Xin Yi

Entry 1: December Holidays

  During the December holidays, I had done many things that I will remember forever. I went for facilitators trainings which were indeed an enjoyable and meaningful trainings for all facilitators. I also went to Japan with my family and I enjoyed the time in Japan so much that I hope that I can go to Japan again as soon as possible.

  Facilitators trainings were the time when facilitators learnt and grew. We been through lots of dry run and we learnt together as one whole facilitators committee. We learnt important values such as 'one for all, all for one', 'leave no man behind', our sense of urgency, our alertness and many more. Also, we learnt to take the initiative to lead others and step out of our comfort zones. Throughout the trainings, we made bonds that will last for eternity. Even though orientation camp have ended, but our relationships will not end. Even though those were our last trainings together, but it will not be our last moment together. I have never regret joining year one orientation 2015 and I will never regret joining it. I look forward to year one orientation 2016 when I will still be part of it.

  For the overseas trip to Japan, my family and I went to Kyoto, Osaka and Tokyo. As we went during the December holidays, the temperature there were as low as 2 degree celcius. It was my first time experiencing such cold weather even though I was quite disappointed as the temperature did not went lower than 0 degree celsius for those places that I went and thus, there was no snow. However, I was already 'freezing' sometimes. As my parents decided to go free and easy, we were allowed to go wherever we want. Hence, we went to many places and we enjoyed ourselves there with no one rushing us. As the languages they use in Japan is Japanese, we have to figure out ourselves how to buy train tickets and stuffs. However, after one or two times buying the tickets, I think I have became the buy tickets master because the rest of the time when we need to buy tickets, I became the one that was on charge of buying the tickets. In Japan, when you need to take the train, you have to buy tickets everytime, unless you buy some passes that can let you take the train without buying the
tickets. There were three types of trains in Japan, such as the subway trains, JR trains and Shinkansen. As for Singapore, there are MRT and LRT, and we use cards such as ez link or confession pass to board the train. I enjoyed my time in Japan and I can't wait to go Japan again as soon as possible.

From top left: Osaka Castle, Tokyo Disneyland, Shinkansen ticket, Universal Studio Japan, Tokyo Tower

Entry 2: Poverty in Singapore

After my research on poverty in Singapore, I realized that poverty in Singapore is a major problem that need to be solve. They are quite a number of people in Singapore that are homeless, poor and jobless. They are also mostly elderly and disabled. I think that a coherent response to poverty in Singapore is really needed and we must find a way to pretend this problem from happening again. I felt sorry for the homeless people and the elderly and I hope that they will find a home soon. Meanwhile, I felt rejoice too as I have a home and I do not need to worry about how to earn money. I appreciate what I have and I hope that poverty in all over the world can be solve as quickly as possible.

' Poverty is a significant problem in Singapore. This is so obvious as to be clear to all who have not been cloistered in bubbles of privilege. Senior citizens scrounging for cardboard and aluminum cans to sell to recyclers. Cleaners sleeping in public to save on transport costs. Even outright homelessness. Amid the futuristic weaves of The Interlace and the "iconic" quirkiness that is the Marina Bay Sands, the prevalence of such overt poverty is shocking.'
-See more at: http://jeremy-chen.org/blog/201311/coherent-response-poverty-needed#sthash.E2elKk6F.dpuf

Image source: http://jeremy-chen.org/blog/201311/coherent-response-poverty-needed

Entry 3: Future scenario (20 years later) of Singapore

  I think that in the future, the human population in Singapore will decreased a lot due to the dwindling population growth. They will be schools with lesser students or lesser schools. The number of top schools may increase due to the increase of competitive parents who want their child to be a person with high position in order to earn enough money to raise him/her grandparents, parents and children, while the number of students in neighbourhood schools will decrease. They will also be more poverty as the child cannot afford to raise him/her grandparents and parents alone. The amount of stress of the child will also increase tremendously as the life of him/her grandparents and parents depends on the child's income. I think that Singapore can introduce more kind of packages such as the SG 50 packages to attract parents to give birth to more children. Singapore can also organise events such as talks to let the parents give lesser stress to their children. There should also be more variety of jobs for everyone so that everyone will have a stable income and not lead a life of poverty.

Entry 4: China rapid economic growth

With China ranking 2nd in the world in terms of GDP (Gross Domestic Product), China's economy will grow rapidly, especially when China is endowed with many natural resources such as coal, natural gas and steel, because every countries need natural resources which are hard to find in some countries thus they are willing to import the natural resources from China since it is cheaper than other countries too. China's corporate tax rate and Chinese Yuan value is also one of the lowest in the world which led to many people from other countries willing to import products from China. The size of China land mass - 3,854,082 square miles also lead to renting or buying shops, houses etc to be cheaper and thus, causing the cost of things to be cheaper too. When the cost is cheaper, many people from other countries will be willing to buy the things in China. Also, when there are more houses and shops, the price of each house and each shop will be cheaper than usual in order to attract people to buy. Since the cost of buying or renting is cheaper, the products will be cheaper since they do not need to pay much money for the cost and they can already earn more income.

Entry 5: Comment on group 2 presentation

I think that group 2 presentation can be better and they should know what to do as when they went up to the front to speak, they did not know what to do. They talk from the paper and they did not engage the audience. Their lack of confidence caused them to stutter and stone a lot. They did not distribute their jobs equally and thus, it end up to have only some people talking while the others standing there doing nothing. They should be more prepared and try to engage the audience in order to attract the audience attention.

Entry 6: Reflection on CID presentation

I think that in order to present a good presentation, the most important thing is to display confidence. Confidence is a very important part of a presentation as it depicts the presenter in all ways. Further more, the presenter's body language, fluency of speech and how the presenter engage the audience are also very important. I think that personally, I did engage my audience but my fluency of speech is not really fluent as I did stutter a lot. We should also speak up and not murmur to ourselves and think that the audience will hear us. The content of our speech should also be meaningful and interesting so that our audience will be willing to listen to our speech.

Entry 7: Relationship between Mr Lee Kuan Yew and Suzhou Industrial Park

Mr Lee Kuan Yew, who is the founding father of Singapore, is also the founder of China-Singapore relations. He is the initiator and co-decision-maker of the cooperation project of Suzhou Industrial Park between the two countries. Suzhou Industrial Park serves as a model for attracting foreign investment to the world's most populous nation. However, not long after the start of the Suzhou Industrial Park, Singapore was forced to cut its interest in the original project as the local officials began a rival operation beside Suzhou Industrial Park to attract customers from Suzhou Industrial Park to its own Suzhou New District industrial park. Despite the fact, Mr Lee Kuan Yew managed to sign agreements with the government in Beijing and thus, today, Suzhou Industrial Park is succeeding,credited to the smooth cooperation between the Chinese and Singaporeans partners. Hence, Mr Lee Kuan Yew played an important role in the success of Suzhou Industrial Park.

Entry 8: With what you have learnt about golden age of Tang Dynasty, reflect on the things you have learnt about LKY and how Singapore can be seen to be at its own version of the "Golden Age"

Why is Tang Dynasty a golden age?

A golden age in China was often referred to a period of great peace and progress, which at the same ti me saw the development of the scientific, technological and cultural aspects of the country. Tang Dynasty was a golden age especially in literature and art, where these areas reached the height of its developments. 

How can Singapore be seen to be at its own version of the "Golden Age"?
Arts:
-Tang Dynasty: During the Tang Dynasty, painting and pottery were quite popular. Painters and people who do pottery could head to specific places to further developed their interests or talents in the areas. 
-Singapore: In Singapore, there are also schools that mainly focus on arts, sports, technologies etc. Some good examples are School of the Arts and Sports School. Students who are interested in those areas or are especially good at them can apply  to enter those schools to further develop on them. Those schools will train them on those areas and give them additional help.

Relationships between countries:
-Tang Dynasty: During the Tang Dynasty, good relationship between countries were built. People from other countries could go to China and settle down there without having to pay much taxes. People from other countries are willing to learn from China and trade with them without having much conflicts. There was peace and people from China and other countries were happy.
-Singapore: Singapore build great relationships with many countries and people could settle down at other countries without having to apply for special permission or pay taxes. Singapore is also a well loved country by foreigners as people in Singapore were kind and caring and there were no foreign aggressions or racial riots. Singapore could easily ask for help or agree with something with other 
countries. Singapore is also very helpful and will help other countries when they need help. One such example is when other countries have natural disasters, Singapore will send people to the countries to help them in all ways. This act of kindness will often received many thank you from them and it can also help improve the relationship between both countries.

Life:
-Tang Dynasty: People led a comfortable lifestyle due to the efficiency and stabilities of things. They could have entertainments, feasts and drinks often without having to bother about having a lack of money. They were minimal conflicts and people were not worried about wars etc.
-Singapore: In Singapore, the convenience of technologies help people in many ways and they do not have to worry on much things such as losing their jobs. Singapore is a democratic country and thus, there are minimal conflicts and riots. The government also introduce assistance to people who have lower income such as financial assistance plan to ensure that they can still lead a normal life without having to starve. People are happy in Singapore and the efficiency also bring much joy to Singapore.

Education:
-Tang Dynasty: During Tang Dynasty, block book printing was introduced to allow people to buy and learn about things such as literary texts. This also allowed lower income people to study and have a chance to take the imperial examinations. 
-Singapore: People in Singapore have good education in schools, universities etc. People in Singapore usually study for free, only having to pay a sum of less then $50 especially in primary schools and secondary schools. Students in Singapore have to at least study until he or she graduated from secondary school to ensure that he or she know some basic knowledge. The schools in Singapore teaches students a wide range of things that are useful for the students when they grow older. Low incomes students can also receive good education in Singapore. 

Entry 9: Do you think the Merlion would make the best national icon for Singapore?

Yes, i think that Merlion would make the best national icon for Singapore. Merlion is unique to all countries. It is a combination of a lion head which represents the creature that Sang Nila Utama first saw when he step on Singapore in the olden days and fish tail which represents Singapore as a fishing village back then. Merlion can only be found in Singapore and there are only 5 official Merlions in the world, which are all found in Singapore. A national icon is to represent Singapore and differentiate Singapore from other countries. The rich history behind the national icon will also represent Singapore for what it is back then. Even though there are many other things that can represent Singapore, such as the Raffles's statue, Merlion will still be the best because of its uniqueness and meaning of it. The significance of Merlion make it very important to not use it as the national icon.

Entry 10: Daily Reflections for OELP

Day 1: Singapore to Kaohsiung

  On day 1, we departed from Singapore to Taiwan at Changi Airport Terminal 1. We arrived in Taiwan at approximately 2330. We were all tired after the long flight, partly also due to the fact that it was already midnight. However, when I stepped out of the gate, I felt that I have just reached another home, feeling a strong sense of belonging. People from RV sister school, Sacred Hearts High, also known as 正心高中, were waiting for us outside, welcoming us with smiles on their faces. These people includes, the vice principal of Sacred Hearts, 刘秘书, the teachers from Sacred Hearts, and even family of the teachers. They were very kind hearted and heart warming. I was touched by their appearance, especially when it was during midnight, and all the tiredness from the approximately 5 hours of flight have just seemed to fly away from me. Thus, we took group photos with them and left the airport, heading to Ten Drums Cultural Village, where we will be staying at for 2 nights. When we reach the place, it was already quite late at around 0030, and hence, we have a short debrief. At the end of the debrief, we were told to collect our supper. When I knew that the supper, which were actually Taiwan pineapples tarts, which are very expensive, at around 30NTD for only one small one, some Taiwan delicacies and packet drinks were bought by 刘秘书, I was really shocked on how generous the people in Taiwan are. After that, we went back to our rooms to rest. The rooms were big and clean, not like how I thought of a 'village'. It was very cool, with much of its facilities have resemblance to the name of the place, 'Ten Drums Cultural Village'. 

Day 2: Kaohsiung

  On day 2, we visited Mei Nong Hakka Culture Museum, Mei Nong Folk Village, Kaohsiung Hakka Cultural Musuem, Kaohsiung Musuem of History, local supermarket and Liu He Night Market. On our bus journeys to the places, I saw many paddy fields, many plantations etc. These sights was special and interesting because for many of us who lived in a highly urbanized areas, there are no plantations or paddy fields everywhere for us to know what it is actually like. 

Especially in Singapore, where spaces are limited, it is highly impossible for us to see a real paddy fields or plantations, or even have the chance to experience how is it like in 下田. In all the Hakka Musuems, I learnt about the culture of Hakkas and I also realized how hard they are trying to preserve the cultures and continue passing them down to the future generations. This is also something Singapore lacks. Despite of all the 会馆 in Singapore, Singapore don't really have places or events that celebrates their own dialect groups. People in Singapore are more of following the more advanced ways, instead of having even little appreciations to their own dialect groups, their cultures, etc. The local supermarket is about the same as Singapore's supermarkets. There's actually not much difference, and there do are Singapore brands in Taiwan. The biggest difference is that they do not provide plastic bags for customers and customers usually bring their own bags to carry the items. This may seems troublesome but it is actually a good way to preserve the earth limited resources. It also help built good habits on the buyers and promote the 3Rs, reduce, reuse, recycle. As for Liu He night market, it is actually like what we call in Singapore 'Pasar Malam'. It is not very safe there thus our tour guide told us to beware of our bags (to carry them infront instead of behind) and go in groups instead of alone. The food there are of good qualities and are delicious. However, for some stalls that don't sell cook food, it is best to not buy anything because we do not know how long the things have been (e.g. Pineapple tarts), whether it is still edible, etc and our tour guide also mentioned that the lower the price the seller gave, the higher the chance of the things being low standard. 

Day 3: Kaohsiung/Tainan/Douliu, Yun Lin County

  On day 3, we have drum lessons, a tour at Ten Drums Culture Village, drum performance. After that, we left Ten Drums Culture Village and headed to An Ping Fort, An Ping Old Street, Eternal Golden Castle, Chihkan Tower, and checked in to the hotel that we will be staying for 4 nights, Metro Hotel. In the morning, half of the boys overslept and thus were late for meet up time. They apologise for dragging our schedule during debrief at night and thought of a solution to overcome this problem. This incident showed the rest of us how important punctuality is and the importance of helping each other. The drum lessons were fun and interesting as we get to play drums that we did not play before. During the tour at the village, the most significant place is the toilet. It is very special as it is very high class and the back of the cubicles are not walls, but a pond that connect all the cubicles. That was the first time I saw this kind of toilets and it was also surprising to know that there are high class toilet in the middle of nowhere in the village. The drum performance was awesome and it was an opening eyesight for all of us. The performances thought of using water as part of their performance which made the whole performance unique and special. It is very creative and innovative and they also displayed one of the things that we learnt in school, think out of the box. An Ping Fort is a tourist attraction with rich history. It was originally built as defenses during a war. An Ping Old Street is just like Mei Nong Folk Village, and that was the place where we have our lunch. Eternal Golden Castle was also a place for defense, with many canons. One of the canon is still in working condition and is fired once everyday. For dinner, we went to a place that sells Shanghai Xiao Long Bao. The toilet there is very special. It is a combine toilet, which means the male toilets are in an open area while just beside the male urinal area is the normal toilet, but there was only one. We were all shocked about how they built their toilet and thus were having a hard time because all girls have to stand outside the toilet waiting for boys to finish using and the person inside the toilet have to wait for the boys to finish in order to be able to come out. Thus, we took a long time and hence our tour guide decided to stopped in the middle of the highway later during our 2 hours bus trip to our hotel to let us use the toilet. On the bus, our tour guide let us watched a movie called "I am sane". It is a very interesting movie, saying about the life of a man who is only as smart as a primary school kid, bringing his daughter up alone, and what happened in the end.  Day 3 was a tiring day but all of us enjoyed ourselves.

Day 4: Douliu City, Yunlin County

  On day 4, we visited Sacred Hearts High School, soya sauce factory and 西螺. It was our first day visiting Sacred Hearts High School, or even, a school in Taiwan. On that day, we have to perform infront of the school. We put up a fantastic performance and our hard work did pay off. We were proud of one another. During the performance, there was a senior who were behind the curtains, showing us the directions and telling us when to go out. As curiosity kills the cat, despite knowing what others will be dancing already, we still crowd behind the curtains trying to peep at our classmates performances. While we were doing that, we did not notice that the poor senior was being squeezed to one side and totally have no space to move or even see the performance. When we realised it, we looked very apologetic to her but she still smile as us as if nothing happens. Her kindness and bright smile on her face inspired us and at that moment, we looked up to her. After the performances, the school prepared refreshments for us. During the refreshments, we get to know our buddies and interact with them for a short period of time. They were very caring and helpful. They were also very outgoing and we had a great time knowing each other. Then, we were separated into 5 groups, mainly our cid groups and 1 group member from cid group 2 join each group. We were brought to classrooms or laboratories for lessons such as mathematics, physics etc. My group join the physics lesson about electricity in the physic lab. Their teacher welcomed us and the way the teacher conducts the lesson is very interesting and enjoyable. He uses cool experiments to convey the message to the students. During the hands on activity time using balloon, cloth and stick, we noticed a student standing one side and tying balloons, then making them into shapes such as swords and dogs. He then passed the balloons to us as a kind of gift and it was then that we realised that their teacher actually allowed him to not do the hands on activity but tie balloons for the guests and even his classmates. Then, there’s another activity which involves the whole class. We were told to stand in one circle, holding each other hands and Jak have to hold on end of an electrical pole. The whole class get electrified when the voltage increases and some even jumped. After that, we had lunch with our buddies and headed to the soya sauce factory which is located at西螺. As it was raining heavily, our facilitators helped to form a sheltered pathway using umbrellas to prevent us from getting drenched. Even the principal, 丁校长, helped to hold the umbrella as there was not enough people. This was a scene that is unforgettable and it was really a grateful moment when we saw him helping to hold the umbrella. We were touched by his actions and thanked him in our hearts. After visiting the soya sauce factory, we have a tour around西螺. Then, we visited 西螺大桥, which is a bridge connecting two ends. At there, we also ate watermelons that were sponsored by the school principal. The watermelons are about twice the size of a normal watermelon in Singapore and hence, the servings were quite big too. We took some time to finish them. We then headed back to the hotel to wash up and prepare for the dinner we will be having with our buddies and their families. We went to a high class restaurant which I was then told that it was the best restaurant in that city. We had a great time interacting and enjoying scrumptious meal with our buddies and their families. We get to know more about them too. My buddies’ mother then told me that the restaurant that they brought us to is the best restaurant in that area. This showed how hostile they are, providing us with the best things every time.

Day 5: Yunlin Cake Tower Café, Yunlin puppet theatre museum, Sacred Hearts High School

  On day 5, our first destination was Yunlin Cake Tower Café. It was a very interesting place that all of us did not see before. It was a place that sells towels, not normal towels, but DIY towels. Towels were folded to form different shapes and sizes, such as cars, animals, cakes, etc. We were all attracted by all the cute little towels that form cute shapes. We also had some hands on activities there. We were all given a small towel and some clips etc, and under the guidance of the “teachers”, all of us managed to fold it into a cat. It was a fun experience for all of us. After that, we went to Yunlin puppet theatre museum to watch a puppet show. The puppet “voices” were all from the same person, and that person was very talented. He managed to make all sort of voices with different tones that fit the characters and the scenes. I was impressed by his talent. We then have some time to touch the puppets and learn how to hold them. Puppets were indeed something that we should preserve. Other than all the television shows and videos, parents should bring their children to this kind of places to see, learn, and let them see a wider world, other than just the screens of their phones, tablets, etc. Puppets also have rich history and it can let the future generations learn more about the past. Then, we went to a house that was built during the Japanese occupations, and hence, was of Japanese style. It was a place where the people there say stories to other people of all ages. We listened to one story there and we found out that the way the people tell the stories there were different from normal stories. They uses something like a cardboard to show us the pictures and change the cardboard according to the speed they say the stories. After that, we went to have lunch in a university and then headed to Sacred Hearts High School. We were split into two groups and brought to different classes. One of them is a computer class, where students use legos to make robots with the help of the computer that tells us what to do each time. We made baseball bat that have sensor and will swing when it detects a ball that is coming towards it. After that, we went to the other class which the previous group went to, which is balloon sculpting class. We made balloons of different shapes, such as dolphins, and at first all of us thought that it was part of their curriculum. However, after that, we found out that the school specially invited a balloon sculptor to let us have fun by playing with balloons instead of going for lessons. We also found out that the computer class was a special class and not everyone in Sacred Hearts has that lesson as their curriculum. I felt touched and grateful to have these opportunities that widen our exposure to the outside world. The school may have just let us joined their lessons but they find interesting and enjoyable lessons for us to enjoy and have fun at the same time. After that, we were brought to the school hall to observe a performance by the scouts. But before that, we learnt a dance that is somehow like “line dance” in our school. We dance with the girls guide and have a lot of fun. The scouts then performed using a stick with light. They turned the stick to and fro without stopping, and trying to connect the light together into a circle. One of them accidentally drop his stick while turning but he picked it up and continues, without showing any signs of shock. This is something that we can learn from. Knowing that we affected the performance but still continue without stopping. His courage and perseverance inspired us. Then the school has a team where they use flags to perform, just like how the scouts perform. It was a sight that we have not seen before, using flags to dance.  After all the fun, we went back to the hotel to shower and eat our packaged dinner to prepare for an annual musical. The musical comprises of all the students who are in Sacred Hearts music classes. It was held annually and we were lucky that this year, it was held during our period of stay in Douliu. We were given VIP seats which were quite expensive when convert to Singapore dollars. The musical was awesome and it showed how creative the students were, when they use ladders, tables, to form songs. We also see our buddies perform on stage, just like professional musicians. We were all blessed to have this chance to watch such wonderful performances.

Day 6: Sacred Hearts High School

  Day 6 was the day that all of us looked forward to. It was the day out with buddies. In the morning, we went to have lessons with the students and made our own lunch during one of their FCE period. We made carrot cakes, dumplings and soup. The carrot cakes that my group fried did not actually turned out that nice but our dumplings were awesome. After that, we went to change out of our school uniform and went out with our buddies. I went out with Ding Hong Yi, Jeremy and Joyce buddies as a group. All 8 of us including my buddies’ father squeezed in one car and we had fun talking and sharing our experiences. First, we went to Ji Ji train station to take a train up the mountain. We were allowed to stand on the tracks unlike in Singapore. We took many pictures on the track as memories. Then, on the train, we were fortunate that they were not many people. We even took selfies on the train, in the middle of the pathway. We arrived at Che Cheng, a place filled with beautiful sceneries that we would never see in Singapore. There were ponds, ducks, chickens etc. Then, we went to a place called 星月天空, which when direct translate, is called star moon sky. It was like a mini zoo with admission fees needed. There were alpacas, ponies, parrots etc. It was the first time we saw an alpacas and we were fascinated by it, but also found out that it stinks. There was a slide there and we played it for a long time as if we were little kids, and not bear to leave. We had our dinner there and after our dinner, we went to a place in the star moon sky which we can see amazing night sceneries of the city. The night wind was also very cooling and we enjoyed every seconds there, as it was also our last day with our buddies and last night in Taiwan. On the trip back to the hotel, the atmosphere was quite tense as all of us do not bear to leave our buddies. It was only three days with them but the relationship we forged was not just buddies or friends, but close friends. When we reached the hotel, we presented our presents to our buddies. They sent us up to the hotel lobby and we hugged each other and cried. However, we still have to leave one another and as we cries, we waved goodbye to them, as the lift door closed. That night, I reflected thoroughly. Indeed, we have a lot to learn from them. Their attitudes, their hostility, their kindness, everything. We have a lot to improve on, and yes, we shall learn from one another and become better each day. And one day, when they come to Singapore, we can then be better towards them, and let them feel that, they are with their families.

Day 7: 921 Earthquake Educational Park (Taichung), Taoyuan Airport, Singapore

  On day 7, which was the last day of our OELP trip, we went to 921 Earthquake Educational Park in the morning. It was originally a primary school but after the September 21 earthquake that struck the area in midnight, the school was destroyed, but after that preserve and some parts were renovated to become museums. We learnt about earthquakes there and we felt fortunate that none were injured or dead. Then, we went to Taoyuan Airport. We took many pictures there, especially with our beloved tour guides. When we have to check in, we hugged our tour guides and some even cried as we missed our tour guides. Buddies are people who we can still meet one day, but tour guides are very hard to meet. We did last minute shopping there and boarded the plane. When we reached Singapore, we were welcomed home by our loving families. I realized that the best home that we have are also the most important home, our families.

This OELP trip let me discover more and the outside world. I was exposed to many different people and many different places. I also gained more knowledge, in terms of cultures, history, as a person, etc. I will indeed share my experiences with others and also the importance of preserving cultures, history.

Cost of living   

Local’s (buddy, guide or driver’s) satisfactory with the cost of living in Taiwan

They are satisfied with the cost of living in Taiwan because things in Taiwan are relatively cheap and affordable despite of their parents’ low income.

Education

Thoughts and observation on behavior in class and style of teaching

The students are very active in class and their participation level is relatively higher than my class. The teachers make lessons much more interesting while teaching to gain more attention from the students. They do not use computers or projectors except during computer lessons, but uses blackboards and textbooks to teach.

Write about the life of a student in Taiwan (Homework, tuition, sleep, purpose etc)

The life of a student in Taiwan is relatively busy. They do not have as much homework as we have but they have much more tuition classes then us. Their average number of tuition classes is about 4-6 times a week compared to ours, 1-3 times a week. Their school time also ends quite late at 5.15 pm and tuition classes mostly starts at 6pm and end at 9pm. Hence, students in Taiwan have a really busy life as when they reached home after their tuition, they will complete their homework and do self-revision, prepare for their upcoming tests. They are very hardworking because the education standards in Taiwan are very high and they are very competitive. Thus, they will then have lesser sleep as they have to study till quite late and wake up early to prevent being late for school.

Icons and monuments

Picture of stamped postcard that you sent home

A poem about a monument of your choice

十鼓文化村

地方历史悠久，

怀传浓厚文化。

保存着旧建筑，

永不忘记它们。