Gerald's REFLECTIONS

Day 1
Today marks the start of our OELP trip. All of us gathered at Changi Airport in our orientation tees. I was counting the days to this trip as it is our class' first time to go overseas together as a class. Very soon, we bid farewell to our parents and took off to China. We were all chatting, watching movies while enjoying the impeccable service of the Singapore Airline flight stewards/ stewardesses. Upon arrival, we met our friendly tour guide, 黄导游. He gave us a brief, yet detailed explanation about China and its population, during our journey to a restaurant for dinner. After dinner, we went back to the hotel to have a good rest.
Day 2
We went to visit the Finance and Trade Zone, the Book City, the Bund, 城隍庙 and the French concession. After visiting the above mentioned places, we learnt about how China has modernized over the years. In the past, there were never such tall skyscrapers and much less a huge building dedicated solely to books. The view of the landscape of the city at the Bund was simply breathtaking. China is undoubtedly comparable to Singapore in how far it has advanced.
Day 3
We went to Shanghai Nanyang High School today to have an immersion programme with the local students. The teacher firstly told us about the school and its facilities and upcoming plans. Later, their students came in and interacted with us, teaching us how to make 香包 and 种子. It was a fun experience, getting to know how the teachers conducted lessons and the high school life of the students there. For lunch, we went to the much awaited 海底捞. It truly lived to its name of having great service. The waiters and waitresses took the initiative to ask if we needed help, and even emptied an extra table just to put our bags. Lastly, we went to the urban planning exhibition hall, and saw a 3D, miniature version of Shanghai.
Day 4
It was the last visit to Shanghai Nanyang High School. The first thing we did there was to watch the students do their 体操. We were amazed by how orderly they were. We were told to join in but it was pretty awkward and the rhythm was very fast and hard to catch up but since they have been doing it everyday it seemed like a piece of cake to the students there. After that we sang the 立华情 to our buddies to show our gratitude for their time and effort spent on helping us. Then we attended a lesson with the Chinese students. It was an English lesson, and despite the students being unfamiliar with the language they still tried their best to answer the questions. Later, we went to Oriental dreamworks. We saw all the products of tireless editing and modification, to make lifelike models. Then we went to Fudan university where we met one of our RV seniors. She told us about the facilities and life in Fudan, where the environment is very competitive, and everyone is desperate to succeed. Although the facilities are not very good, Fudan is still able to nurture talents.
Day 5
We traveled to Hangzhou via tour bus and visited the ZheJiang university. It was huge! We learnt that it was actually 5 different campuses combined to form one university. They have a very deep regard for technology, culture, and modern design.
Day 6
We went to the West Lake, and visited the Leifeng Pagoda, and Yuefei mausoleum. At the Yuefei mausoleum, there were many statues of people and animals, most importantly the status of those who betrayed Yuefei. We can tell that the Chinese detest the traitors as there are signs put up to prevent spitting. We also went for a boat ride around the West Lake, enjoying the scenic view and learning out the Duan Qiao, which is not actually broken, but because there is a family named Duan at the end of the bridge. We also learnt about the story of the white snake after entering the Leifeng Pagoda, and how the Leifeng pagoda once fell before.
Day 7
We went back to Shanghai. Then, we went to 七宝古镇. There were many people there, with many stalls selling all kinds of goods, ranging from food to clothing to jewelry. After that, we went to Tianzifang, where many handcrafted goods were sold. Finally we left China for Singapore.