OELP Daily Reflections Day 7

Today was the last day of the Taiwan OELP. We had a short visit to the 921 Earthquake Educational Park and saw the devastation of an earthquake that happened to a school. Fortunately, the earthquake happened at night and no one was in the school at that time. I was thankful for the fact that Singapore has no natural disasters and that Singapore was a safe country.

After that, we finally reached the Taoyuan International Airport after a long ride on the bus. We bid farewell to 程导, our extremely hospitable Taiwanese tour guide and after that, we were off on the plane to Singapore. We arrived at Singapore at night and that concluded the very end of our Taiwan OELP.

-Matthew

OELP Daily Reflections Day 6

Today we had a Chinese lesson in Scared Hearts Hugh School and learnt more about a Chinese poem. Then, me and Clinton went out with our buddy, 品辰. We first went to a honey museum and tasted some honey. Our buddy's parents also bought for us some honey. After that, we went to a soy sauce factory and learnt more about the origin of soy sauce. We also got to try the various kinds of soy sauce and our buddy got us a bottle of soy sauce each. At the factory, there was also a small farm with many animals such as goats, chickens and rabbits. We even got to feed the goats and rabbits. Our buddy was very generous to us and showered us with many gifts as compared to the gifts we gave them. It has certainly a pleasure getting to know 品辰 and his family in Taiwan. Thank you, 品辰 and family! :)

-Matthew

OELP Daily Reflections Day 5

We first started the day by visiting "iicake" a towel factory. Over there, I learnt more about the production of the towels and how to choose a good towel. One interesting thing about this towel factory is the fact that these towel were even made into different items such as food, flowers and even toy animals! At the factory the guides taught us how to make our very own towel animal by using simple materials such as elastic bands and clips.

Secondly, we went to a puppet museum in Huwei. I learnt more about the tradition of puppets and how modern technology like special effects can enhance the viewing experience of simple puppets. Then, we were treated to a small puppet performance.

Lastly, we went back to Sacred Hearts High School and got to observe a few CCAs in the school: scouts, girl guides and military band. I feel that these CCAs, being uniformed groups, are not as strict as the uniformed groups in Singapore.  The CCAs in Scared Hearts High School are much more focused on enjoyment and having fun, whereas the CCAs in Singapore are much more competitive and focused on skills and competition.

-Matthew

OELP Daily Reflections Day 4

Today we were finally able to visit Sacred Hearts High School, our host school when we were in Taiwan. The school welcomed with an amazing performance consisting of wushu, band and even performances I have never seen before such as flags and batons. We also attended a 高一 history class, in Singapore's context, a secondary 4 history class. To my surprise, the teachers of the class did not really teach much, but the students presented their various reports they have researched on. The classrooms in Scared Hearts Hugh School was smaller than that of RV, but it was more comfortable with air-conditioning.

Subsequently, we visited a pineapple tart factory which was in the vicinity. We got to make our very own pineapple tarts (in Taiwan it's known as 凤梨菽) and also got to see the vast pineapple plantations. After that, we visited Huashan Elementary School, 华山国小. The school had a very small population of only about 40 students, but these small children were definitely impressive. When we arrived at the school, we were greeted by the students playing the violins. The students then led us  in the school and they gave presentations of the artwork displayed. I was surprised by their presentation skills. The students were confident and very fluent in their presentation. I also felt ashamed of myself as these students were only about 9 years old and were much better than me in music and presentation skills. It was an eye-opener for me today.

-Matthew

OELP Daily Reflections Day 3

We started Day 3 with visiting the Anping Fort and the Old Anping street. At the Anping Fort, I learnt more about the Japanese who colonised Taiwan and what the fort was used for. At the Anping Old Street, we got to try Anping's traditional mouth-watering delicacies such as fried oyster. The street itself however, was honestly a disappointment as it was very small with little shops. We also visited the Eternal Golden Castle, another defensive castle to defend from invasions. I saw the old cannons of different types used to defend the castle and old methods of building the castle. We visited  the Confucius Temple as well, where students would write their wishes on cards and hang then at the entrance of the temple. I learnt more about the ancient forms of education and their ceremonies. Up next was the Chihkan Tower, another place regarding education and I realised that the Taiwanese people regard education with much importance because of the gods of education displayed.

Today was also the last day we stayed at Ten Drum Cultural Village. Earlier this morning, we had a lesson on how to play the drums. Later, the guide brought us around the village and talked about the historical value of the place, such as the fact that the village used to be a sugar refinery before the Japanese invasion. Subsequently, we were treated to a magnificent and epic drum performance. It was not a surprise that these group of professional drummers won a Grammy award. And that was the last time we saw Ten Drum Cultural Village.

OELP Daily Reflections Day 2

Day 2 started with visiting the many museums and I learnt more about the history of Taiwan and Taiwan's Hakka culture from the guides and even our own tour guide. Our tour guide also told us that Taiwan is the "Kingdom of Fruits" where farmers are more well-paid than most office workers! I also learned more about Taiwan's colonial rule from the tour guide such as the fact that Taiwan was one colonised by the Spanish and the Dutch. After the museums, we visited the signature of Taiwan, the night market. In my opinion, the night market we visited, the Liuhe night market, was not as impressive as I had expected. In my opinion, it was quite small and had a small variety of food. However, the food was delicious. It was good enough for us to feel the culture and delicacies of Taiwan. That was the end of Day 2.

-Matthew

OELP Daily Reflections Day 1

On the first day of our OELP, we gathered at Changi Airport for our flight to Taiwan. My fellow classmates and their families were buzzing in excitement. Soon, we were on the plane and off to Taiwan! After a tiring 6 hour flight, we reached Taiwan around midnight. We got to meet our friendly tour guide, 程导, who also gave us the very first piece of food we ate in Taiwan, Taiwan's world famous raisin bread. We were given a large chunk of a loaf of raisin bread each, and in my opinion, it tasted a little weird. I guess it was because we were not used to the tastes of Taiwan. After what seemed like an eternity, we finally reached our hotel, the Ten Drum Cultural Village. The room had a very "village" feeling, with the interior being made of mostly wood. After we settled into the room, me and my buddy, I-Shiuan, decided to watch a soccer match and we ended up sleeping at 4am in the end xD. I was certainly looking forward to the next day's events!

-Matthew