Individual reflection for OELP- Yifei

Day 1

We all gathered at Changi Airport and were excited about the OELP trip in TaiWan. This is the first time for most of us to go on a trip with the whole class. I was really looking forward to the trip and prepared to have fun in TaiWan. Before boarding the plane, I suddenly thought about the fact that we have to treasure this kind of experiences because it would probably never happen again with the same group of people. Finally, we waved goodbye to Singapore and board the plane.

We reached Kaohsiung Airport at about 11.30 PM. All of us felt extremely exhausted. We were extremely surprised when we saw the banner that had 'RVHS' written on it. It was the teachers and students from Sacred Heart High School. We were touched by the fact that they had gone so far from the School to Kaohsiung to welcome us. 

After waving goodbye to the teachers and students from SHHS, we took the bus to the place where we were going to stay in. We were given breads on the bus. We were told by the tour guide that it was the award winning bread in the international bread competition. It was good in all ways, be its taste or nutrition level. When we reached The Ten Drums Culture Village, we were given keys and all headed to our rooms for a nice sleep.

Day 2

It was a long day. We visited Meinong Hakka Cultural Museum, Kaohsiung Museum Of History, Kaohsiung Hakka Culture Museum, Meinong Folk Village, Former British Consulate and Liuhe Night Market.

I'm personally not very interested in museums and was a bit bored when the guide was talking. It was really educational and we were surprised that TaiWan had actually preserved so much Hakka culture. Before leaving for TaiWan, we knew both Singapore and TaiWan have Hakka Culture, but we didn't expect that the difference between them is so ridiculously distinct.

TaiWan kept the making of Leicha, oil paper umbrella, traditional puppet and a lot more. We don't usually see these in Singapore. We did research on Hakka puppet shows last year and found out that only 1 person in SG can master the skill of controlling the puppets.

In the end we went to LiuHe night market. It was the highlight of the day. We all ate and tried a lot of new food which we had been craving for it before the OELP trip. I had diarrhea immediately after we got back to the hotel... It was definitely an 'unforgettable' experience.

Day 3

On Day 3, we went to Tainan Confucius Temple, Anping Fort And Old Street, Chihkan Tower, Eternal Golden Castle and Douliu City(Yunlin County).

This places have amazing sceneries and historical background. On the day itself, we even learnt about a famous general called 'Zheng ChengGong'. Both AnPing fort and Eternal Golden Castle are related to him. We saw a cannon about 5m tall and 4m in width, we were told that it had never been fired before.

After visiting the other places, we headed to Douliu city where our sister school SHHS is located. We checked into a hotel after arrival. (To be honest, it's condition is much worse than the one we lived in previously.

Day 4

We finally get to see Sacred Heart High School! We had been contacting our buddies assigned to us since The start of May. 

We had classes with some of the classmates before meeting our buddies. I had Geography class. It was interesting because it was a completely different experience as compared to our Geography lessons. They enjoyed a movie that helped them to know certain places better than reading from text books.

Our bodies had lunch with us at SHHS and we shared about our hobbies and interests. My buddy's name is Antony and he is a musically talented student. He plays the trumpet and was really good at it. After the lunch, they went for their classes and we would see them again the next day.

After we left Sacred Heat School, we went to Hwa Shan Primary school. We were really shocked to see all of the students being able to play violin so well. They welcomed us with many music pieces and were really warm to introduce us about the school.

Day 5 

We went to Xing Long Towel Factory iicake, Yun Lin puppet show museum，Sacred Hearts High School, TaiWan Story museum

When we entered the door of iicake, all of us have this question in mind, 'is this a cake shop?' Of course later we found out that the answer was 'NO'!!! This is a Towel factory. We were told that it was the place that produces the towels in best quality in the whole of TaiWan. After enjoying the beautiful exhibitions, we even got the chance to make a towel puppy. The venue was a 'classroom' with small chairs that look simply adorable. We were taught the steps of making the towel puppies.It was not as difficult as what we thought It would be. Before leaving, we were given free time to walk around the shop and buy some souvenirs. I was the only one who bought real cake, hahaha.

We went to Yun Lin puppet show museum after visiting iicake. We had learnt about Hakka puppet shows in CID 1 last year, but this one in TaiWan was a completely different experience! Puppet shows have already improved and evolved to an extremely high level. With the high technology and special effects, the puppets can do almost anything the controller perform. These include tears, perspiration,blood and even movement eyes. After viewing the exhibitions, we went to watch the performance and got to experiencing hand-controlling those puppets ourselves. We were really amazed by the skills of the puppet controllers.

We went there after visiting the Puppet Show Museum. It was raining heavily and we were waiting outside of the place for about half an hour. Only then we got to know that it was being used by another group of people and we were only able to visit it after a few hours. In the end our tour guide had to call the driver to fetch us back to the hotel.

Day 6

 

We stashed in Sacred Heart High School for half a day. We had 3 lessons with the classmates. We had Chinese, Chemistry and home economics. Well, I could only say that the Chinese lesson was really rally hart to understand, even for me.

After the lessons, our buddies' families brought us to another tourist attraction. I forgot the name of the town but it was filled with cultural presence. We visited Soya spouse factories, old houses and old shops. After visiting these places, my buddy's mother brought us back to their house and we played games and watched movies together.

I got really emotional that day when we left our buddies. That was the last day we see them. I hope that this friendship will be treasured by both Antony and me forever.

Day 7

We visited the 921 Earthquake educational park before heading for airport.

921 park was a really fun and special place because it had all the wreck places kept and included in the park. We got to see a scene of a half cracked track and a almost destroyed school.

Finally We left for the airport and had to say good bye to our TaiWan OELP journey.  I bought a lot of chocolates with the remaining money. That was the last activity i did I'm TaiWan.  This will always be our memorable experience in our lives and I will visit TaiWan again.

Individual reflection for OELP trip - Jo Ee

CID DAILY REFLECTION

Day 1 - we gathered at the airport at 4.45 pm to take our flight to Kaohsiung, Taiwan. I was quite excited because I had already started chatting with my buddy from taiwan a week before the trip so I really wanted to know what it was like in taiwan. When we reached the airport, tired and longing to reach the hotel as soon as possible to rest, there were a lot of teachers from Sacred Hearts High School waiting for us at the airport to welcome. I really felt touched as even though it was near midnight, they were willing to sacrifice their sleep to welcome us warmly. They even gave us a bag of well known raisin bread to eat, though the bread was a bit too hard for my liking. After that, we reached our hotel - Ten Drums Village. I liked the room a lot as it was spacious and emitted a comforting vibe with the cozy bed and wooden furnishing.

Day 2 - firstly, we went to Meinong Hakka cultural museum. On the way there, I saw many plantations, which I do not really see in Singapore as in Singapore, what you mostly see are residential estates or skyscrapers. So throughout the bus ride we could get to admire the breathtaking scenery of nature. At the museum, I learnt the practices of the traditional Hakka people, such as the older generation giving sweets to the younger generation to encourage them to study hard, and them not burning paper or throwing paper away, keeping the paper in boxes instead. This highlighted how much the Hakkas respected words and felt education was important, hence we should treasure the fact that we have a good education now in Singapore. 

After that we went to Meinong folk Village, where there was a huge variety of traditional Hakka items sold. It was an eye opener for me as I had never been to such places in Singapore before, neither were there any. We also had a traditional Hakka lunch there which was rather delicious and quite different from that of Singapore.

Next, we visited the Kaohsiung museum of history. At this museum, it displayed the tragic loss of lives during the massacre on 28 February by the Kuomintang. This trip to the museum made realise the fact that we should be grateful that none of such incidents happen in Singapore as not only are a lot of lives lost during massacre, the citizens are also effected emotionally.

We then visited the Kaohsiung Hakka cultural museum. I felt it was quite a good museum as not only were there the usual exhibits explaining about the culture and the people's practices, there were interactive stations that introduced more about Hakka Culture, for example, a cooking station where we learnt more about traditional Hakka dishes. Singapore should build more of these museums as the dialect culture in Singapore is dying out with the younger generations now interacting in English or chinese and no longer in dialects. With these museums built, the younger generation can learn more about the importance of dialect culture and treasure it more.

We also visited the Former British Consulate but I did not really enjoy it as it was very crowded and we only managed to tour a souvenir shop. Still, I enjoyed the sunset there which was very beautiful and breathtaking.

Lastly, we visited the long awaited Liuhe night market. It sold a wide variety of food items not seen in Singapore such as pig blood cake, but of course there was the usual bubble tea and more, hence I enjoyed the visit there a lot. However the traffic there was dangerous as vehicles could pass through the road anytime, resulting in accidents easily. Still, the visit was an eye opener and it was enjoyable.

Day 3 - after breakfast, we had a drum lesson in the Ten Drums Village. It was an eye opener to me as I had never beat a drum before. The teacher was very patient and explained to us the way we were supposed to beat the drum such that we could understand it easily. Hence I enjoyed this drum lesson quite a lot as I had never experienced it before.

After that, we watched a drum performance by the professional drummers in the village. It was engaging and a mix of martial arts and drumming, and I had also never watched this kind of performances before. There were even visual effects on the stage such as an adjustable platform and when the platform went down, water came out and the drummers executed their moves on water. I felt it required a lot of effort to learn the skill of drumming properly and even execute martial arts moves at the same time, so the effort put in by the performers was worth applauding.

After the performance, we left the hotel and proceeded to the Anping Fort and Old Street. The Old Street was not as big as I had expected but I still enjoyed it as it sold many different items. We also had oyster omelette and the famous coffin toast there. We also visited the Eternal Golden Castle, the Tainan Confucius temple and the Chihkan tower. Even though the weather was very warm, I enjoyed the visit there as there are few of such monuments in Singapore displaying the history of the country and I learnt the history of the monuments. The design of the monuments was also very medieval and had an old fashioned vibe which I feel the younger generation should appreciate.

Day 4: after 2 days of visiting museums, we finally went to Sacred Hearts High school, where I finally met my buddy. After a conversation with her, I found out that the education system there is less stressful than that in singapore for there is no homework given everyday and there is only one test per term. Also, when I attended the Japanese lesson, the teacher was very patient and extremely friendly to the students such that they could even joke around with her without getting scolded. In our school, there are no Japanese lessons and the atmosphere is much more stressful as teachers constantly give out worksheets and ask us to attempt them after explaining, but during the Japanese lesson, we were given notes and towards the end, students were allowed to teach the class a topic they were assigned on previously.

After an enjoyable time at the school, we went to a pineapple plantation where we not only got to see the vast pineapple plantation but also got to make 凤梨酥, a flaky pineapple pastry. This was an eye opener as I had never seen these kind of places in Singapore before hence it was rather unique.

We also went to 华山国小 and when we reached, we were greeted by many young children playing the violin. I was rather touched by their efforts for they had learnt how to play the violin only to welcome us to their school and they had no earlier musical background, hence it would be very hard to be able to play the violin within such a short period of time. Then, they had an art gallery where by the young children introduced to us the different paintings by different famous artists.

Day 5 - firstly, we went to a towel factory where we had a DIY towel sculpting session. This was also very unique as there are no towel factories in Singapore. There, the workers crafted the towel into cute shapes like cakes, flowers and more. The place was also adorned in towels of different colours, giving it a very cute atmosphere.

Next, we visited the 高雄布袋戏院. I felt that we should preserve the puppet culture more as now people are going to cinemas to watch movies instead of going to the traditional puppet cinema centre. At first I thought that the show would be boring but it was just as interesting as those in modern cinemas. And it had even more sincerity inside since there was a person controlling the puppet, showing the hard work put in by the puppeteer. 

After that we went back to Sacred Hearts High School to attend lessons. But this time they were not academic lessons but a magic trick and balloon sculpting lesson. This made me realise how the school places the students' interests as the priority instead of academics. 

Lastly, to end off this wonderful day, we watched a brilliant musical performance put up by the school. It was similar to the arts fest put up by our school and for me, this was my first time at a concert, which was a rather unique experience.

Day 6 - this was the last day I was going to interact with my buddy so I was rather sad. But when we reached Sacred Hearts High School, the sadness was taken away by the fun chemistry practical lesson and the home econs lesson. The chemistry lesson was fun but not very unique as we had already done it in our school before. But I really liked the home econs lesson as we could get to make a lot of pastries and snacks, for example windmill pastry. During this lesson, we could also get to interact and bond more with the taiwanese students who were extremely friendly and hospitable. 

After that came the highlight of my trip - a trip out with our buddy. I went with my buddy and a few of my classmates and their buddies and their mothers. Firstly, we went to a chicken farm nearby. In Singapore, I had never been to a farm before so this was a new experience for me. The owner said there were around 24000 chickens there and he even used a metal rod to attach to the neck of one chicken and took it out for us to touch. I was scared it would peck me so I didn't touch it but  my animal loving buddy stroked it. 

After that, we went to a fruit farm which I had also not visited before in Singapore. It was smaller than I had thought it would be but I still had a wonderful time there looking at the different kinds of fruits. Lastly, we went to a shopping centre as the buddies' mothers had to purchase some groceries. Their shopping centre was extremely spacious and empty, probably because it was a weekday. But the supermarket was much bigger than that of Singapore's and there was a huge variety of items sold there. 

A good day always has to come to an end. We ended off the day by taking a lot of pictures in front of the school statue with our buddies and I handed them a souvenir to thank them for their hard work put in to bring us around. This made me realise how precious friendship is and we should treasure those around us more.

Day 7 - At last, it was the last day of our trip and I was not looking forward to the trip coming to an end. After an extremely long bus ride to the 921 Earthquake Educational Park, we finally reached and there, we learnt more about earthquakes and how much damage it can cause and we also watched a 3D video on the earthquake and what consequences it could cause. I felt that we should cherish the fact that there are no natural disasters in Singapore as they can cause many lives to be lost and leave an indelible emotional scar on the hearts of the victim's family members. 

After lunch, we reached the airport, not really ready to fly back to Singapore. But the fun memories made in taiwan would always remain etched in our minds. 

Individual reflection for OELP trip - Charmaine

DAY ONE

Kaohsiung Airport, 十鼓文化村

We arrived really late in Taiwan. When we landed, 正心中学's Principal and a few teachers came to welcome us. It was really late when we arrived but they still took up their time to come to the airport just so they could welcome us. This was my first experience of the Taiwanese people's great hospitality as they might have came a long way to arrive at the airport and they might really need the sleep but they sacrificed it for us. I was really touched by their actions.That night, we checked into 十鼓文化村 , which I personally think is a really really nice hotel and representation of a village. 

DAY TWO

Meinong Hakka Cultural Museum, Kaohsiung Museum Of History, Kaohsiung Hakka Culture Museum, Meinong Folk Village, Former British Consulate, Liuhe Night Market

Day two was definitely the day of museum visiting. We visited a total of four museums and really got to learn a lot from this visits. We went to the Kaohsiung Museum Of History, the Kaohsiung Hakka Cultural Museum, Former British Consulate , Meinong Halka Culture Museum and also the Meinong Folk Village. 

During the bus rides, the tour guide enlightened us on the importance of plantations In Taiwan and the worth. 

The Meinong Folk Village was the most memorable because it was a great representation of a Taiwan village and it was filled with cool souvenirs like the oil paper umbrella and the tops. Other than these, it also sold the 擂茶 which most of us tried. It wasn't the best drink out there but it definitely wasn't the worse. Maybe it was because of the unfamiliar taste , but It wasn't quite to my liking even thought it was okay. Over there, we got to play some children games and toys. Honestly ,after visiting the Meinong Folk Village I felt that living in a village could possibly be much better and relaxed than the city life. 

That night, we were brought to Luihe night market. It was smaller than I expected but there were still a variety of food and stuff there. As it was really messy and crowded, it was easy to get lost and almost half the time was spent looking around for our friends. However, I really enjoyed that night as it was a break from visiting the museums.

DAY THREE

Tainan Confucius Temple, Anping Fort And Old Street, Chihkan Tower, Eternal Golden Castle, Douliu City(Yunlin County)

This is the day we finally went to Tainan. Before that , we had drum lessons and also got to enjoy a fantastic drum performance in 十鼓文化村. It was really interesting and a great new experience.

After that we headed off to Tainan. It was a long journey there and some of us fell asleep on the bus. We visited the Tainan Confucius Temple, Anping Fort and Old street, Chihkan Tower and the Eternal Golden Castle. 

It was the most tiring day for me as there were really a lot of bus rides and I fell asleep on most of them. At the Tainan Confucius Temple, there was a table set near the entrance where we got to write down our names and wishes on a piece of yellow paper. I learnt that the place has been renovated 30 times since it was built. Part of it have been destroyed by wars and natural disasters. From these museums, I have realised the importance of preserving the cultures of the early Manchu dynasty. At the Anping Old Street, we got to try out some really nice Hakka food and got to shop around. One of the most memorable thing from there is the 弹珠汽水, which I think is really cool and interesting. 

We then checked in to the other hotel afterwards. 

DAY FOUR

Sacred Hearts High School(正心中学), Legend Of Coffee Mountain, Hua Shan Public School

This was our first day in 正心中学. I was really excited to meet my buddy for the first time after chatting with her over the Internet beforehand. When we met, it was really awkward and really different from chatting over the Internet. We didn't know what to say and stuck to our own friends who sat at the same table. After awhile, we started to talk to each other a little more. We found out a bit about each other and our schools. After chatting a little while, we had to go separate ways. Her going to attend her own lessons and us getting to experience some of the lessons they have decided to let us attend. I went to the English class with some of my other classmates. It was a really new experience as the way of teaching is really different. They were seated in a lecture theater and the way they learn is asking each other questions and answering them in English. It was definitely more interactive and interesting then a normal classroom session with worksheets and PowerPoint slides. We then got into groups and played a matching game where you had to match the English words to the Chinese words of the same meaning and the group with the most number of matches wins. As it was hands on, we got to interact with the Taiwanese students. After that we got to have lunch with our buddies and talk to each other more before we had to leave to the Legend Of Coffee Mountain where we got to make our own pineapple tarts. Basically we put the pineapple paste into the dough and pressed it into the mould. Then we were allowed to bring it back with us to eat. The guide there showed us around and also showed us the pineapple farm there. The planted pineapples are covered with a cloth like thing which protects it from the sun like a hat. 

After this, we were brought to Hwa Shan Public School and were introduced with a musical piece played by little kids. They were really cute and talented. During the performance, everybody was taking photos and videos. When it ended, a loud applause was heard. We were then led to an art gallery where the kids introduced some pieces of art to us. There were also tables set up with colour pencils, stencils, stamps, and papers for us to appreciate the arts there hands on. This was a really fun experience and I truly enjoyed it. 

At the end of the day, the schools organized a dinner with our buddies and their parents. During the dinner they were really hospitable and kept concerning if we were hungry, if we are enjoying our time in Taiwan. They are really nice people and I enjoyed interacting with them.

DAY FIVE

iiCake(蛋糕毛巾咖啡馆),云林布袋式馆, Sacred Hearts High School, 台湾故事馆

In the morning, we woke up early to attend lessons in sacred hearts. We attended the balloon folding/sculpting and magic classes in groups and went around the school observing the students having their CCAs. There were scouts, some flag throwing CCA, and concert band. The teachers were really clear in their instructions and I understood them really well. Even though I was afraid of the balloon popping I had to muster my courage to sculp it. The magic class teacher gave us our very own magic set that we could bring home. The students in the same class helped us when we didn't know what to do and they were really caring. We also went to iiCake, which was a "cake store" except they sold towels in the shape of cakes and other stuff instead of actual cakes. We had a chance to experience making our own DIY cake towels. The staffs there explained each and every step to us and also went around making sure that we were doing it correctly,which I think was really nice of them to do that. 

We were also brought to 云林布袋式馆，which is a place about preserving the puppet history. Over there, we were brought around a museum before heading off to watch a puppet show. The guide there showed us the processes in a making a doll. While we were watching the puppet show, the guide talked about how this trade is dying out and how only a little people know how to do it. This made me realise the importance of preserving history and our older trades. That night, we went to a performance put up by the sacred hearts high school students. They showcased their great talent in the arts and truly awed me with their skills.

DAY SIX

Sacred Hearts High School, Janfusan Famcyworld(Amusement Park)

This was the day we finally got to go out with out buddies. Before that we had to attend Chinese, chemistry and home economics with the sacred hearts students. 

After a few hours of school and classes at sacred hearts, we met up with our buddies and we were brought to different places in Taiwan. Being the fun person she was, our buddy decided to bring us to a amusement park somewhere near the school. As it started raining halfway when we were driving there, we were a little demoralized but I assured myself it will still be fun as I haven't visited an amusement park for a long time. When we first reached, we were only able to enjoy some indoor activities and rides until the rain stopped. This include a haunted house and a circus performance. After the sun decided to come out, we headed off to some roller coaster rides and Vikings, which was a horribly scary but fun experience for me. The amusement park was famous for its Ferris wheel as it's the largest in Taiwan. However, we did not manage to get to the Ferris wheel in time before it closed, which was a pity. 

Our buddies then decided it was fine and brought us to a chicken store for dinner. The chicken there has to be one of the best I have tasted in a long time, and it was a truly filling dinner. We then to shop around before heading back to the hotel for our last night there.

DAY SEVEN

921 Earthquake Educational Park, Taoyuan Airport

it was our last day in Tainan and the days have passed so quickly. Everyone was sure that they would miss this place a whole lot when we return to Singapore. Before heading to the taoyuan airport, we were brought to the 921 earthquake educational park to spend our last day. The place was the actually scene of the earthquake and it was made into a museum to educate the people about earthquakes and their dangers. The whole place was really interactive with a chair like thing where you can experience the shaking during an actual earthquake. There were interactive exhibitions to widen our knowledge on earthquakes and even a 3D video. We were told by the guide that the earthquake in the school happened in the middle of the night after school hours, and luckily no one was hurt. However. The school has been destroyed quite badly and is not an environment for students to study in, thus ripping the students off a place to study. I feel bad for the people who were involved in the earthquake and hope that this would not happen again.

We then headed back to Singapore after that. 

The whole trip had been an enriching experience with lots of chances to interact and bond with my classmates. I really hope I can go on another trip like that again as I really enjoyed my time here. As I have fun, I learnt many things and values that can be applied to daily life. It was truly memorable and will stay deep in my heart forever

Individual reflection for OELP trip -Ting Yi

Day 1 24/05/14

We reached our hotel 十鼓文化村 at around 12am. Although it was late, many of us did not sleep until 1 plus as we were busy using the wifi there to contact our parents  

and talking to each other as well as analyzing our room. 

Our room was spacious and neat and it gives us a 'clean' feeling. However one thing I did not like about the room was that it was slippery and I almost fall if not for the bed. But overall the 3D2N stay was alright and nothing happened as I heard from a friend in 2L that their hotel was haunted or something and both of our classes were in Taiwan.

Day 2 25/05/14

The lives of the Taiwan people are different from us. On the way to our first museum, we saw many farms and the tour guide mentioned that some farmers were able to earn twice as much as office workers. That was shocking to us as we hardly see farms in Singapore and much less knew that farmers could earn much more than office workers during the season. 

The first museum we went was the Meinong Hakka Cultural Museum. 

In the museum, I learnt that there were 5 major migrations of the Hakka people and the distribution of Hakka accents. We were also told about the importance of 文字. Students had to respect books and can't throw them away or something like that. This also made me realize that we rely on talking and words for communication and it plays an important part in our daily lives. Without words, our lives will be affected. We had our lunch in Meinong and I got to try out 擂茶 which wasn't a bad experience in a sense. Then we went to Kaohsiung Museum of History, Kaohsiung cultural museum and the former British Consulate before ending off the day at Liuhe Night Market which was an eye opener for me as we don't have night markets in Singapore but have pasar malams instead.

SUMS UP DAY TWO

Day 3 26/05/14

In the tendrum village, we observed different types of drum performances and got to try out how to play the drums. We also visited Tainan confucius temple and chikhan tower where I learnt that people go there to pray for good results. We also had a chance to write down what we wish to achieve in term three on a slip of paper. I also got to know that Tainan confucius temple was a school for scholars in the past and I would like to try out the school life if I get a chance to. During our lunch at Anping old street we also got to try out the coffin toast and 弹珠汽水 which are not commonly found in Singapore, sadly. One thing that left a great impression on me was the fact that the big canyon in the eternal golden castle was not used at all in the past. 

ETERNAL GOLDEN CASTLE

Day 4 27/05/14

We went to Sacred hearts high school for an exchange programme. What surprised me was that the girls and boys are splitted into different classes although it was a mixed school. My buddy mentioned that it was to avoid distractions. I got a chance to attend one of their Japanese lessons with a few others and I noticed that their lessons were more of 快乐教育. We had a quiz and the students participated actively which is something I feel that we should learn from them. Whenever their teacher asks a question and I can tell that the teacher-student bond is quite close as they treated the teacher more of a friend than a student. The students also got a chance to self teach the class . I feel that it is a good experience as the presenter can gain more confidence and present better in front of a huge crowd. I also feel that the students will be more engaged in the lessons as they would not be shy or afraid to voice out their thoughts. We also went to Hwa Shan public visitation and the children there greeted us by playing violins. This got me thinking whether I should continue learning guitar. We also got to make out very own fenglishu which was an awesome hands on experience. 

DIY FENGLISHU AND PERFORMANCE BY CHILDREN IN HWA SHAN PUBLIC VISITATION 

Day 5 28/05/14

We went to xing long towel factory early in the morning. Although we were all tired as it was early, we were all excited by the sight of the towels that was folded in shapes of different things. We got to try how to fold our own towels. Next we went to yunlin puppet museum. We saw different types of puppets and I also learnt that the puppeteer had to speak in different accents and voice depending on the puppet's character. The puppeteer also mentioned that controlling puppets requires time to learn. Lastly, we also went to sacred hearts for a balloon and magic activity.

DIY TOWEL 

Day 6 29/05/14

In the morning, we went to sacred hearts and attended their chemistry, Chinese and home econs lessons. Their lessons are taught in Chinese and they have more freedom. 

In the afternoon, we had an afternoon out with our buddies and their parents. I went with a few others to a chicken and fruit farm which was an eye opener for me as it was my first time visiting one. In Singapore, hardly do we have free time. In the chicken farm, there was about 24 000 chickens. The farmer mentioned that they were getting their vaccination the next day and I wonder how all 24 000 chickens were going to get their vaccinations. It was a fun and memorable afternoon out.

BALLOON ACTIVITY 

Day 7 30/05/14

Our last day in Taiwan .

We went to 921 earthquake educational park.We gained a lot of information about earthquake prevention measures and got to see some buildings affected by the earthquake . It was another eye opener for me as we do not have earthquakes in Singapore which is something fortunate. 

Lastly, we went to Tao Yuan airport before heading back to Singapore. 

Individual Reflection for OELP Trip - Jaslyn ⚓️

Day 1 🍀 

Weather: -Nil-

Places visited: Kaohsiung International Airport and Ten Drums Hotel 

I've learnt that the way Taiwanese speak is quite different from Singaporeans. For example, when it's late at night, instead of saying “现在已经很晚了”, like most of us Singaporeans, they will say “现在已经很夜了”, which is something that's normal for them. Secondly, the tour guide gave us the world's number one bread, and it was pretty unqiue though the taste was slightly different as compared to the usual bread I consumed. It's healthy and personally, I think the way they made the bread shows how important health was to the people there. 

Day 2 🍀

Weather: -Nil-

Places visited: [In order] Meinong Folk Village, Meinong Hakka Culture Museum, Kaohsiung Hakka Cultural Museum, Kaohsiung Museum of History, Former British Consulate and Liu He Night Market

I've learnt (from the tour guide) that Taiwan is a “水果王国”, and that the farmers nowadays earn even more than the white-collared workers. Why is that so? Taiwan has more land as compared to Singapore, and most land have fertile soil suitable for farming, thus the farmers are able to yield more crops for the season. In Meinong, we went to the museum and the village, learning more about the history of it and also the places and buildings there that holds great historical value. In the village, we drank the 'Lei Cha', which is famous in Taiwan and uniquely Hakka. It can't be found in most places too. We also went to the other museums, learning about the importance of Hakka preservation, the tragic 228 incident in Kaohsiung, and also the history of the Former British Consulate. Values that we could learn from the Hakka Culture was that all of us should actually learn how to respect papers. In the olden days, people treated paper with great respect, because people thought that paper was the most essential thing needed for studying. Since olden days, people though that studying was something important to everyone if that one person wishes to achieve succes. Due to the fact that having a better education might allow people to rise to high political positions and gain fame for their family, people of course, valued studying more and to the extent that they thought that paper should be respected. The day ended off with a trip to the highly-anticipated LiuHe Night Market. We witnessed many people of different culture backgrounds touring the night market, with a look of awe on their faces. I've also seen many international cuisine sold there such as the Dorayaki and the Irish Ice-Cream. The Dorayaki was brought in when Japan invaded Taiwan, and though that one incident,you can see that the impact that the invasion brought to Taiwan was so significant that traces of the Japanese culture can still be found in Taiwan today.

Day 3 🍀

Weather: Sunny 

Places visited: Ten Drums Hotel, AnPing Fort and Old Street, Eternal Golden Castle, Tainan Confucius Temple and Chihkan Tower. 

The day started with a drum lesson in Ten Drums Hotel which we greatly enjoyed. After that, we went to watch a performance organised by the hotel itself. The drum players were trying their very best to give us their best performance and like what they've said, they wanted the tradition of Chinese drums to be passed down from one generation to the next , and it shows how preservation of this tradition was important for them. This was something that we could learn, since the younger generation are now more obsessed with their phones rather than trying to keep up with the traditional ways. For the Anping Fort and Old Street, I've learnt that the Dutch were the one who built the first fort in 1624, which was originally named Fort Zeelandia. Also, during the Dutch governance, slaves were brought in, commonly known as "Oo-Kui-Aa" or "黑鬼奴". Thirdly, the Eternal Golden Castle that we went to was a beautiful place with wonderful scenery. I've learnt that the tunnel built there was made from resources such as sugar and sticky rice instead of the cement that we are using nowadays. It shows how intelligent and how resourceful people was in the past. However, I've often wondered how much time they would need to build just one tunnel using all these materials instead if the cement that was quick and easy. Later on, we went to the Tainan Confucius Temple and Chihkan Tower. Both places were visited by many tourists and were famous places of interests. For these two places, they are often visited by students who wish to get good results, and also for students who wish to get into a school of their choice. Tainan Confucius temple is also the first school in Taiwan, thus making it a popular tourist attraction as people are interested to see the schools and classrooms of the past. Overall, I got to know more about Taiwan's history and also its traditions, and that the fact that Taiwan's many buildings are constructed the way it is now due to past foreign influence. I look forward to gaining more knowledge. 

Day 4 🍀

Weather: Sunny 

Places visited: Sacred Hearts High School (正心中学), Hwa Shan Public School and legend of Coffee Mountain

Today, we went to Sacred Hearts Hihg School for an exchange programme. I went for their English lesson and we played games such as "Mix & Match" and also charades. From here, I learnt that SHHS uses “快乐教育” which is more engaging and fun as compared to the lessons we have in RV. I also think that students should learn to be more active and enthusiastic during lessons like the students of Sacred Hearts High School. In RV, students are generally shy unlike the students of Sacred Hearts High School who are more outgoing. Even if there are certain questions that we want to raise, we mostly do not have the courage to speak up in class, a situation rarely seen in SHHS. Thus, this was a point that RV could learn from SHHS. Secondly, we went to "Legend of Coffee Mountain" where we made pineapple tarts. I've last learnt the reason behind pineapples hats ( an item used to block a pineapple from the hot sun), and it's because of the reason that it will cool the pineapple down (If the pineapple is too hot, the quality will not be good). Hwa Shan public school was the last place that we went to. We saw many arts exhibits by “下课了”, and we also watched a performance by the 43 children in the school. I saw a boy with great presentation skills too. Despite his young age, he had confidence as he spoke to us, maintaining eye contact as he explained the art piece with clear articulation and a booming voice. I think that I could learn from him despite him being my junior. I look forward to tomorrow. 

Day 5 🍀

Weather: Sunny and Rainy

Places visited: Sacred Hearts High School, Xing Long Towel Factory, 云林布袋馆，台湾故事馆

Firstly, we went to Xing Long Towel Factory and we did our own DIY towel puppet (dog). I've learnt many useful information about towels such as the points we have to consider when buying towels. (The colour, the smell, the tag, and its ability to absorb water), which is applicable in daily life. Secondly, we went to 云林布袋馆 and 台湾故事馆, where we learnt about the puppets and also more information about the history of Taiwan. Puppets dates back to a long time ago, and it was commonly used during Chinese operas. For every character, there would be a different type of personality that they have, and when their faces are carved through special wood, all of their expressions are mostly different too. Each puppet is a special character of its own and I found that pretty interesting. I've learnt about 黄俊雄, a famous and skilled puppeteer in this area, and also the “三大” of Hu Wei, which are the sweets, the towels produced by the towel factory and also the puppets. The sweets were rather expensive in the past, and for most, those who owned sweets were people of higher status. Hence, people who were richer would always give sweet to their guests, which is a sign of their hospitality, yet indirectly showing that their family was pretty wealthy. Lastly, we went back to SHHS, where we attended the ballon sculpting and magic lessons. I found that a unqiue experience. In RV, most lessons are about learning the topics that was tested at the end of the year. The only time where we can attend other lessons such as calligraphy is when there is a special occasion. I think these type of lessons provided in Sacred Hearts High School is something that should be used in RV so as to better develop the other hidden talents of students. We even went to look at some of their CCAs, such as Scouts and Band. I've learnt about the differences that exists between theirs and ours CCAs, such as scouts which is solely for boys in SHHS unlike RV where girls can join in too. I look forward to the buddy outing tomorrow! :)

Day 6 🍀

Weather: Rainy and Sunny 

Places visited: Sacred Hearts High School, 剑湖山 Amusement Park 

Today, the day started with a trip to SHHS where we attended three lessons respectively. The first lesson was a Chinese lesson, and during that period of time, the teacher taught us a poem that was easy to comprehend once she explained to us the definitions and the meaning behind this poem. We went to the Chemistry Lab for a Chemistry lesson next, and there, after the teacher explained briefly, the teacher let the students do what they think is best as they followed the textbook but occasionally, he will check up on us to see our progress. I realized that for these two lessons, air-conditioning was provided in the room unlike RV, and another thing was that instead of whiteboards and markers, they used blackboards and chalks. Also, they used a radio to listen to the poem instead of using a laptop like most of us do. Lastly, we went for a home economics lesson. There, instead of teaching us step by step personally in RV, they showed them a video before allowing them to complete their work, which was a sign of how much the teachers trusted their students and how they gave the students a chance to be independent. The lesson was something that I truly enjoyed as I cooked several dishes with my friends and buddies, interacting with them along the way. After all of that, I went to the Amusement park with my buddy, along with some of my classmates (Audrey, Carine, Charmaine), her friend (Buddy of Carine and Audrey) and their mothers. There, we went on to several rides such as the Viking Ship and we had a wonderful time together. We also went to the haunted house and we even managed to appreciate an acrobatics performance by people who came from overseas. We even ate our dinner at a local fast food restaurant similar to KFC and the food was absolutely delicious! Overall, the day ended in a blink of an eye, and at around 8pm, it was finally time to say goodbye. Despite being strangers at first, we managed to warm up to one another. This friendship is something that I will treasure forever. 

Day 7 🍀

Weather: -NIL-

Places visited: 921 Earthquake Educational Park, Taoyuan Airport and Changi Airport

Before we went to Taoyuan airport, we went to a place called 921 Earthquake Educational Park. Upon reaching there, the assistants told us to spit out our bubblegums before we could proceed on to visiting the inside of the place. There, the tour guide (陈大哥）further explained to us what happened during the earthquake. It happened in the middle of the night, probably around 2am and hence, no students were present, which was something fortunate. However, their schools were wrecked and completely destroyed, making it impossible for them to study in such an environment. Thus, they were unable to study in this school anymore and it caused several problems for the student population. The government kept this site till now so that it would serve as a reminder to the others that an earthquake wasn't something that shouldn't be belittled and ignored. Hence, several exhibitions were showcased so as to allow the people to learn more on earthquakes and the things that they could do during one to make sure that they stay safe from the dangers present. I think this is something that Singapre should actually learn, despite having no natural disasters, we have other problems as well such as floods and so on, and during this times, people is mostly at a loss on what to do. So, Singapore could actually teach the residents how and what to do during such problems and learn from Taiwan. Shortly after, we went to view a 3D video which shows the situation during a massive earthquake that occurred in Taiwan, and through this, we've learnt about the dangers that exist during earthquakes in Taiwan, and that she should appreciate the fact that Singapore is much safer country as compared to Taiwan. After that, we went to Taoyuan Airport and went back to Singapore~