Evergreen Secondary School China Immersion Trip 2008

Videos delayed!

2008-07-17T17:51:00.001+08:00

Sorry but the videos will be delayed until futher notice! :(

Saifultrains

Pre-Video Evgians in China 08

2008-07-03T22:21:00.001+08:00

The video is NOT ready as my disc is damage trying to recover it!

This is a picture combined video with music-Don't stop me now

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt_4ZxIDEes

Some compiled video clips

2008-07-01T09:13:00.003+08:00

Here are some video clips for your enjoyment! Kudos to the presenters! We have just started compiling the video taken from the China Immersion trip.

Post-Trip Reflections...

2008-06-12T15:15:00.002+08:00

Here are some of the post-trip reflections by the students that went for the China Immersion Trip...

The time had come. It was the day that we had to leave China and head back to Singapore. Oh, how fond the memories we had as a class. And even though I don't speak Chinese, we bonded really well. I found out how nice my classmates there were when they gave me farewell presents even though I never really did talk to them in class.

I just wish I can see those from the school back here in Singapore again and I just hope they will miss us.

But it's ok! We can still contact them via MSN. Although I might need to have a friend who speaks Chinese by my side. Oh well.

Zafira.

Time flew very fast and now we have to leave China and go back to Singapore. In these 12 days, I have learnt a lot of things and learn how to get along with my group members. After this trip, I felt I had grown up and know how to be independent. Most importantly I made a lot of friends during this trip that includes our fellow EVGians and Chinese friends

Hui Yoke.

Throughout this China Immersion trip, I had learnt a lot of new things. Firstly it is being independent. we cannot always rely on our parents to help us do things. This trip is fun indeed, especially being able to shop with my friends, visit places, and most importantly, have fun. I enjoyed the days with them and being able to meet friends from China and communicate with them. Now it is time to say goodbye to China and say hello to Singapore. I really want to thank the teachers for the delicious food we had and taking care of us for the 11 days.

Marven.

Videos- Dance and singing

2008-06-11T23:24:00.004+08:00

Dance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_XjS-N9X84

Singing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_5G7oDiokA

From M.Saiful :)

Day 11.... Last Day

2008-06-06T11:30:00.003+08:00

Dear families & friends, Today is the last day of our Immersion. We will be leaving China on Flight No. MU543 and we should arrive in Simngapore Terminal 3 at around 5 am on Saturday.

Here are some photos of the day before we leave for Singapore...

Our last day in the school...

We put up a performance....so did they...

On the way to the airport...

Mr. Shahril on the Maglev train...

Dinner...just before the flight home...

Day 10...

2008-06-06T11:13:00.005+08:00

This is the second day we had morning exercise. We were impressed by how quickly the students here get into their neat rows, almost in a military-like manner!

We know the steps much better today, look at how much we are enjoying the dance! :D

After the morning exercise, we went back to class for lessons. We were surprised by thoughtful gifts from our classmates who knew we are leaving tomorrow. Oh how sweet of them!

At noon, we went for lunch! Today’s lunch was different from the usual restaurant food that we have been eating because we had lunch with our classmates at their school canteen.

Their canteen is rather different from ours. In Singapore, we can buy food from different stalls, but here they have no choices. Their lunch menu is designed by nutritionists and cooked by the school chef everyday.

What a refreshing experience to be having lunch with the local students!

It’s time to have FUN! After lunch, we headed to the MOVIE WONDERLAND.

At the entrance, we saw our Boon Ping looking very much like the yellow Mascot he was holding. So were Diana and Pooh Bear.

Imagine this: You are sitting in the dark. You feel yourself moving up slowly. Then suddenly you plunge downwards and almost fall out of your seat. Instinctively, you grab for the handle bar and at this instant, you heard Japheth scream like a girl beside you…

Set Menu from the Movie Wonderland

Drink: Motion Dome Theater
We sat on the seats, put on our seat-belts, held on tightly to the handle bar and the lights went off.
We were all in a spaceship and we saw planets revolving in front of us. The seats started charging downwards and we were eaten by space monsters! Ahhh! All of us were screaming so hard, we couldn’t hear what the narrator was saying. Or maybe he screamed along with us? Who knows?

Toilet break: Geraldine Dropped Her Ticket in the Toilet BowlWe found it to be rather amusing. She was sad.

Appetizer: Hero Show

This attraction demonstrated how a movie was filmed. We were awe-struck by the numerous stunts performed by the actors. The story line was about China war heroes who courageously exchanged their lives for freedom from the Japanese.

Main course: Space Travel Of Movie

This one was a roller coaster ride in total darkness. We enjoyed the rush of adrenaline as the roller coaster twisted and turned in the tunnel. We screamed like we have never screamed before! This is probably also the best time to hear the guys squeal like girls.

Side Dish: The Milky Way Palace
In here we learnt movie sound tricks! Miss Lee and Rennie got onto stage to do a voice recording for a movie scene. It was so cool. Miss Lee really sounded like the auntie in the show!

Dessert: 4D Theater
We put on the movie glasses and the show began. It was 4 dimensional and so there were extra effects like hot air blowing onto your face as the serpent in the movie bared its fangs in your face. The glasses made the animation come alive: The mice, bees, elephant and serpent came so close that everyone screamed non-stop. It was hilarious seeing people waving hands wildly in the air trying to slap the animals away!

Three words summarized the experience: Fun, Fun, FUN!

Dinner was held at the Jiao Zi Wang dumpling restaurant where we celebrated Shi Qiang’s 15th Birthday! Our guide Catherine and Yan Fang surprised Shi Qiang with a HUGE birthday cake that they have so lovingly prepared. Shi Qiang was very shocked and we sang the Happy Birthday song. We were all so happy, it was like all of us were having our birthdays.

We will be putting up a short performance for our China classmates tomorrow. We all had our final practices and hope that they will enjoy our performance.
And that's a wrap!
Finally, with a nod of approval from Mdm. Tan, we heaved a sigh of relief and dashed off to pack our luggages. We are going home tomorrow!

We miss you mom and dad!

From all of us here from Group 4: (Back) Stella, Shu Yan, Ms. Lee, Ke Ting, Xiao Lin, (Front) Xing Ru, Yais, Wei Xiang

Day 9...

2008-06-05T08:55:00.003+08:00

We started the morning with a presentation about Singapore to our fellow classmates in China. We felt welcomed when we were standing on the stage because they paid full attention to what we were saying and cheered us on whenever we got stuck.

The presentation was followed by a quiz. The students were very enthusiastic to answer the questions, their hands shot up before we could count to 3! We ended the presentation with an invitation to visit our school and country soon.

At 9am every morning, the students will go for their morning exercise if the weather is good. The exercise lasts for about 25 minutes, where all students are supposed to do a regular dance routine. The teachers are very strict about this routine, any students found not doing it will be punished. We found it to be a fun activity and we enjoyed it very much. Hope we will be able to teach all EVGians the steps when we come back!

Lesson resumed after the morning exercise. As can be seen from the picture, Yong Jian is doing his job as a translator for Ina so that she can understand what was going on in the class.

The students get to enjoy a different fruit everyday during their break time. Today is banana day! The banana must be sweet because Olivine’s facial expression told us so. Jokes aside, the fruits that we had in Changchun are really nice. Ganggangde!

The afternoon was spent visiting the Jilin Nature Museum. It is similar to the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum although it is much smaller in size. In addition to the exhibits that we have seen in Shanghai, there was a special exhibition on the flora and fauna that can be found on the Changbai Mountains.

The “Primitive Cow” (the best that we can translate for you) is the most valuable collection in the museum. It is one of the five or so complete skeletons that can be found in the world so it is really precious.

The Changchun Sculpture Park was next on the itinerary. The sculptures in the park were crafted by numerous artists around the world. The national flags of these artists are flown proudly beside the entrance to commemorate the efforts of the artists.

The words “Friendship”, “Peace” and “Spring” were carved onto the tallest sculpture in the park. All of us took turns to pose in front of it, it was truly a sight not to be missed.

Closing up, we saw 5 pairs of statues playing musical instruments or dancing around the base of the tall sculpture. The couples represent people from different continents. This serves as a reminder to stay united even though we live in different parts of the world. As we were unable to capture all 5 pairs of statues, we had to resort to posing as statues ourselves!

Dinner was settled at the Hong Gao Liang Village Restaurant. This restaurant is unique because it is decorated to look like rooms in traditional Northeastern homes.

This is our lovely guide, Yan Fang. She is sitting on a Kang, a traditional concrete platform with firewood burning underneath it to provide warmth for the Northeastern people during mealtimes in Winter.

Satisfied smiles coming from all around the table. Dinner was a sumptuous spread!
Till tomorrow, this is group 4 signing out.

Day 8...

2008-06-04T21:11:00.004+08:00

Here you can see that one of our student, Seri, reading aloud and learning along with the China student. From the way Seri is smiling, we can see that our students are having fun while they are learning.

Zi Yu, BE MORE FOCUSED!!

Here is one of our students, Stella, reading through her presentation slide when the class is having their ten minutes break after every lesson. The China students seem very interested on what is shown in the computer screen as we can see that they crowding around the computer table.

Here we can see our students interacting well with their counterparts. They look very engrossed on what they are doing. Wow! Even our Malay students also seem interested in what the China student’s explanation.

OUR FIRST TIME DOING EYE EXERCISE!! Fun & exciting.

After studying for the whole morning, we are hungry!!

After lunch, students are paying attention to the teacher. So are we =P

Learning computer applications. Jun Liang look very blur. Agree?

Preparing for the presentation about Singapore in the night.

The blog for Day 7 & 8 is honorably presented by Group 2: Brandon, Akmal, Ronnie, Fiona, Olivine, Mdm Tan, Ziyu and morally supported by Boon Ping :DD

Day 7...

2008-06-04T20:57:00.005+08:00

In the morning, the Evergreen Team visited the subsidiary experimental school of North East Normal University. Our school presented a token of appreciation to the Principal.

Our fellow school mate, Yong Jian, is presenting to the principal our words of condolences for the Sichuan earthquake victims.

This is a group photo of us, together with the teachers and the staff. Look at all of us, we all look so smart with our ties and jacket. I think we should dress like this for more formal occasions.

After the photo taking session, we visit their school heritage museum.

Our vice-principal, Mrs. Lim is writing a few words for the subsidiary school. Nice smile!

Here are some of our students, Hui Yoke and Xiao Lin, browsing through some of the magazines available in the school’s library. They seem to be very engrossed in that magazine.

After lunch, we are out for visit Changchun tourist attractions. We are now at Wen Miao where everyone is listening hard to Ms Lee translating the information about Confucius’s life in the past to the Muslim pupils. Everyone is trying hard to receive the information that is given. Look at their facial expression, they look very interested …

Ms Lee is translating to Mr Shahril about a very rare artifact that was left by last Manchurian Emperor from the Qing Dynasty. Ms Lee seems to know a lot about this.

On our way for dinner, we are all preparing for the upcoming presentation to the students in ChangChun. We see that Zafira is trying hard to improve on her Mandarin. They sure seemed to be stuck in a little difficulty here.

Here you see two students studying hard for the upcoming presentation. It would seem that Akmal and Brandon are quite slacked in doing so. Are they too overconfident now?

We had Peking Duck for dinner. Here, Mrs Lim is demonstrating to us how to wrap the duck skin and other ingredients.

Here is one of our students, Shi Qiang eating roasted duck. It seems very delicious. What a yummy experience!

Day 6 ...Korean Village

2008-06-04T20:50:00.006+08:00

Day 6
Visit to the Korean Folk Custom Village

We watched the Korean Performances.

Having fun playing traditional Korean Games.

Experience their lifestyle in the past.

Filming the next Korean Drama Blockbuster???

After that, we went shopping….or rather the girls went shopping…

While the boys…well, just relax one corner (literally!).

After dinner, we took the night train….
This time, the cabin is bigger, cleaner and more comfortable.

Finally, we arrived in Changchun again.

This will be where we be staying for the next few days…

Day 5....

2008-06-03T22:18:00.008+08:00

Day 5 – 31st May 2008 (By Group 5)
YUNGCHEM ZHONGHAKYO HUAITING

(Korean; It means “Keep It Up, Evergreen Secondary”)
last minute shopping at Xiang Yu hotel’s souvenir shop.

Breakfast

Its already the fifth day in china. We are still having breakfast in a buffet style. Although its in a hotel, we still found it a little boring. Especially the muslims.

Road Trip to ChangBaiShan – Counterfeit Notes!!!

We are like sitting in the bus for FOUR hours. Unbearable! Then the tour guides taught us how to differentiate real and fake RMB notes.

Which is the real 20 RMB? (editor's note: There is a saying in China; there's nothing that can't be done without Chairman Mao's help, which means you can bribe your way and get a lot of things done. We don't agree with this, though...)

This can be differentiated by touching the collar of Chairman Mao.

Another Safety Lesson
Always keep your valuables/pouches properly secured and within your sight ☺
Definitely not the best way to hold onto your valuables.

Recommendation: Always keep your valuables close to you.

Environment Protection: ChangBai Pine
China’s most protected plant species. Its really rare. There are both naturally grown and man grown pine tree. It can be differentiated by the smooth and harsh surface of the tree bark

Eye Opener: “Where’s the Door!?
We were treated to a SHOCK for the day: There was no door in the toilets during the break of our journey, the urinas were divided only by a knee-high low wall. The girls suppose going to the toilet without door for boys would be easier.

Lunch
As usual, ate it at the restaurant, this time near the pine forest. I (Nicole) had a perfect view at the pine trees. It’s really great. Food was the usual, full course meal. We all love the Chicken and Mushroom dish, the soup/gravy was especially yummy!

Main Highlight: ChangBaiShan

We continued our trip for about half an hour. And TAA-DAA! We reached Chang Bai Shan! The air was like so refreshing. Heard from Mrs Lim, our Vice-Principal, a few moments ago, she said that we were lucky enough to get to see fresh white snow because it just snowed before we went up, otherwise we won’t be able to see the marvelous sights, eeks. And before that we had to walk quite a distance to reach the main gate of the mountain. On the way, we saw….

Saw the mistake? And the banner is really very big.

ChangBai Waterfall: Our 1st Experience of Snow Together

Words can't really express our excitement....let these pictures tell the story!

Our Lodging for the Night: Erdao Chaoxian Folk Custom Village Hotel
Korean Dinner Mrs Lim: “Japheth, vegetable is good for you”. Japheth: “Alright……”
Old but fun way of getting water from the underground spring. (Some Scientific theory behind the method of retrieving the spring water)
We shall all have a good rest tonight after much mountain-climbing and walking.

To our parents, We are doing fine and enjoying. Don’t worry, be happy!

Day 4 - Recap....

2008-06-03T16:02:00.003+08:00

Apologies - What was originally marked as Day 3 was actually a combination of 2 days, Day 3 and Day 4... We are sorry for the mistake!

On Day 4, the team went to Tumen, and visited the border between Russia and China, and also a ethnic Korean town...

This is the actual post...

We arrived in Tumen at abt 7am, and once we stepped outside the train, we were greeted by the cold winds and we started piling on our thick clothings It was very cold throughout the whole day and we didn’t do much activity as the weather dampens our movement. We went to the border between Russia and China. We took some pictures but were ushered out of the checkpoint as the security measures were tight.

After that, we were all caught in the rain and, shivering from head to toe, we proceeded back to the bus. We went up a structure which overlooked a North Korean town.

We check-in into a hotel and took a well needed shower. After the smoothing bathe, we proceeded for dinner and went back for an early rest to prepare ourselves for the trip up the Changbai Mountain tomorrow.

Day 1 - Recap...

2008-05-31T12:14:00.004+08:00

The Journey Ahead...

Finally! We can be away from our parents for 12 days! Just kidding. The sight of our families and friends, our Principal, VP and HODs, being here for the sending-off really made us feel excited and elated.

We felt worried for we going to travel without our parents for the first time, yet, on the other hand, the thought of traveling with our friends really excite us.- Jianliang, Team 3

For many, like myself, this is our first or second time on the airplane. I am excited when I board the plane. As shown from the picture, I am browsing around my seat area checking out the lights and call button! It was an enjoyable flight especially during the take-off and landing.- Marven, Team 3

After five long hours of sticking our butts to the seats, the plane touched down on Shanghai. We are tired but very excited about the journey ahead.
Once we reached the hotel, teachers and students immediately start calling their family and loved ones to informed them that we have arrived safely.

Day 2- Shanghai - Recap...

2008-05-31T12:01:00.011+08:00

Day 02, the first place of visit is the Science and Technology Museum.

The Science Centre is very big; it has an exhibition on Animal World showing realistic looking life-sized animals depicting the different aspect of living in the wild.

Enjoying our lunch! All of us going for the fish!!!

Team 1 doing a pose at the “Dragon Seat” in the restaurant. Spot the Emperor Shahril’s favourite concubine!

Team Evergreen at Yu Yuan Garden. Note the “Icon” of Yu Yuan, a strange looking naturally formed rock at the background.

We (Team 3) are now at Yu Yuan Street. Haha, our kind teacher-in-charge treated us to Starbuck Coffee! Wonderful isn’t it? We then toured around the streets to shop for things and we really enjoyed bargainingJ - Shiqiang, Team 3

The weather was cold, colder than what we were expecting. But we felt warmer when we stayed within a group together and shopped around for souvenirs. Here, my friends and I learnt a good lesson on being wise and alert during shopping. With some bargaining, I manage to reduce the purchase price a box of “Beijing Olympic” doll key chains (1 set of 5 pieces) from $60 to $50. I thought it was a reasonable price, but later when I was about to board the bus, I found that one of the dolls was missing. Immediately, I realized, it was the dishonest shopkeeper who did this so that he can earn more. – Hui Yoke, Team 3

We were told that Nanjing Road is just like the Singapore’s very own Orchard Road! There are lots of shops to choose from and some are of branded goods. This road is reserved for pedestrian only. And the best part is there is even a tram to transport people from one part of Nanjing Road to another. Unfortunately, we did not get a chance to ride on it. L We also learnt something during the shopping spree, that is to learn how to be decisive when purchasing items and not to regret anything missed. – Zafira, Team 3

Some of us check out the gigantic bookstall there.

We then took the bus to Shanghai Bund. It is an exciting place where one can see the old and new Shanghai at the same location. When we are there, we took several group photos including this one of Team 5.

We also managed to have a few photos of the teachers accompanying us. – Shiyong, Team 3

Diner at Nanjing Road area was really great!:D But unfortunately, we are too full from lunch that we left a lot of leftover! Buit on a whole, it was really an experience for Muslim students as they had to use their beginner’s skills of using chopsticks to eat.

After dinner, we went around the Xingtiandi to experience the nightlife there. – Ina, Team 3

Day 3....On the move...

2008-05-31T10:47:00.006+08:00

ON THE MOVE..

Early in the morning, the weather was misty.
Arrived at our destination around 10am.

When we first set our eyes on the oriental pearl TV tower, we were wondering if we were still on earth as it looked like a weird alien constructed tower. Just take a look at the picture =D!

Some interesting facts.
The oriental TV tower is the 3rd tallest tower in the world and the first in Asia. It stands at the height of 468 metres which was about 200 stories high. The journey up to the top of the tower was much quicker than expected. It took less than a minute to travel up the viewing tower which was about 263 metres high.

Some pictures taken as shown, weren’t clear due to the weather. Sigh.

Bought some souvenirs and went all the way down back to firm ground, yeah!
Even though it was fun all the way up the tower, it sure was good to have our legs back on solid ground.

We went to the airport at 2pm to get us checked in.
Japheth, one of the travelers, left his passport on the floor!
Responsibility. Picked up by Mr. Shahril.

Took the bus to the plane stationed at the runway.
We felt like royalty as we waved to the crowd instructed by Mr. Shahril.
The plane departed at around 3.30pm.

Arrived at ChangChun around 5.45pm, 17 degrees cold.
Went to collect our luggage and went to the arrival hall where crowds were cheering us on as they thought that we were the Si Chuan helpers.

However the crowd wasn’t for us. Disappointed.
A bouquet was given to JAPHETH! Jealousy.

We took the bus from the airport to the hostel where we were to spend 4 days of immersion. We had our dinner which was fairly sumptuous.
Rushed off to the train station where we get ourselves settled down for the overnight ride.

At the cabin, we got ourselves comfortable positions and await for the train to depart from changchun. We were allocated 6 to a cabin and occupied a total of 10 cabins.

Feelings:

I was not used to the surroundings as the cabins did not have doors. So, we all in all felt insecure.

Departure date...

2008-05-24T18:19:00.002+08:00

The daparture date had been carried forward...
Firstly... It was said that we would depart Singapore on the 28th of May..
Now the travel agency's people gave us the latest update that we will be leaving on the 27th of May...
That is on Tuesday...
the date on which we come back to step on the ground of Singapore is on 7th of June...

Everybody is excited about the trip...
And... Maybe everybody is now busy choosing what clothes they will bring to China to wear...
HaHaHa...
Maybe instead of posting in the blog here...
I should join them in packing my luggage...
Haha...
So... Goodbye!!! (SAYONARA)

~signed~

the chronicles of completing the presentation

2008-05-24T11:11:00.001+08:00

Today we began experimenting on how to go about creating our presentation on the various religions,cultures,and other various aspects of Singapore and Evergreen. All in all, we had a rather enjoyable and mind broadening session and I am sure that the pupils in ChangChun will enjoy our presentation.

that's all for now,
Japheth

Pre-Trip preparation... (lots of things to do)

2008-05-21T16:23:00.000+08:00

Before the trip...
It is normal to do preparation for the trip...
However... What we had to do...
Is maybe loads more than what normally people do...
We had courses given by our teachers...
the time for each course is long even though the main point for the whole course is only about one or two matter...
we had gone through a few of these courses already...

Today... while there are new posts being put up...
the others are busy... either playing on the computer...
or busy finding details of what is to be put in the powerpoint slides that are to be presented to the students in China...
It is to let them know more about our country, Singapore...
And to let them gain knowledge of our school, Evergreen Secondary...
If you can see how "hardworking" they are working on the slides... Haha...

On next Monday...
there will be a one-last briefing on the trip...
And then, after that... On Wednesday...
It will be our departure day!!!
How happy and exited are we... Haha...
Just cannot wait for the day...
Stay tuned to this blog to know the details of what we are doing over there in China!!!

~signed~

Trip to Tan Tock Seng Hospital

2008-05-13T17:20:00.000+08:00

The day to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, "joy?".

First, we went to Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) to get our influenza jab.

Pre-Trip to Tan Tock Seng Hospital,
Gathered at the school car pouch.

Everyone seem very happy, well maybe not after the exam but the excitement before the trip :)

Lets just take a look at our cheerful evgians filled with excitement,

looking forward to the trip.

And..We didnt expect shy faces :(
Accompanied by the teachers,

we set off to our destination!

We were asked to assemble at the Tan Tock Seng Travel's health and Vaccination Clinic. We waited for about 20 minutes which tested our patience, well at least not after the exam which was displeasing.

Here we are at the clinic, exploring and chatting all the way there.
Still, we were asked to keep silent at the hospital to avoid disturbance to the public.
And now we took turns for our jabs..

At last, we started with the jab and our expression could show sadness among us. What to expect? Its a JAB. Well lets not just be afraid of facing them, cause it lasted less than 5 seconds.

Shocked? Professionals are doing their job like before ;)

Fellow ladies & gentlemen with great courage overcome the fear of having injection! Including teachers who aid us during the jab. However, the teachers took 3 minutes to get us settled down.

Reached Evergreen at around 1pm.

Tired.

At last, we had plasters on our arm, and there we go, to the entrance of TTSH and took a picture.

Whole day of exam. And thats the end of the "fear-ed" day to TTSH.

Our next challenge during china, to get ourselves prepared and beat our timing for photo shots!