Hey I'm Kristy :) I'm not the creative type of person and this may seem like some boring introduction, but I'm trying my best so bear with me ok?
To start off, there are a few simple things that define me as a person. Friends, family, fun and laughter. Since I'm kind of an introverted person that only talks to people who I'm close to, friends and family play a very important role in my life. They always support me whenever in doubt and they make life more interesting and meaningful.
Due to this, I have also developed a liking for making others laugh. Because why not? Laughter is like the simplest and most enjoyable thing at ever existed. But the best part is watching the way others laugh. Especially people who clap like seals while silently choking themselves. It may sounf like I'm very mean, but admit it we all enjoy that right?
I guess that's all for my introduction :P
THE EXTRAORDINARY IN ORDINARY
HAPPINESS AND POVERTY
As cliché as the answer may sound, being rich does not necessarily bring one happiness. Thankfully, poverty is not a major problem in Singapore as our Government take measures to help those financially unstable. Everyone has at least enough money to buy daily necessities and even a decent hand phone. Yet, Singapore is one the unhappiest countries.
Singaporeans tend to define “happiness” as having luxurious goods. Because of our ‘kiasu’nature, we all don't want to lose to people who are richer than us. We become very materialistic, trying to get our hands on expensive goods to show people that we are as good as them. Due to all these, it creates a vicious cycle where we only focus on getting more money, focusing on opportunities to get promotions or bonuses, testing our luck on lottery and gambling,etc.
Not only does it affect our relationships with family and friends, but also affects our happiness. We sacrifice our time sent with loved ones just to pursue money so that they can be ‘happy’. But in the end, the money is just spent on buying overly priced objects to compete with others. Although it is undeniable that we need money to survive, to buy food and water. There are some things that money can't buy, for instance our family and friends.
Overall, I don't think wealth is essential for someone to be happy. Even though wealth can bring someone a certain extent of happiness, in terms of being able financially support your welfare. But without money, people would be happier as they are able to spend more time with their loved ones. Being wealthy can make you happy, but it is not a guarantee of happiness.
CHINGAY 2016
Dating back to 1972, due to the ban of firecrackers as a result of fire hazards, the first Chingay parade in Singapore was held on the 4th of February 1973 by Mr Lee Kuan Yew to bring back the festive mood during the Chinese New Year period. Since the Chingay Parade was so well received by the public, this has been carried on since and celebrates its 44th anniversary this year. This was how it all started.
The purpose of the first Chingay Parade was not only to bring the festive mood back after the ban of firecrackers but also toward off evil spirits and in other countries and to celebrate the birth of Chinese deities. Therefore, majority of the achingly parade audience were Chinese. However from 1976, Chingay Parade took a multicultural stance and is enjoyed and performed by the Malays as well as Indians and Eurasians.
The first Chingay had only a few Chinese performances, but now, there are different kinds of vibrant performances performed by many people from different backgrounds. Ever since the first Chingay, the festival has reached out to the respective ethnic groups-Malay, Indian, European, etc. Chingay 2016 has also evolved to be more than just a local event. This year, 14 international groups from 9 countries are also participating in this event, letting the audience experience the dynamism of different cultures beyond Singapore. These changes were made to let everybody-regardless of race, language or religion to come together to celebrate to welcome the new year. It bonds all of us together, as one Singapore. It also encourages racial harmony and to learn and understand everybody's different cultures.
Furthermore, the parade used to be held in the morning as people believed that this was the opportune time to prepare the deities for their annual journey. Yet in 1990, the Chingay Parade was changed to an evening-to-night parade so that there would be a change in the overall feel of the parade where lights dominate in the dark. I feel that this change took place so that fireworks can loom in the dark sky and create a more heartening atmosphere for the audience as we attend the Chingay Parade.
The theme for this year's Chingay Parade is "Lights of Legacy, Brighter Singapore", celebrating the legacy and wisdom of our founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, and pledging our support and live by the 5 core values: Racial Harmony and Social Cohesion, Caring Community, Resilience as a Nation, Can-do Singapore spirit and Uphold high moral values.
I think that the purpose of Chingay 2016 is to celebrate as one nation the core values that have brought us from a Malay fishing village to a prosperous and modern Singapore we are living in now. On one of the floats, it says "Because We Are Different, We Are One". Here in Singapore, age, race, language, and creed are no barriers. We celebrate as one Singapore, together. This allows us to create a brighter future for Singapore and to bring different races, religions and people of all walks of life together.
I feel that the organisers have successfully fulfilled the purpose as Chingay 2016. It is the first year to introduce a joint performance by 30 religious organisations and groups. This will give Singaporean a sense of pride that Singapore is a nation that has inter-racial and inter-religious harmony. It is also a reminder that the racial and religious harmony that Singaporeans enjoy today was forged through trials of fire and it is something that we should not take for granted.
Chingay 2016 left a deep impression on me as it was the first time I witnessed so many many coming together to put up such a wonderful performance, despite coming from different ethnic communities.
3-2-1 REFLECTION
3 things I learnt:
- Singapore have had 2 child policy before
- China abolished their 1 child policy
- Singapore and China removed their policy due to ageing population and low birth rate.
2 perceptions:
- Government is trying to help maintain the population growth
- People are upset because they have a limit of only having one child
1 Question:
- What else can the government do to maintain population growth without upsetting the citizens?
WHY SINGAPORE SHOULD NOT BE COMPLACENT WITH HER ACHIEVEMENTS?
Firstly, by being complacent is to be smug or proud of oneself. If Singapore has such an attitude towards our success today, we would have wasted all of our founding fathers' time and effort to build up Singapore. For us to have come such a long way, our founding fathers have sacrificed a lot of things in order for Singapore to prosper. They did not give up, they persevered and kept on improving. But if we, the new generations think that we have reached the top and is above everyone, we will stop improving and will cease to have to urge or motivation to improve ourselves. If Singapore regards herself as the best, she will limit herself to push for greater heights. This will eventually lead to the fall of our nation.
Secondly, we do not have the rights to be complacent. We are not everything. The world still could live without the existence of Singapore simply because of our lack of natural resources. But the reason why we think we are so high up there is because we still think that we are the most important factor why the world is surviving. But the truth is that no other country is in desperate need of us and we do not have the rights to think that we are important and thus be complacent.
Therefore, Singapore should never be complacent of her achievements.
PRE-TRIP REFLECTION
From these 7 days in Suzhou, I wish to be more exposed and to learn more about Chinese culture. I know different parts of China have different cultures and practices and even though they are all Chinese, they are all unique and special. Specifically I would like to know more about Suzhous culture and history, and learn about some of their tourist attractions such as the guan qian jie. I also would like to learn more about their food and compare it with Singapores.
I am also curious about what are the interests youths have in China. For instance, in RV, a lot of students either enjoy kpop, Taiwanese or western music. I want to know whether Chinese youths actually do enjoy the stereotypical cpop, or if they enjoy similar things to us.
I would also like to know more about their education system as it is very well known that Chinese students are always under a lot of stress and pressure to do well for exams and have a good future. I would like to know whether the students themselves feel stressed and whether the work load is really too much to handle. And if so, learn from them their methods to cope with stress and workload.
I also really love food and eating and love xiaolongbao. I would like to try out the process of making the xiaolongbao myself so that I will be able to further appreciate it.
I hope that we will bond to be much closer as a class and as friends through this trip. I hope we all enjoy this trip together and grow as people and gain a lot more knowledge about China.
Post-Trip Reflection
Trip task (Cost of living)
1. $10 challenge
This bottle of coca cola cost 2 RMB ($0.40) in the Chinese supermarket. In Singapore it cost around $1.20. The price in Singapore is 3 times the price in China. So for $10, we can buy 25 bottles of coca cola in China.
2. Interview
When we asked the tour guide about the cost of living, she states that there were many differences in the cost of living of people who lived in the different parts China. This was because China is very big and there are rural parts of it as well as more urbanised areas. However I was unable to ask the bus driver as we had limited to no interaction.
3. Supermarket
The supermarket had brands that I have never seen before as they also sell a lot more local brands as compared to Singapore which have lesser local brands as compared to imported brands. The cashiers were the same as Singapore's as they were all very friendly and patient with us. They spoke slower for us when they realised we were Singaporean students. Items are categorised neatly into aisles for easy access.
Trip Task (Education)
Post-Trip Reflection
I choose to go on this trip because it was the first time I
would be spending a week away from my parents to visit a foreign country. I
thought that being given the opportunity to learn more and gain a deeper
understanding of the Chinese culture was a good experience. Since the Chinese
culture in Singapore is not really practiced even though majority of our
population are Chinese. Furthermore, I felt that this trip would allow me to
become more independent instead of relying on my parents for reminders. Hence,
I decided to go on this trip to experience the authentic Chinese culture.
Some decisions that I made when I choose to go on this trip
were the things I needed to pack or what are the items I could or could not
buy. However, the main decision I made was about leaving my parents for 1 whole
week. Even though I knew that they would not always be here to look over me, I
was still afraid that I would not know what to do when met with certain
circumstances. Throughout the trip, my parents would not be there telling me
what to do, what to pack, what to buy. And hence, it was a decision I had to
make when I chose to go on this trip.
Through this trip, I wish to be more exposed to and learn
more about the Chinese culture. I know that different parts of China have
different cultures and practices even though they are all Chinese.
Specifically, I wanted to know more about Suzhou’s culture and heritage. And
also learn more about their food and see how different it is from Singapore’s
version. I am also curious about what are the interests the youths have in
China. I wanted to know whether, like us, they like K-Pop or if they enjoy
similar things to us. I would also like to know more about the Chinese
Education system as the Chinese are well known for the stressful and
pressurising expectation to do well in examinations. I would like to know if
the students themselves are actually that stressed and is the work load is too
much to handle. And if so, learn from them their methods to cope with stress
and workload.
One situation that has impacted me the most would be when I
attended classes in Lida Middle School. Before visiting the trip, I thought
that all Chinese Students would be very quiet and studious. However, during the
exchange programme I realised that that was not the case. During their breaks,
they would play and mingle with their friends. Some were even playing catch in
the classroom. However, as soon as the bell rang, they return to their seats
quickly and quietly. They were very attentive and responsive to the teacher
during lesson. This impacted me because, for one, it changed my perspective of
Chinese students. And also, unlike Singaporean students, they would answer the
teachers question without hesitation even though they had the wrong answer.
One person that taught me more than what could be achieved
in the classroom would be my buddy’s father. After meeting him, I was shocked by
the hospitality shown to me and the effort made that allowed me to feel
comfortable. He tried his best to communicate in English as he thought that I
was more accustomed to it and would allow us to communicate more easily. He
showed me the daily life of his family and how it was different in the previous
province they stayed in. He allowed me to view Singapore from a foreigner’s
point of view by sharing his experience in Singapore not less than a week
before my visit.
One fact that impacted me the most was that Singapore could
have been left behind if not for the efforts of the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew. He
contributed in the development of Singapore, helping to advance our technology
and standard of living. Instead of being complacent and keeping our methods of
development to ourselves, he decided to collaborate with Suzhou to build the
Suzhou Industrial park. A platform where both Singapore and China can share
methods and try out new ways to further enhance both countries’ development. If
not for such a decision, other countries would eventually take over and
Singapore will be left behind. And Singapore would just be a little red dot,
nothing more. From here, I learnt that, by constantly sharing information with
others, both parties will get benefits. In a sense that both parties are able
to learn and improve from each other, hence allowing them to prosper and
advance further.
From this trip, I felt that I have grown more independent
and able to rationalise why people are doing things in such a way. For example, in the silk factory, where the
sales people kept pestering us to buy their products which were kind of overly
priced. Initially, all I thought of was that they were too desperate and were
very annoying. However, after observing the state of the building. I realised
that they could be doing this because people have lost interest in this culture
and affected their business. They could be an independent organisation that
depends on the money they earn selling the silk embroideries and other
souvenirs as the walls if the building were quite old. And because of this, I grew more curious as
to why these things happen and how people are able to solve these problems.
Instead of listening for the sake of listening, like this is so and so, I would
genuinely try to probe further and gain a deeper understanding of these things.
Some long term changes I hope that takes place would be a
stronger friendship between the students of 2G. We experience many things
during the trip, be it rehearing for our performance, going high during the
long bus rides or laughing over moments we had. I hope that through these
experiences, we would be able to be closer to one another instead of sticking
to the regular group of friends.
One thing that I have learnt in China and would like to
take back to Singapore would be the level of self-discipline the Chinese
students have. They have a distinct difference in behaviour during and out of
lessons. They are so well-behaved during lessons that the teachers do not even
need to waste their efforts scolding or punishing students for things like not
paying attention or not doing homework. They are also able to cope with stress
despite the fact that only 40% of Chinese students are able to graduate.
In
conclusion, this trip provided be with an enriching and meaningful experience,
where I learnt things that could never be taught in the classroom and allowed
me to grow into a better person. I hope that I will be given more opportunities
such as this even to countries beyond China. Trip task (Cost of living)
1. $10 challenge
This bottle of coca cola cost 2 RMB ($0.40) in the Chinese supermarket. In Singapore it cost around $1.20. The price in Singapore is 3 times the price in China. So for $10, we can buy 25 bottles of coca cola in China.2. Interview
When we asked the tour guide about the cost of living, she states that there were many differences in the cost of living of people who lived in the different parts China. This was because China is very big and there are rural parts of it as well as more urbanised areas. However I was unable to ask the bus driver as we had limited to no interaction.
3. Supermarket
The supermarket had brands that I have never seen before as they also sell a lot more local brands as compared to Singapore which have lesser local brands as compared to imported brands. The cashiers were the same as Singapore's as they were all very friendly and patient with us. They spoke slower for us when they realised we were Singaporean students. Items are categorised neatly into aisles for easy access.
Trip Task (Education)
1. Observe a school lesson with your buddy
The way the teacher teaches during class is not unlike Singaporean teachers. They expect full attention and would call students up to answer questions. The class environment during class is very quiet and the students are all very attentive. However out of the class, they are very lively and energetic, they might be a bit too loud however. The students there are quite curious and they seem to like studying or at least have motivation to study. The lessons I had to attend were Math, History and Moral education. I had difficulty understanding most of the lessons because the teaching was really fast-paced, especially Math. All the mathematical terms were in Chinese and they were learning a different topic from ours. However I found it quite fun as I got to learn quite a lot of new terms. I think that the environment in the classroom is like ours and not that stressful at all in actual fact.
2. Take 5 photos each that will tell the story of school life in your buddy's school
Physical development
Interesting learning facilities
A big library with many learning materials
Physical development
Learning of music in the music room
The students have an all rounded education.
3. Interview your buddy to find out about youth and school culture
My buddy's says that they will always have homework everyday however she does not seem so stressed out and my impression of her is very relaxed. She does not have tuition even though I heard that some of my friend's buddies do have tuition out of their school context. The school culture seems quite similar to Singapore's except I do not see any students with their phones be it during class or even when they are leaving school unlike us Singaporean students who always seem to have our phones with us.
4. What is one thing you would like to learn from the school and see it applied in RV
One thing I would like to learn from the school and see it being applied in RVHS is the hardworking nature of the students. This would help me because I feel that this would motivate me do my homework as well as improve my grades faster.
Trip Task (Heritage and Monuments)
1. Select a location that represents the place you were at
在我们行程的第三天，我们到了木渎古镇在那里参加“考试”。那里四处都是树，大多数的商店也看起来很旧，看起来很有趣。在两条街中间还有一条小河。我们走了一下，就开始排队坐船。我们上了船后，掌舵的阿姨问了我们是否要听她唱一些歌。但是大家都需要给她一元。当时，由于我们不想“浪费钱”，就反对了。可是她却长了连佛道三首歌，虽然她长的蛮好听，我们当这年代的孩子都不会欣赏这中音乐。我觉得这张图片能够代表木渎古镇，因为那船程留下了最大的印象。
2. Take photos to show the tension between heritage and modernisation
Heritage
Modernisation
Creative
ReplyDelete