Daily reflections ~~
Day 1— On day 1, upon arrival at the Shanghai Pudong airport, we claimed our luggages and wrote a letter to ourselves in the booklet that was given to us. After that, we took a bus to the Shanghai Bund, our first destination.
After alighting the bus, we gathered in front of the 3 pillars that symbolised the 3 wars that China fought. The tour guide then told us about the history of the place, where there was once when the local Chinese, together with dogs were banned from the Bund, which then caused the Chinese people to be unhappy and protested for they were being treated as if dogs even in their own country.
Then, we went for our dinner and went to ride on a boat ride in the Huang Pu river. The night scenery was really beautiful and unforgettable. With all the flickering synchronised LED lights and lasers from the tall skyscrapers brightening up the whole river. Iconic buildings like the Pearl Tower and the building that flashed lights that says "I love Shanghai" were some of the buildings that left great impression as almost the whole outer walls of the buildings were displaying light shows. There are also a lot of iconic buildings visible from the Huangpu river. One of it is the building with a rectangular hole at the top of it. It was built by the Japanese people and they initially wanted to put the Japanese flag there. But people later protested. For the building is in China and not Japan.
After the Huang Pu river boat ride, we went to the hotel to check-in and prepare for the good night sleep. We did not have any debrief on that day for it was already very late when we reached the hotel.
Day 2— On day 2, we stopped by Tian Zi Fang and the ShangHai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall on our way to YangZhou. The Tian Zi Fang was where the foreign(French) people lived at. It still preserves the old style of how the streets were like in the past. I think that this little place of Shanghai was very worth visiting as people could walk through the streets, as if living in the past before Shanghai was this urbanised. In the little area, it seemed really relaxing, a contrast from the busy city outside of it.
For lunch, we went to the Hai Di Lao Hot Pot, where I was warmly welcomed by the waiters and waitresses there. The waiters even lined up and ushered us to inside the restaurant, as if we were VIPs. Even in the toilets, there were waitresses waiting to serve you, helping you turn on the tap and handing you the paper towels for your wet hands. Even the people serving the food would not hesitate to explain to you about the dishes, and even apologize for not filling up empty cups immediately. The people working there were super friendly and they had made my lunch time more enjoyable. However, the toilets in the restaurant were easily clogged, making many of the toilets out of order. It can be improved if they renovate and change the toilets to a better one.
Day 3— On day 3, we had breakfast at the Zhi Chun Cha She just opposite our hotel. The breakfast served was a heavy one. For the people in YangZhou had a rather relaxed lifestyle, and they eat 2 meals per day, where the breakfast is a very heavy one which they usually eat at around 10am, and then slowly eat for about 2 hours.
From the experiences to the lifestyle of YangZhou people, I've learnt that different places have different standards. Although the food may be nice, the other facilities were not as good, which implies that nothing is perfect. From the visit to the ShouXiHu, I've learnt that even trees have feelings too. For example, the "ticklish" tree which moves its branches when it is being "tickled".
Day 4— On day 4, we went to the Yang Da Fu Zhong Dong Bu Fen Xiao Cu Zhong Xue (an affilated school) for an immersion programme. From the experience that day, I have observed the good attitudes of the students there during lessons. They do not fidget around and listens attentively during lessons. There was no whispering and extra noises at all, except for the teacher's voice. It was a big difference from how we usually behave in class as we were not always paying attention to the teacher. The students there showed an attitude that they really wanted to learn from their teacher, therefore respecting their teachers and take down notes dilligently. I feel that they were really great role models and we should learn from them.
For dinner, we went to the Lushi Old Mansion. It was a themed restaurant. It was well designed. Especially the wall with a lot of lanterns with all the different ways of writing the word "卢".
Day 5— On day 5, it was our second and last day of our immersion with the affilated school. It was the day to perform a dance for them as a class. Our class was especially excited about this part of the whole OELP trip for we practised for quite some time. But unfortunately, we did not have enough practise and the group performances were not very good, especially my group's for we were all unsynchronised. I was a little disappointed. But the class dance was really good. The whole class danced together for the Yang Zhou students. The students there also put up an amazing performance for us, which made me somehow feel a little inferior as the students there did a great job in organising the performances and performing them.
Day 6— We visited the Volkswagen factory. They had good teamwork and is very organised. The company not only produces excellent products, but also outstanding workers who are not only good at serving people, but also very knowledgeable. Even if they were to not work in the factory any more, they could still find a job easily with the training they had received from the company and mottos.
Day 7— It was sadly the last day of the OELP trip. We took the bullet train to ShangHai Pudong airport. The train ride was very pleasant. The train was totally quiet and peaceful compared to the MRT train in Singapore. The train moves very smoothly without making much noises. Furthermore, food and drinks were allowed on the train.
But what touched me the most was that the bus driver that drove us around for almost the whole trip actually helped us drive our luggages to the airport so that we could enjoy our train ride. It was a 4-hours drive from YangZhou to Shanghai and the driver was so nice to help us deliver our luggages to the airport.
Oelp reflection
From this OELP trip to Yangzhou, I've learnt a lot of new things. The trip has increased my knowledge of China and how it has an impact on Singapore. On the bus on our way to the next destinations, the guide will always take the chance to tell us more about China. From this, I've learnt a lot of new things such as the history of the education in China. For example, there was a period of time where all the students rebelled against teachers and that people who got zero out of one hundred were considered the "best" and that the students bully the teachers and the better the teacher is at teaching, the more ill-treated the teacher would be. I was kind of shocked that this actually happened.
I am also more aware of the values and beliefs of people from China. In China, people work hard to feed their family and the competition in China is also very intense. The students have to study very hard so as to not let their parents down. From the visit to the school in Yangzhou, I found out from one of the students there that students were not allowed to have ear holes as it is considered "not pure".
I am proud to be a Singaporean. Because in Singapore, we have a nice and conducive environment for kids to grow up and our air quality is good too. And although the competition in Singapore is very high, in my opinion, as compared to China, Singapore's education system is not as stressful as that of China's education system. As there is way much more people living in China than that of Singapore, its no doubt that there will be a lot more competition in China than Singapore. Another reason that I am proud to be a Singaporean is that Singapore is a very safe country.
In this trip, I've visited two cities with a long and rich culture. For example, the Chinese mixed the past and present of the buildings together to preserve and promote their culture. They preserved the outer looks of the old buildings and did modern business in the buildings to attract tourist. Singapore can learn from China to fit in the modern style into the older buildings, for example making an old shophouse into a tourist attraction.
In conclusion, I've learnt a lot of new stuff from this OELP trip, and have matured a lot more and also have changes in my mindset of China.
~ Siting
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