexian, Huishang Big House and Huizhou Ancient City. Renovations are done to preserve the culture and heritage of these places so that these heritage sites will not disappear and lose a source of money as a result.

Thirdly, they upgraded some of the heritage sites by putting up useful information about the person who used to live in that place. E.g, Former Residence of Li Hong Zhang. They also put up displays of old weapons and traditional clothings. Doing so will help tourists to satisfy their curiosity and expose them to more of China’s culture. This will cause tourists to be satisfied with the heritage sites and may introduce these places to other tourists as well.  As a result, more money will be earned.

In conclusion, China has tried to develop and improve heritage sites and service standards. Economy has improved since before due to tourism. 

The old Residence of Li Hong Zhang

OELP Pics

Chinese culture/history -RenDao

China has a rich culture and history, as China has gone through much turmoil and significant events, for example, the various dynasties, the romance of the three kingdoms, etc. Thus China has many historical relics and cultural places of attractions. These give us and the Chinese themselves a glimpse of China’s past, and the hardship that their ancestors have gone through. It also serves as a reminder that nobody is perfect, and that everybody makes mistakes in one point or another in their lives. Whether a major or minor mistake, we should shoulder the blame and face the consequences. However, the most important thing is that we do not commit the same mistake twice. These are just a few of the many lessons that this historic accounts teach us. Many of these famous figures that lived in the olden times also possess qualities that should be learnt, and there are also those that shouldn’t. For example, 包青天 was a righteous court official that was not biased. He was not corrupted and exhibited many exemplary qualities, like being a filial child. This made him a well-liked figure among the Chinese. This goes to show how important these qualities are, and that we should not be greedy or corrupted. Many of these figures were also patriotic heroes who were selfless, willing to die for the good of their country. This indirectly tells Chinese to be loyal to China, and to promote a sense of pride and belonging. Chinese will also learn to be grateful to these founding fathers of China that paved the way for what they are today- a business hub with the second strongest economy, after USA. Lastly, the unique culture and history of China is a representation of what they are today. There is no other country with a history as unique, rich and long as China.

Comparison between Singapore and China

What makes China?

Lixin's OELP reflection

After this fruitful trip to Hefei, I realized that China had became what it is today because of its constant progress in all aspects. If not for this trip, I would have still thought that China was a laidback country and had bad living conditions according to others. I learnt to inquire things deep, so that the answer we find will be an accurate picture of a particular situation. Once blinded by unpleasant facts and stereotypes from word of mouth and the internet, I thought the whole China was in an undeveloped stage. When I went on this trip, however, I witnessed myself entering a busy city and travelling on well maintained roads. Though these may not exist in every part of China considering the expanse land that the government has to develop, at least it was made known to me that China’s technologies are advanced and is progressing well economically too. In terms of sales market in the world, China had the capability to conquer a part of the percentage of it. From these, it taught me to make better inferences in future.

Singapore is a young and developing nation with advanced technologies adapted from various countries, in an effort to make Singapore a better place to live in. I feel that there are somethings that Singapore can adapt from China.

Firstly, we could consider preserving old buildings for education like China. As a young nation, we still have our glorious past and significant historic moments. Perhaps, we can make use of the examples shown by forefathers to educate our fellow Singaporeans certain values that we can all achieve to have. By preserving more old designed buildings, we can spread those cultures to Singaporeans and cultivate more knowledgeable citizens who know their roots well.

Secondly, we can inculcate an attitude in students. Singaporeans students are seen to be very inactive in lessons and needs constant prompting by teachers to answer questions raised by teachers. By training students in future to be active in classrooms, it will be efficient when it comes to learning, both for the teacher and the students. By answering questions quickly, it promotes a better class atmosphere, and more work will be gone through. After developing this culture, we will be able to educate the students to be spontaneous and active when they graduate so that they will be able to grasp the fast paced life well in this 21^st century.

Last but not least, we can always consider having a timetable that has consistent short breaks between lessons. It was a 10 minute break between each hour’s lesson that energized them, and I personally felt that it made a great difference to a student’s daily life. That few minutes can provide the opportunity for the class to consolidate their learning, or just purely a rest time for them to a break from work and recall materials that they learnt. These little steps will let students absorb lessons more, and make learning efficient. Singapore will then be able to develop successful talents with better learners.

Yujung's OELP reflection

During 7 days in China, I had experienced and felt many emotions. It was truly something that I want to experience again. I enjoyed in Huangshan the most because I had been living the city for so long that I forgot how it feel to be in 'real' nature. It was really worth to climb up to the peak. When I see the scenery up there, I could totally understand why people would clime mountain to see what is below. However, I do not really want to climb Huangshan again. I am aware of myself that in OELP, we should learn about history of China, how we learn link China to Singapore. To be honest with myself, that was not my priority. Rather than that, it was having fun, buy things for my family. Half of the time in OELP, I could not hear or make out the words the tour guides say. It was the worst in Meiling factory. The tour guide words were echoing the whole way and very muffled. Maybe it is because I did not pay attention enough or distracted by all the fascinating machines in the factory. The fact that surprised me the most was there was very few people in the factory working. I thought that there were a lot of people involved, working busily. However, it was not, I can call the place 'almost empty'! Being in city for so long, places like iFlytek, Meiling or Science centre did not interest me so much. The places that interest me was, Sanhe Guzhen, Xidi and Hongcun. I was able to see what kind of houses people live in during that time. The places are so old, the buildings had mosses and plants growing in them. There were scratches, colours were worn away, the old smells were lingering around (it was pleasant). There was place at Hongcun with newly built to preserve the outline of the ancient houses. When I look at them, it felt awkward and out of place. I have this basic prejudice about ancient thing must look 'old'. When 'ancient houses' are newly built, it look like completely new thing. There was no longer familiar feelings anymore. It just did not feel good. I realised it was important to reserve heritages. I felt to the inner bones that heritages can definitely not replaced by new. It takes times and constant care to be like one. School emersion was an unique one. I was able to experience how the lesson was going on in the China. The lesson was dark and serious. Everyone was paying attention so much. (Lesson was interesting, able to see that the teachers had prepared well.)Life application was used very frequently. In another word, the lesson was interesting for me too. I could understand what was going on with the lesson. It was fun to interact with Chinese and know how they feel about us. (They say all of us were nice!) The most important thing I have learnt from this trip is understanding. As I stay with friends for a week, their flaws are starting to show. It makes me form certain ideas about them, which I hate a lot. I try not to see it or even understand them (but I cannot understand them!). Understanding is something had been lacking since my birth. I think during OELP, it had improved a bit. I get to know bad and good side of many of the classmates, especially close friends. It was fun to get to know them. I do not regret going for OELP I wish I could stay there for longer period!

YuZhen's OELP reflection

Our class took the high speed rail from shanghai to Hefei. It was a first for me since I have never taken the high speed rail. Some points of improvement for the high speed rail in China is the fact that it is very cramp and that the train crew can learn to converse in English so that there will be better communication between the foreigners and them. Doing so will help to improve the standard of the high speed rail service in China and even make China more reputable in the world. In addition, I personally feel that the speed can still be increased as many classmates were tired out from the long journey. However, there are many good points to say about it too. Firstly, the train crew cares a lot about safety as seen from the repetition of safety instructions to the commuters. Secondly, the train crew cares a lot about the passengers’ welfare as well. This can be concluded as there will be reminders to keep a close watch on their valuables due to the high possibility of them getting stolen, free collection of water from springs just by showing the ticket and the installation of foldable tables for passengers to write, use their electronic devices, etc. All these are especially for the comfort of the passengers. Therefore, it is highly commendable. Lastly, there is tight security in the stations. There will be checking of passport and luggage to ensure the safety of all passengers. Therefore, it is highly commendable as well. I feel that the experience of taking the high speed rail is good. However, I feel that our learning will be better if we can learn more about the high speed rail. This is not only to satisfy our curiosity but to ensure that we know what is going on around us.

In Iflytek, i was exposed to several of their products. One of them was the smartboard which makes learning more interactive and fun. It also makes it convenient for teachers to teach. I learn that china cares a lot about education as they try to boost effectiveness in learning by using advanced technology. Even though most of the Singaporean schools do not make use of the smartboard, more and more schools in Singapore are already starting to use ipads, iphones, mac, laptops, etc to make learning more fun and interesting. Therefore, I feel that as compared to china, Singapore is not losing in terms of the quality of the lessons. Furthermore, I was exposed to a multitasking product situated in cars. This product aims to make driving safe as you select for music, road directions, etc. In the terms of the products

During this trip, I learn many new things about china that I cannot find in the internet. For instance, some things I didn’t know till I went there to experience was the high school fee for students and the culture there. In China, I began to compare the history, economy, heritage and government of china to those of Singapore. I realise that there are many points where both countries can learn from each other to improve. For example, Singapore can try to use Chinese textbooks of better quality just like what china is doing. I believe that by doing so, Singaporean students’ standard of chinese language will be higher. In the case of China, they can try to subsidise the school fee so that parents will not struggle to earn enough money for the fee. Going to places with chinese heritage in China also help me to understand the history of China better. For example, before going to Li Hong Zhang’s Former Residence, I never knew that the officials were so corrupted that they would take away the money meant for military weapons for their own use and that the major reason why China failed to protect themselves then was because of corruption. In addition, I feel that the school’s decision to let us climb Huangshan was right. By climbing the 800km route, I not only learn the true meaning of perseverance but also learn to be brave when making decisions. Only by challenging ourselves will we be able to gain something. This trip to China has helped me to gain more independence and to stop relying on my parents. It has also made the class more bonded during these times. We learn, travel, eat and have fun together. Therefore, this OELP trip is very meaningful

Rendao's OELP Reflection

On 25 June 2014, all 33 of us 2F students started our
overseas learning trip to Hefei, Anhui. I’m sure every one of us enjoyed the
trip, and ultimately brought back to Singapore wonderful memories, but more
importantly values and knowledge that would otherwise not be picked up in the
classroom back here in Singapore.

                The
major places that we went to was the industrial visits (Meiling and iflytek),
the school immersion to 合肥科大附中, cultural
places of attractions (李鸿章故居，包公祠，三河古镇),
Huangshan, 西递 and 宏村 Ancient Villages and 屯溪老街. 

                The
industrial visits taught me more about China, and removed my stereotypical
mind-set about China that she was technologically laid back and products there
were of poor quality. Iflytek, a local company, opened my eyes to the
innovative minds of the Chinese, and to me, their voice recognition technology
was in fact better than that of Apple. Furthermore, 80% of their employees were
from their local universities, proving that there was no lack of talent in
China. Meiling, a company that manufactures refrigerators, exported their
products overseas to European countries, showing (proving) that Chinese
companies are not unpopular.

                The
school immersion was an eye-opener, as it was my first time participating in a
school immersion. I was nervous at first, as I did not know what sort of teenagers
they were, and I was afraid that I would do something that may annoy them. In
the end, my buddy was rather friendly, and gave me many gifts, among those were
a few that represented the Chinese culture (brush, scroll). Her name is 付悦. Although I only got 2 days to know her better, I learned a lot
more about her. My deepest impression, though, was that she and her class were
actually rather sociable and carefree, not to mention caring. One of them even
took time off to make handicrafts for all the Singaporean students that went to
his class. These 2 days changed my perspective of the Chinese students. Before,
I thought they were not a sociable lot, and knew only to study hard. However, now
I know that besides being studious they are also carefree and sociable; fun to
be with, just like us.

                Also,
they are allowed 10-minutes break in between lessons, for eye exercises, or simply
to run around the track. This gives students a chance to relax after a lesson,
or simply some time to absorb what the teacher has just gone through. 

                The
visits to cultural places of attractions showed me about the rich history of
China, and it also tied in well with our History syllabus we learn in school,
giving us a deeper understanding of famous revolutionaries in the past that
made an impact on the various dynasties. It also showed us how the Chinese
value these pieces of history, and made an effort to preserve these places of
attractions. For example, 李鸿章故居 was right smack
in the middle of a shopping district, and instead of replacing it with a
shopping mall to earn more money, the Chinese preserved it. From these famous
people that lived in the past, I can also learn from them, as many of them
exhibited exemplary values. For example, 包拯 was a court official that lived in a time where corruption was
strife. However, he was an honest official who was not corrupted, and even
punished his own uncle when he did wrong, and did not lessen his sentence just
because they were related. He was also a filial son, and continued to remain
with his parents even though he could work in another location with a higher
position. Also, when his parents died, he remained by their grave for three
years, further demonstrating his respect towards his parents. 

                Lastly,
the trip to Huangshan was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the trip. We
spent an entire day as a class climbing Huangshan, and in the end we made it to
the second highest point on the mountain. Through the climb, we had to
persevere on despite the burn in our legs, and encourage each other when we
felt like giving up. Although the climb was tiring, the view at the top of the
mountain more than made up for it. As a class, we went through the tough times
together, and bonded as one. It was definitely something we would not be able
to experience in the classroom, not to mention Singapore. 



                As
a whole, this trip was fun and fulfilling, yet at the same time I learned many
values that would otherwise not be learnt in the classroom. I would like to
thank the school for this amazing opportunity, and I look forward to more
interesting activities to come.

One lesson I learnt so far ( Ng Li Xin, 14)

After many CID lessons, I had benefited a lot from it, in terms of knowledge and skills. In one of the lessons, the teacher got us prepared for the oral presentation by giving us the set of notes to rehearse for an effective presentation.

Inside the set of notes, we were guided through it and were told that slides have to be kept the minimum words possible. I was utterly surprised as I had always thought we must put all our ideas on the slides, and it made sense to me after hearing that this will not let the audience focus on my speech, but on the slides instead. As a creative person, the contrast of colour between the words ans the background of the slideshow had always been the last thing I thought of. Now, it is no longer the case for me, as I realised that the teacher's words were true; no presentation will be effective if the slides doesn't serves its purpose of showing the main ideas if words cannot be seen. One thing that i had always neglected was the cropping of photos. Indeed, all these small yet important details are to be taken care of, and I learnt a lot from that lesson.

Importance of contrast!

 In CID lessons, I am introduced to new kinds of skills, something not taught in the past but is needed for everyone. CID is not any normal lessons like you have before, as it inculcates skills and mindsets that we should have as we mature. We are introduced to problems of the society like the poverty in Singapore, and unison like the one demonstrated in Chingay Parade. Apart from that, we are learning ways to present our ideas too, through many platforms like this blog, sharing with classmates and many more. Most importantly, they are life skills. As someone living in this first world society, we must have an eye for details to many actions. We must also build up our confidence for sharing ideas with others, and learn how to dissect social matters so that we can keep abreast with the things happening around us.

Chingay Parade where it serves as a platform to show us the unison we have in Singaporeans through this year's theme:  Colours of fabric, one people

What do you think about my opinion? Comment below and thumbs up if your agree with me!

One lesson I learnt so far (Yu Zhen)

1 lesson i learnt so far is how to draw lessons and meaning from events that took place. In this case, it is the chingay parade rehearsal. I learnt that we should always observe the parade with the theme in mind and try to relate their performance, costumes, decoration, design of float and music to the theme. I also learnt to find out the response of the participants and audience. This is to make sure that the audience is able to understand the message the performers are trying to get across through their performances. This is important as it determines whether the event is a success or a failure. In addition, doing a reflection of the event is important as well.

By doing so, it will make the events more meaningful and we will be able to learn the areas for improvement and what they have done well so that if there is any chance in the future where we have to organise an event, we would know what mistakes to avoid. This will aid in our development and is certainly useful in our future. 

- Ong Yu Zhen

One Thing I Have Learned from CID 2 (Chiau Ren Dao)

 After about 5 lessons of CID 2, I am proud to say that I have learned quite a few skills indeed. 

Firstly, I learned how to gather meaning and thoughts from what I see, and have understood the importance of looking beyond just what is on the surface, but instead really understand the background story behind the object/subject I am studying. I also learned to be more empathetic to the poor among our Singapore community, and learned that although Singapore is a first world country, poverty is still strife and we should do the best that we can to help those in need.

I also learnt essential skills for oral presentations in the future. Firstly, it is good to keep illustrations in the PowerPoint slides as it would make the slides more interesting and captivate the audience, ensuring that their attention is not diverted to anything else. The words in the slides should also be kept to a bare minimum so that the audience will listen more to the speaker rather than just copying down whatever is on the slides. We should also pick the colour scheme properly and try to keep a larger contrast as this will ensure that font can be seen clearly, especially from the back of the class. Most importantly, we must take into account our audience and design the slides accordingly. For example, if the presentation was for Primary School students, it would be better to have larger fonts, more cartoonish illustrations and colorful slides.

These skills that I have picked up over the course of the month is not only important for the upcoming OELP trip, but life skills that will be useful in the future. 

One lesson I have learnt from CID - Yu Jung (1)

I had learnt what to look out for when we are doing presentation.

- we must avoid long and complex sentences as it might lose audience attention and their interest.

- we must maintain eye contact with audience to show that we are directing message to them not anyone.

- we must be polite, personable to others so to show warmth to them.

When we are speaking, we must:

1) speak loudly

2) use appropriate tone

3) pace ourselves 

4) pronounce words clearly

This is the valuable lesson I have learnt in CID lesson so far. I will try to do all the requirement for the presentation.

Chingay Parade: COLOURS OF FABRIC, ONE PEOPLE

The Chingay parade this year revolves around the theme of being united as one nation. Throughout the parade, we were told to take part actively through cheers and many more.

For us, we focused on the costumes of the performers and found out that the clothings were actually connected to the theme of the parade. In our opinion, they really did a good job in planning, though there is still room of improvement. Even so, we can feel the strong sense of Singapore spirit in the performance. we totally enjoyed the show, and we have decided to present to the class about the Chingay parade.
  

Just in case you forgot, here are some pictures!

Theme: Colours of Fabric, One People

Giant puppet controlled by 4 people!

Cha cha performers!

Chinese culture segment.

Malay culture segment

Indian culture segment

Eurasian culture segment

Riot in Little India

 

One word to describe this picture is chaos.

On 9 December 2014, a riot involved about 400 people broke out around 9.30pm. The police said 27 South Asians have been arrested. More could be hauled in as investigations continue. In total, there were 18 casualties including 10 police officers, four Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) personnel, as well as the coach driver and his assistant. Six remained at Tan Tock Seng hospital overnight but their conditions were not so serious, the authorities said. 

__________________________________________

The Gathering of the Workers 

Since immigrant workers are viewed somewhat as a 'outcast' in Singapore, many foreign workers only have their colleagues as friends. After a long stressful week at work, they usually go to Little India to relieve their stress. Since many of them usually get drunk, there is often rowdiness among the crowd. Thus, a small event like may trigger the crowd to do something rash.

Benefits of gathering of the workers:

1) Since the weekends at Little a India with their friends is often the only source of recreation for these foreign workers, it keeps them in Singapore, ensuring that there is no lack of blue collar workers here.

2) Allowing them to hang out at Little India would be something the immigrants look forward to, and thus this may keep them focused at work, ensuring higher productivity when they work.

Disadvantages of gathering of the workers:

1) Since many of the workers get drunk and become intoxicated, they often carry out rash acts on the spur of the moment without thinking about the consequences. This may result in fights or arguments etc., or maybe even riots as seen from this incident.

2) With such a large crowd, law enforcers may take a long time to restore order should the crowd show unruly behavior.

Poverty in Singapore ( CID 2- second lesson )

     

     This is a picture of an aunty in Singapore, who is collecting trash from the dustbin to sell in a push cart. Back hunched all day long, just to collect the cardboard to sell for a meagre sum of money used for food. Seeing the hardships this aunty has to go through, we can help her by collecting metal cans and cardboards that we deem as rubbish. Collecting cardboards is not an easy job as one has to go through lots of rubbish bins to get them. It also requires them to travel quite a bit to be able to get enough money for the day. Hence, i think we should step up to help those who can’t catch up with the fast pace of society. 

    

   

Mr Ang and his five children live in a simple home with no electronic household items. The sole breadwinner, Mr Ang, works as a driver to earn $800 a month. It is not easy to feed his big family. Hence, I feel that the government can help the poor in this area. For example, they can send people with low income and big families to courses to upgrade themselves so that they can find better jobs to provide for their family. Doing so will better the lives of the poor.

When we speak about Singapore being a first-world country, think again. It may not be so for Mr Ang and the aunty. After some ponder, Singapore does have poor people, and poverty is a common sight.

When we stand in the central business district, we may not realise that such things do happen. However, there are people who are having a difficult life in Singapore. Through the smiles of many people, we may not see their poor background, just like the family of eight here.

Their income solely relies on the father, and in my opinion, raising 6 children and taking care of their needs is no mean feat. I understand the difficulty all of them are going through, and I’m sure you will too. This might affect the children and cause them to be unable to buy essential studying materials for school, which may deprive them of the opportunity to learn!

I guess Singapore has thought about it all for our future generation. The ministry of the education has provided Financial Assistance Scheme in the school to help students from the low income family. In this way, all students will have an equal opportunity to learn, which is the best way to get out of poverty. They will be able to find a job that can support the family and they will not be poor anymore.

All five of us are in average families and we are blessed to be able to study in a comfortable environment. I feel that we should feel fortunate for what we have now. In this school, we have our books and even iPad to aid us in our learning. These things definitely do not come by easily. The ministry has even provided subsidies for students of low income families to continue their learning. This shows the presence of poverty in Singapore for these programmes to come in to our lives. We should therefore cherish what we have now and study well so as not to disappoint our parents, school and teachers for they have been the ones nurturing and guiding us throughout the years.

What is school life like in RVHS? ( Part 2- Reader's Respond Question )

Group's Respond

[A] During recess, the noise level is often high as students from all levels stream out of their classrooms, chatting animatedly. Most of the students have smiles on their faces as the recess is a period many look forward to, as it is a break from the mundane routine of sitting down behind their desks, listening to the teacher. Students typically rush down as the time allocated for recess is usually a mere half an hour and the queues at the canteen stalls are often long. Thus, students will usually want to be the first as the queues would then not be as long.

[B] My friends seems very happy. He is smiling from ear to ear and he is very open. He does not seem to be very unsure and in confident.

[C] The notices of short listed Year 1 students in various CCA. It is very special and important too. Just a few pieces of paper with names written on can depress or surprise all the Year 1s. Some of them might have short listed into the CCA they desired and some might not have. Through this experience, many will learn how to get over the depression and stand up again. Even if they did not get into the CCA they did not wanted, they will gradually like their CCA a lot as they get to know their CCA. With the notices, they can bring crowds, emotions and learn something valuable. So, the notices on the short listed Year 1 students in various CCA are very special.

[D] The loud speakers blasting loud music on Fridays impress me the most. This is because I have never seen schools where they just blast out music in the canteen for everyone to enjoy. Because of the student council's initiative, we are able to feel the T.G.I.F spirit and enjoy ourselves during recess and lunch. It helps to relieve the stress we have during school and remind ourselves that the next day will be Saturday. Hence, the loud speakers blasting music on Fridays are very impressive and special to RVians.


[E] In our opinion, school life in River Valley is rather stressful and busy. Everyday, we have to deal with stresses from CCA and school work. We have to cope with so much stress everyday, so much so that we needed music in the canteen to serve as a platform to relieve our stress. I feel that this is what every RVian will go through as this school focuses on providing holistic education for us, so we have to take care of every thing that we go through. However, in our opinion, RVians will make it a point to stay happy, even over small things like eating in the classroom. We feel for every happiness and privilege we have, and I feel that this has been part of our school life to share them out(whether it is on confessions page or through word of mouth). We do have a difficult life, but we try to enjoy the process of everything. We feel that this is our school life.

What is school life like in RVHS ( Picture Challenge )

Life
Life is like flower, so sweet!

Happiness
Eating itself is a happiness

Fear
Fear of having too much homework!

School Spirit 
Concert that is filled with school spirit!

            what do you think of your school life? 
          Please comment!