Had my first taste of "Jian Bing Guo Zi" for breakfast today. The serving was quite large and tasted similar to the roti prata found in Singapore. Yummy :)
For APPG in the morning, there was a pop quiz for Chapter 1. It was pretty hard, for me at least. I learnt that for this module, memorising the different terms and usages are more important than understanding. Understanding is only possible if there are previous knowledge and experience of the module. Looks like I have to tweak my way of learning to progress in APPG.
After the lesson, some of us went back to hotel and ordered Mcdonald delivery for lunch. We also attempted to compile the program in Chapter 2 during our meal. Seems like most of us are having problems with finishing the program as it is really complicated. In the first IS lesson about Chinese Langauge today, the teacher shown us a really nice movie called "Du La La Sheng Zhi Ji". It is about the working life of a lady named La La and her attitude towards work. There were also some discussions about the questions given to us that are related to the movie. We didn't manage to finished the movie due to the short lesson hours. I am looking forward to watching the rest of it in the future lessons.
Next, there was the second IS lesson about folk arts and culture. There were knot tying and art demostration by the some students who had slight physical disabilities. The teacher, on the other hand, taught us how to some simple paper cuttings. His skills were awesome! Just a few cuts here and there and he could produce a beautiful paper design like magic.
For dinner, some of us went to the Buddy's Cafe for some Western food. We even saw Yi Wen's China buddy who was holding a part-time job there. After that, we headed back to the campus for another APPG lesson. Bad news though - most of us didn't managed to pass the pop quiz. Only 4 people managed to get a pass, I think. With such a tight schedule, I wonder if I am able to fully comprehend the module...
Food for thought:
Learnt about working life in China in today's lesson. It seems like there are quite a number of similarities between the working life in Singapore and China. Getting to work with public transport, having difficult bosses, etc...
New discovery for me, there are actually other doors to the building of the classroom. Because that I was walking the same route to the classroom each day, I thought that was the only way in. I probably would not know about this if the usual door was locked for the night class.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Day 3 - 10th March 2011
Went back to have a bath after the role call last night. Believe it or not, the lock for the bathroom actually came out loose and I got stuck inside. I was like "Zzz... Don't tell me I have to spend the night in the bathroom...". Miraculously, after some trial and error, the lock managed to fit itself back to the correct spot just enough time for me to unlock the door.
After a few hours of sleep, the morning started off with the first APPG lesson in Tianjin. I realised that there are quite a number of technical terms that have to be learnt. Guess I will have to go through them more for better understanding.
During lunch break, we went to one of the restaurants in the campus for our lunch. The food actually tasted pretty good and the price was really reasonable too. A pity thing though, we didn't managed to taste the last 2 dishes as we had to rush off to the afternoon lesson.
For the first IS lecture, we had Miss Kang, one of the local teachers, to teach us about the culture of Tianjin. She taught us about the interesting places, history and food of Tianjin through the usage of PowerPoint slides. A video of a speech titled "My Story and the Chinese Dream Behind It" by Bai Yansong, a well-known TV news anchor and commentator in China, was also shown to us for better understanding of the changes in China. Overall, the lesson was quite interesting and I really appreciate Miss Kang's effort to prepare so much information for us.
Had a really early dinner in "Zi Wei Can Ting" at about 5pm today. I only took a bowl of soup due to the heavy lunch. After that, I went off with a couple of group mates to take a little walk (and shopping) at the nearby area. We even bought ourselves some sweaters with the same design :) . For some reason, we were mistaken more than once by the locals as Koreans. I guess some of us have the "Korean look" XD
Last but not least, I heard from Mr Tan earlier today that Mr Chua was not feeling too well. Really hope that he gets better soon :)
Food for thought:
I learnt that it is best to repair something that is spoiled before using it. If I had tried to screw back the loosen screw before locking the door, I probably wouldn't be stuck in the bathroom.
Must remember to be always alert of the surroundings. I almost crossed the road when a car was coming towards me. Luckily, Rachael pulled me back before anything happened.
I felt that the video of the speech shown today was really meaningful. The way of looking at another country's aspects have taught me not to just look at the surface level. You never know what you may discover unless you dig deeper and try to have the correct mindset.
After a few hours of sleep, the morning started off with the first APPG lesson in Tianjin. I realised that there are quite a number of technical terms that have to be learnt. Guess I will have to go through them more for better understanding.
During lunch break, we went to one of the restaurants in the campus for our lunch. The food actually tasted pretty good and the price was really reasonable too. A pity thing though, we didn't managed to taste the last 2 dishes as we had to rush off to the afternoon lesson.
For the first IS lecture, we had Miss Kang, one of the local teachers, to teach us about the culture of Tianjin. She taught us about the interesting places, history and food of Tianjin through the usage of PowerPoint slides. A video of a speech titled "My Story and the Chinese Dream Behind It" by Bai Yansong, a well-known TV news anchor and commentator in China, was also shown to us for better understanding of the changes in China. Overall, the lesson was quite interesting and I really appreciate Miss Kang's effort to prepare so much information for us.
Had a really early dinner in "Zi Wei Can Ting" at about 5pm today. I only took a bowl of soup due to the heavy lunch. After that, I went off with a couple of group mates to take a little walk (and shopping) at the nearby area. We even bought ourselves some sweaters with the same design :) . For some reason, we were mistaken more than once by the locals as Koreans. I guess some of us have the "Korean look" XD
Last but not least, I heard from Mr Tan earlier today that Mr Chua was not feeling too well. Really hope that he gets better soon :)
Food for thought:
I learnt that it is best to repair something that is spoiled before using it. If I had tried to screw back the loosen screw before locking the door, I probably wouldn't be stuck in the bathroom.
Must remember to be always alert of the surroundings. I almost crossed the road when a car was coming towards me. Luckily, Rachael pulled me back before anything happened.
I felt that the video of the speech shown today was really meaningful. The way of looking at another country's aspects have taught me not to just look at the surface level. You never know what you may discover unless you dig deeper and try to have the correct mindset.
Day 2 - 9th March 2011
Woke up bright and early today and headed to the nearby Mcdonald with my group mates for breakfast. The food in the Mcdonald are slightly different from those in Singapore. I learnt something new from my breakfast: Never eat harshbrown together with milk tea. It will create a sour aftertaste from some reason >_<
At around 10.30am, the whole group went to the Tianjin University for the first time to have a brief orientation. We were introduced to some of the people-in-charge and each of us was given a welcome gift. After a short break at the hotel, we went back to the campus again for the pairing up with the local students. The language buddy that I am paired up with is a 2nd year student from Anhui who came here to study. We went to have a tour around the different places in the campus while getting to know each other better.
Back at the hotel lobby at night, most of us spent the time at the lobby finishing our assignments. I took the time to call back home to report my situation and safety. Really starting to miss my family and a good friend back in Singapore. I didn't get to have a proper dinner so my gastric problem recurred again :( . Must remember to try not to skip my meals again.
Had the first role call at 11pm today. The main purpose was to make sure that all of us are back safely and to share some of our experiences. One funny experience that was shared was Yi Wen thinking that the fuel cost about S$40+ a litre in Singapore. If that is really the case, I think no one dares to drive in Singapore XD
Food for thought:
The students here prefer to drive to school if they do not live in hostel. On the other hand, students in Singapore normally to take the public transport instead of driving to school.
Tianjin University does take in students with hearing and speech disabilities, just like Ngee Ann Polytechnic.
There are even specific hostels allocated for them to stay in so that they can get know of each other better.
At around 10.30am, the whole group went to the Tianjin University for the first time to have a brief orientation. We were introduced to some of the people-in-charge and each of us was given a welcome gift. After a short break at the hotel, we went back to the campus again for the pairing up with the local students. The language buddy that I am paired up with is a 2nd year student from Anhui who came here to study. We went to have a tour around the different places in the campus while getting to know each other better.
Back at the hotel lobby at night, most of us spent the time at the lobby finishing our assignments. I took the time to call back home to report my situation and safety. Really starting to miss my family and a good friend back in Singapore. I didn't get to have a proper dinner so my gastric problem recurred again :( . Must remember to try not to skip my meals again.
Had the first role call at 11pm today. The main purpose was to make sure that all of us are back safely and to share some of our experiences. One funny experience that was shared was Yi Wen thinking that the fuel cost about S$40+ a litre in Singapore. If that is really the case, I think no one dares to drive in Singapore XD
Food for thought:
The students here prefer to drive to school if they do not live in hostel. On the other hand, students in Singapore normally to take the public transport instead of driving to school.
Tianjin University does take in students with hearing and speech disabilities, just like Ngee Ann Polytechnic.
There are even specific hostels allocated for them to stay in so that they can get know of each other better.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Day 1 - 8th March 2011
Today is the beginning of my Overseas Immersion Programme trip, my first trip alone overseas. My flight was at 8am with the check-in time at around 5.30am. Despite the early timing, my dad and my younger sister took the effort to accompany me down to the airport. The next few hours were then spent on the plane, with me sleeping almost throughout the whole flight.
Upon reaching Guangzhou, there was about 3 hours of free time before the next flight. My group mates and I grabbed some lunch, idled for a while before settling down at an area waiting for the teachers to arrive. At a point of the time, we were even clueless of whether the meeting place was at the A gate or either one of the B gates. After meeting up, the whole group headed straight to one of the boarding gates (B2), waiting for the time to board the plane. Guess what, turns out that we had waiting at the wrong place for the past one hour and the correct boarding gate was B205 at Level 3. No wonder, the place was so quiet! So, we had to run like mad all the way to the very end of Level 3 to catch our flight. Luckily for us, it was having its "Last Call" and we managed to board the plane at the very last-minute.
After reaching Tianjin, we went to a hotel where we will be staying for the 5 weeks. It was decided that our roommate will be a member of our IS grouping and I will be sharing a room with Tien Ying. After settling down for a short moment, the whole group of us went for our late dinner at "Hong La Zhu". The teachers even treated us to guo tie and jian bao. Overall, the food was quite ok but they were a little too oily for me.
Looking forward to the days that will be spent in the 5 weeks :)
Food for thought:
Unlike Singapore, it seems like it is uncommon to the locals to see a large group of people sitting on the ground at the airport. Because majority of the locals took at least a glance at my group mates and I while we were waiting for the teachers.
The whole group almost missed the flight from Guangzhou to Tianjin. Did we overlook something? Since the situation at that moment was weird for some of us (too quiet, long waiting time, no announcement, etc), should someone have raised the problem earlier?
Upon reaching Guangzhou, there was about 3 hours of free time before the next flight. My group mates and I grabbed some lunch, idled for a while before settling down at an area waiting for the teachers to arrive. At a point of the time, we were even clueless of whether the meeting place was at the A gate or either one of the B gates. After meeting up, the whole group headed straight to one of the boarding gates (B2), waiting for the time to board the plane. Guess what, turns out that we had waiting at the wrong place for the past one hour and the correct boarding gate was B205 at Level 3. No wonder, the place was so quiet! So, we had to run like mad all the way to the very end of Level 3 to catch our flight. Luckily for us, it was having its "Last Call" and we managed to board the plane at the very last-minute.
After reaching Tianjin, we went to a hotel where we will be staying for the 5 weeks. It was decided that our roommate will be a member of our IS grouping and I will be sharing a room with Tien Ying. After settling down for a short moment, the whole group of us went for our late dinner at "Hong La Zhu". The teachers even treated us to guo tie and jian bao. Overall, the food was quite ok but they were a little too oily for me.
Looking forward to the days that will be spent in the 5 weeks :)
Food for thought:
Unlike Singapore, it seems like it is uncommon to the locals to see a large group of people sitting on the ground at the airport. Because majority of the locals took at least a glance at my group mates and I while we were waiting for the teachers.
The whole group almost missed the flight from Guangzhou to Tianjin. Did we overlook something? Since the situation at that moment was weird for some of us (too quiet, long waiting time, no announcement, etc), should someone have raised the problem earlier?
Friday, March 4, 2011
Individual Learning Plan
Learning Objective
I would like to learn about the culture and the lifestyles of the people in Tianjin, China. It would be interesting to observe and understand the differences in areas such as the food, living standards, education system and safety between China and Singapore.
From what I have heard, the education system in China is stricter than Singapore. The students are always punctual and will be focused throughout the lessons. As for safety, the crime rates in China are much higher than Singapore. There would be a need to take much more care on the personal belongings.
My main motivation for learning would be curiosity. I find that it is easier for me to learn when there are new things that catch my attention.
With the knowledge gained, I can share them with others who have not had the chance to visit China. They will also be useful when communicating with the people from China and for future personal or business visitations to China.
Focus of Inquiry
On this trip, my main focuses would be on the interpersonal relationships and the student lifestyles in Tianjin, China. I would like to have a better understanding on how the people interact with each other and how the students spend their time in school and in their studies.
Questions for Investigation
1. What are the differences in the way of studying between Singapore and Tianjin, China?
The students in Tianjin, China seem to be more disciplined and treat their studies very seriously.
2. How do the people in Tianjin, China interact with each other?
The people in Tianjin, China seem to speak more loudly and can be straightforward at times as compared to Singaporeans.
3. What is the level of air pollution as compared to Singapore?
Although there have been reports of reduction in the level of air pollution, the level of air pollution level seems to be much higher than Singapore.
4. What is the transport system like in Tianjin, China?
The transport system in Tianjin, China seems to be similar to Singapore with good efficiency and comfort level.
5. How do the people in Tianjin, China treat foreigners?
It seems that the people in Tianjin, China are generally warm, friendly and helpful to foreigners.
Development of Global Skills
The three global skills that I would like to acquire and improve are interpersonal skills, the respect for other beliefs and the willingness to take risk.
1. Interpersonal skills
Being someone who is less outspoken, I realised that having good interpersonal skills are very important as they are used in our everyday lives. Not only do they allow communication with others to be easy and comfortable, they can also generally control the feelings that emerge in difficult situations and respond appropriately, instead of being overwhelmed by emotion. Thus, I believe that having good interpersonal skills will help me communicate easier with others.
2. Respect for other beliefs
Everyone has their own beliefs in different matters. Conflicts can be easily caused by the lack of respect for others’ beliefs due to the difference with personal beliefs. Thus, I believe that having the respect for other beliefs will help me prevent unnecessary conflicts and not hurt others’ feelings unintentionally.
3. Willingness to take risk
Every decision in life is a risk. The only difference is the level of the risk involved. I realised that most of the time, I refused to take the step forward because I was so worried about the risks involved. Lots of opportunities were lost as a result. Thus, I believe that having the willingness to take risk will greatly help me in making future decisions.
Learning Strategies
My approach on learning would be through researching on the Internet, interaction with the locals and observation of the people, surroundings and events.
- Through researching on the internet, I would be able to understand the basic background of Tianjin, China.
- Through interaction with the locals, I would be able to understand what the lifestyles of the locals are.
- Though observation of the people, surroundings and events, I would be able to have my own understanding on the different aspects on Tianjin, China that may be different from what I have researched on the internet or have heard from others.
With the above learning approaches, I believe that I will be able use them to gain new knowledge regarding Tianjin, China on this trip.
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