OELP Daily Reflections

   

 
 

OELP Daily Reflection

Day 1:

Day 2:

Day 3:

Day 4:

Day 5:

Day 6:

Day 7:

- Jessie (2)

CID Reflection with daily reflections

Keefe

Even though the trip to China was merely 7 Days, it has definitely increased my knowledge of it and i have learnt not only about the history and culture of China but also life skills. Before the trip, i thought that ShangHai would have old Chinese buildings but on day 1, we went to the Bund and the european style skyscrapers shocked me.We later learnt that it was due to foreign aggression in the past. The tour guide told us about the history of China and we learnt alot like for example China had gone through lots of wars and developed alot to get this far. From this i finally know what the idiom" Rome wasn't build in a day" means. I should not fly without even learning how to walk. Everything has to be learnt and hard work is needed to be successful.

After our dinner at night time, we visited the Bund again but this time we took the boat that went around it. The night view was amazing but the wind was chilly. While we were going around the Bund, we saw that the skycrapers all had lights and advertisements on them. Some buildings still had laser show and the colour of their lights seem to be planned beforehand. From this, i can tell that the government puts tourism before anything else. The government is more concerned about economical growth than cultural heritage.While in Yangzhou, there wasn't any skyscrapers and there were only few lightings at the Grand Canal at night The people there has a slow paced and relaxed life. They are more concerned about the cultural heritage of Yang Zhou than their economical growth. For example, Shanghai has a airport while YangZhou doesn't. The government of China puts more attention on Shanghai and focuses on earning money from tourism while preserving the culture of China in other areas. In Yangzhou, the people are keen on preserving the cultural of it for example, we went to the block printing museum and interviewed the people working there. They said that they are doing the job so that the culture will not vanish and so to preserve the culture. Even though the pay is less, they still do it so as to preserve the culture of China. Another example is the paper cutting museum that promotes Yangzhou's paper cutting. Yangzhou still has lots of things that they do to preserve their own culture and from this i think Singapore should learn from them. We should put in more effort to preserve our own culture. For example, Singapore can build more museums about our culture like for example there is already the Peranankan Museum. We can also build themed restaurants like the Lushi restaurant which will attract tourists.

For example,  on Day 2, we visitied Hai Di Lao for lunch. When our bus reached the restaurant, there were already two waitresses waiting there to lead us into their restaurant. Furthermore, they provided spectacles cloth for people with spectacles and apologised for trivial matters like forgetting to refill a cup. Their waitresses are all thoughtful and friendly, leaving a good impression after we leave and making us want to return again. This taught me that no only the quality of food decides the reputation of a restaurant or even a small hawker center, but also the attitude of the waiters. With the customers as priority, the restaurant has been successful and from this i learnt that i have to serve people with passion and care when i am serving or leading people. I feel that Singapore waiters should also learn from their attitude and not serve customers with a glum face. With an attitude like this, Singapore restaurants will build up more reputation and will become more famous.

On the 4th day, we went to 杨大附中中学. We learnt from the students that they end school everyday at 6pm and come to school at the same time as us. They have more homework than us and some students even come back to school on weekends.  During classes, they all sit up straight and pay attention even though they have longer curriculum hours. After seeing their hectic school life, i now think that Singapore's education system is quite relaxed and slow-paced unlike in Yangzhou. However, we should learn from their attitude and be more hardworking. Their school doesn't have ccas and i feel lucky that our school has them. CCAs not only helps the person learn about knowledge or train but also build his or her character. I feel that Ccas are important as they help relieve stress and helps the student to relax.

Last but not least, Singapore is facing a threat as many countries are developing even faster than us. For example, in the past, Changi Airport was the top airport in the world but many countries are already catching up . Not only that, Singapore is such a small country , if we don't start improving, we will soon be replaced and forgotten. I feel that Singapore should learn from other countries like for example, people in Yangzhou take the effort to promote their culture and i think Singapore should do it too. The government should start building more museums to promote chinese culture or themed restaurants like lushi mansion. We should also work on what we are famous for like our medical facilities. This will not make Singapore useless and will make Singapore a better place.

OELP Reflections (finally)

From this OELP trip to Yangzhou, China, I have learned to be more aware of the values and beliefs from China. These values and beliefs are, in my opinion, indeed different from the ones we have in Singapore. The economical and developmental growth and the education system in China also differ from those in Singapore in several aspects.

The education system of China is very different from the education system in Singapore. Apart from the fact that the lessons in China are almost always taught in Chinese, the school hours are also quite different. I used to think Singapore’s education system was tiring, as there were days, i.e. CCA days and days of special events, that I found were too long, and as such, I found Singapore’s education system to be flawed. However, compared to the system in China, I now find Singapore’s education system and hours to be laid-back. Compared to the school in Yangzhou, China, where the students have a full day of lessons until 6pm, with little rest, every weekday without fail, we in Singapore are only made to stay back that late for two days while we are released relatively early on other days.

In this trip, I visited Shanghai and Yangzhou, two cities in China with a long history and rich culture. I feel that these two cities in China have been very successful in preserving and promoting their culture. By modernizing some of these areas, while still keeping the “essence” of cultural history and tradition, Shanghai and Yangzhou have made places of historical value into tourist attractions as well. I also like how the Lushi Old Mansion in Yangzhou is a place with rich cultural heritage which tells us how Chinese mansions were like at that time, as well as a restaurant within the mansion that also serves traditional food like Yangzhou fried rice. The restaurant with reference to a theme is an interesting concept and I believe Singapore has the potential to adopt that concept.

I also learned more about the economical and developmental growth of China. During the trip to Volkswagen, I could see why China had a high rate of economical and developmental growth. The versatile ideas of car models, the quick and efficient production of cars, the intricate mechanism of the factory, and the amount of innovation that goes into each model of car has contributed to the success of Volkswagen over the years.

As for the differences in the values and beliefs of China and Singapore, one can see some obvious differences. One example can be seen in Shanghai’s 海底捞, a restaurant where customer service has played a huge role in its success. The staffs of the restaurant are extremely helpful and friendly towards their customers and treat them with respect, approaching the customers involuntarily, should the need ever arise, even if customers don’t specifically call the staffs for help at any given time. I also notice a huge difference between the values and beliefs of the two countries during the bullet train ride. The locals in China show consideration for others by lining up in preparation to board the train. They also allow passengers to alight before entering. However, in Singapore, people usually push in a rush to get in before others, no doubt thanks to the “kiasu” attitude that Singaporeans tend to adapt. Singapore has much to learn from China in terms of good values and beliefs.

Overall, I have learned a lot about China during this OELP trip. Not just about China’s history, but also about its present, its economical and developmental growth, its education system, and the people’s values and beliefs. I wonder if Singapore will ever adopt any of these good values and beliefs, or methods of promoting Singapore’s cultural history.

Ian Lim (26) 2G OELP Reflections

Group 5 Presentation Critique

Their presentation is loud and clear. There is interaction with audience and eye contact. A few of the members stutter and hesitate during the presentation. Most of them keep looking at the script as well. Transition between group members are relatively smooth and team efficiency is quite good as they are clear on which slide to stop on and do not jump slides. Both points of view of the theme is differentiated clearly. A lot of facts are provided to back up their point. One of the group members speak a little too quickly.

Group 4 Presentation Critique

They have more eye contact with audience and used placards. Presentation was quite loud and clear. They did not have much hand gestures. Good point is that their transition from one member to the other is clear and smooth. But their team efficiency has room for improvement as they keep getting their slides mixed up. They provided souvenirs and items from the trip to give visual examples. A few of the members stutter quite a bit and break into laughter from nerves. They did not relate back to the theme. 

Group 3 Presentation Critique

Group 3 presentation was very detailed and provided statistics as evidence. But a few of their group members did not have a good posture and leaned against the whiteboard. Eye contact is quite often overall in this group. One good point is that they provided a lot of visual information which shows that they came prepared with research to back up their point. A few of the members spoke quite softly as well. Good points about their presentation is that they linked back to their theme and gave concrete evidence for their points. However, the things they presented were not related to the oelp trip.