Xuan Ying's OELP daily reflection

Day 1

Today is the start of our OELP journey. We gathered at Singapore Changi Airport in the morning, boarded the plane and departed for Shanghai. I was very excited as I thought the trip would be a fun and good learning experience. On the plane, we chatted excitedly with our friends, watched nice movies, ate food and played games. After about 5 hours of flight, we arrived at 上海浦东机场. We met our tour guide, 黄导游, and boarded the bus to go to the restaurant that we will have our dinner at. During the bus ride, 黄导游 told us a brief introduction of Shanghai and I also saw the buildings and roads of Shanghai. We arrived at the restaurant and had our first meal in Shanghai! They served many dishes and it was tasty. After we ate, we finally went to our hotel to rest. 

From this trip, I hope to experience how lessons are being held in schools in China and learn more about China's history, culture, society, people's daily lifestyles, etc.

Day 2

Today, we went to 城隍庙, 上海书城, 南京路, the Bund and French concession, and went around the 陆家嘴金融区. Firstly, we went to 城隍庙. We went around the temple and there were many tourists and shops. We got free time to shop around and I bought some things for my family. It was interesting to bargain for the prices of the things selling in the small shops. Next, we went to the Bund and French concession. From the Bund, we could see many well known buildings in a Shanghai, including the 上海东方明珠塔, and the 'bottle opener' building, which has a opening that makes it resemble a bottle opener. With the picturesque view, we took many photos. After some free time at the Bund, we went to the 上海书城. The 上海书城 is 7 storeys high, and sells a wide range of books and music. We had some free time in there, where we could look around and buy books. Lastly, we went to 南京路, and had some free time to shop around. The shops on 南京路 are modern and mostly are shops of famous brands. They things that they sell are more expensive so we could not really buy many things. After having dinner, we went back to the hotel to discuss and rest.

Today, I spotted many Starbucks shops on the streets. At 城隍庙, there were even 2 Starbucks shops which were very close to each other. I wonder why are there many of them along the streets. I think it is because the cost of living is getting higher, and more people can afford things that are more expensive than normal. However, I wonder who the consumers mainly are. 

Day 3

Today is our first visit to the partner school, 上海市南洋中学. However, due to some students being late and heavy traffic on the road, we were late to reach the school on time. Although we were late, the teachers and principal were very welcoming and nice to us. We were introduced to our buddies and were given time to interact with them. However, as they have to go back to their classes, they only came for a short while. The teacher in charge, Mr Lu, showed us a few videos to show us more about China, and we were also challenged to build the tallest tower which can hold a ping pong ball in top, using only a piece of A4 sized paper and scissors. Many of us had trouble trying to build the tallest tower. At the end of the session, the physics teacher showed us some ideas to build it, many of which none of us thought of. It was fascinating and we had fun learning. After the lesson, we were supposed to learn how to make 香包, but due to many students around in the room, our group's buddy decided to take us on a tour around the school. She showed us the classrooms and places around the school, and told us that studying is very difficult and stressful in China. They had lessons even at night, and they often had to study late into the night. After leaving the school, we went to 海底捞 which was famous for their service, for lunch. At 海底捞, the waiters and waitresses were friendly and nice. When I came out of the toilet to wash my hands, a waiter offered me soap. When I finished washing my hands, he even offered me a towel to wipe my hands. I felt that their service was good and the food is nice. After the lunch, we went to the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall. It show us how Shanghai has developed over the years, and there was a large area where they displayed a model of Shanghai. I was able to see how Shanghai was like in the past and how it is now, from the exhibitions. Afterwards, we went for a quick walk along 文庙街, where we were not allowed to walk around on our own as it is dangerous. People living along 文庙街 were quite poor and the houses were rundown. An old uncle on the street told us 文庙街 was already like this in the past, and there was nothing to see. After dinner, we went back to our hotel for discussion. 

Today, we were late for about 30 minutes for school, and we could have left a bad impression for the teachers and students in 上海南洋中学. We were reflective and promised to board the bus to leave for the school on time the next day.

Day 4

Today was our last day in 上海南洋中学. Everybody tried our best to be on time to gather and board the bus as we did not want to be late like yesterday, and luckily, we were not late. On the way to the school, we practiced '立化情', as we were going to perform it for our buddies later on. We went to the school and saw how the students gathered in the parade square for morning exercise. They were running in an orderly manner to their respective places. They started doing the morning exercises and after our teachers' encouragement, all of us went to join them. I was quite embarrassed but I still had fun following their exercises. After that, we performed '立化情' for our buddies. I think we did okay. My group attended an English lesson, and got to see how lessons were conducted in the school. Shortly after, we had to say goodbye to our buddies, and sadly, my group's buddy was not around. However, we managed to ask another buddy to help us pass our presents to her. After that, Mr Lu brought us to the Oriental DreamWorks, where we saw how the workers drew the characters of the animations. It was really a once in a lifetime opportunity to tour around some parts of the company. It was fascinating and I learn more about how animations are created. After lunch, we went to 复旦大学, where a senior of RV gave us a tour around the campus. The seniors also shared how life in 复旦大学 was, and answered our enquiries. We also sang '立化情' for the seniors and I was really grateful towards them as they had used their time for studying just to let us know more about the University. 

Day 5

Today, we travelled for about 3 hours from Shanghai to Hangzhou. After reaching Hangzhou, we had lunch and went to the 浙江大学 国际设计研究院. Over there, we were given a talk on the design and innovation course there. After the talk, we rode on the bus around the campus. The University was huge and the buildings there are very modern and there were many facilities, in contrast to Fudan University, where the buildings are old and the facilities are not as many. However, Fudan University is overall a better University than Zhejiang University. After leaving the 浙江大学 国际设计研究院, we headed to 清河坊, where we were given free time to shop around. I bought many things for my family at 清河坊. But sadly, after dinner, 黄导游 had to leave us and another tour guide came to take us. I will surely miss 黄导游 as he was very caring and approachable. 

Day 6

Today, we went to 西湖, 雷峰塔, saw 断桥, visited 岳飞庙 and watched an acrobatics show called '西湖之夜'. We visited 岳飞庙 in the morning. At 岳飞庙, the guide told us about 岳飞, who was murdered by evil people. In the temple, there were four statues kneeling on the floor before 岳飞 and his son's tombs. People even used to spit on the statues, until it was forbidden due to the temple becoming a tourist attraction. This shows how much the people hated the murderers. Through this visit, I learnt more about YueFei's story. Next, we went to 西湖, where we went on a boat on the river. On the boat, we could see the 断桥. The bridge was actually not broken, but the name came from a family with the surname '断' living near it. After boat ride, we went to 雷峰塔. My friends and I climbed to the top floor first before coming down each level. The view on the top floor was magnificent as we could see the whole 西湖. It was such a good view that everybody took lots of photos. Lastly, at night we got to watch an acrobatics show called '西湖之夜'. The show was very interesting with exciting acrobatics performances. I felt that the most exciting part was when 4 bikers rode into a large spherical cage where they circled without falling and crashing into each other. It was very dangerous as if one biker made a mistake, all 4 of them can crash into each other and get badly hurt. I really enjoyed the show very much. 

Day 7

Sadly, today is the last day of our OELP trip. We rode the bus back to Shanghai after having breakfast in the hotel. On the way to Shanghai, we stopped by 七宝古镇, which is an ancient town. We were not allowed to walk around by ourselves as it was very crowded and we could get lost easily. Thus, the tour guide guided us around the town. Next, we went to 田子坊. I saw that 田子坊 had many art galleries and the things there are quite expensive so there were very little things which were suitable for us. However, I thought 田子坊 was special as it had features of the traditional Shanghainese architectural style 石库门, it was nice and interesting. After some free time at 田子坊, we had to leave for the airport. We thanked the tour guide and the bus driver gratefully and went into the airport. We had our last group photo taken with the banner and checked in our luggages. After a short debrief from the teachers, we boarded the plane and departed for Singapore. I was sad to leave Shanghai as it had been a very fun and meaningful learning experience with my classmates and teachers. I had observed and learnt a lot more about China, and I am grateful for the enjoyable time I had spent with my teachers and classmates 

 

Oelp daily reflection - Lim Qian Hui

Day 1

With my luggage in hand and an overly-excited heart, I gathered with my fellow classmates to get ready for departure. Not too long after, we waved our goodbyes to our parents and proceeded to the departure hall where we boarded the plane at the gate. It was my first time boarding a plane without my parents with me, but with the accompaniment of my peers, I nearly forgot about it. After approximately five hours of flight, we landed in 上海浦东机场。At the airport, we met the tour guide that will guide us along during his trip. In the bus he mentioned that we should always carry our bags in the front due to safety reasons such as preventing things from being stolen from our bags. When I looked out of the bus, I see many sky scrapers and city lights, showing how developed Shanghai is. Soon, we arrived at the restaurant where we will be having our first meal. There was such a wide spread of food that our table could not finish it! Nevertheless, it was a scrumptious meal. After filling our stomachs, we finally get to our hotel to wash up and rest.

What I hope from this trip is to have more first hand experience in a foreign country and learn the culture and traditions of China. Also, we can learn life values such as independence and teamwork.

Day two

Today, we visited three different places, 城隍庙，上海书城 and 南京路。At our first stop, the tour guide explained the achievements and history of 城隍。I also learnt some rules on respect towards places of worship like not entering through the middle door but by the doors at the side instead. We then got free time to shop around 城隍庙街 where I bought some souvenirs for my family. There were many small shops which were a nice sight as they are very interesting and their prices can be bargained. I wonder how much they earn per day. Our next stop was 上海书城 where there are many different types and genres of books. There were books ranging from cook books to even chess playing strategies. All these books are very valuable as they contain a lot of information. Our last stop was to 南京路。in contrast to 城隍庙，it has many modern looking shops and there were many familiar brands or clothing lines. I noticed that although there were many modern shops, ontop of the shops there were many poor looking houses. I think that there are many residents that cannot afford better housing which make me thinking about how big the difference is between the rich and poor in china. When we were gathering back as a class, there was an old lady beggar who kept pestering us to give her money. I think that the elderly find it hard to find an income as they are unable to keep up with the fast developing city. 

Day 3

We woke up earlier today and put on our uniforms, as today is the first day we would be visiting 上海南洋中学。Due to some students being late and a heavy traffic jam, we arrived late. However, the principal and teachers were will very welcoming and hospitable to us. We were introduced to our buddies and were given a chance to interact with them. We did not have much time though as they had to get back to class. We were given a talk about the history of the school and China's development over the years by the teachers. We even had a "tallest-paper-tower" session. A physics teacher challenged us to use just an A4 sized paper to make the tallest tower that we could. Me and my partner, Jiayi tried our best to make our tower but unfortunately it was unable to stand and kept on toppling. He then thought us the secrets which I felt was simply ingenious. I learnt to think out the box. After that lesson, we were supposed to learn how to make 香包 with the students there. However, as the room was too crowded with students, our buddy offered to show us around the school. We were able to look into their classrooms and study environment. I realised that it was quite run down and their facilities are very old. But to my surprise, the students in the classrooms are very focused regardless of their environment which amazed me. For lunch, we headed to 海底捞。I have very high expectations of the restaurant due to how famous it is. The service was very good and the waiters and waitresses were very friendly. What I felt was the best was how when I was washing my hands, a waiter came to ask me if I needed and soap. After I finished washing my hands, he even proceeded to provide me with a towel. I enjoyed my meal there and felt that the service was great. After our meal, we took a quick walk through 文庙街。The houses there were very rundown and the people living there looked to be very poor. We then headed to the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall. I was especially awed by the model of Shanghai in the exhibition hall as it is very detailed and nice. Took many pictures of it and of course, pictures with friends for memories! We were brought to the super market where we could buy things and also observe the things in it. We realised something very different from Singapore which is rice and sugar are not sold in fix amounts but people can scoop and choose how much they want to buy. Mr Gay said that this was to cater to different family's needs. However I was quite puzzled at the sugar, as rice can be washed but sugar can not. Isn't it very unhygienic?

Day 4

Today, we all woke up on time and prepared as fast as we could as we do not want the same situation as yesterday. Yesterday, we were told to practice and try to remember the 立化情 song and lyrics as we are supposed to sing it to our buddies in 上海南洋中学 today. While we were in the bus towards the school, the class sang the song in unison and I really liked it as I feel that the class was very bonded. Although we repeated the song many times until my throat started to get hoarse, I feel like singing it more. In the school, we witnessed the students doing their morning exercise. They were very orderly and ran in by class, queuing up neatly. They could memorize every single step even though there were many different ones! As we didn't know any of them, we were totally dumbfounded as we tried to join it. We tried our best though, and it was really fun. After the morning exercise it was time to sing 立化情 for them. "在立化我不孤单..." We sang our hearts out and although we might not have sang it very well, the buddies clapped and encouraged us. Sadly, we had to say our goodbyes soon after that. Some of us exchanged our emails and social media accounts, but sadly my group's buddy was not present. My group had to give our gifts to another buddy instead to pass it to her. We left the school for the company Oriental DreamWorks, where the school teacher brought us to. When we stepped out of the lift, I squealed as I saw the posters of the movies such as "How to train your dragon 2". We were then given a tour around the company which was an experience I never dreamed of. It was so cool and I was completely awestruck being able to witness the process of animation. After the tour, we were even able to listen to a talk about it. I felt really lucky and felt very thankful to the teacher for bringing us there. After lunch, it was time to visit our seniors and Fudan University. Fudan is one of the top universities in china, but their facilities are very rundown. It taught me that despite the poor learning environment, the students there are still able to focus on their studies. Our seniors and other Singaporean students also gave us many study tips and told us many stories about their experiences there, such as how every student there would have their bike stolen at least once. In that short amount of time, I felt like I learnt a lot and I would like to wish the seniors there goodluck in their studies. :)

Day 5

In the morning, we took a long bus ride to hangzhou where we will be spending the next two days in. When we reached, we had our lunch and headed to Zhejiang university, where we were given and talk about the design and innovation course there. In contrast to Fudan university, the facilities there are very new and modern. I figured it should be because it was quite new and also there was more space in Hangzhou than in Shanghai to have a much bigger campus. After the talk, we had a drive around the campus which was very big and spacious, they even had two stadiums! We thanked the senior that brought us around and headed to 清河坊 where we were allowed to shop for awhile. I bought a few things but while we were walking around, something caught our eyes. There was a man who was selling small animals in plastic pouches, such as salamanders, fishes and even tortoises. I heard about these being sold in China in Singapore and I feel that it is very cruel as these animals do not have food and would die if they were not released. I was shocked when a young couple even bought matching ones to hang on their bags together! Don't they feel that it is very cruel? Also, today we changed our tour guide and I will surely miss kuang导游 as he is very kind, funny and approachable.

Day 6

Today we went to 岳飞庙，西湖和雷峰塔 and went to watch 西湖之夜. At 岳飞庙, our guide explained to us 岳飞's contributions and achievements, as well as how he was killed and wrongly accused. The statues of the 4 men who caused it were kneeling in front of Yuefei's tomb. There was a sign which states no spitting and the tour guide told us the story on how the people hated them so much that they threw these four statues into the 西湖 and had to be hauled from the river. We then took a ferry around 西湖 where we took many scenic photographs. We were told to be very careful not to fall into the river as there was once a man who fell in but did not resurface due to the thick and sticky mud. On the boat we also learnt about the "broken bridge" and how it was not "broken" but was named that way as there was a family with the surname “断” living near it. We got to go up the 雷峰塔 and every story higher we got to, the more beautiful scenery we could see. There were also many signs around that we could read and learn about its history. Lastly, at night we got to watch the 西湖之夜 acrobatics show. It was stunning and exciting. The different chapters of the show showcased different stories and legends. There were also many dangerous and breath-taking stunts that they performed. The performance I enjoyed the most was the finale where the bikers on motorbikes are in a sphere shaped metal cage and they had to be in perfect timing in order to not crash into one another. They had up to four bikers in it and it was really scary and fun to watch. I really enjoyed the experience. 

Day 7(last day:( )

Today, after taking our breakfast, we were on a bus ride back to Shanghai as we were to take the plane back to Singapore in the evening. We went to 七宝老街 but we were unable to buy things as it was too crowded so we needed to stay together as a class. Next, we visited 田子坊 where we were given time to walk around the different alleys and shops. As it was the last place we would visit in this trip, I bought quite a few things. However, the things there are quite expensive and are mostly suited for adults. Sadly, we had to leave for the airport and said goodbye to our tour guide. We boarded the plane after a short debrief and we were on our way back to Singapore. I really enjoyed this trip as I got to learn many things about China that I would never have known such as the interesting stories about why things are this or that way and observe things first hand. I will never forget this trio and the memories made, such as how our class will say “大家吃” before we eat and bond more as a class. I am very thankful to our teachers, tour guides and of course my fellow classmates.