2016 GCP BUSAN 부산

1. 2 words to describe today’s experiences
   Today was interesting because we got to go for the Gyeongjoo Tour and went to the Bulguksa Temple and other interesting places. These places were really interesting because they had a lot of history behind them and even one of them were UNESCO Heritage Sites. Some of the architecture in the UNESCO site at the Bulguksa Temple were also over a thousand years old, which was something really cool, as they could last really long. For example, the Bulguksa Temple was built in 751 by then prime minister Gim Dae-seong, and completed in 774. It was previously burnt down before but was completely restored after the invasion by Japanese invaders in 1593. The restoration was done between 1969-1973 through thorough research and excavations of the ancient temple site.
   Today was also rather educational as various presentations were done in the morning for different subjects and topics. An example was the presentation on biorock. It was something related to chemistry, where the process of electrolysis was used to encourage the growth of corals, and variables such as materials used in the project were changed. The cathode was changed to different materials such as brass, aluminium, etc., and the rate of growth of these corals were measured over a certain time. However, due to the lack of resources, only common materials were used, but in an actual biorock, titanium is used as it would not corrode and was resistant to many outdoor elements. This extended my knowledge in that I learnt the different requirements required for corals to regrow at a faster rate, and titanium was the best material for corals to grow on fastest. Next year, when we cover the topic on electrolysis, this may come in handy, and I will try my best to incorporate this sort of ‘new’ learning in more applicable circumstances in both lessons and lab experiments.
   
2. 2 highlights of the day
   We went to the UNESCO site and went for many cultural sites in Gyeongjoo. From this tour, I found out that most of the cultural sites, such as temples and shrines were on mountaintops and were quite far away from civilisation (being that we had to walk and climb past mountains and some valleys to reach them). From this, I learnt that the Koreans wanted to be sort of ‘far away’ from distractions and to worship their God wholeheartedly.
   The other highlight was the buddy project sharing. Since it was the first time we got to see our friend’s projects, both from Busan Science High School and Singapore, I learnt a bit more information on what we had in common and what we were interested in. Some projects presented by the Koreans included the Robotics Olympiad and the magnet spinning electromagnet. It was really cool looking at the presentations, as although these were some really simple things, they had very cool variables and the results were interesting. For example, they built interesting robots for the robotics olympiad such as a ‘gutterbot’. It was a creative robot meant to check for sewage problems and fix them through the necessary means by remote controlling in places inaccessible by humans. Another project was the magnet spinning electromagnet. They used the Reeds switch and based on what I understood from it, they wanted to find out how the electromagnet could be powered to make the reed switch close and for the circuit to open.
   
3. 2 things you’ve learnt about Korea
   I learnt that Korea had a wide variety of beliefs and religions, such as buddhism, christianity and shamanism. About 30% believe in each of these religions, with the other 10% having other beliefs and religions.This is something rather cool, because many of them do not having a common belief, such as in Singapore, although the majority are actually Buddhists in Singapore. Nevertheless, they maintain religious harmony like in Singapore, which is a good thing that we should continue to maintain.
   I also learnt that the Korean education system does not focus fully on all academics, but want students to investigate on real-life problems and questions they have and encounter, so they will be able to grow their understanding and have the passion for the relevant subjects. This is such as in ISS in SST, where we used our creativity to come up with a research topic and solve/investigate on the problem. Projects are an important part of our student life as we would grow our curiosity, critical thinking and creativity, 3 of our 10Cs, and in the end grow to be enthusiastic citizens who aim to solve existing problems in our society.
   
4. 2 things you’ve learnt about yourself
   I learnt that I should not be so stingy with my money. Although we should save our money, it is important for ourselves to enjoy the trip and it was really satisfying to be able to enjoy ourselves after rushing to and fro the school, hotel and other places during the past 3 days. Therefore, I should enjoy myself and not be so calculative and not enjoy myself during the trip while I can.
   I also learnt that I do talk quite a lot. However, I should try to make most of the things that I speak more purposeful, as usually I do not think twice before speaking, and as such, I should try to speak up, while also thinking for a proper amount of time before talking. Like this, I would not end up being not listened to so much, and I would have more ‘value’ wherever I go.
   
5. 2 things you didn’t do so well
   I did not really think a lot about what I speak, so some things that I say may be quite useless as mentioned above. Therefore, I should try to make my words more purposeful or at least have a reason to it, so I would not be so ‘useless’ and have more of an impact in other projects and I can contribute more.
   I felt that I should have treated my buddy better, as she was really nice to me and taught me very well, especially during the normal lessons period. During the math period, she was able to teach me and helped me to understand the new topic of 3D graph plotting, and as such, I am very grateful towards her. As such, I felt that I should have tried to interact more with her and make this trip a more fruitful one.
   

1. 3 words to describe today’s experiences
   Today was fascinating, intriguing and accomplished.
   We got a look at how the cars were produced in the assembly plant and we saw how the cars were formed from Stage 0 to the final stage at the Renault-Samsung Car Factory. Since there are no carmakers in Singapore, this was a first for me to see how cars were made and I also learnt a bit of the history of Renault-Samsung and I found out many different things found in cars and how they are powered. In the chemistry lesson, we used science in real life applications, such as the experiment today of checking if the nutrition label on the product was legitimate and ‘real’. At the same time, we also used different apparatus not usually used in the subjects I take, and only in biotechnology. This resulted in me having the chance to try out the other subjects available in SST indirectly, such as biology and biotechnology. With all these new knowledge, I am able to expand my knowledge about what I have already learnt. For example: we did the chemistry experiment and found out about the reliability of nutrition labels, as well as learning how to use mirco-pipettes, micro-burettes, etc. With all this knowledge, I am able to be more prepared for next year as well and I may be able to be better at SPA and chemistry experiments. A challenge I managed to overcome was to pay more attention today and take down more relevant notes by drinking coffee, rather than feeling sleepy and wanting to doze off. Also, in the chemistry lesson, our group managed to get the most accurate results among everyone else, which was something I feel proud and feel accomplished for.
   
2. 3 highlights of the day
   We went to the Renault-Samsung museum and factory, where we saw the cars being manufactured and assembled. The cars were produced step by step with the machines putting all the parts of the car together. The assembly line was very long but we got a glimpse of what each member of the production line had to do and how they all came out together in the end. We also found out how the design of the car was important and where the different parts of the car had to be reinforced to ensure maximum safety so that in a car crash, the crash would not be so serious. We also found out how the V6 engine worked, with it being that fuel is being combusted, producing forces to push the pistons inside the engine, and then moving the shaft to power the wheels and make it move.
   We then went for a normal math lesson that the students normally went for. Although it was normal, it was definitely a higher level for the SST students there since they were 1 grade older than us. However, previous knowledge learnt in SST was applied such as trigonometry and plotting of graphs. Put together, we learnt 3D graphs. In the lesson, we learnt how to put a 3D diagram such that we know what is the minimum and maximum area of the shadow that was cast on a surface below (down on the y-z axis). This was something new for us and it was quite cool, although it was really really difficult to understand within the given 50 minutes. Although it was challenging to learn all these new concepts, I am glad I did not give up and did my best to solve the questions.
   Last but not least, we went for the chemistry lesson, where we were supposed to find out the amount of Vitamin C in each drink in ppm (mg/L). We used the spectrophotometer to find out the ‘transparency’ of the drink and find out the amount of Vitamin C in the drink. There were many experiences in the process, such as using the micro-burette, micro-pipette, and different techniques to extract the different substances and find out in the end how accurate the nutrition label on the drinks bottle was. In the end, our group was the most accurate, and I was really happy because we had done something I had not tried before well, not to forget my buddy who was helping my group from start to end. Overall, the chemistry lesson was very cool and interesting, and it was challenging since biotechnology skills were used, although I was not taking it, so I am really happy I did well for the experiment.
   
3. 3 things you’ve learnt about Korea
   Renault-Samsung is more of a luxury car and produces fewer cars than companies such as Kia or Hyundai. Despite the fact that they produce fewer cars, they remain competitive by incorporating the different aspects of Renault and Samsung motors previously to form a better company and sales have increased since the buyover of Samsung Motors by Renault. There have not been any labour disputes since the establishment of Renault Samsung since 2000 and no industrial action was taken against them before as well.
   Their education system was something like Singapore’s which is a bit sad because this part is not the good part of our education system. Top schools like RI and HCI take in students who are only good in their clubs or sports, and their scores may not be acceptable, but are kept in the school because they can win awards for the school. Busan High School is something like that, where the bottom 20% have to be very good in their clubs to remain in the school and not be despised or kicked out. This is something I do not feel is good, but things are the way they are, and they should give more support for them to catch up with their peers.
   The youths in Korea are also up to their times, and there are a lot of trendy stuff, such as ‘webtoons’ and the normal kpop. They use the search engine ‘Naver’ to look for information and other stuff that are unique to South Korea. These information are special and usually are not found in Google. However, Google is not dominating South Korea yet as Naver are leading and is the main search engine in Korea. Nevertheless, they still use Facebook to talk with their overseas friends and watch videos.
   
4. 3 things you’ve learnt about yourself
   I learnt that I am not entirely accustomed to the Korean food yet, and my stomach does not feel really good after today. It is probably due to the rich taste of the foods here, and I am usually used to food with milder tastes. Moreover, much of the food has a very rich mix of tastes, such as kimchi being spicy and salty at the same time, so I am not too used to it.
   I am not the best with electronics and although the students from Busan may not have taken the courses before, they are still good and aware of how to do the modules, so I feel they are actually better than me and maybe some of us. Therefore, I should do my best that when I go back to Singapore to do my best in the subjects I take and do well for them.
   Lastly, I realised I should do more to relax when I can so I will not feel too stressed during the school term. After going through the drones lesson, I realised I spent a little too much time on focussing on my studies, and I should rest and relax at the appropriate time. Therefore, having a balanced lifestyle is important.
   
5. 3 things you didn’t do so well
   I did not eat as much as I wanted to, but I should not gorge myself as I should let my stomach get accustomed to the food slowly.
   I was not loud-spoken enough and I need to speak up and be more confident of myself.
   I did not ask enough questions in the Renault-Samsung Museum as I was not able to fully understand everything happening there.
   

1. 3 words to describe today’s experiences
   Today was exciting because we got to experience different lessons from all different sciences, such as physics, where we created an electromagnetic wave generator and a device to check for the wave which was something like FOE, biology where we did something commonly done in biotechnology, electrophoresis and DNA extraction which was something new for me because I am in FOE. Last but not least, we also went for an inventions lesson where we created a machine that transmits energy wirelessly, which was something very cool because it was something like the project that the secondary 4s did for the O level project work.
   It was also an fun day because we got to meet our buddies and go for the different club activities, of which I went for Korean Samulnori and experienced the different Korean culture and looked at the various interesting performances.
   Lastly, today’s experience was enjoyable as all the lessons were within our concepts as we had learnt all these during our applied subjects and we had enough understanding to know what all the lessons were about and do the projects knowing what we were doing and the principles behind those things, at the same time expanding our knowledge with activities that were an expansion of what we learnt in school.
   
2. 3 highlights of the day
   One highlight of the day was creating the electromagnetic wave generator and the electromagnetic wave sensor. It was essentially a capacitor that establishes an electric field about it and a circular magnetic field, creating electromagnetic waves that were able to be travelled across long distances, so even when the sensor was far away from the generator, the LED was able to light up when the electromagnetic waves ‘closed’ the circuit in the sensor and overall it was really cool creating a large-scale capacitor.
   Another highlight was going for the club activities. Since we were in Korea, it was quite essential for us to learn more about the culture, and as I was paired with a buddy from the Korean Samulnori, which was a group playing Korean traditional instruments, I got a hand in playing the drums and also looked at them put on a real full-length show, which was very cool.
   Finally, we also went to the Korean Culture Center and put on the Hanbok, the Korean traditional costumes. While we were there, we also played some traditional games and made some rice cakes, which we got to try as well. It was very nice and delicious, and it was very chewy like glutinous rice.
   
3. 3 things you’ve learnt about Korea
   I learnt that the Korean education system was somewhat similar to Singapore’s. Although they were in high school, they learnt quite similar things to what we learnt in our Applied Subjects, which were essentially topics from high-school (JC or Poly) level. As such, I found it quite easy to go along with the lesson and even if I did not understand, there were friends to help as well.
   Another thing I learnt was that the Koreans had really strict rules about following the culture they had. They really appreciated their own culture and really wanted to preserve it and teach these to the younger generations, especially since some of the younger generation also did not know how to tie the Hanbok.
   Lastly, Korea has a way richer culture than Singapore. Although there may be clubs out there in Singapore like the Malay Cultural Club or Chinese Cultural Club, these clubs mainly originated from outside Singapore such as China or Malaysia, and I have never seen a Singapore Cultural Club, since Singapore is such a young nation and we have barely any real culture set up since at least 200 years ago, other than the Peranakans. In Korea, they have various cultures as seen in Korean dramas that stretch from very very long ago, but still treasure it up to today, with the food they eat, traditional clothing they preserve and other factors.
   
4. 3 things you’ve learnt about yourself
   I have scoliosis and my back hurts from doing the large formal bow in the Hanbok.
   I can stop having a runny nose by having an electric shock, since I was adjusting the circuit in the physics class just now but someone switched it on by accident
   I also learnt that I am not trying hard enough in my studies, especially looking at other people stay up until so late to try to get into the top universities around Korea. As such, I can try and be more up to task and do work to the best of my abilities.
   
5. 3 things you didn’t do so well
   I did not do the large bow well as my back really hurt.
   I ate too much rice cake at the Korean cultural centre, so my stomach hurt quite badly after that and I could not eat a proper meal the the Busan High School for dinner. Perhaps, I should eat less in between meals so that I can have proper and regular meals and I wouldn’t fall sick more easily.
   

1. 3 words to describe today’s experiences

2. 3 highlights of the day

3. 3 things you’ve learnt about Korea

4. 3 things you’ve learnt about yourself

5. 3 things you didn’t do so well

6. 3 things you look forward to tomorrow I look forward to meeting my new buddy as I would then know and be able to interact with someone from a different culture but in the same age group. I would also like to see how their CCAs/activities are held and what type of activities there are to do, and see what they do even when the temperature is very low. Last but not least, I would like to know how to attend a traditional event and dress appropriately, as I am usually very casual and not too bothered on dressing too formally or up to the occasion.

1. How do I feel about the upcoming trip?