We are Group F!

Group F comprises 5 members.

☆ SuHang, 208
☆ Arienne, 305
☆ Fifi, 308
☆ Husnul, 206
☆ Grace, 303


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Portal

By Day

Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8


Su Hang
- Reflection

Arienne
- Reflection

Fifi
- Reflection

Husnul
- Reflection

Grace
- Reflection


Others

- Information on Singapore
- Information on Yunnan
- Pre-trip Reflection

Archives

- October 2010
- November 2010
- December 2010

Credits

Layout & Banner: Arienne
Background: Photobucket
Icon: xxMandy20xx

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Monday, December 13, 2010
Group Reflection Day 8 @ 12:47 PM

We went to West Hills but due to certain circumstance, we could only took 2-way ride to a certain point. We then, went to their Flower market. Other than flowers, it also has a lot of things like, coffee, biscuit, and even sweets.

We had our very last meals at Kunming before our flights. It was memorable.

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Group Reflection Day 7 @ 12:46 PM

　

We went to Dinosaur Valley, they have a big variation of dinosaur bones, and it was an eye-opener. Who would have thought that those huge creatures are mostly herbivores? And dinosaur could be as small as 15cm long! After touring around the museums and we headed for the amusement park! It was a dinosaur-themed park and it was extremely fun. They even have an arcade, next to the amusement. We almost had the entire amusement park to ourselves.



After lunch, we had a quick shopping at a somewhere near our hotel and headed over to a restuarant for Over-bridge noodles. In conclusion, we ended our uber day with a super extremely delicious noodles.

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Group Reflection Day 6 @ 12:45 PM

　


Very sadly, it was our last day at Anning Middle School, we continued with taji before learning Yi and Dai Dance. We got to wear minorities group costume and everyone gets to wear 2 different sets. Everyone started dancing together even for the feminine part. So, here's a props to the guys.

Anyhow, we started with the performance which everyone was so nervous about. We also have 3 rounds of charades in between the performance. In the end, thing goes really well. All the practices we have paid off.


The time came and we have to bid farewell with our buddy, which was quite a terrible scene as majority of the people were crying. Proving that, we can't bear to be separated from our buddy, even though we have not spent much time together. We left with a heavy heart and some of them continued to cry during dinner.

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Group Reflection Day 5 @ 12:44 PM

We went for our CIP at Wenquan Primary School, it was a pleasure to have our buddy to be right beside us. We started our day in the classroom watching the other groups to teach the kids as we are responsible for the games, which was starting much later.
It started awkwardly and we didn't know if the kids understand us but everything went smoothly and things are less awkward with the help of our buddy. And thanks to them, we are really glad that we are able to get their attention and get them to do what we have planned. Overall, everyone has done their job well and there was a subtly sense of complishment.

We then had lunch with our buddy, we get to talk to each other and bond with them which was pure awesome. We later head back to Anning for a school tour and have taiji, we got to know more about Anning Middle School and martial arts.

　

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Group Reflection Day 4 @ 12:43 PM


We went to Stone forest and JiuXiang today. According to our tour guide, Stone forest is one the the seven wonders. We could see huge stones when we were about to reach Stone Forest, but the "actual" stones in Stone forest were even bigger. Basically, the place was filled with lots of huge stone and everything was so spectacular. When we got to JiuXiang, it managed to amaze us more. We were all going, "Whooaa! So nice!" We also get to row boat, just that we will have to take turn since there are not enough paddle for everyone. We had so much fun and the cave istself, was an interesting place. It was definitely an eye-opener for everyone of us.



　

After all the sightseeing, we head back to the hotel and get the final preparation and touch-up done for our CIP tomorrow. A long day awaits for us~

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Group Reflection Day 3 @ 12:42 PM


We started our day with a House visitation in the morning, so we were seperated from one another. Followed by that, we proceed to Yunnan Cultural Village and we could see a huge Pagoda while making our entrance to the Village. There were tons of oriental-looking buildings, ladies wearing their respective minorities groups costumes, some were playing instruments that we have never seen before. Different groups have their own beliefs, from Taoism to Christianity to Buddhism. It was quite interesting. We came across a tribal performance, and the female was climbing the ladder to reach the top. Amusingly, we didn't know what was going on. Someone found a super extraordinary huge bowl filled with water and started throw coins inside and got the curious ones to follow.

　　



We ended our day after getting some souvenirs and learned something new about souvenirs shop.

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Group Reflection Day 2 @ 12:41 PM

We have our virgin trip to Anning Middle School and we were all filled with excitment but we were probably more excited to meet our buddy. Before we reached Anning Middle School, Fifi commented that the houses are so beautiful and she wanna live there but the houses turned out to be Anning Middle School. When we got off the coach, it was so cold that we can see vapour whenever we exhale from our mouth. Some were even shivering non-stop. Anyhow, Anning Middle School is really huge, clean and they have many trees around. We then proceed to their hall for a welcoming ceremony and everyone welcomed us warmly. They also came up a various of performance and we could also see that they have put in a lot of efforts.

　

Followed by the welcoming ceremony, we learnt about Chinese Calligraphy and experimenting writing with a brush. Frankly speaking, it was so hard that we all have trouble writing nicely.

Followed on, we got to learn about Chang quan(Long fist). It was so tedious that we literally knocked out. Nevertheless, we had fun following Shifu(Master)/teacher with the moves.

Times flies and we have to leave Anning Middle School for our dinner. We definitely have extremely good time today.

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Group Reflection Day 1 @ 12:35 PM

We are all probably super excited about the trip since yesterday. Anyhow, we have to wake up super early for our flights. We assembled at the Terminal 2 and we took a group shot after getting everything done. Upon reaching security checkpoint, we bid farewell to our family.

When we reached Kunming, we were firstly warmly welcomed by the representives of Anning Middle School and we took a group shot outside the airport.
We could feel the cooling air which is freaking awesome because we won't be perspiring for the next 7days. When the sun came out, it was scrotching hot and it suddenly remind us of the warm temperature in Singapore. Great.


　

After settling down everything in the hotel, we walked around the area near our hotel before we head for our dinner.

Overall, Kunming is a very clean and green city except that a few of the trees and plants are withering and after a long day, we were all offically tired.

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Sunday, December 12, 2010
Reflection Day 8 @ 10:21 PM

We were supposed to visit West Hills but due to bad weather, we could only take the transport to a certain point. Thus, we went to shop at a place called 'Flower market', they have a lot of coffee and pancakes but I wasn't interested. Before we left, we had the best lunch in Kunming ever, because they served us dumplings, egg with tomatoes and some delicious dishes. I was sad-cum-happy. Reason being, I couldn't bear to leave Kunming, I still wanna stay for a few more days and I was happy because I can finally come back to Singapore and be with my family. After this trip, I really learn how to appreciate the differences in culture.

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Reflection Day 7 @ 6:40 PM

We visited the Dinosaur Valley and I was really excited as I heard that there is an amusement park. Before I even went there, I didn't bother anything much about dinosaurs, all I know was they were really huge creatures that existed in the world, several millions years ago. After touring around the museums, I have learnt a lot about dinosaurs and we get to play at the amusement park.

After my first ride, it makes me feel nauseous, nevertheless I went to try the other ride until I could no longer bear with it. I also went to check out the arcade, it was typical.

We, then conclude our day with shopping.

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Saturday, December 11, 2010
Day 8 @ 5:55 PM

Finally, the last day of the trip has come. We went to the West hills but decided to go to the flower market due to rain. I did not buy anything at the market as there is nothing suitable for me to buy. After having lunch at the restaurant same as the first day’s we finally went to the airport. After stopping at Thailand for a transit we went back to Singapore.

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Day 7 @ 5:54 PM

Today, after breakfast we went to Dinosaur Valley. There are two parts of the Dinosaur Valley. One is the museum and another is the theme park. We saw bones of different species of dinosaurs. We bought some souvenirs at a shop there and also saw a short clip of how the dinosaurs went extinct. After that we went to the theme park. I personally, kept playing at the arcade. I played until lunch time. I found out that many people who went on the rides vomited. After having lunch, the teachers decided to let us do some shopping until dinner time. The dinner was a bowl of noodles called “Cross the bridge noodles.” After dinner we went back to the hotel.

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Day 6 @ 5:53 PM

We went to Anning Middle School to learn the traditional dances of the Dai and Yi minority groups. Before that we did so taichi to warm up. The Dai dance was quite okay. After eating lunch we continued to learn the Yi dance. It was quite difficult for guys to do. After that both students from Anning middle school and East View Secondary school performed. After that it was the time to say goodbyes to our buddies. We exchanged email addresses and gifts. After that we went for dinner and went back to our hotel.

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Day 5 @ 5:53 PM

Day 5
After breakfast we went to WenQuan Primary School to teach the pupils there some basic English, Science, Maths and also play some games in Singapore with them. I was in charge of teaching them how to play Frisbee. They were very enthusiastic and cooperative. After that we performed for them. We headed off to eat lunch. After that we went back to Anning Middle school and we went around the school to see their facilities. When we still had some time felt before dinner, the teachers decided to let us go shopping. After shopping we went for dinner and went back to our hotel.

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Day 4 @ 5:53 PM

After breakfast, we went to the Stone Forest. It is known as the first wonder of the world. When we arrived the guide explained that the stone forest has been discovered since the Ming Dyansty. We saw strange rocks of different shapes and sizes. There were some shaped like animals and others shaped like objects. Interestingly, there were fossils found on a rock. After walking around the whole park, we went to eat lunch. After that we went to Jiuxiang cave. We saw many natural wonders like rivers and valleys. Inside the cave was very creepy as everything is very dark. We saw a lot of weird formations inside the cave too. We walked a long distance before we reached the chairlift, which was something like a cable car but just that it is open air. It was scary at first but after that u would enjoy the view. After that we ate dinner and went back to our hotel.

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Day 3 @ 5:45 PM

We went to Anning Middle School for home visiting. After we got paired up, we went to our hosts' homes. My host chatted with me while walking towards his home. Apparently, most of them went to Singapore before. When we reached his home, i found out that his does not have any siblings. We talked about each others country until lunchtime. After lunch we went to play basketball. When the time came, we headed back to the school. We left the school for Yunnan Cultural village and saw the major minority groups in Yunnan. After that we wet for dinner and went back to our hotel.

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Day 2 @ 5:38 PM

We woke up early and went to Anning Middle School for a full day immersion. We were warmly welcomed by 300+ students in their hall. Their MCs spoke English far better then I expected. Anning middle school ’s Principle gave a speech followed by East View’s Vice principle. They gave us a very entertaining performance. They were dressed with different colourful ethnic costumes of the Kunming people. And then there were a short singing performance by four Anning students.They sounded fanstatic. We then got to meet our new twinning buddy, which we have to go up to the stage and stand beside them. We then went for lunch at their school’s library. After lunch, we went back to the hall and both our school selected a few students to give a speech. It was all written by themselves and I think they all did a great job. We then went around the school, did Chinese Calligraphy. It was hard yet fun to do. The teacher was did all the strokes easily. To end the day we ate dinner and went back to our hotel.

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Day 1 @ 5:38 PM

It was 5.10 a.m in the morning. The night before I was filled with excitement and anticipation .After eating breakfast and double checking all my luggage things, I went to the airport. I went to settle in my group. After some photo taking sessions we went into the departure hall. To sum up everything, after everyone checked, We went inside the aeroplane. I slept on the plane, ate some food. When we arrived in Bangkok, we had an “amazing race”. Basically, it is because our flight arrived late and we had to rush to our next flight. When we reached China, some people from Anning Middle School gave us roses. I personally, felt touched as they waited there for us just to give us flowers and take pictures. The first thing I felt that was different was the weather. It was very cold but the sun was still shining brightly. After taking pictures we went to our hotel and checked everything out. After that, we went to the famous Nanping street. Unfortunately, we did not get to buy anything due to time constraints. We went to dinner afterwards. It was quite acceptable for me. After that we went back to the hotel and sleep.

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Friday, December 10, 2010
Reflection Day 8 @ 2:45 PM

The last day of the trip. I wasn't feeling anything actually. I just wanted to go home. I miss everyone back in Singapore so much so that I really thought I couldn't stay in China any longer or I'll die. But if you must know, I miss having fun in China now. I miss the weather. I miss the real friendly people there. I miss the bonding sessions that we've managed to achieve as a group. Every memories made are really so priceless. Now that I think of everything, it just makes me wanna cry out loud.

The day was really short and chaotic like the first day. Before heading to the airport, we stopped over at West Mountain followed by Flower Market. When we reached the West Mountain, it was raining cats & dogs and the sick people including me couldn't tag along at first. However, the teachers then decided we should travel by tram because walking in the rain wasn't a good idea. With this, everyone could tag along. It was so cold I was shivering the whole time. To make everything worse, the vehicle was an open kind of thing & the worse part, the driver was speeding. I was gladful the ride was a short one and we were back in the bus minutes later.

As for Flower Market, I didn't get to find anything worth buying there. Eventually, I left the place empty-handed.

Had a quick lunch at the same restaurant as the first day's then we finally proceeded to the airport. Transit at Bangkok like the first time & home sweet home.

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Reflection Day 7 @ 2:44 PM

Second last day was spent at the Dinosaur Valley. Basically all the fossils of dinosaurs that were found in Yunnan province.

We had the opportunity to go into two museums altogether. All those dinosaur fossils were placed in the museums. Very interesting. The place was beautiful. The sight of 'dinosaurs' brings back the memory of Jurassic Park. It would have been great if they were to make a roller coaster in between all of them. Haha! I know this makes no sense.

Anyway, we finally got our foot at the amusement park! Unfortunately, that was the day when I just had to get terribly sick and only had the chance to ride three rides altogether. Considering the fact that I had a terrible headache and felt like vomiting, three rides is considered sufficient. For a sick person, that is. Due to feeling unwell, I just hang around with the tired people at some sheltered area. It really wasn't fun to see the rest of them enjoying themselves but I rather bore myself with sitting down and rest than to get more sick.

Thanks to everyone who have been so concerned about my health. Especially all the teachers, Miss Clarisse, Amanda, Fairuz and Hui Qin. From giving me a traditional Chinese massage, peeling orange skin for me to heal the nauseous feeling, offering me axe oil, lending me their jackets when I was freezing from the cold breeze and everything, just thank you again

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Reflection Day 5 @ 2:43 PM

The day begin with CIP at Anning Wenquan School. It was at the rural side so as expected, it was freezing cold. Being the silly me, I was stubborn, as always. I didn't do much layering as I should and there I was, shivering the whole time.
The school was something really unexpected. I expected something more like a rural school, you know. However, it's big and doesn't really show it's located at the rural village. Nevertheless, the kids there are so uber cute! They were very welcoming with all their different antics.

One thing I have learned from this trip is definitely the way they look at you and are appreciative of whatever they get. They are keen for knowledge. They are eager to let outsiders help them. I am glad to have this opportunity to make a difference to their school.

After they had their lessons and games that were thought by us as part of our CIP, it was time for some performances from us. Like I said, it was freezing cold so we, the Indian dancers, didn't had the chance to wear the Punjabi. The sight was uninteresting but it couldn't be help.

Towards the ending was kind of saddening because everything happened too fast. It's like, the time spent with them is totally not enough, you know.
So anyway, we then proceeded for lunch at some random restaurant along with our buddies. Despite the fact that I got really worried because me and my buddy had some issues with communication like the rest of the non-Chinese, I still had fun. In fact, the whole of my table were enjoying ourselves. With great food and great friends, what more can I ask for?
After which, we headed back to Anning Middle School where we had a school tour. Followed by Taiji.

We had a Science labs tour, to be more specific. To begin with, they have plenty of labs and basically more labs especially for the subject of Physics. Then we were showed a room filled with preserved stuffs. Basically all those Biology experiments that the students have done. Really heartbreaking to see all those beautiful once-alive animals to be placed inside glasses.

We ended the day with Taiji. If you must know, Taiji is something I can never enjoy. So I thought it would be easy especially with the slow motion movements but I really can't handle the steps. I'm honestly so bad at following the instructor. Nonetheless, I still had fun trying out different activities and know what are my weaknesses.

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Reflection Day 6 @ 2:43 PM

The whole day was spent at Anning Middle School. The last day everyone saw one another. I miss them already.):

When we first reached the school, we went straight to the sports hall where we warmed up with Taiji. It was kind of shocking for our body since it was still quite early. It wasn't written in the schedule too that we would be doing Taiji so everyone was like, "huh, is this for real?" However, everyone still tried our best and soon, you could see everyone being so silly with all those amazingly tough-to-follow movements.

We then had a dance which I enjoyed very much. It was fun. Really enjoying and I was like smiling the whole time. The dance was something really easy. Something that I could manage and handle. It reminded me of camps-like dancing where the purpose of the dance is to bring everyone closer at heart. So I thought the 2nd dance would be of the same standard too. Little did I know.

The 2nd dance reminded me a lot of Malay dance. It was challenging. Suddenly I became so stiff with my movements for some reason. It was a torture, to be honest. After which, we had the performances. Vice versa. Anning, East View, Anning, East View and the sequence just went on. The atmosphere was tense for us, the Indian dancers. We were panicking a lot because we actually had insufficient time to get dress up and prepare ourselves before the performance. We were freaking out, to say the least.

However, everything turned out so good we felt really great. I think everyone put in their very best effort and it doesn't matter how perfect or imperfect our performance look overall. All we know is, we really did enjoyed ourselves on 'stage'.

The day was finally wrapped up with us meeting our buddies, exchanging emails, gifts, hugs & finally goodbyes. The best part of the day was definitely when we dance together & finally sort of cramped into this one small not-so circle. Really memorable. (:

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Reflection Day 4 @ 2:42 PM

It's my birthday today! I officially turned 15 in China. Haha! The day was really memorable. To begin with, everyone was wishing me happy birthday during breakfast. Including some of the teachers, surprisingly. During the time when we had to assemble at the lobby, me and this another November birthday guy called Favian was surprised with a birthday cake. Along with birthday songs! I was super touched with everyone's effort. Inside the bus on the way to our first destination, Stone Forest, Nabihan dedicated Waka Waka song for me. It's really hilarious, to think back. The day started of with the first touristy spot. Stone Forest is actually the First World Wonder. The place is full with beyond-the-imagination stones. They are interestingly unique in their own ways. For example, there's this stone that represented an eagle. I find them really cool. Furthermore, it's not man-made. Besides that, this place has such things like 'good luck' benches. They are fascinating. It's one of their culture that I get to understand at the end of the day. Next, we went to Jiuxiang. It was all about a cave where u sort of have to trek a lot. Very challenging but I managed to keep myself positive. Many people were having a hard time. Especially when they got to know the cable car is open-air. I too got slightly freaked out but hey, it can't be everyone freaking out right? So I decided to be the strong one and encouraged my fellow schoolmates. It was tough. People were like crying, saying "I rather die", "I wanna go home" and such but obviously, that's impossible. There was only one way out, unfortunately. Unless you want to trek back which is just ridiculous.
I am glad that everyone managed to overcome their fears and continued the journey. Yes, it was tough but as a group, I think it's important to be there for one another. To give everyone their support when they are in need. This trip has actually make us bond in so many ways. We have found our strangers turn friends turn best friends for life. (:

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Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Reflection Day 6 @ 2:47 PM

We went to Anning Middle School, to learn some of their minorities groups' dance. First, we had another round of taichi before we start to learn the Yi dance. Followed by Dai dance, I am quite impressed that the guys didn't whine or complain non-stop and tried to follow the dance as close as possible as the dance was very feiminine. After all the dancing sessions, it has proved that I don't have the talent for dance but it doesn't matter as I have a lot of fun with my friends. Then, we have to perform infront of the students from Anning Middle School, I was quite nervous as I am afraid that I might make some mistakes. The next thing I know is, I am posting with my last formation and I can hear people clapping. I am glad that the performance went really well and it was even better than in Wenquan Primary School. Finally, it was time for us to bid farewell with our buddy. Despite knowing my buddy less than 3 days, I couldn't bear to leave her and even shed tears. I am also very glad to be able to meet someone like her here.

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Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Reflection Day 8 @ 8:15 PM

It was about to check out and we were going to the Western Hills. Unfortunately, it was raining heavily so we only took a ride around and went shopping. There are lots of sales and the place was like a maze. After we came out, we went to have our lunch before going to the airport.

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Sunday, December 5, 2010
Reflection Day 7 @ 9:15 PM

It was the last day at china and we went to Dinosaur Valley. There were lots of different dinosaur's skeleton.

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Reflection Day 6 @ 9:14 PM

Today was the last day going to Anning Middle School. First, we learn Taiji at the indoor sports hall and it was not so interesting than the long fist (长拳). i felt that it was quite boring but we were about to learn the cultural dance that were Yi and Dai dance. Everyone chose different costume that represent different group. I like the costume and learnt the dance taught by the teachers. After that, all the students took a chair to the Sports hall and the performance begin. After the performance, we exchange the present with our friends. Some of us were so sad as we were going to leave our buddy soon.

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Reflection Day 5 @ 9:01 PM

Hard work could be pay off as it was time to go to Wen Quan Primary School to do CIP. The kids there were so active and tried to learn from us. Around 8am, they went for lessons which were taught by some of the groups. At 10.30am, the game started and the kids rushed down. Our group, Group f, teach the game called Zero point. We started with introductions, followed by some warm up, next the game started and finally to make there own Zero point. I felt pleased when they thanks me.

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Reflection Day 4 @ 8:47 PM

It was such a sunny day for a full day sightseeing at Stone forest and jiu xiang. I was impressed by the environment and there were different colourful stones. Using imagination to figure out what did some of the stones look like. Having a tour around the two places would make me felt walking closer towards the nature. Due to several people over there, they don't queue up in the toilet. It was one of the way that made it different from Singapore. Walking at jiu xiang was much more challenging than the one in the Bangkok airport. Sawing an old woman who had a pair of small feet and trying to sell items.

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Friday, December 3, 2010
Reflection Day 3 @ 5:58 PM

It was the first time going for a home visit that made me looked forward about it. Her father came to fetch us and looked quite friendly. I can't wait to take a tour around her house and i did. Despite being smaller than Singapore's HTB flats but there were beautiful scenery to view. We went out to several places while her parents were cooking. Going in and out to different shops, seeing different kind of faces and attitude. The assistants in the toy shop was very friendly and started a conversation about Singapore local dishes. We went to a lake and was so huge, people were enjoying the breeze while playing chess. Having friends were good and they would want to pay the entrance fee for the haunted house. I enjoyed the lunch at my buddy's house as it was much more delicious than the restaurant.

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Thursday, December 2, 2010
Reflection Day 2 @ 11:32 PM

Having an enjoyable breakfast early in the morning. Starting off with the porridge that made me felt happy. We set off to Anning Middle School to meet new buddies and learnt their culture over there. It was freezing as we walked towards to the hall for performance. Each of us got a bag from our buddy and I was glad that my buddy was so cheerful. First lesson, Chinese calligraphy, using thin brush to write that felt like travelling back to the past. Secondly, lunch was served in the library and it was tasty because of the dumplings. Lastly, long fist was taught and laughter could be heard too. I really enjoy it as I am able to meet friends at Kunming.

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Reflection Day 1 @ 11:25 PM

Arriving at the airport at the perfect timing as we were assembled together in groups. After everyone was gathered, we check-in the luggage and took a group photo. Moving on to the check point where I first faced it and was ready to aboard the aircraft. I was quite nervous but excited too! Having a nap before reaching but felt the air pressure that led to a headache. Transferring plane with such a pain and joined an amazing race at Bangkok. Kunming had made me impressed as it was totally different from Singapore. The road was so congested when the drivers were so self-centered to even let people to cross the roads. We have to wait for long hours to walk towards the hotel. Despite being a kid or an elderly, they had to sell flower or begged to earn money. A man sitting beside the road, who was so skinny and his bones would be seen too. Economic impact was quite bad in china and it should be the best to be able to live in Singapore without any worries.

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Reflection Day 3 @ 11:24 PM

Day 3 was occupied with home visitation and to Yunnan Cultural Village. The home visitation was very meaningful. I love it! Was with Shahren and Mustaqim and they were both some awesome people to be with. We started off with watching Spongebob Squarepants (in Chinese) which reminded me of The Karate Kid. The situation was really tense because communication with our buddy was an issue. Still, we manage to get over it and had fun. We did dumplings which was very enjoying. The memorable part was when the guys were like, "Alright, I help you, you help me", because they didn't know how to make them. Haha! But hey, I was a independent woman who did everything by myself and I am so proud of that!

After which, we walked around the area a bit. The place was stunningly beautiful. I wish Singapore was as scenic as Kunming. After taking plenty of pictures, we traveled to this neighbourhood park located at a very busy area. The feeling was horrible. I got freaked out by all the stares from the people. Obviously, people can spot us as an outsider. All sorts of negative stuffs started to run into my mind.

I felt really greatful when we reached back Anning Middle School safely. Took some pictures with my buddies and family for memories. Nevermind about the language barrier. They are really such sweet people. (:

Initially, the plan was to go for some shopping but for some reason, that didn't happened and we went to Yunnan Cultural Village instead. There were tons of creepy looking statues everywhere. Turn left, turn right, look straight, look back, they were just on every corner. It was really something very unusual to see scary-looking statues like that. You can't find them in Singapore. To be honest, they reminded me of Incredible Tales for some reason.

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Reflection Day 2 @ 11:23 PM

Second day was another relaxing day. We visited Anning Middle School. The school was super gigantic. Truth be told, I went "Saqinah, look at those houses. So beautiful! I wanna live there!" when it actually turned out to be our twinning school.

The students and staffs were really friendly. To be honest, theres a huge gap of difference between their manners and some of our students'. They don't expect anything from us. They treated us like we have known one another for ages. To them, the difference in race, religion and the country that we are living in don't matter. They really open up my eyes when they kept going on about the term 'friendship'.

Anyway, when we got down from the bus, we were greeted by the eager Principal and more of their staffs. We proceeded to their auditorium which was already filled with hundreds of students happily waiting for us. They performed some performances like singing and playing instruments to name but a few. I like their choir best. They sang harmoniously. After what felt like such a short period of time, we went to one of their class where we learned Chinese calligraphy. To be frank, I like the experience that I have gained. I may not be an expert in drawing but I am thankful that I was given the chance to try something I never thought I could handle. The feeling of achieving something was great.

Later, we had lunch at their library. Speaking of which, their library is a three storey building! We then headed back to the auditorium where they held a contest of speech between East View Secondary School and Anning Middle School. It was entertaining to watch how different between our people and their people are. They are all about being confident individuals and that is something we East Viewans should work on.

When we finally headed back to the hotel, we had a break and currently having reflection session.

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Reflection Day 1 @ 2:41 PM

Woke up at 3.30 in the morning. Got dressed up & went straight to Changi Airport Terminal 2. I was the second to arrive. It was already so chaotic despite in the morning. Walked around for a bit when it was finally time to assemble with the rest.

This is my first school trip, actually. I didn't know what to expect. So I just went with the flow. My flight was really terrible, to be honest. We took Thai Airways. Because the plane is of a small size compared to a normal airplane, the space to walk is so narrow, I eventually suffered from a headache. I got super restless the entire flight, Singapore-Bangkok-Kunming.

Speaking of Bangkok, we had to transit at their airport to be able to reach Kunming International Airport. The journey to the counter was really dramatic. We had this so called amazing race where you can see everyone was running for their life. It was already the last call and so we had to hurry. Unfortunately for us, the counter was situated at the very end of the airport. The airport is huge, by the way.

We finally got into the bus which took us to the airplane itself. It's really cool to be able to go outdoor and enter the airplane by the staircase. When we entered, everyone was already seated, chatting away happily. I felt really terrible they had to wait for us!

When we finally reached Kunming International Airport, we were presented with roses by the representatives from Anning Middle School. We really felt like VIPs, I should say. To make the effort to welcome us with the sweet smelling roses is really so touching.

After which, we got back to the hotel, New Era Hotel. It's a 4-star hotel and the interior is really calming. It's a place where you can get rid from the bustling streets. After checking in, we put our luggage at our given rooms then walked around the streets near the hotel. Along the way, we had our dinner at a Muslim restaurant. The uniforms for their waitresses and waitress are really interesting. I think their uniforms are inspired by the Arabs.

It was a long day altogether and by the time we went back to the hotel, our energy level went totally zero.

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