Yi Ting (10)

DAY SEVEN

All good things always have to come to an end as they always say, and as for this trip it is also the same. The past 6 days haven been an enjoyable time and I must say that I have enjoyed myself immensely. I definitely felt the bond in our CID group strengthen and our class has also became more united and cooperative. Our classmates got to know each other better during this  trip and we also had enquires a lot of new knowledge on China. On the last day of China, we visited the Qibao Ancient Town, where many cultural items were sold there such as traditional costumes and masks. As it was the last day of the trip, we treasured that day way more than the past few ones. We decided to do the secret mission given out to the whole class; doing the visa dance in front of a famous backdrop. Therefore, whilst having a famous Chinese signboard above as, we recruited our fellow classmate to film the whole dance down. At first we were very embarrassed of having to do such exaggerated actions in public. We were all giggling while trying to shuffle our feet at the  same time. A mini crowd was formed due to our "performance" the 30seconds felt like eternity as I felt like hiding myself into a hole as he fellow residents there stared at us like we were. A couple of weirdos. We probably were to them though, if anyone also did that I would have also judged them^^. We bought our group identity cat ears and took a commemorative picture with it. The boys in our CID group were reluctant to wear ot, saying how girly it looked, however they actually looked nice in it. They immediately took down the hair bands after the photo. However, once the whole class has assembled together, I realized that our cat ears, group identity, was the most decent one out of all. Some guys donned frilly hats with laces, while some donned Minnie Mouse's colorful bow, it was quite an awful sight. On the way to our next destination, Mr Dela Cruz, posed a question to us. Why is it possible for traditional items to be sold there in huge masses and will not be unpopular whereas if you do it in the city areas, the shop would be unpopular? We then arrived to a conclusion after a mini discussion amongst ourselves. Actually the people there grew up with such a culture and it is only known to that small village, therefore it is possible for those shops to survive under those circumstances as that was what the villagers were accustomed to. Next we went to the Shanghai museum, where we saw many ancient artifacts and learned more about the hChinese culture, different Chinese coins, tribes, Buddhas, paintings, furniture and many more. Our CID group tagged along with our form teacher as he is our History teacher, thus having much mire knowledge on the background of China than us. He slowly explained to us the many artifacts found in the museum and its background story. Without his explanation, we probably would have browsed through the whole museum in 30 mins, but with Mr Dela Cuz around, I listened attentively to his explanation and learner much from it. The allocated 1hr plus was definitely not enough. We then realized that the museum is situated near the Government house our bodies when we, showing how the government feels proud about China's rich heritage and wants to flaunt it, thus having such a historical museum beside its iconic central headquarters. The day has finally ended and we were all reluctant to leave behind our beautiful memories made in China. As we boarded the plane, I quietly bid a final farewell to China as we headed back to Singapore. It feels good to be home now, but the trip has definitely enriched me with a lot of information which I never knew, and it still makes me feel nostalgic about it. The trip is definitely a memorable one that I will never forget.

DAY SIX

We woke up in the morning with a start, heading towards the famous Cheng Huang Miao, as its name suggest I imagined the place to be a smoky temple with prayers and chantings, however it is actually a modernized street where Westernized setting can be seen as it flaunts its Chinese traditional double storied shophouses whilst selling modern and in things. Our group was very adventurous as we wandered towards the smaller alleys on the other side of the temple. We were very far away from the temple.  However the place here was very crowded and we were wary of pickpockets, but with our striking neon pink class tee we were easily identified. I bought some traditional Shanghai goodies there and departed for the next place. We arrived at the a science and technology museum, there, we saw exhibits of animal and insects. They were made out of wax but looked very real life. We then went on to watch this 4D movie which illustrates the different reactions that happen in our bodies when we take a pill. The movie was a bit childish and the animation was quite bad, however, the message got across very clear as the body fights back to keep our immune system strong and healthy. Then we moved onto the Oriential Pearl Tower. It was probably the tallest tower I had ever seen in my life and it was very majestic. With the unique architecture behind us, we took a class photo with our class tees, in register order to commemorate the special place. The floors were made out of glass and it was quite scary at first. But later we began trying out different daring poses for the camera. By looking down and looking at the clear picture of city Shanghai, I made a discovery. Many people these days have a very bad impression of China, often belittling them because of some behavior and stereotyping that the place was dirty and the people were rude. The buildings and roads, looking down were very well developed as the roads were very organized with lanes and there were even platforms where it could accommodate more vehicles on the road, showing their development in the country. I realized that the perception I had was wrong as I had finally seen the beautiful charming part of China. By the it was night time, we went to Tianzifang, where the places there were very westernized and modern. As it had this setting, the things there were a but more pricey than usual, and thus I did not shop there.

DAY FIVE

Early in the morning, we headed to a small alley where there were many shops selling jades and ornaments there. It was nothing much to see as the jades and stones were not to my liking. However, I watched a man perform magic tricks to the public as he advertised his products enthusiastically. Then we went to the Slender West Lake, where we later found out that there are many different stories to each different famous architectures. There was one that was particularly interesting where it is said to be a man who saw 24 beautiful ladies on a bridge smiling at him, thus he built a bridge with 24 steps on each side, with a diameter and circumference of numbers related to 2 and 4, the bridge was built. Then we had an idea. The girls in our class coincidentally are also 24, so the 24 of us went up onto the bridge, each girl taking one step as we took a picture there with the bustling people. then we visited the famous writer ZhuZiQing, the author of 背影。The writer portrays deep feelings for his dad as he writes the short story, which touched our hearts as we could relate to the story. The house has been preserved as Yangzhou treasures such an artistic man who once lived, thus hoping that the culture of such a man can be passed down to our generation. Later, we went to the Dongguan street where I saw many people there. There was a filming site on the same day we went as there was a Gu Zheng competition there. The road seemed endless. Despite giving us 2hrs to shop the entire street, it was not enough as the street was littered with many shops which intrigued us greatly. We then went up thus mini tower which had a bird eye view on the whole place. It was breathtaking looking down.

 DAY FOUR and THREE

Both days were entitled to meeting our new friends from the school, called Shu Ren. The school was very huge and it housed many students there. There were many students of different age there studying. The school had many facilities. The school welcomed us warmly into their premises as we watched how lessons were conducted there. The students were quite spontaneous in answering the teacher's questions, unlike us, which was a learning point to take note of. Their schooling hours were long and tiring and they even had to stay in school till late at night for revision which was different from how things worked in our school. We attended calligraphy class which was a disaster for me as I could not write properly and kept messing up my stokes. We prepared a mini performance for them as our token of appreciation as we sang, danced and performed a skit for them to enjoy. It was fulfilling knowing the time we spent on practicing  to make the performance as perfect as it can be was worth it. The students were charming as they went along with our music moving their hands to the rhythm. It was an eye opener truly to watch one's classroom system and how they worked. Afterwards www me the biggest bookstore I have ever seen in my life. The bookstore sold extraordinary stuff like rice cookers and badminton rackets. The bookstore has 6 floors and even a lift. There I spotted 3 books related our founding father Mr Lee and our former president Mr S.R Nathan.  I even found books such as the popular series divergent and insurgent in Chinese version. It was cool seeing the differences between China and Singapore's bookstore. In China, some books are stored in locked cabinets where it must be opened with permission, whereas in Singapore the books are wrapped in plastic and left open for people to grab and go easily.  

DAY TWO

I woke up early in the morning for a fresh start. After a reenergising shower, I hastily packed my things that were left around from yesterday and shoved them into my luggage bag. Today we were going to travel to Yangzhou, the main place of attraction for our class's trip. The breakfast served there was quite limited compared to the previous experiences I had with the other countries' breakfast buffets. It did not taste that bad as it still had the normal scrambled eggs, toast and drinks. Groggy-eyed, my classmates boarded the bus. It was a 4-5 hour drive and it was very tiring. Everyone had slept late the previous night and all we could do during this long journey was to rest our minds and bodies. The bus stopped midway at a petrol station, where we visited our very first supermarket and went to the toilet. I was shocked to find that most of the cubicles were squats and there was no toilet paper provided. Everyone crowded in the supermarket, grabbing random things off the shelves. I personally spotted a few brands that were also sold in SG that were also available in China, such as Lays and Wang Wang biscuits.


After alighting from the long bus trip, everyone stretched their tired limbs and clambered out of the bus. We then visited the famous Geyuan garden where many ancient artifacts and scenery can be viewed. 

We then visited the Paper cutting museum, where we were given unique gold plated fine scissors to cut out various animals and plants onto colored papers. Some of our classmates got the unlucky cat, where it had many small holes and details to be cut out. Many of our classmates got very impatient in the end and tore their work in a rage, some even did not know what he/she was cutting and blindly cut off the cat's head. For me, I chose the rabbit, where it had a flower on its hind legs, I chose the red colored paper and began to cut patiently and this was my result. 

After cutting up our work, everyone was famished as we headed to a nearby restaurant and ate our fill. This was my day 2's reflection





DAY ONE

I woke up with a start in the morning with my alarm clock set at 6, as we were due to arrive at Changi Airport by 7.50 am. I was overly enthusiastic as I quicky washed up and got ready to leave. I was mildly upset to be leaving my comfy bed, but after thinking the fun I would have in China with my fellow classmates, I left without turning back. At the airport, everyone was gathered as we checked in our luggages. Gwen, who had our class tees with her was caught up in a traffic jam and was last to arrive. When she came into sight everyone swarmed to her, not to welcome her, but to quickly Collect our respective tee shirts.


Everyone was chatting very excitedly about the flight to come as we roamed around the spacious airport. We boarded the plane with our happy hearts. Some people in our class had motion sickness and even one of our classmates even vomited on the plane. As we collected our luggage from the baggage area, it was already late noon. We proceeded for an early dinner as we spotted korean tourists also dining in the same place as us. 

At night, we left for The Bund, where from the huge ship we boarded, the evening lights of the Shangahi modern buildings lit up the entire place. It was breathtaking as we took many pictures of the place. On a side note, we also spotted many grammatical and translation errors in English in the directions there. We all had a good laugh. By the time we reached the hotel, everyone was very tired. We did our daily reflection with our form teacher as he went through and questioned us our motives and goals during this trip. He also gave us some questions to think about as a group as we presented our answers with the other groups. 


By the time we reached our respective rooms, everyone was dead tired. It was almost 11 and we were all dirty and lethargic. It was peaceful that night. 

Pre OELP trip reflection

The day has finally come where our class sets off for China. After an agonizing long wait of 5 months, our long awaited trip is finally about to start. About 2 weeks before the trip, we were given a briefing with our parents on the trip itinerary and basic rules. Everyone could hardly wait for the day to arrive where we set off. 

Pre OELP trip reflection

The day has finally come where our class sets off for China. After an agonizing long wait of 5 months, our long awaited trip is finally about to start. About 2 weeks before the trip, we were given a briefing with our parents on the trip itinerary and basic rules. Everyone could hardly wait for the day to arrive where we set off. 

     

Our Itinerary

                                            

I was very looking forward to this trip, hoping to gain some knowledge and experience on China's culture and environment. I double checked and triple checked my luggage, not wanting to miss out any single item, before finally putting my mind at ease and going to sleep. However, due to my excitement, I was hardly able to sleep at all.


  Reflection for 24/4/15

We started off by watching a video on a special delicacy in China. I was quietly anticipating for something as delicious as Yangzhou Friedrice. But I was totally wrong. When the video started, my insides immediately churned and I felt like gagging. The entire classes' reaction was just as bad and everyone started to voice their opinions. Let me tell you why. The video showed a famous delicacy called Virgin boy eggs or in chinese called the 童子蛋. Now, you might be already thinking that the name is disgusting. But wait till you see the real thing. Virgin boy egg is actually eggs soaked in pee for boys under 10 where their pee, is so called ripe. Their pee contains urine crystals that are precious. It is said to be able to  treat yin deficiency,  decrease internal body heat, promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis. The residents there believe that the eggs decrease body heat, promote better blood circulation and just generally reinvigorate the body. But honestly to me, it was a load of rubbish. Not trying to criticize the culture and practices there, it felt weird knowing that people out there ate such things and not feel disgusted by it. It showed a man happily eating the egg that was boiled for hours, he said that the smell was endearing and that it was delicious. I was horrified that such a delicacy was actually popular and that people ate that. It was too unhygienic and disturbing. To think about eating someone's waste that is soaked into your food turns me off. 

Then Ms Huang later asked our class a question which stumped us momentarily. She asked 2 students in our class to act out a tiny skit where Jun Jie will offer Shi Ting virgin boy eggs and how would Shi Ting turn him down. She started off by saying that she did not want to eat it which slowly progressed to she being allergic to them. It was rather hilarious watching how Jun Jie pretended to feel offended when she turned him down. He said things like 我特地为你做的。我是泡了一整天的。Then, it occurred to me what would I do if I encountered a similar situation. Ms Huang later told us that we should not lie as we are bound to be found out by the students there that we were actually lying to the,. She told us how honesty was the best policy and that we should turn them down tactfully, hike putting the message across clearly. 

CULTURES IN YANGZHOU

BLOCK PRINTING

There is a famous museum in Yangzhou where there are 15000 cultural relics displayed just in the first hall. It has 10000 square meters of exhibition hall. Most of the exhibits are from the Tang and Qing dynasties.

BATHING CULTURE

Bathing for people in Yangzhou is not only the need of health, but also a sign of civilization, the quality of life and the spirit of enjoyment. Bath leisure there reflect local culture and social civilization. There are more than 260 bathing places for the residents to enjoy.

RICH IN LITERATURE

There is a book published on the rich literature in Yangzhou as it was considered one of the wealthiest provinces and stated to have romantic bridges and buildings. There is a rich culture for literature and  oral texts representing social life over three hundred years of dramatic change between the seventeenth and twentieth centuries.

IS THE MERLION STATUE THE BEST ICON OF SINGAPORE?

Today in class we discussed about a patriotic topic, IS THE MERLION WHAT BEST REPRESENTS SINGAPORE?

Each group was given a piece of paper each to jot down their ideas and prove their point in a mini argument later carried out with opposing opnions. This is what we came up with.

Our group work

Our group's opinion was the opposite. We do not think that the Merlion is what best represents Singapore. My group feels that Singapore is unique in its own way. Singapore is made up of unique traits that define us as  fellow Singaporeans. Singapore definitely is not just merely a Merlion representing the country but more than that. Singapore's unique traits extends to more than just a single icon. We feel that Singapore is a country of many different identities which can not stand alone by itself individually as it is not just merely it by oneself. What a best icon is that represents Sinagpore cannot be decided based on one's judgement. When I ask, what best represents Singapore? Is the Merlion really what pops into your mind the first thing? Or is it something else which you identify Singapore in your own opinion? When you talk about Paris, the first thing that comes into your mind is the Effiel tower while when talking about Rio, the image of the statue Christ the Redeemer pops up first. But when you mention Singapore, I am pretty sure many opnions differ as there are too many traits to be named out individually or chosen as the best. What really comes into your mind? Is it Sentosa our very own reclaimed land? Where all entertainments and casinos are found and where Sunagpore lures foreigners to spend money on?

Or is it the Singapore River which has such rich history? From a fishing village's waters, to the murky, black waters where people dump their leftovers and rubbish into, and finally into the sparkling, gleaming waters where many tourists now ride across. 

Or is it our very own Singaporean language, Singlish, where it cannot be found anywhere else?

Or is it our beloved late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, whose contributions exceed far above many and is looked upon on our country? His contributions are indeed well known and many are grateful to him for where Singapore is today.

Or is it our multi-racial society where people form all races and religions are treated with equal respect and care?

In conclusion, we cannot exactly pinpoint what icon really represents Singapore best, as Singapore, after all, is a small island made up of different identities.

SOCIAL, ECONOMY AND ENVIRONMENT

Today in class we talked about China. As we all know, China has come about to be the one of the biggest countries for having the most number of exported goods and as many people in Singapore have the mindset that whatever China produces are of no quality, a number of products they actually prospduce such as Apple or Addidas do happen to be a brand which everyone is familiar and trusted by. We then moved on to talk about the environment, social, economic of China. Upon so, we were dispersed to our own groups and tasked to categorize the different slips of paper in an envelope. We were unsure of what category we should group several slips of paper at first. But after getting he hang of it, it got easier and we managed to piece out the final masterpiece as shown in the image above. There are many things in the slips of paper which are considered as threats which are to be dotted in red, such as the quarrels between other countries over a piece of land and disagreement of the western countries ways which they refuse to accept are indeed threats. Comparing to Singapore, if Singapore were to be like this, Sinagpore would suffer bad relations with the opposing country and will not lead to any happy terms. This would cause the country harm in one way or another as Sjnahpore aims to be friendly with all countries to receive their help to offer help when needed. It is a mutual thing. 

But by fighting over land, this will not lead to any improvement in the countries relationships but actually worsen them. They are good points of China such as trying to de escalate the nuclear crisis in the Korean Peninsula and pledging to contribute to world peace is good points where Singapore can learn from. Not only should Singapore not get into trouble with other countries, by often lending a helping hand like what China did with Korea can help to forge better relationships. This lesson is an enriching one and has brought me to realize how much China stands in the world and their contributions to society.

GOLDEN AGE+ REFLECTION OF MR LEE KUAN YEW

Today during the first half of the lesson, color papers were given out to us and different categories, such as arts, religion, literature while the title that was given to my group was science and technology. We were given 10 minutes to go online to search for any sources to understand further why these categories, are the contributing factors for the Tang Dynasty to be called the Golden Age of China. Under science and technology, there were many sub groups which included, engineering, ,medicine, woodblock printing, alchemy, cartography. Under each sub group, three were many ingenious inventions done by the historical people in China back then.

Wooden statues of tomb guardians; mechanical-driven wooden statues served as cup-bearers, wine-pourers, dancers, and others in this age.

The Diamond Sutra, printed in 868, is the world's first widely printed book (using woodblock printing)

We were then to go up in front of the class to present our findings. Not only did I gain knowledge on how science and technology played a part in making the Tang Dynasty a Golden Age for China, I also got to know the various reasons why the other  reasons were.

  Comparing Golden age, Tang Dynasty, to Singapore's I think that right now, is indeed Sinagpore's Golden Age, not very long ago, a very important man who played a huge role in developing Singapore passed away peacefully. The whole nation was greatly saddened by Mr Lee Kuan Yew's passing. Many people, including people from world wide all came together to mourn for this great man. Singapore was originally a dirty old swamp, but now, it is a metropolitan city. Everything has modernized and peace and order is in place. Laws are set and a non-corrupted government rules us.
We are provided with good living conditions and even the minority are taken care of. With the careful
planning and foresight of Mr Lee, he has catered the needs of everyone in Singapore. With what we have now, we should not take for granted as it is the fruits of all the labour Mr Lee and other great men like him have accomplished. To me, Sinagpore is at its Golden Age, where we are a rich country, independent on its own and a strong and influential one. While for China, Tang Dyansty is the golden age for them as many renowned people such as famous poets and inventors invented from them. Tang Dyansty is also had a massive population back then, but there was an efficient central government and peace and order was there, before they got overthrown and a new Dynasty started. Tang Dynasty is also known end as the imperial dynasty for its success and economic wealth during that period of time.

Throughout this tiny research that we have done in class, although it may have only been 5 minutes, I I have learnt a lot about the Tang Dyansty which I have never known before. I used to think China's history as boring and of plain taste but through these little exercises, I began to realize how much I have missed out on China's rich history and culture.

CHINAS ECONOMICS

Today we played a mini game first to test our knowledge on China and its ranking positions int he world in the market trade productions. With the overwhelming population in China, China still takes the place of 2nd in Terms of GDP, Gross Domestic Product. With such a population in China, one must wonder, to attain such a high ranking, the people in the country must be very rich and efficient. But that's only partially true. China faces the problem of the rich being too rich while the poor being too poor. In Singapore, rules and taxes are set by deducting a certain amount of money from a persons salary according to the amount the person earns. Well of course, the more you earn, the more the government taxes you. This is one way the government tries to make the poor better by taxing these rich people and spending these money on focusing on helping the needy instead. While in China, no such rules are implemented and as a result. There are of course, implications. The rich and poor gap widening. With no money and nobody to fend for, the poor has no rights to do whatever they want to nor have a say in things as they do not have any platform to speak up for their own rights they should be entitled to. But the rich has all the status and wealth to get what she/he wants. By simply flourishing in ones job gets this person rich and richer, but the government does nothing about it. Yes, it may be true that China attained 2nd position in the world ranking. But looking again each person's Gdp per capita in China is not higher than Singapore, the income in Sjngapore is still more evenly distributed as the poor and rich are both looked after and accounted for. Whereas China government do not step up to take any measures, leading even widening gap of the rich and poor. This lesson taught me how Sinagpore actually have their good foresight and it warms me how each citizen in our country is taken care of and that they are accounted for. They are not left there to rot or feel sorry for themselves but are given opportunities to speak up on behalf of themselves. It also has shown how China has improved over the years and has been steadily climbing up the its own economic success rate. China has now matured to become a country where many products and merchandises come from.

POVERTY IN SINGAPORE

As everyone knows that Singapore is a prosperous country, probably one of the richest countries in the world. But behind the scenes, the prosperity does not apply for each and every citizen. In Singapore, the poverty rate is still as Hugh as ever, and these poor people whom have little resources are indeed the minority ones. Many of their living needs have not been met and many of them still suffer badly. Even though Singapore is a rich country it is shown in Picture 1 that the statistics of the poverty rate in Singapore is so much higher than other well income countries.

Figure 1
(Statistics of richer countries' poverty rate, 2010)

It is indeed unfortunate for these minority to suffer and not be able to live well below their means.Singapore has set up campaigned to raise funds and help those people and many people have joined in the action of this fund-raising activity. Many news reports have been released over the years on ways to address poverty problems in Singapore and improve the livelihood if the citizens. It is indeed a big concern and it should be dealt with as soon as possible. Here are some pictures of poverty in SG.

Finally, I would like to end off with this quote.

We must learn to understand poverty and not belittle those that are below us. They may be poor, but their morals may not also be. Do not judge its book by its cover, know the whole picture before indulging into our own judgements of others. Like in the video shown in class, many people now belittle the construction workers, saying that they are lazy and good for nothing, but yet when looking into their living quarters, it does not even look like a place fit for someone to stay with such poor hygiene and living conditions. So many people are expected to squeeze into a bunk and spend theirspare  time there, I think we should really reconsider changing our judgement and help those who really do need our help.

A PICTURE SPEAKS A THOUSAND WORDS

CID lesson last week was definitely something else different. It was enriching and tragic at the same time. We were first shown a picture of a vulture and a baby on a plot of deserted land and were told to each write down a title thought suitable for that picture.

Many different titles came out, such as " abandoned baby in the wild" and " left out". In that short exercise, we were told to research on what was the actual "behind" story of the picture. To my horror, I realised that the oicture was not just any ordinary picture found in the images of Wikipedia, but an award winning photograph. But what really struck me hard was the story of how the picture was taken and its events that lead after it. The man whom took this photo, a Mr Carter was stationed at that plot of land to take a picture depicting extreme famine and he took the picture with a accidental vulture in it as well. It turns out that the starving baby, which looked like merely skin and bones, was crawling towards the feeding camp. After taking the picture and winning the prize, netizens started to hurl insults at Carter, some staying that he was mean and shameless to take such a photo without any sympathy for the baby. But it was said that Crter was firmly told not to touch anyone there in fear of contracting any diseases. This continuos torrents of insults made Carter take his own life in the end. This picture is so much more than mere famine, it's haunting story is what makes it truly special. After this, we were later shown two more pictures. One showed a man holding up a cardboard with some words written on it. The poor man had his belongings taken away and is need of some money to contact someone to go home. Hole the other picture shows a lady carrying a baby on her hip asking a man for money. We were told a scenario where if we had a dollar, who would we donate it to? The class took a vote and the majority chose the lady with the baby, including me. All of ur hearts went out to the starving baby and thought that giving the dollar to the lady would be a wiser choice. Though the other group of classmates stated a dollar would not save a hungry baby but can save a man by spending the dollar to call his closed ones. The discussion soon ceased before Ms Huang showed us the real truth about these 2 beggars. The man was really in need of money and he is very humble. While I was shocked at the truth of the lady with the baby whom I voted for. The lady actually belongs to a bunch of syndicates who make use of babies or pitied audience to gain sympathy and earn money. This deceiving act really caught me off handed. I later then knew that many of these babies were drugged to make them appear to be sleeping while the syndicates carry out their jobs of begging money while having the baby slung over their shoulders. I feel that not only is this very deceitful of the syndicates, I also think that they are very cruel to deny the child's future and childhood because of their need to want to earn easy money by gaining sympathy. I never knew that such things existed and have learnt to open our eyes wider to the truth. We should not accept what our eyes may see and seem to be the truth. What lies underneath the entire thing might be a totally different picture and we must not let our guards to allow ourselves to fall into the traps of deceitful people. "A picture paints a thousand words" I do agree with this statement. This then marked the end of our lesson. It was truly an eye-opener and I hope that more lessons of such can be shared more often during CID lessons.

My December Holidays

During the December holidays, I went to Thailand, Chiangrai, Chiangmai, and Bangkok. It was a 8 days 6 nights trip. I was really looking forward to this trip to Thailand as it was a well-deserved break from the stressful year before. I was prepared to loosen up myself and enjoy myself thoroughly. When we first landed in the international airport in Bangkok, we immediately transferred to take the flight to Chiangmai first leaving Bangkok to visit from the 5th day onwards.

Picture of  itinerary

Over the next 4 days, my family and I went to various famous temples in Chaingrai and Chiangmai, watched many cultural shows and musicals they put up by teenagers with similar ages to us, went on an elephant, ox ride, visited he different tribes only found in rural parts of Thailand, such as the long neck Karen whom are mainly from Myannmar, did bamboo rafting, ventured across the famous Mekong River and even visited the well-known Golden Traingle consisting of countries, Thailand, Myannmar and Laos meet each other. There was so much history and culture to learn in Thailand. It was also an enriching experience to see how a less developed country compared to Singapore lived with the resources they had. The people there were really friendly and helpful though they lacked as little in their English language. By the end of the 4th day, we packed our luggage and were all ready to set off for Bangkok. In Bangkok, the setting was more city like with modern shopping malls and better hotels. The roads were constantly packed and it required at least an hour as buffer time if the destination due was originally only 20 mins. It was hectic on the roads of Thailand so my family and I eventually took the BTS, which in other words was our MRT. Thailand has definitely given me a good impression of the country and I am definitely looking forward to more experiences like this to bond with my family