OELP Reflections (Keefe)

OELP Reflections:

1) Why do you choose to go on this trip? What do you hope to learn from this trip? What decisions were made differently in the trip and has a different result in the end?

I chose to go on this trip mainly because I saw it as a learning opportunity as well as an opportunity to have a better look at other countries’ economy and society, rather than restricting myself to Singapore. I wanted to learn more about China’s rich culture as well as how the people there live mainly the students and working adults. Other small reasons are that I thought it would be a great memory to have as the whole class would be overseas together and there won’t be another chance ever again. Although China is a very big country and its economy and culture cannot be taught in a matter of days, but I still hope to learn more about China’s economy, past present and future, how did it develop and what state is it in now and what are they striving for in the future. At first I thought I had sufficient knowledge about China and that I could share my experiences but soon realized that the tour guides had much more knowledge than me and I found myself listening more than sharing.

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

The year ones in ShouChun secondary left a very deep impression on me, although they were a year younger than us but the performance they put out were absolutely stunning. Their performance had no flaws and everything was very well rehearsed, everyone knew what they were doing and nobody was confused about their positions and what they had to say. From this I can see the effort they put in and how much seriousness they put into their rehearsals. This is definitely a learning point for me as well as others. Putting our best into everything we do can certainly bring us far and produce us results, although these results may not be ideal but I think it will still give us a sense of achievement. The tour guide definitely taught me a lot more than what could be taught in class, the ancient love stories, ancient legends, short stories about noble men in the past and many more. Through a short span of a week, the tour guide taught us a lot about China’s culture, past and its specialties. Everything from the food to the landscapes, unique facts about them were provided by the tour guides. I personally found Mt Huangshan most interesting and the tour guides had a lot to talk about it, the trees, the history and other unique facts about it. All these cannot be taught in class and has to be experienced by one to truly understand. The fact that although Chinese students studying in China face a major pressure of a major exam and has to study very hard every single day with hardly a day to rest, they still find time to pursue their hobbies and yet under this pressure they are able to live a happy life. They greeted us with smiles and kept their smiles through the whole program although I know for a fact that when this programme ends, they return to their stressful life of endless studying. Their spirit of never giving up on their studies no matter how tough the journey can get is very admirable and has impacted me to strive for the best and never give up in whatever I decide to do in the future.

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

This trip made me realize how much harder I need to study in order to keep up with China’s education pace, it is very much faster compared to Singapore. The Chinese students are very disciplined as well and enthusiastic in answering questions posed to them by the teachers. This enthusiasm in their own learning can be applied to us and I will take my studies more seriously. Although their school ends late at 5:30, they still find time to conduct CCAs, their enthusiasm towards their hobbies is admirable as well. I heard a few students play basketball outside with adults as well which I do sometimes do too and I can relate to how passionate they are towards basketball. Through this, my passion for basketball has grown even more and I will strive to do better. I hope that I can adopt their enthusiasm towards learning and their hobbies as well as keep the friendship that we forged in the short span of time. I hope that through this journey it can inspire me to learn more about other country’s history and also other country’s leaders backgrounds. I learnt a lot about Chinese in China’s lifestyle, as well as their history. One point that I can bring back to Singapore is their hard work, everyone in China goes through a tough time as a kid faced with the pressures of education being a very important factor in their lives but they all pulled through it and even achieved great results, pushing China’s economy to great heights. Overall I think one big reason behind China’s success as a country is because of its people’s hard work, never giving up and that is something I want to bring back with me to Singapore and apply it to my life.