2 words to describe today's experiences:
Mesmerising and memorable
2 highlights of the day:
The farewell with the Busan Science High School buddies was a memorable highlight of today, because it was very emotional to say goodbye to my buddy since we have learnt so much from one another. I look forward to meeting my buddy in Singapore in January again, when the Busan Science High School buddies will be coming to visit my school.
The main highlight of today was the trip to the Bulguksa temple, where we went both to the temple and the shrine located atop the hill adjacent to the temple. Since there was the time constraint, we had to jog across the hillside. As the cool wind breezed across my face, I remembered the good times I had with my friends, and those precious moments of bonding with my friends. As we reached the footsteps of the shrine, I gazed at the mesmerising shrine, with the setting sun casting a golden hue on the Buddha. I could not stop myself from continually taking pictures of the shrine and enthralling scenery. I rushed up the flight of stairs, impatient to see the beauty inside the shrine, and I was not disappointed, in fact, quite the contrary. Hiking back to the entrance, we then left for Bulguksa temple at the foot of the hill. The story that was told about the carpenter who built the Bulguksa temple was both memorable and tragic. When entering the temple, the deciduous tree leaves having the different shades of the visible spectrum left a beautiful imprint in my mind, added on by the hills and mountains in the backdrop. I think this sightseeing experience was not only memorable, but also inspirational, as it made me more motivated to move on to o'levels in the subsequent year.
2 things you've learnt about Korea:
I have learnt that South Korea, despite being an industrialised economy with a growing port business in Busan, on the pretence of the environmental perspective, is astonishingly beautiful. I feel this is one of the big aspects of South Korea that I have learnt in the trip, something I had taken for granted through the many bus rides via which I had seen the hills previously.
I also learnt that South Korea holds many religions, that include Buddhism, Christianity and Confucianism. This shows that South Korea truly is an inter-religious society, showing how tolerating it is to all different religions.
2 things you've learnt about yourself:
I realised that I can be very task-oriented when I want to be. I found out about this when we were at the Bulguksa Temple. During the time when most of the team was socialising and having fun with one another, I was determined to take good photos of the scenery, hence I stuck to the plan and did so, even though I missed the precious bonding time with my friends. Since I had a task that needed completion, I did so, without straying off-course. From this, I learnt that I can be very task-oriented.
I also learnt that I can bond very well with my friends and buddy even though I may be introverted. During the long bus rides, my friends and I shared horror stories that allowed us to bond very well. This also allowed me to do my various antics, that humoured my friends, making us even closer to one another.
2 things you did not do so well:
I think my behaviour today was not on-point. This is because as the bus driver was driving on the highway I had was not seated down properly, kneeling on the ground talking to my friends. I think this was not appropriate of me, as it had inconvenienced the driver. I will try not do such mistakes again.
Secondly, I think I was too noisy today. This was because I had gotten carried away with the enticing conversations I had with my friends, and hence had become less socially aware. I think I should work more on my alertness skills to prevent future such occurrences.
2 things you look forward to tomorrow:
I await the pleasure of visiting the Busan National Science Museum. This is because I really want to see the cutting-edge science that takes place here in South Korea, both for my project on architecture and for my personal understanding.
I very much anticipate the departure from Korea, as I am very keen to meet my family and friends. This is mainly due to the fact that I am very homesick, and miss them.
Connect:
In Singapore, I learn about how we need to keep the environment clean-and-green. This is seen throughout Singapore, from the Central Business District to the suburban areas. We also learn in National Education classes that we sustain and keep the environment clean because we need to stay hygienic and so that we can interest the tourism industry. This is also expounded by the environment we see in Busan; the parks and lakes we have seen through the various bus rides are not just surrounded by lush green and red temperate forests, but another hidden aspect is how clean the parks and districts are. This shows that we can connect what we learn about clean environment in Singapore to Busan.
The geography that I learn in Singapore taught me that every 1000m increase in altitude, the temperature decreases by 6.5ºC. This is clearly seen observed as the bus rose in altitude. I realised this by touching the window of the bus and sense it becoming colder. When getting out of the bus, the decreases temperature was very clear. I can thus connect the learning in Singapore to what I observed in Busan
Extend:
During the final conference with the Busan buddies, one of the buddies gave a presentation on electromagnets and spinning tops; how spinning tops can accelerate infinitely given that power is constantly supplied to the electromagnet. In normal physics in Singapore, we learnt about electromagnets in the topic of interactions in Primary 5, resultant forces and acceleration in Secondary 3, and circuitry in Fundamentals of Electronics in Sec 3 in SST. This is very much extended to the presentation the buddy had given, as it was concerning the precise timing of the closing of the reed switch supplying power to the electromagnet causing the top to accelerate at certain periods.
Challenge:
The presentation given by Chen Ning got me thinking to what causes the concentration of ions in the ionosphere to increase. Initially, I thought it was due to the high energy & velocity plasma released from the sun to be caught by the magnetosphere colliding with the particles in the ionosphere causing an increase in ions, due to the coronal mass ejection from the sun during a solar storm. But what sparked the questioning was the fact that the plasma takes a few hours to reach the earth as it is travelling significantly slower than the speed of light, while a solar flare, being the energy spectrum of electromagnetic radiation itself, would reach in roughly 8 minutes as it travels at the speed. Hence, it was the solar flare which caused the spike in ions in the ionosphere. Upon further thinking and listening to the speech, I realised that the electromagnetic waves, had a peak emitted wavelength in the band of UVC and X-rays, in which X-rays are a form of ionising radiation. There it was, the ionising radiation caused the neutral elements and compounds in the ionosphere to break up into ions, causing the spike in ions during a solar flare in the period of a solar storm. Hence, I realised that this presentation challenged the understanding I already had about solar storms as well as gave me a deeper insight into natural resonance, tuning capacitors and do-it-yourself radio telescopes.
Connection in learning between the 2 schools
When comparing what we have learnt in School of Science and Technology and Busan Science high School, there is a lot of resemblance between what we learn. In SST, there is the subject geography, which is similar to the earth science that is learnt in BSS. In earth science, they learn about plate tectonics and earthquakes, exactly what we learn in SST as part of our daily syllabus. Another example is biotechnology in SST being parallel to the advanced topics of biology that the students learn here in BSS, for example agarose gel electrophoresis, a form of chromatography, and deoxyribonucleic acid extraction from body fluid samples. During these 2 activities we tried in BSS, I learnt how to separate DNA samples of different mass and compare different samples based on their retention factors; put simply, the distance the DNA in solution travel based on their solubility in the buffer solution. Though this is taught in SST, it is more simplified but still congruent in terms of what students need to learn. This thus shows the striking homogeneity in the subjects that we learn in SST as compared to the topics offered in Busan.
Extend your learning
From the physics lesson that I had attended as part of lesson observation, the content we learned in the class was about circular and simple harmonic motion. In this lesson, we learnt about the derivation of acceleration, position and centripetal force in a simple harmonic oscillator by using a unit circle and using sine and cosine functions. This made the learning simpler. This is an extension of the physics that we learnt in SST, as part of the "Waves" and "Dynamics" chapters. In the "Waves" chapter, we learnt how light is a wave where the oscillating electric and magnetic fields are orthogonal to each other. This relates to the wave-like motion of a simple harmonic oscillator. In the case of the lesson, we learnt different examples of harmonic oscillators along with the multiple derivations. This relates to dynamics as "F=ma", that is Newton's Second Law, came in handy in the derivation. This is an extension to our studies as although we have not learnt it, it is very important in daily life and is the subsequent level in physics and transcends the current physics that we have learnt. In fact, I had learnt this earlier in the year as part of physics olympiad, something that is covered as an A-level topic, clearly evident that this is an extension to what we have currently learnt.
Challenge the learning
I think one way in which I can change the way I study is by getting inspired by what I have learnt from BSS and via my BSS buddy. According to what I have learnt from my buddy, the students here are very focused in terms of what they need to learn and are also very competitive. I think from this I need to challenge my own learning, which I feel has been very slack now that I see how hard the students study here. By doing so, I will not only improve my grades, but being more confident, I would also be able to learn and think faster, improving the rest of the sectors of my life, such as my social life as I would know how to speak with less stumbling. Hence, challenging my learning would be very interdisciplinary, and hence I feel it is an important thing I need to integrate into my studies.
3 words to describe today's experiences:
Educational, cultural and complex.
3 highlights of the day:
One of the highlights was the invention class. Here, we learnt about creating a mini wireless magnetic induction device. What this was is a circuit to induce a magnetic field in the secondary coil, that would be amplified by the primary coil. A changing magnetic field in the coils would then induce a current in the receiving coil, that would cause a light emitting device to light up. This was very interesting as the science behind this was more complicated than we thought, hence making todays experience complicated. We learnt a lot of new scientific concepts through this thus making the learning both educational and complex.
The cultural session of wearing "Hanbok", a traditional South Korean costume, learning and trying the traditional greeting style and making and eating the peanut-battered rice cake was very unique. This is because we got the opportunity to learn new tradition and also the peanut-battered rice-cake was very delicious. This was thus a cultural experience.
Finally, the ball-drop activity, where we had to do to make a series of ramps and flaps for 6 marbles to pass through, was very interesting as we had to think differently and have both depth and breadth if we were to make an elaborate series. Although we were not completely able to complete it due to time constraints, my friend and I were still able to include many unique components to the final design. Overall, I found that this activity taught me to think differently rather than using the linear approach of making simple ramps.
3 things you've learnt about Korea:
I have learnt that in Korean culture, there is intricate detail in all of its traditional practices, from giving a respectful bow, to wearing the traditional Hanbok costume. The traditional confectioneries, such as the peanut powder-battered rice cake was also extremely delicious, evident by the fact that my friends and I could not stop eating once we started.
I have also learnt that the studies here is very thorough and competitive, especially in Busan Science High School, which I had inferred from the talks with my buddy; my buddy told be about how they have to get up at 0840 and study till 2030 every weekday, showing how gruelling the studies here is. To add on, the students being like-minded in terms of their persistence, are very competitive, making it even harder to keep up with the studies. I think Busan Science School students have the drive to work hard and strive for success, both due to their own disposition and the efforts of all the school teachers.
I have also learnt that Korea has a diverse variety of musical instruments, from traditional drum-like instruments to brass-plated percussion instruments. The traditional music, as shown by the students, is also very energetic and brings out the outgoing nature of the students who played it. I think this sort of music is very vibrant and cheerful and keeps the crowd engaged.
3 things you've learnt about yourself:
Honestly, I had expected myself to not like cultural music as much as I actually did today; I say this because I am usually not fond of listening to such music, but after todays performances of "Nanta" and that by the band of students, I have started to really appreciate this sort of music.
I have also realised my questioning skills have improved. During the class activities such as that in the biology, physics and the inventive class, that include the agarose gel electrophoresis with DNA extraction, transmitting and receiving of electromagnetic waves and the making of the magnetic induction devices, I kept asking questions about things I did not understand, which helped me understand what was being taught better.
I also learnt that I have the capability to think critically, 1 of the 10 Cs of SST. This is because in a activities such as the ball-drop challenge I had done with my friend in the "Fab Lab", we had to come up with various methods of figuring out how to decrease the time taken for the marbles to completely stop, and to do so had to think up contraptions on-the-spot.
3 things you did not do so well:
I feel that I over-stressed my teammate in certain activities as I took them too seriously. One very prominent one was the "ball-drop" activity at the "Fab Lab"; during the building of the ramps and contraptions, unknown to me, I had become very serious in terms of what was needed to be done, when in contrast the activity was meant to be a fun and light one. I think I should be more mindful and take such activities more lightly from now on
I also feel that I did not take enough photos, as I was too engrossed in the activities. This hindered my project as I had lesser data collected today as compared to the previous day. I hope to do better in the following days.
I also did not focus on the project as much as I should have been doing, as these 6 days very precious and I should spend all 6 days productively. I hope to do better on the following days.
3 things you look forward to tomorrow:
I am very interested to meet the Superintendent Mr Seok-joon Kim, as I would like to learn more about the education system here in Busan as compared to that of Singapore's.
Going to Samsung Renault Motors, as it would be of great help to my project in learning about the efficiency of the production line of this enterprise. Singapore, being a small island nation with limited land and thus limited Foreign Direct Investment, it has to maximise space usage efficiency, and they could do so by learning about how the big industries such as Samsung Renault motors conduct their business with the greatest temporal and spacial efficiency.
Thirdly, I have been very curious to see how the classes here in Busan Science High School function on a daily basis, and hence I look forward to the lesson observation with my buddy.
3 words to describe todays experience:
One word to describe todays experience would be "compelling". What I mean by compelling would be very interesting and unique; one example of a compelling experience would be that of the steelworks in the POSCO factory – when we entered the facility where the steel was being made and refined, seeing the process taught me about the various steps required in the manufacture of steel. Through this, I mainly learnt how this South Korean enterprise is highly systematic; it has a proper production line shaped in the form of "U" to decrease the time and space taken to transport the steel. I think this was very interesting, and somewhat even helps my project in the field of "efficiency"
Another word would be "cooling", in the sense that the surroundings was cold and calming. Simply spending the time outside made me feel peaceful, and the wind chill made it better. I feel this way as I have never been in a region of winter climate, hence a sense of euphoria came over me every time I passed the temperate forests during a cool breeze. I think this "cooling" experience made this trip all the more better, as it was the environment itself that helped me be moralised.
The third word is "detailed". I say this because every place we went to had a reason and a meaning, with everything systematically planned out in proper duration. This made me realise the importance of punctuality. Also today was "detailed" in the sense that there was a lot of information that was provided, such as at the POSCO museum, which we needed to take note of very quickly while making sure that it applies to our main project.
3 highlights of the day:
One highlight would be the 15 minutes we got outside the POSCO museum. Although this may seem like a short and insignificant amount of time, I felt this time allowed me to accustom with the environment around us; the deciduous trees with red and orange leaves, and the artefacts of the POSCO museum. What made the experience more elevated was the wind that ensued, that gave a wind chill effect and make the surroundings more cooler. This special time not only gave me the crucial moments to think about the project, but also calm down my senses, as I was feeling homesick. Hence these special 15 minutes were definitely one of the highlights of the day.
Another highlight would be the various Korean food we got to eat. Firstly at the first restaurant during lunch, I got to taste the traditional chicken and rice cake food, with a mix of mozzarella cheese. This was very appetising, and made me realise the rich traditional food that the South Koreans have. Another was the restaurant at Jagalchi Market. Here, we got to eat the a rich diversity of South Korean cuisine, from the sea food, such as tuna and clams, to a special cold sweet egg salad. Similar to lunch, I realised how diverse the traditional South Korean food is.
The third highlight was the at the steel slab-making plant of the POSCO industry. My peers and I saw how the colossal slabs of steel were rolled across giant rollers to be flattened and refined. The signboards even gave us many details of the process, the temperature of the steel at different parts and how the water was being blown onto the steel to cool it down to regulate its temperature as it was being flattened. This process was very interesting, and definitely required many architectural innovations, including the water jet blowing system and the rollers on which the steel slabs were being moved around. This process taught me the complexity of steelworks, as well as the amount of "brains" required to develop such a plant.
3 things you've learn about Korea:
Firstly, I have learnt that Korea is a place of great food diversity, which is heavily expounded on in the above paragraphs. But specifically, there was a heavy emphasis on hot and spicy food, as both the lunch and dinner were quite spicy. I think the main reason for the "heaty" food is because of the cold weather here in South Korea, hence "heaty" food must be a staple.
Secondly, I have learnt about the polite and friendly nature of the South Koreans, such as our tour guide who had a jovial disposition, constantly humouring us with his jokes and questions. I find this to be a great aspect of the South Korean community, as this friendliness allows them to forge bonds with others quicker, not only on the personal level, like that between a tourist guide and student, but even on a national level.
Thirdly, I South Korea, specifically Busan, to have lesser traffic congestion than Singapore. This may slightly be due to the fact that Busan has a considerably lower population density due to smaller population and larger land area, but it may also be because the traffic in Busan, and generally South Korea, is better handled. Hence, I feel the the traffic congestion in Busan is lesser than that in Singapore
3 things you've learnt about yourself:
One thing I've learnt about myself is that I have to be more pro-active by both being more curious and taking consideration of the surroundings. In order to do both, I have to ask more questions about the surroundings and about the context, while being more attentive during the talks during the tours. In order to do so, I could take more photos of the surroundings, and be more awake, which is what going to happen from the next day on.
Secondly, I have learnt that to converse more with my teachers, peers, tour guide and potentially my buddy, I have to speak about topics relevant to the event and not stray off course from the main topic. This will help to improve my vocal skills.
Thirdly, I have learnt that in order for myself to succeed in the project, I have to work qualitatively instead of quantitatively. What that means is that instead of focussing on multiple research topics at one go, I should focus on a single one in which I can develop the topic better and research deeper. This would allow the project to have more depth, as well as improve my researching skills.
3 things you didn't do so well:
I feel that I did not ask enough questions, regarding my project and the industry itself, during the visit to the POSCO enterprise. This was partly due to the fact that I was slightly shy, but mostly because I did not think the questions were important, and hence I thought the questions were redundant, preventing me from asking them. I think I should remove this negative mindset during the rest of the industry and school visits, and be more curious of my surroundings.
Secondly, I think I was unproductive as I spent a lot of the time on the bus rides sleeping, which I could have spent doing or thinking about my project. Also I feel that I took an insufficient number of photos and notes, as I could have done more. This was mainly because I was not properly acclimatised to the weather, hence having a runny nose that hindered my progress and that I did not sleep properly on the plane ride; I hope to perform better on the following days now that the problems would have been mitigated.
Thirdly, I think one mistake the team collectively did was that we were not situationally aware. One example would be when I was speaking loudly or without concern of the surrounding people at certain areas when I should have been quieter, such as at the restaurant at the Jagalchi market. Also, the team made quite a mess initially, as all the plates utensils and unwanted food was strewn across the tables. Luckily, we got our act together and cleaned up most of the mess, but some still remained on the table, such as the oil that was spilled into the stove. Such mistakes would be prevented from now on.
3 things you look forward to tomorrow:
I look forward to meeting my South Korean buddy, as I want to learn more about him/her and how he/she goes about his/her daily routine. I thus look forward to learning about how his/her life is in Busan, and maybe even touch on the topic of his/her culture here in South Korea.
Secondly, I look forward to learning about the cultural heritage of Hanbok, which will allow me to learn the traditional dressing styles of South Koreans. I very much look forward to this as I want to learn how and why South Koreans dress in such costumes.
Thirdly, I also look forward to eating more South Korean food, as today's food was enjoyable. The diversity that exists would definitely have more types of food that I have not tasted or even heard of, which is what I hope to consume with an open-mind.
1) How do you feel about the upcoming trip?
I feel privileged to be going for such a trip, as such opportunities are very rare and special. I feel this way because going overseas is something I do usually annually, and that being on a school trip would be like once in a few years. Furthermore, this is a Level 3 trip with many tasks that need to be completed; thus this is an opportunity that is literally once in a life-time. Hence, I feel privileged.
2) 3 things I am looking forward to
1) The cold weather and conditions at high latitude. I have always wanted to visit a region with the marine-west climate, so I feel privileged to visit such a place. Also, the environment (i.e. temperate forests) is also something I wanted to experience, hence I am going to get a very good chance in Busan.
2) Seeing the various Korean places. Not only for the experience, but also for the project, I look forward to visiting the places and absorbing as much knowledge as I can obtain.
3) Meeting my Korean Busan Science High School buddy; I want to learn more about Korean culture, and this would be easily done so through meeting my Korean buddy.
2) Seeing the various Korean places. Not only for the experience, but also for the project, I look forward to visiting the places and absorbing as much knowledge as I can obtain.
3) Meeting my Korean Busan Science High School buddy; I want to learn more about Korean culture, and this would be easily done so through meeting my Korean buddy.
3) 3 things I am hoping to learn from Busan/ South Korea
1) How the life in South Korea is different than that from Singapore. I have researched that the South Korean cost of living is lower than Singapore, which is what I want to truly see. Also, South Korea seems to have a much cooler and more temperate climate, from which I hope to learn about some of the geography of South Korea.
2) The diverse Korean technological innovations. Korea is said to be very much ahead of Singapore in terms of technology, evident by its enterprises such as POSCO and Renault Samsung Motors. I hope to truly learn what drives South Korea in making such technological developments.
3) How Singapore can improve upon its architecture. By looking at the architectural innovations of South Korea, I will be able to learn and apply them to Singapore's architecture, something I wish to learn.
4) 3 things I am hoping to learn from my friends
I hope to learn what their interests are; by doing so, I will be better able to bond with them, improving and increasing the productivity of the time spent in Busan. I want to learn how they communicate; by learning their style of speaking, I will be able to converse with them better and speed up the work done. I also want to learn what their strong points are; this would the team to work productively on each of their strong points.
5) 3 things I am hoping to learn about myself
How well I can speak; by conversing with the locals of Busan, my Busan buddy, and my friends, I will be able to find out exactly how well I can speak, allowing me to improve on my vocal skills if necessary. I want to see how well I can execute the project; by producing a good piece of work, I will be able to by satisfied with mine and my friend's work, something I hope to achieve. I also want to see how well I can bond with my friends and buddy.
6) 3 challenges I give to myself
Converse a lot with my friends and the Koreans. Being a quiet person, I do not speak openly very often, hence I challenge myself to converse more with my Korean buddies. I also want to complete the project with good success, as I hope to make this trip a very productive one. I also want to bond well with my friends and buddy, which I hope to achieve via the activities and visiting of the different places.
7) What are my expectations of Korea
I think South Korea would have better architecture, transport and mainly better technology than Singapore, as it is very much ahead in terms of technology. South Korea is also renowned for having a polite community, something I anticipate very much through this visit.
