Brian's overall reflection

During the span of the one week that we went to china, we saw many, smelled many, tasted many and learnt many. We were exposed not only the history that made china what it is today, but also exposed to the culture in which the people lived with. we have also gained insights in China's education system as well as some of their mindsets, way of thinking. Apart from all our take backs from China, I have enjoyed myself greatly and I feel like I gotten fitter from all the walks and climbs.

During our first day there, we took the high speed rail to Hefei Anhui. To be honest, this was not the first time i took the high speed rail. i had took it once in Europe to get from one state to another. However, when i stepped into the carriage of the renowned high speed rail that made china unique, i was immediately dumbstruck, wonderstruck. Up till this point in time i was still doubting China's credibility, i did not want to believe that a less developed country like china could have things that very developed, more ethical, more advanced countries like Europe have. And even up to the point where the train moved i was still in disbelief categorising all that is happening to be a hallucination. On the other hand, I was still able to understand the need for such an invention. China is so big, so wide, that the only way to do inter-province business were with the use of the high speed rail. The current uses are to transport cargo and businessmen from one province to the other, exactly my point.

Without the high speed rail, people would take about 11 hours to reach beijing, and 6 hours to reach shanghai (all based on hefei) but with the induction of the high speed rail, the time has been greatly reduced. This would be beneficial to many, as they can now spend more time doing whatever they have to at their destination and not have to spend so much time on transport. The high speed rail could also be beneficial to the visitors. Just like our case, we could save more money if we took the high speed rail instead of a transfer flight. Hence, the high speed rail is definitely a great invention.

After our trip on the train, we went to iFlytek. At this juncture, i am literally overwhelmed. I was also aware that China was always out to copy others for their own benefit. However, my impression changed slightly. It might be true that they use the ideas of others to make their own, but they are not as square as you think. They incorporate the use of artificial intelligence into a phone like siri, but they also used it in the making of hands-free car operating systems. I was impressed. This trip has certainly changed my perspective of China's technology. Personally, i think China has made a breakthrough. a hands-free car operating system definitely has its benefits. Furthermore, China is not like Singapore, where a simple trip to the next neighbourhood takes 5 mins. In China it would take more than that, and by having this system they would be less likely to get into car accidents. (The chinese are busy people, and would have to make calls often) This is certainly a great invention.

Apart from this, i did not realise that china was capable of such serene sceneries. I always had this mindset that everything in china was going to be not up to standards, and that the entire country is polluted in every way. I did not believe that huangshan was going to be as spectacular as the swiss alps. However, after the entire tiresome climb up and down the unrelenting sides of the mountain, I inexplicably have this feeling of serenity. I could totally feel what the pioneer generation has always revered huangshan as. It was definitely different, unique and it is certainly one of the highlights of the trip. 

I have come to understand that though china may be a less economically developed country, they are still capable of much more. They were able to use current technology to come up with stunning new models. They are able to innovate and come up with shocking ideas to beat their competitors. Just like Cathay Air (the airline that is based in hong kong), though their airplanes are much smaller than ours in singapore, they are constantly finding new ways to twist and turn the odds to make it their own famed accomplishment. They were able to finds faults in Singapore's ideas and have came up with solutions that never ceased to amaze me. I am confident that in the coming years, china will continue to exceed the expectation of others and soar to new heights. Now when someone ask me what I think about china, I will definitely know how to answer them. “magnificent & spontaneous beyond measure”

PICTURES OF ANHUI

WE DON'T REMEMBER DAYS, WE REMEMBER MOMENTS

SOME MEMORIES NEVER FADE !!!

Rachel's reflection: economic development

I feel that China's economy has really developed over the years. China started of as an LDC, but is currently rising up the ranks as one of the most economically active countries in the world. This is evident through many of the products we buy. Most of them, if not all, have the words 'MADE IN CHINA' on them. This shows how successful China's economy is, and how reliant many other countries are on them. 

China's rise in economy is evident through our visits to the industrial sites, such as Meiling and iFlytech. At Meiling, we were brought to a display, which showed us the different models of refrigerators, which have improved over the years. We also learnt about the success of Meiling. This shows how much Meiling's economy has risen over the years due to their good design, as they are even able to afford a showroom for their refrigerators. 

We can also see the steadily rising economy of China through their various tourist attractions. For example, at Tunxi Ancient Street, many of us, and other tourists, bought tons of various knick-knacks. This contributes to China's tourism industry. When we were climbing Huangshan, we met many other tourists too. This shows how successful China is in attracting tourists to their country. The tourists will buy souvenirs and spend a lot of money while in there, which will contribute to China's economy.

In a nutshell, China's economy is steadily rising. We should not overlook China as an LDC and we should instead try to catch up to how rapidly their economy is growing. Soon, China will overtake other countries to become the most economically active country, and we should work hard in order to not get left behind. 

Rachel's poverty reflection

Through watching the terrible lives of the people living in poverty, I learnt to appreciate everything I have. As compared to them, the life I am living in now is paradise. I have enough food and water, a proper shelter to stay in, and an education. This was definitely more than what an African child living in poverty could wish for. I learnt that I should not take what I have for granted and to appreciate everything that I am lucky to get. 

Also, through viewing pictures of the Singaporeans living in poverty, I came to a realization that there are Singaporeans who live in poverty. I definitely should not have been living in my own bubble. I feel that we can definitely do something to help these people living in poverty out. Next time when we see a homeless man living downstairs, maybe we can smile at him and offer him some food instead of silently avoiding him or walking away. Next time when we see an elderly man or woman asking for donations, performing by the street or selling tissue paper, maybe we can help them out by giving up a little bit of our money. Our small efforts, if done by everyone, can go a long way. If we start small, we can make someone's day and improve their lives for the better.

Leong Hao Ming's reflections

I felt that this trip was a immensely enriching one. Not only was it educational but this also bonded our class as a whole. 

In this trip, we went to many historical sites of China that held much significance to the Chinese. We went to 李宏章故居 and we realised how well preserved it was. The fact that the Chinese bothered to preserve his residence shows just how adored he was amongst the Chinese. Even though there was rapid development in the surroundings, the Chinese bothered to preserve his residence. China shows how development and preserving of culture can happen simultaneously. Although China has developed rapidly over the years, they still preserved important cultures. 

For the iFlytek, I learnt how advanced technology in China was. This changed my original impression if China. We also went to 三河古镇 and I understood how Chinese used to live in the past and how their lives were. Subsequently, we went to the majestic 黄山. We scaled over 8 km and what really touched me was how we encouraged each other when we where out of breath and how we never gave up and persevered to the end. The school immersion was also immensely enriching as it made me really reflect on how we as students can improve lessons. 

I also learnt about the many differences of China and Singapore. For example cultural differences, guests were allowed to smoke in corridors and rooms in the hotel while in Singapore we have a designated smoking area. For transport, Singapore has ERP, a gantry similar to the toll gates in China. In the classrooms, the Chinese students were very enthusiastic. Their classrooms were really small and has as much as 50 students in ine classroom. 

All in all, this trip was not only a throughly enriching one but bonded our class as a whole. This trip made me learn how to appreciate Chinese culture and understand China much better. 

Brian's reflection : China's economic development

During my oelp trip to hefei, anhui, I have saw the economic development of china. On the first few days we went to Meiling 工厂 and their exhibition hall. At the exhibition hall, I saw the types of fridges that they have made through the years. From the primitive to the current touch-screen model, I think it is a good representative of how china has grown. Similarly, china in its early years felt a lot of setbacks, like corruption in its government and the high rates of poverty among people. This is mirrored with the imperfect design of the fridges. However, when I made it to the recent few(according to years)(there are a lot of fridges), I can see the slated growth, which is yet again mimicked by China's recent economic advancement.

China has always been regarded as a less economically developed country. i personally have also been having the impression that China would be unkempt and not developed with many old buildings. However, after this trip I have learnt that china is actually very developed. They are able to come up with their own version of Samsung, iFlytek. They also have made a new translation app that is very accurate and could even be better than Siri.

Though, China still has many rural areas, I feel that the economic growth has certainly hasten in the recent years. They have made many breakthroughs in technology and science, and by using the copycat+improving method they are so well known for, they have made the world's market centralised in their country. Even apple products are made there, this is a recognition of their growth.

The chinese economy has really been better compared to the backwards society china was in the past. i am impressed that china, starting out as a country so ridden with corruption that nothing was accomplished greatly, however, the country after the various wars and revolutions, the chinese were able to catch up with the world and even exceed the benchmark set by many countries.

This is my reflection on china's economy. :) magnificent

Rachel Tan's reflections

In general, I really enjoyed this OELP trip. Through this trip, I gained many experiences that I would have never gained in a classroom. I learnt many things about the culture and heritage of China. I am very thankful towards RVHS for providing me with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go overseas with my class. Not only has this trip bonded my class, it has also provided us with a wonderful learning experience.

From the wonderful plane ride to Shanghai to the flight back to Singapore, the entire overseas trip was an amazing experience. When we landed in China, I was expecting to see run-down houses accompanied with poor facilities. However, I was taken aback by the highly advanced technology in the airport. Not only did the building look fairly new, but it also had up-to-date facilities for us to use. Some more examples of the highly advanced technology in China can be seen on the high speed rail and through our industrial visits to iFlytech and Meiling. On the high-speed rail from Shanghai to Hefei, we enjoyed a very smooth ride and learnt about the advanced technology that China has. The train travelled at a mind-blowing speed of more than 200km/h, while a normal car only travels at an average of 100km/h. The ride was very comfortable, with almost no bumps on the track. We all managed to sleep soundly throughout the whole ride.Through our industrial visits to Meiling and iFlytech, we also learn about how China has developed as a country in terms of technology. At iFlytech, we got to fully experience a Samsung application in which we got to do many different things. That application was basically a Chinese version of Siri. Through the application, we got to translate from Chinese to English, or vice versa, accurately (which is rare). We can also make calls and text messages simply through speaking to the phone. The best part is, this application is free! There is also another version of this application, which can be used in a car. This is extremely convenient as through the application, we can get directions through simple voice controls. We had an amazing time in there. We also got to try a karaoke game, which was very fun. In Hefei, we learnt many things about the culture of China, such as 李鸿章's and 包公's contributions to the development of China. I learnt how they affected the future of China, through their unbiased, and innovative attitude. After walking through 三河古镇, I got an experience of how the Chinese lived in the past, and I truly experienced the rich heritage of China. The scenery was beautiful there, and I was amazed by how the residents of that area still chose to stay in there although the place was slightly old and run-down. The souvenir shops there sold  cute souvenirs for insanely cheap prices. For example, a hat there would only cost 10-15RMB ($2-$3). I bought many souvenirs from there. In 黄山, we hiked more than 8km up and down many flights of stairs. Although all of us were very exhausted and our thighs ached, we still managed to climb to the peak and get a look at the beautiful, picturesque scenery of the mountains.The air on the mountain was fresh and smelt pollution-free, unlike the air in the cities of China. To me, that was the highlight of the whole trip to Anhui. The mutual encouragement among our classmates and the photo taking bonded us as a class. I thought that the place was also relatively clean and free of litter. That was amazing considering the fact that Huangshan is, after all, a tourist attraction. We also visited various cultural sites, which were very well-preserved and told a lot about China's history. One of my favourite cultural sites in Huangshan would have to be the Tunxi Ancient Street. There were countless numbers of rows of shops, selling various knick-knacks ranging from massagers to chinese bamboo flutes, or the 笛子。Another highlight of the trip would have to be the school immersion. Before the immersion, my impression of Chinese students was that they were boring, studious and would not be fun to hang out with. In fact, I was entirely dreading the school immersion due to the fact that there would definitely be an awkward language barrier between my buddy and I. Another reason behind me dreading the school immersion was that I would have to attend the classes in their school. However, when I entered the school, I was surprised by their warm and friendly welcome. All the buddies stood at the school gate and waved to us as we entered. All of them had welcoming smiles on their visages, and they treated us kindly and politely. My buddy, Yi Zhen, welcomed me with a warm smile and introduced herself to me. Although it was still a bit awkward between the two of us, she was nothing like I expected her to be. She was fun, outgoing, and to my surprise, talkative. The massive class size of 54 made the classroom really squeezy. Including us, there was a total of 60+ people in one tiny room. I'm honestly thankful that the competition amongst students in Singapore is not as bad of that in China. Otherwise, I would have 20 more classmates, which is unimaginable. The technology in the school was really advanced. In their school, they used a smartboard, which would allow teachers and students to write on the board. This would easily allow teachers to write down notes. The notes could also easily be deleted with the push of a button. This clearly facilitated the lessons very well, as it enabled the classes to go by smoothly. The students in China are also very healthy. They run 800m everyday along their school's track. This enables them to get their daily exercise that we all need. They also do eye exercises between a certain period. This will allow their eyes to take a break and relax, in order to reduce myopia and other relative eye problems caused by overuse of our eyes.

This trip in general was a really enjoyable experience. Despite the fact that some of the meals and hotels could be better, we still loved the trip and would love the chance to go overseas with the school again. Through the patient guidance of the teachers, we learnt many new things and had a whale of a time there

Anqi Reflections

From this OELP trip, I learnt that China did not really lag behind Singapore. They are as advanced as Singapore. To me, I do not really feel that China is a developing country. I felt that it is a developed country like Singapore. China keep improving, their technologies, transports and other things. The technologies they used are advanced. In the school in China, they have smart board. This will prevent the students to face the trouble of not being able to pull down the projector screen or the projector screen would not stay pulled down. They also have a computer attach teacher's desk and every teacher teaching that class use the same computer. With this, the AV rep did not need to set up a computer every lesson and saved some time. Sometimes, some teacher's computer have technical error like no sound or the screen changed colour. With the computer in the teacher's desk shared by the teachers will save us from these problems.

  China also had invented a Siri type of software which can scan the voice better than Siri. They also invented car with tablet attach to it and a smart phone brand called xiaomi. The tablet allowed the driver to use the driving plate to control the tablet to search for songs to listen or search for the roads to travel to the place they want. They also had fridge with the tablet attach to it. The tablet take note of the freshness of the vegetables and remind the owner which vegetables are going to 'expire' soon. The tablet also take note of the food and ingredients present In the fridge.

  The transportation in China also became quite convenient. They have this high speed rail to  travel from one city to another. Taking high speed rail is more comfortable than taking cars or bus. The high speed rail also travelled in high speed so that the duration of the trip to be shorter. The price of the high speed rail is also quite reasonable. This will encourage more people to tame high speed rail than cars or buses. Other than transporting people, the high speed rail also transport goods. This will encourage business man to transport their goods from one city to another by high speed rail instead of lorries or trucks. This will result in the decreased of carbon dioxide emission of China. 

  Although China keep improving, they did not forget about their culture and history. They preserved the houses of the famous and rich people and some villages. The heritage places provide us with the informations of the famous people, their life stories, their achievements and their beliefs. Examples of the heritage places we visited are Bao Gong Ci and Li HongZhang 故居. These places showed interesting stories of how they help China. The villages preserved like the San He Gu Zhen showed us how the building are structured in the past and the meaning behind every structures, cravings and couplets. We also see difference between the house of a business man in the past and the house of an official. There are rules behind the renovating the house. For example, no matter how rich a business man is, his house cannot  be more grand or bigger than an official's house. These heritage places allowed the Chinese to know more about their whole race and religions. 

  In conclusion, China improved a lot on their technologies and transportation. At the same time, they did not forget about their culture and history and put in efforts to preserved them.

Hotel reviews

Hotel in Shanghai: ***

 

The hotel is generally well furnished with everything one would need for a short stay in the bustling state of shanghai. However, any trip that lasts more than 1 night, I would suggest moving. Though they provide basic necessities (which is good), the pillow provided are paper thin, coupled with a bed that one could even feel the spring. If you are one of those that cannot stand a bed like this or require a comfy beauty sleep through the night, this is not your pick. However I believe that this would be a cheap plan B if you are left hapless.

 

Hotel in Hefei: *****

 

This hotel is marvelous. It may seemed biased considering the ranking of the hotels, however, there are various reasons for my stand. The entire room gives you a modern contemporary feel yet with a tinge of nostalgic aftertaste. In short, the entire room exemplifies perfection. The flooring is not only made of carpeted tiles but also with black cracked tiles. Not only is it good, but there are restaurants, convenience stores in 5min ++ walking distance. This is definitely a must go hotel.

 

Hotel in huangshan: **

 

Not to put down this hotel as I understand that it is hard to maintain up here in the mountain region, however, what I experienced is downright unacceptable no matter how tough it is. The service here is terrible. According to one of my classmates, the staff simply threw the trash onto the other bed and walked off. This is certainly wrong as the staff should never do things so sloppily. Furthermore, when I first reached the level where my room was, I was reeked with the strong stench of the cigarette. In the rooms nearby, there were loud conversations and the sound of intense gambling. This is so unsafe. They did not even have a basic sewage system. The toilets were clogged very badly and it literally took 2-3mins for water to go down the drain (at first the whole toilet was flooded due to showering). I really do not recommend this hotel, though yet again I would make for a cheap second plan.

 

Hotel in Tunxi/Huizhou: ****

 

This hotel is relatively good. The entire build up does not seem so but the interior has some quality. I think this would be a rather good choice for your trip in china.

Restaurant Reviews

Restaurants in Hefei and Huangshan.

 

During this week-long trip to the two suburb like provinces of China (hefei and huangshan), I had gone to much restaurants and had tasted dishes that were not of my liking. However, this does not put of the strong distinct flavours that can be found in the dishes. Anhui cuisine is known for its use of wild herbs, from both the land and sea, and simple methods of preparation. The people there are more versed at cooking methods involving braising and stewing. Living in an urbanized location now, with many complex-ly prepared food, I have come to appreciate what simple cooking can bring. Though I do not really like the food, I cannot deny the presense of brilliant techniques in trying to incorporate different flavours. This is certainly a type of cuisine for those of strong taste, not really for the faint-hearted.

 

The general upkeep of the restaurants are rather pleasant with nice atmosphere and great lightings. However, when it comes to restaurants at the ancient villages around china be prepared to face not very clean restaurant as a hold.

 

包公祠 - 4 stars

包公祠 is a place that display Bao Gong life stories, his achievements, his beliefs and how he helped china. In Bao Gong Ci there is a place with waxes figuring showing the three famous scenes of Bao Gong in court. The wax figure stories showed how upright Bao Gong was. He did not care if that person was a prince or a normal villager. If that person committed a crime, he must be punished. Bao Gong Ci also reveled the secret of why Bao Gong was portrayed as a person   

IT SHOULD BE CONTINUED:)

The trip to baogongci is also a must see attraction. Baogongci is very big, and the fact that it has a tomb in the attraction proves to be more interesting than the rest. Furthermore, there is also a wax museum/life size model of important segments of baogong's life. We feel that this is a much better way to learn the dull history and culture as a place as all this stimulates our sense and make us have a much longer lasting impression of that event/place. 

李鸿章故居

李鸿章故居- 4 stars

李鸿章故居 is an interesting place. The displays inside the house showed the life of Li HongZhang, his achievement, his beliefs, and what he did to help China. The structure of the house showed the culture and history of the china. For example, the structure of the roof to let the rain water fall into the house shows the belief the 

people had at that time.

IT SHOULD CONTINUE:)
李鸿章故居 shows us cultures that the people then hold on to. Furthermore, it gave more than sufficient information about the owner of the house. From this trip, not only do we learn culture and re-emphasise our learning, we also realise that China takes a strong view on how they treat their heroes. We learnt that the Chinese really appreciated what the previous generation did for them and wishes the current and future generations will follow suit. Thus, this is a must see as it is insightful. 

屯溪老街

屯溪老街 - 4 stars

This was one of the few chances that we actually got to go shopping in China. Although we were only given around 1+ hour, which was not enough to fully explore the street, we had fun walking from shop to shop and buying souvenirs or other things, such as keychains and hats. There was a famous shop that sold 传统糕点, which we bought from. The 糕点 there was delicious. There was also a famous shop that sold 毛笔 and 砚, which I did not get to visit due to lack of time. I really enjoyed myself at this place, but I feel that we weren't given enough time here. If we were given more time here, I definitely would have given this place a higher rating. 

徽州古城

徽商大宅院, 棠樾牌坊群 & 徽州古城 - 3.5 stars

I got to experience the heritage of China through these cultural sites. The places were all well-preserved, and showed the culture of China. We enjoyed ourselves walking around the places and taking pictures of the interior of the houses or the scenery. However, I did not like the area tour guide of these places as she spoke way too fast and moved too fast. For example, before some of us reached a certain place, she would be done talking and would move on to the next place. Like this, we would not be able to fully learn from these sites. However, I felt that these places were very well preserved and we can learn a lot from them. 

Xidi and Hongcun

溪递and 宏村 Villages (4.5 stars)    

Xidi and Hongcun were the ancient villages we went to. Xidi and Hongcun were scenic, peaceful and quiet. Xidi had a large lake with hills behind in the background. There were ducks swimming around. The villagers were selling their hand made products and led a simple life. There was also a market selling the locals handmade products and I also bought some embroidery. We also went to a well preserved shop and we realised it sold a wide variety or items ranging from jewelry to rice

Meiling and iFlytek

Meiling and iFlytek 4 stars

After visiting Meiling and iFlytek, I realized how advanced China's technology was. iFlyTek developed a voice recognition technology. After we tested it out, it was highly accurate mad was able to translate the words we wanted it to. This makes life convenient for people. This technology also entered the vehicle market and cars including BMW also made use of this technology in their high end cars. For example, we tested out how the GPS taught us how to drive to Huangshan from the location we were in.  In my opinion, this shows China's ambition to be one the leading countries in this market. As for Meiling, after visiting the factory and it's gallery, we found out that Meiling fridges not only cater to Chinese but also overseas. Meiling factory was a large scaled production and This shows shows the significance of local companies to not only China's economy but also other countries' in my opinion, this was a very enriching experience 

Sanhe Guzhen

三河古镇 - 4 stars

I truly experienced the rich culture and heritage of China through the beautiful and well-preserved scenery as well as the exhibitions in the area. As I walked through the streets, I saw rows of shophouses selling all sorts of souvenirs, including fans, 九连环, hats, etc. The exhibits were really interesting and informative, and I learnt a lot from them. I experienced how the wealthier Chinese lived in the past, and I really enjoyed this place. However, it could've been better if we could enter the pagoda located there, as the view of the area would've been superb from the top. 

School immersion

School Immersion- 4.5 stars

The technologies used in the classroom are advanced. Smart board, teacher's desk with computer and air conditional are available in the classroom. However the classroom is a little overcrowded. 60 over students need to squeeze in one classroom. The lessons are interesting and there is a 10min break time after every 40min of lesson. The break allows my brain to rest after the lesson so that I can absorb more information in the next lesson. With the break, the lesson time also seems shorter and I would not be restless during the lessons.

High speed rail trip advisor

High Speed Rail (4 stars) 

We took the High Speed from Shanghai to Anhui and the duration was about 3 hours. The train had 7 cabins and the maximum speed of the rail was around 240 km/h. The service was good and there were a few stewardess pushing carts, selling some consumables to us. We passed many rice fields, lakes and houses. This represents the rapid development of China and the High Speed Rail improved the lives of people tremendously. It not only makes everything convenient for the, but also improves the Economy

Brian's holiday reflection

During the December hols, I went to Australia with my family. At Australia, we went to many places and seen some of the most peculiar things. For example,I went to the yuan chek caves and saw the many variations of rock formations that could be found in a cave- stalagmite, stalactite, crystals and many others. I have also seen many types of animals like the kangaroo and koala. I have also went to the Australian outback too. I saw the peculiar side of nature. For some weird unknown reason, the Australian pinnacle dessert is actually cold. I was wearing a jacket the entire time. Though there are strong sun ray beating down on us I enjoyed the novelty of this experience. From this holiday i have learnt to appreciate nature more and learnt far more than what can you learn from the classroom.

This is the picture of pinnacle Australia. I trekked through this unbeaten path and was astounded by the Magnificant rock formations. It was mind blowing as it was educational. This was one trip I will never forget.

Anqi Chingay reflections

After watching the chingay parade, I felt that Singapore is very racial harmony country. The Chingay Parade is an annual street parade held in celebration with the birthdays of the Chinese deities or the procession of the Goddess of Mercy (Guanyin) as part of the Chinese New Year festivities. Although chingay parade is an Chinese event, other races all  appeared in the performances and help to make this celebration successful and share the joy of Chinese New Year together. The performance is separate into parts where different races brought up their wonderful dance and  unit costume with the colour that represent their race and culture. There is many different races and culture but everyone work together to form one nation, one Singapore like how many organs work together to form one people. Watching the chingay parade as a level is very fun and memorable. I hope we can go as a level to watch performances like this again.

Anqi poverty in Singapore reflections

During CID, we discuss about poverty in Singapore  And the teacher shown us a video about the living condition of some foreign construction worker working at orchard road. I was thinking, working at orchard road, such a high class place, their living condition should be good but I'm wrong! Their living conditions were horrible. Their hostel were infested with pests and they have 5 to 6 people cramped into a small room. They have bad ventilation and their kitchen doesn't even looked like one. Their toilet is like a hole on the floor and it will flood when it rains. Although I'm not living in big houses or in luxury places but I felt fortunate to have a roof that can block me from the rain, proper toilets, kitchen and a clean room to sleep in. Although the MPs knew about this incident and visited their hostels but they do nothing at all. I think they should help the construction workers as they does earn very much and they come to Singapore just to earn money for their family back in their country. They are humans too so I don't think they should deserve this treatment.

Rachel Tan's Holiday Reflections

During the holidays, I spent most of my days at home watching dramas and television programmes. However, in December I went to Hokkaido, an island near Japan. I went there for 10 days, and had a whale of a time there playing with the snow and bearing with the cold. The food there was really great and they have the best ramen ever. The service provided there is really good too, and I was very reluctant to go home. On some days, I also went for CCA, which was boring, as my CCA did not organize any outings or fun activities.  

Leong Hao Ming Holiday Reflections

For my holiday, I went overseas to Phuket. Phuket is well known for its beautiful beaches and environment. Over at Phuket, the people's way of life is totally different from ours in Singapore. They depend on fishing, they depend on labour to earn meager salary, while in Singapore, majority of our jobs revolve around office jobs. The houses there are also completely different from ours. Their houses might be run down and old, but they still continue living in them just because the don't have the sufficient money to rebuild houses. The people there prefer giving birth to males than females , just because of the fact that in their belief, women are useless but man could become taxi drivers or cleaners. In short, only they could support the family while woman were unable. After the trip, I realised that in Singapore, we're considered lucky to have a safe country to live in, to have a comfortable environment to live in,can't most importantly, equality and equal rights 

Anqi Holiday Reflections

During the holidays, I went to NKF for via. My role is to arrange files of the NKF patient. Through this via I have learn more about the community. Although Singapore is a well develop country, there is still a lot of old poor people who can't afford to pay for kidney treatment. After this via, my view about the charity had also changed. At first I felt that charity did not really help the people and use most of the raised fund for themselves like their salary but now I learnt that most charity aren't like that. For example, NKF subsidies fully for the poor to have kidney treatment. I've a lot of fun during this via, if I've a chance I would still want to do it again.

During CID, we discuss about poverty in Singapore And the teacher shown us a video about the living condition of some foreign construction worker working at orchard road. I was thinking, working at orchard road, such a high class place, their living condition should be good but I'm wrong! Their living conditions were horrible. Their hostel were infested with pests and they have 5 to 6 people cramped into a small room. They have bad ventilation and their kitchen doesn't even looked like one. Their toilet is like a hole on the floor and it will flood when it rains. Although I'm not living in big houses or in luxury places but I felt fortunate to have a roof that can block me from the rain, proper toilets, kitchen and a clean room to sleep in. Although the MPs knew about this incident and visited their hostels but they do nothing at all. I think they should help the construction workers as they does earn very much and they come to Singapore just to earn money for their family back in their country. They are humans too so I don't think they should deserve this treatment.

Leong Hao Ming Chingay reflections

After watching the Chingay Parade, I understood the meaning of ' Colours of Fabrics, one people' Chingay Parade itself is a large scaled event that showcases the many different tradition and costumes in Singapore. The Chingay parade itself would never have been possible if there wasn't the help of the many other races including the Malays, Indians, and many others. Just like the different colors of fabric, regardless of our different cultures or beliefs, we come together as one to make this parade a successful one. Not only for Chingay parade, Singapore boasts a Multi- Racial society that consists of many other races. We work hard together, regardless of our race just to make our country a better place to live in. This is what is represented by the theme of Chingay 2014, Colors of Fabric, One people. We might be of different races, but we are bonded and close to each other just like the different colors of fabric sown together.

Brian's Chingay Reflections

After watching the Chingay parade, I realised that only with the all the races working as one would the entire show be such a big success. The most memorable part of the show was when all the different races were dancing together. I felt that it was not easy to build up such a harmony between races and to maintain that mutual trust and love for each other is no small fit as well. Furthermore, singapore is the only country that could really build up this strong bond, unity between the races, between us that would enable us to work together not just in the parade but in everything we do. Not just to make it complete but a success. Moreover, I feel that when all the races, people of all distinct cultures work together we would have that wonderful sense of achievement. Yes, we may be of different race, different culture but throughout the entire process and when we finally see the end product of or hard work, it kind of unite us, bond us and let us truly feel that we are truly one people. Lastly, through this Chingay parade I truly understood the underlying meaning of ~colors of fabric,one people~

Rachel Tan's Chingay Reflections

After attending the Chingay parade 2014, I learnt that Singapore was a multi-cultural count with many diversities, but we are still one nation, one Singapore. I felt that my favourite part of the parade was when we all stood up and started being 'high' along with the music, which was nearing the end. We did cheers and waved our pompoms along with the music. At that time, I could feel the 'RV spirit' between us, when everyone was high together, it felt like we were one big family. Nevertheless, the parade was fantastic and the dancers did a very good job. I especially liked the small ones, their ages probably ranging from 5-7 as they were smaller than everyone else (and super cute) but still danced very well. In a nutshell, I felt that being given the opportunity to experience the Chingay Parade 2014 was wonderful and I hope we will be given this opportunity again!

Brian's Poverty Reflections

Poverty in singapore is something that can be easily illustrated. Throughout the years that we have lived, we have seen many living examples where poverty in singapore has been surprisingly prominent. There are people living under HDB flats, some are making cardboard beds to live in, and others though with a home are constantly harassed by loan sharks/debtors. I feel that this is queer as singapore is a country of much affluence. It is unnatural to see so many poor people around when the country's economy is booming. We being able to study to such levels are very fortunate. Out there, in the cold abyss that is the world, many people are suffering aftershocks from a war and maybe the pain of a broken heart when war began. Others, are living a life of misery with no food and water to sustain their lives. However, we as singaporeans waste, exploit our own resources; always being "kiasu" and biting off too much than we can chew. Hence, we should live a life of thrift, and know the value of money as not all of mankind are as fortunate as us. 

Leong Hao Ming's CID poverty in Singapore reflections

Today during our CID lesson I knew more about poverty in Singapore. The clip shown was about these construction workers building a luxury condominium, yet their living conditions were devastating. Many of them lived in one small cramped room and all their belongings lying around all over the room. The ventilation was very bad, there were pests all around like them for example cockroaches and lizards. Worst of all, there was a dirty drain with filthy water near their kitchen. After watching the video, I was devastated at how poor their living condition was. They had to cook food near a filthy drain, they lived with pests at night, and nobody bothered clearing up. I realised after the video that we were extremely fortunate to have a comfortable and clean environment to live in. I knew about how the workers were paid so less for many hours of labour yet at the end of the day could not relax at their dormitories. I hope that the developers can do something for them, to provide a more comfortable environment for them to live in. The government should also do something about this. These construction workers build homes for us to live in and they deserve credit for their hard work. 

Rachel Tan's CID reflections for Poverty in Singapore

During today's CID lesson, I learnt about poverty in Singapore. We were shown a video of the living conditions of this foreign worker in 2009. They were building this 'luxury condominium' in Orchard Road. Their living conditions were terrible, it was cramped, infested with insects and had no ventilation. I was honestly shocked, as although I knew about their bad living conditions, I never knew it was that bad. I used to live in a HDB building, and there would be an old homeless man living on the void deck. He would have this gigantic bag of items with him, and would always sleep on the benches. I always pitied him but as a child, was always to scared to go close to him. I also learnt that the difference (inequality) in Singaporean's pay was rather high, comparable to China. I think I am very fortunate to have a proper roof over my head and to be able to afford an education, books, clothes and more. I honestly feel quite bad for spending so much money on clothes now. I really hope that the government can do something about this, maybe help poor homeless people adapt back into society by giving them a job to do, or by improving the living conditions of the foreign workers in Singapore. 

Introduction to our Group

This is our CID group, from left, Leong Hao Ming, Brian Woon, Rachel Tan, Yee An Qi 

Rachel Tan introduction- I'm Rachel Tan, the leader of this group and a proud member of RVCO 吹打 section. Like most people, I love eating and sleeping.

Leong Hao Ming reflections- I am Leong Hao Ming and I am from the Volleyball team. I am the Blog Manager of the group and I usually like to read and exercise whenever I am free 

Brian Woon - I am Brian and I am the note taker. I am from the Infocomn club and I usually like to read 

Yee An Qi - I am An Qi and I am the resource Manager of the group. I am from Girl Guides and I usually like to read Japanese books. I am currently learning Japanese as my third language