Day 7
Today was the best day among all the days in China as we got to shop! We woke up early and went to Tunxi Anxient Street. We went to a tea shop first and then got to shop freely for 40 minutes. Not much but more than enough.
We then took the west lake cruise. After that we went to a mansion. After the mansion we took a long ride to the airport. We got free time again! My friends and I went to eat ajisen ramen for dinner. It was super cheap. As our flight was delayed, we got free coupons. We bought ice cream and gave it out to people we saw at the airport. Yay!
In conclusion of this whole trip, I felt that I had learnt alot, grown alot as a person. I learnt to be mindful of I said. I learnt to appreciate what I have and posses. I learnt to never be greedy. I really felt that through this trip we bonded as a class. Many came out of out comfort zones, talked to people in the class that we hardly talked to.Learn more about them. And I also learnt to be much more responsible as a chairperson. This trip was really fruitful and I really hope that we can go overseas as a class again.
-Charmaine Soh
Thursday 26 June 2014
Day 6
Today we went to many villages and mini museums. It was like super boring and today is the most boring day of all. I didn't really learn much at all.
Then we had a talk about huangshan which was boring too to be honest. We then had a class reflection where we reflected on our actions for the past one and a half year with the class.
In conclusion today was like the worst day. It was the last night where we get to sleep with our friends but are given a curfew and are not allowed to go to each other's room. Other classes seem to be allowed to do so which caused me to be quite disappointed.
-Charmaine Soh
Today we went to many villages and mini museums. It was like super boring and today is the most boring day of all. I didn't really learn much at all.
Then we had a talk about huangshan which was boring too to be honest. We then had a class reflection where we reflected on our actions for the past one and a half year with the class.
In conclusion today was like the worst day. It was the last night where we get to sleep with our friends but are given a curfew and are not allowed to go to each other's room. Other classes seem to be allowed to do so which caused me to be quite disappointed.
-Charmaine Soh
Day 5
Today we woke up super early to watch the sunrise which the tour guide said that the chances are 50% as it was spring. We managed to see it! After climbing for like another 10 minutes we reached the part to see the sunrise.
After watching the sunrise, I went back to the hotel room to get more rest before meeting the class downstairs to go down the mountain. Halfway down, the tour guide said that the bus could not take that much people so three students and a teacher had to take a car down. I took the car and the ride was much faster and fun!
We then went to another village and learnt alot of history there again. One point that I took note of was that if one house there caught fire, the rest would not. Interesting right? The architect must be extremely smart to have thought of this idea. We took many pictures and jumpshots too.
In conclusion, I quite enjoyed this day as it was enriching and I learnt alot.
-Charmaine Soh
Today we woke up super early to watch the sunrise which the tour guide said that the chances are 50% as it was spring. We managed to see it! After climbing for like another 10 minutes we reached the part to see the sunrise.
After watching the sunrise, I went back to the hotel room to get more rest before meeting the class downstairs to go down the mountain. Halfway down, the tour guide said that the bus could not take that much people so three students and a teacher had to take a car down. I took the car and the ride was much faster and fun!
We then went to another village and learnt alot of history there again. One point that I took note of was that if one house there caught fire, the rest would not. Interesting right? The architect must be extremely smart to have thought of this idea. We took many pictures and jumpshots too.
In conclusion, I quite enjoyed this day as it was enriching and I learnt alot.
-Charmaine Soh
Day 4
Today we woke up exceptionally early to go to huangshan. We packed a set of clothing before heading to the cable car. The cable car only brought us halfway up the mountain and we had to climb the rest if we wanted to reach the peak of the mountain.
When we came down of the cable car, the air there was much fresher, the air was cooler. I instantly became happier as it was super cooling there. A cold weather equals a happy me. We climbed for about 20 minutes before reaching our hotel to put down our stuff. That 20 minutes climb was already killing me. I could not imagine myself climbing to the peak later. On the way to the hotels, there were many workers, carrying our rubbish down huangshan. Our tour guide reminded us to give way to them as the things that they were carrying was super heavy and they had to climb up and down the mountain daily just to bring our rubbish down. Our tour guide also reminded us that we should try not to throw rubbish up in huangshan and that whatever we brought up, we should bring it down with us too. I really pity them, doing such labour for probably a small amount of money. I saw one of these workers trying to pick up a bottle a tourist threw on the ground. He was shaking while bending down. I really regretted not helping him that day. I guess the best we can do is to not throw rubbish at huangshan and treasure the food that we are given for dinner as the workers worked hard bringing the ingredients up the mountain. We then met at the hotel lobby before climbing to the peak. The climb up was about one and a half hour long. It was like a never ending road up. Luckily the weather was good and I was totally in the mood the climb. When we reached the peak i felt a sense of accomplishment. The view was just unbelievable. It was magnificent and undescribable.
On the route down, my legs were shivering. I really wondered how I climbed up so many decks of stairs. But still the view at the peak was totally worth my effort.
After that we had dinner and slept early as we would be waking up early to watch the sunrise tomorrow.
In conclusion, today was a fruitful day as I managed to train my stamina and leg muscles even during the holidays! I would also be proud to tell everyone else that I had climbed huangshan! I really hope that we can see the sunrise tomorrow!
-Charmaine Soh
Today we woke up exceptionally early to go to huangshan. We packed a set of clothing before heading to the cable car. The cable car only brought us halfway up the mountain and we had to climb the rest if we wanted to reach the peak of the mountain.
When we came down of the cable car, the air there was much fresher, the air was cooler. I instantly became happier as it was super cooling there. A cold weather equals a happy me. We climbed for about 20 minutes before reaching our hotel to put down our stuff. That 20 minutes climb was already killing me. I could not imagine myself climbing to the peak later. On the way to the hotels, there were many workers, carrying our rubbish down huangshan. Our tour guide reminded us to give way to them as the things that they were carrying was super heavy and they had to climb up and down the mountain daily just to bring our rubbish down. Our tour guide also reminded us that we should try not to throw rubbish up in huangshan and that whatever we brought up, we should bring it down with us too. I really pity them, doing such labour for probably a small amount of money. I saw one of these workers trying to pick up a bottle a tourist threw on the ground. He was shaking while bending down. I really regretted not helping him that day. I guess the best we can do is to not throw rubbish at huangshan and treasure the food that we are given for dinner as the workers worked hard bringing the ingredients up the mountain. We then met at the hotel lobby before climbing to the peak. The climb up was about one and a half hour long. It was like a never ending road up. Luckily the weather was good and I was totally in the mood the climb. When we reached the peak i felt a sense of accomplishment. The view was just unbelievable. It was magnificent and undescribable.
On the route down, my legs were shivering. I really wondered how I climbed up so many decks of stairs. But still the view at the peak was totally worth my effort.
After that we had dinner and slept early as we would be waking up early to watch the sunrise tomorrow.
In conclusion, today was a fruitful day as I managed to train my stamina and leg muscles even during the holidays! I would also be proud to tell everyone else that I had climbed huangshan! I really hope that we can see the sunrise tomorrow!
-Charmaine Soh
Day 3
Today we went to Anhui Museum and a theme park. I learnt the most today, after witnessing animal abuse.
First we went to Anhui museum. I learnt alot about the history of Anhui.
Then we went to the theme park which we first saw two chicken fighting to their deaths. Many of my classmates could not take the cruelty done to these animals and thus walked away and some even cried. We then witnessed dogs and horse racing. We then went to a circus. Although it was my first time in a circus, I could not enjoy it at all. I could not stand seeing the animals performing getting hit by their trainers just because they did not do what they were supposed to do. Again, many cried and even the teachers and the tour guide was puzzled and heartened by the strong reactions that our class was showing towards the animal abuse. Our teacher had to to bring us all out of the circus. I felt that some of my classmates were extremely insensitive that day, even ones that are close to me. When my teacher insisted that we should leave the circus, some of them gave sarcastic remarks like ''can we stay to watch, it's quite interesting"
In conclusion, I learnt alot today and I know that we can never stop animal abuse around the world but we can make it lesser. As long as no one goes to watch the circus show, the performers would not need to perform and hurt the animals.
-Charmaine Soh
Today we went to Anhui Museum and a theme park. I learnt the most today, after witnessing animal abuse.
First we went to Anhui museum. I learnt alot about the history of Anhui.
Then we went to the theme park which we first saw two chicken fighting to their deaths. Many of my classmates could not take the cruelty done to these animals and thus walked away and some even cried. We then witnessed dogs and horse racing. We then went to a circus. Although it was my first time in a circus, I could not enjoy it at all. I could not stand seeing the animals performing getting hit by their trainers just because they did not do what they were supposed to do. Again, many cried and even the teachers and the tour guide was puzzled and heartened by the strong reactions that our class was showing towards the animal abuse. Our teacher had to to bring us all out of the circus. I felt that some of my classmates were extremely insensitive that day, even ones that are close to me. When my teacher insisted that we should leave the circus, some of them gave sarcastic remarks like ''can we stay to watch, it's quite interesting"
In conclusion, I learnt alot today and I know that we can never stop animal abuse around the world but we can make it lesser. As long as no one goes to watch the circus show, the performers would not need to perform and hurt the animals.
-Charmaine Soh
Day 2
Today we went to a school in Anhui, Hefei 45 Middle School. I was extremely disappointed even before stepping into the school as i still had not received any email from my China buddy. All my classmates had already received theirs but me. When I met my buddy, she kept telling me that my chinese was much better than what she expected. My buddy was an extremely jovial person and we never felt awkward with each other at all. Their classroom was much smaller than ours but there were much more people studying in a class. Their tables and chairs were much smaller than ours and I realised that none of their fans were on. It was still quite cooling as the air from outside the classroom was cool. The students there warmly welcomed us to their classrooms. first lesson was physics and every term was in Chinese making it hard for me to understand. In between two lessons there will be a 10 minutes break. I did not really like this system as the students would be released very late in the evening. During one of the break, i walked passed their toilet and there was this terrible stench of rotting animals. I guess there was no cleaners to clean the toilet and the toilet has be left uncleaned for quite a long time. The toilet had no doors and there was just this long hole for you to pee in.
After a few lessons, we went for lunch while the students also went home for lunch. We went back to the school to meet our buddies again after lunch and continued lessons. Lessons were quite boring. After the last lesson, which was history, we went to our buddies house. My buddy house was small but has everything you needed. Her mother was very hospitable and offered me alot of food.
After that we went to a shopping mall to shop and then back to the school to gather to go back to the hotel.
In conclusion, today was quite a fun day and i learnt to appreciate the toilets we have back in Singapore.
-Charmaine Soh
Today we went to a school in Anhui, Hefei 45 Middle School. I was extremely disappointed even before stepping into the school as i still had not received any email from my China buddy. All my classmates had already received theirs but me. When I met my buddy, she kept telling me that my chinese was much better than what she expected. My buddy was an extremely jovial person and we never felt awkward with each other at all. Their classroom was much smaller than ours but there were much more people studying in a class. Their tables and chairs were much smaller than ours and I realised that none of their fans were on. It was still quite cooling as the air from outside the classroom was cool. The students there warmly welcomed us to their classrooms. first lesson was physics and every term was in Chinese making it hard for me to understand. In between two lessons there will be a 10 minutes break. I did not really like this system as the students would be released very late in the evening. During one of the break, i walked passed their toilet and there was this terrible stench of rotting animals. I guess there was no cleaners to clean the toilet and the toilet has be left uncleaned for quite a long time. The toilet had no doors and there was just this long hole for you to pee in.
After a few lessons, we went for lunch while the students also went home for lunch. We went back to the school to meet our buddies again after lunch and continued lessons. Lessons were quite boring. After the last lesson, which was history, we went to our buddies house. My buddy house was small but has everything you needed. Her mother was very hospitable and offered me alot of food.
After that we went to a shopping mall to shop and then back to the school to gather to go back to the hotel.
In conclusion, today was quite a fun day and i learnt to appreciate the toilets we have back in Singapore.
-Charmaine Soh
Day 1
Today we took the high speed rail. It was my first time taking the fast speed rail in China and I really enjoyed the ride. The scenery of China was great and the view from the fast speed rail was unblocked and beautiful. I wondered why was this called the fast speed rail when to me, the speed is almost the same as other normal trains. I noticed the types of trees planted in China is different from Singapore. I came to a conclusion that this was because of the weather difference.
After the train ride, we went for lunch and there were at least 10 different types of food served. The food was totally not up to my expectations and I did not have the appetite to eat at all. Maybe it was also caused by jetlag. i am sure that many of my classmates felt the same way as I did and thus, the amount of food left uneaten was alot. I felt that it was a waste of food but I knew i could not do anything about it. I just promised myself to eat more for the next meal.
After lunch we went to San he Gu Zhen. During the journey there, I thought alot. Everyone was honking each other on the road, not willing to give in. I wondered why do they have to do that and felt that this was extremely different from Singapore. It was like a small village with quite a few museums and a small number of people living there. The people there lead a simple but peaceful life with nothing luxurious but all that they needed. We walked around for at least 3 hours going in and out of various museums. The tour guide was speaking in chinese thus, it was quite hard for me to understand what was she saying. No matter what, I still learnt alot of histories of China from that place.
In conclusion, today was quite an eye opener for me. It was my first time in China, experiencing their toilets which are terribly described on social medias(which was not as bad as I thought it would be), experiencing the food here, experiencing the way the people here drive and much more. I have not much expectations for tomorrow but I hope that it will be better as we are going to the school in China.
-Charmaine Soh
Today we took the high speed rail. It was my first time taking the fast speed rail in China and I really enjoyed the ride. The scenery of China was great and the view from the fast speed rail was unblocked and beautiful. I wondered why was this called the fast speed rail when to me, the speed is almost the same as other normal trains. I noticed the types of trees planted in China is different from Singapore. I came to a conclusion that this was because of the weather difference.
After the train ride, we went for lunch and there were at least 10 different types of food served. The food was totally not up to my expectations and I did not have the appetite to eat at all. Maybe it was also caused by jetlag. i am sure that many of my classmates felt the same way as I did and thus, the amount of food left uneaten was alot. I felt that it was a waste of food but I knew i could not do anything about it. I just promised myself to eat more for the next meal.
After lunch we went to San he Gu Zhen. During the journey there, I thought alot. Everyone was honking each other on the road, not willing to give in. I wondered why do they have to do that and felt that this was extremely different from Singapore. It was like a small village with quite a few museums and a small number of people living there. The people there lead a simple but peaceful life with nothing luxurious but all that they needed. We walked around for at least 3 hours going in and out of various museums. The tour guide was speaking in chinese thus, it was quite hard for me to understand what was she saying. No matter what, I still learnt alot of histories of China from that place.
In conclusion, today was quite an eye opener for me. It was my first time in China, experiencing their toilets which are terribly described on social medias(which was not as bad as I thought it would be), experiencing the food here, experiencing the way the people here drive and much more. I have not much expectations for tomorrow but I hope that it will be better as we are going to the school in China.
-Charmaine Soh
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