1) 2 words to describe today's experience
-Mesmerising
-Unforgettable
2) 2 highlights
We went to Bulguksa Grotto which is an UNESCO site and we saw the various coloured trees which were mesmerising. Firstly, we climbed some steps and went to look at a Buddist temple. My expectation was a human sized statue. However what I saw in that temple was multiple times larger than a human. It was also very comforting to see many people praying as they still respect their religion even though Busan is a very scientific and industrialised city. Many people like Mr Brian also respect one another's religion. I think this is important for understanding and empathy which is important for a more multi-religious society. Mr Brian also explained about Buddism which made me understand about Buddism and also I now show more respect to it. I also would like to know why Bulguksa Grotto is an UNESCO site. The 2nd highlight is the unforgettable gift-giving, goodbye sessions and project presentation. It was quite difficult to say goodbye to my friends in BSS as we have developed a strong bond to one another. My friends and I exchanged gifts and said our goodbyes. We promised to keep in contact via facebook. But I knew that this interaction via facebook would be quite rare as my friends rarely have time off from their studies and sleep to interact with me via facebook. Then from the slide presentations, I learnt more about the calibre of students' presentations and more about how they learnt lead them to their project. This made me think of how to incorporate what I've learnt to my project reports.
3) 2 things I learnt about Korea
Koreans Have a deep respect to cultures and a multireligious society
Even with some technological advancements and scientific improvements Koreans still practise their religion and show great respect to it. Koreans are still going to these temples and haven't demolished these meaningful temples to build more labs and improve their scientific field even further. Non-buddists also come to this temple to understand Buddism and hence build stronger bonds with fellow Koreans.
They are very hospitable, BSS students were giving gifts and making sure that SST students were having an enjoyable time in BSS even though they have exams really near. My buddy had a biology test at 8pm yesterday and still gave her all to make sure I got to my lessons in time. BSS also made their way to give some special souvenirs to us. The busan students also gave gifts to us even though they were hosting us and we were the ones who need to give them the gifts. They care about us a lot to the extent that they offer us gifts
4) 2 things I've learnt about myself
I think I will love international friends as they came from different backgrounds and different countries so we could bond really well and we could learn about each other's countries and backgrounds. I also love that we can learn from our differences and also have more empathy to one another.
I also think I spending time with my friends. During the bus ride, we talked about ghost stories and we shopped at e-mart and I had a really enjoyable time. This trip would not be so great without friends. This trip both served as an educational trip and a bonding moment for us friends.
5) 2 things I didnt do so well
- 1 thing I didn't do so well was to make even more friends in Busan, as I could learn more about their lifestyle and clubs as well as their hobbies and more about them. It would be also my pleasure to introduce them to my CCA and more about me.
- Another thing I didn't do was to take enough pictures when we reached the peak as we were rushing through going up and down the mountain. The scenery was really appealing to me as the mountains had yellow trees and it looked like a sea of gold. I could have gotten more photos about the different coloured trees.
6) 2 things I look forward to tmr
Busan science centre- I look forward to this because there are hand on experiments and I would like to know what is different from SSC(singapore science centre) and BSC. I would also like to like to know what they include in BSC and how this can help me in my report.
Busan Science national Museum-I would like to know how Busan has scientifically improved over the years and whats the reason for this improvement. I would also like to know how Korea in a whole has used this scientific improvement to their advantage.
Connect
I learnt more about electromagnetic repulsion which causes a top to spin clockwise or anticlockwise and the top will always accelerate. I learnt about electromagnets in SST S2. This connected my thinking of electromagnets to electromagnetic repulsion thus caused to me link how they used electromagnetism in their research projects.
Extend
I learnt more about solar storms through Chen Ning's presentation. I learnt about electromagnetic
waves in S3 and Chen Ning's presentation mentioned that solar storms will release waves of every wavelength and this causes ionosphere to have a higher concentration fo ions in the layer. I was unsure about what caused this and I learnt that the electromagnetic waves causes gases to ionize and I did not learn this in my class so I was intrigued by this.
Challenge
From today's presentation slides, I learnt that I can learn more through my peer's project reports and even out of syllabus materials can be quite easy to me. Initially I thought that the most effective way of learning was by the teacher as he/she knew the content really well but when we did the projects or when we listened to others' projects, we can learn more easily.
Connect
What we learn during the lessons in Busan are quite similar to the lessons in Singapore. During the Arduino and drone lessons, BSS shows a lot of emphasis on computer science even saying that computer science especially drones will be part of our everyday lives in the future. Today I learnt about little C++, and my buddy told me that they were learning python in year 1 and Arduino programming in year 2. In SST, I am also given equal emphasis to computer science through computer science education in my Sec 1 and Sec 2 years, For example, Mr Jonathan Chua taught C++ and Python He also teaches us what is it used for.(For example, Raspberry Pi and interdisciplinary). Moreover, I used this knowledge in programming in my previous project reports(ISS) and so do the Busan students. Next was the Music lesson; I learnt that even in Busan they are focussing on a more holistic environment instead of just focussing on academics. Students in the music club learn more than 2 instruments which allow them to release their stress in academics. They also get the opportunity to go to competitions to have a more rewarding experience. In Singapore, I also get opportunities to go to compeitions and i will get a more enriching experience. In Chemistry, I learnt about a concept which is quite similar to a concept in Biotech(Bradford Assay which is the usage of UV spectrophotometry to find the concentration of proteins ). From this, I learnt that Singaporean and Busan scientific concepts are similar and are all interdisciplinary.
Extend your learning
During the chemistry lesson, we learnt about a concept similar to Bradford Assay. This lesson extended my learning because I found out of a difference between the lesson today and Bradford Assay.(For the correlation curve in finding the concentration of Bradford Assay, the graph will start at the origin( 0,0), however, I realised that the correlation curve in finding the concentration of Vitamin C, it did not start from the origin. I asked my buddy this and he said that this was because of experimental errors that we cannot avoid and that got me thinking about the graphs we used in Bradford assay.) During the experiment, I also found out that the lambdaMax for vitamin C and lambdaMax for DNA is the same. At first I thought it was because vitamin C and DNA are acids and thus they have the same lambdaMax. However after consulting with my group and my buddy I knew that it was because that the electrons were moving down the SPDF shells with the same difference and they have the same energy level difference. This extended my learning. The lessons during the drone lessons also stated that they used e-drone to connect to their phones via Bluetooth. I only learnt about Anniken Andee which can connect via Bluetooth to our phones when I was in SG. However, from today I learnt about other applications which can connect to our phones and do more functions than what Anniken Andee can do.
Challenge
During the lesson about Arduino, they used certain applications and software such as FFT(fast fourier transform). FFT was a bit difficult to understand as even my buddy did not know much about the coding changes in the programming, however, my buddy and I tried to use our limited knowledge of programming and a little of teacher's help to find the general meaning of the code. Through this, I still remember the general idea of the This challenged my thinking about how Singapore's education system could be changed, from young, the students are spoonfed with knowledge from the teachers. However, students easily forget this information. However, when students think properly and use teacher's help when needed, the information will be retained better in their minds. Hence they will understand the concepts easier and learn how to apply the concepts. The students in Busan are also involved in 2 clubs, a cultural club and an academics club. Hence they do not forget their culture and traditions but still prepare for the future academics. However, in Singapore, students are involved only in 1 CCA. If students could involve in cultural practices regularly(once a week), it would be beneficial to their lifetime as students now are more prone to neglect their culture and tradition. Hence this challenged my thinking about how Singaporeans can both excel in academics and still abide by their culture.
3 words to describe today's experience
-Enriching
-Fulfilling
-Accomplished
3 highlights of the day
My first highlight of the day is going to the innovative lab as part of a lesson and making the mini wireless power transmission device. I learnt a lot of new physics concepts especially about magnetic flux and more about current. We used a total of a few coils(the first outer coil, the second inner coil and the receiver coil). I learnt that in the 2nd coil, the current oscillates up and down. I also learnt more about flux from my temporary buddy in Korea for that class and from Raviraj. It was really enriching as it was not the normal syllabus that we were learning during that class but it was really understandable and the lecturer was really funny and explained the concepts clearly when I was in doubt. I felt accomplished when I completed the transmission device. My second highlight of the day is going to meeting my buddy in Busan Science High School. During that section, I learnt more about Korea and more about her. She told me more about the Busan Science High School(for example, there is only building only catered to science experimental labs)
My third highlight would be indulging in the cultural practices. For example, wearing the Hanbok and how to have appropriate manners when meeting someone important or for special occasions. It was a unique experience to cut up rice cakes battered with peanut and wearing the hanbok. Moreover, we played the cultural games which gave me an insight to Korea's culture.
3 things I have learnt about myself.
I love indulging in other cultures and trying out new things in order to gain a new experience. The hanbok wearing exercise and learning the formalities proved to be an engaging experience as I learnt more about Korea's cultural practises. I really enjoyed that section of the journey today. I also learnt that I like meeting new people and making friends. When I met my buddy in Korea, I learnt that I have forgotten the joy of meeting new people and making friends. No matter how awkward I am when meeting up with new people, I will not forget the joy I have when I meet other people. I also learnt that I have a deep interest in learning out-of-syllabus topics like the ones we went through today( electromagnetic detection and how electromagetic waves are formed from a circuit). It sparked the interest in me that there are so much things that I do not know of as previously I was only engrossed in my textbook topics and not anything that was out of syllabus. It was an eye opener for me.
3 things I've learnt about Korea
They have a deep respect for their culture and tradition, conforming to the formalities, for example, Mr Brian told us that he has been practising the formal bow since he was 7 years old! Moreover the instructer told us that they have been organising these lectures to prevent Koreans from forgetting their customs. It got me thinking of any events or lectures done to prevent Singaporeans from forgetting their different cultures. They also hold traditional korean drum practises in schools. I have also learnt that Busan students are not afraid to step out of their comfort zones. From the promotional video and what I have seen today, busan students embrace failure and use that as a stepping stone for success. I hope this will be a inspiration to me when I go back to Singapore. I also learnt that the school system is quite different from Singapore's school system. However from today I have learnt that the content that Korean students are taught are not very different from that of Singapore students(for example agarose gel electrophoresis). I also heard of the early graduation and I started to wonder why there was no early graduation in Singapore.
3 things I didn't do so well
I didn't get to know much about my new friend from Busan. It was because I was too shy to ask her about Korea and Busan Science High school. I also did not get to learn that much and achieve the key takeaways from the infinite lab as I was too engrossed in building the rolling ball machine and did not understand why we are building it and what does it signify. Moreover, I was not so productive in the bus and slept for most of the time.
3 things I look forward tomorrow
I look forward to visit city office of education and ask them some questions about Korea's education system. I also look forward to samsung Reno motors and find out what makes them so unique form other companies and what technologies they use. I also want to spend more time with my buddy during these lessons to learn more about these lessons and also more about my buddy.
My third highlight would be indulging in the cultural practices. For example, wearing the Hanbok and how to have appropriate manners when meeting someone important or for special occasions. It was a unique experience to cut up rice cakes battered with peanut and wearing the hanbok. Moreover, we played the cultural games which gave me an insight to Korea's culture.
3 things I have learnt about myself.
I love indulging in other cultures and trying out new things in order to gain a new experience. The hanbok wearing exercise and learning the formalities proved to be an engaging experience as I learnt more about Korea's cultural practises. I really enjoyed that section of the journey today. I also learnt that I like meeting new people and making friends. When I met my buddy in Korea, I learnt that I have forgotten the joy of meeting new people and making friends. No matter how awkward I am when meeting up with new people, I will not forget the joy I have when I meet other people. I also learnt that I have a deep interest in learning out-of-syllabus topics like the ones we went through today( electromagnetic detection and how electromagetic waves are formed from a circuit). It sparked the interest in me that there are so much things that I do not know of as previously I was only engrossed in my textbook topics and not anything that was out of syllabus. It was an eye opener for me.
3 things I've learnt about Korea
They have a deep respect for their culture and tradition, conforming to the formalities, for example, Mr Brian told us that he has been practising the formal bow since he was 7 years old! Moreover the instructer told us that they have been organising these lectures to prevent Koreans from forgetting their customs. It got me thinking of any events or lectures done to prevent Singaporeans from forgetting their different cultures. They also hold traditional korean drum practises in schools. I have also learnt that Busan students are not afraid to step out of their comfort zones. From the promotional video and what I have seen today, busan students embrace failure and use that as a stepping stone for success. I hope this will be a inspiration to me when I go back to Singapore. I also learnt that the school system is quite different from Singapore's school system. However from today I have learnt that the content that Korean students are taught are not very different from that of Singapore students(for example agarose gel electrophoresis). I also heard of the early graduation and I started to wonder why there was no early graduation in Singapore.
3 things I didn't do so well
I didn't get to know much about my new friend from Busan. It was because I was too shy to ask her about Korea and Busan Science High school. I also did not get to learn that much and achieve the key takeaways from the infinite lab as I was too engrossed in building the rolling ball machine and did not understand why we are building it and what does it signify. Moreover, I was not so productive in the bus and slept for most of the time.
3 things I look forward tomorrow
I look forward to visit city office of education and ask them some questions about Korea's education system. I also look forward to samsung Reno motors and find out what makes them so unique form other companies and what technologies they use. I also want to spend more time with my buddy during these lessons to learn more about these lessons and also more about my buddy.
3 words to describe today's experience
1. Interesting
2. Engaging
3. Amusing
3 highlights of the day
The first highlight will be the experiencing the Korean food(especially the Korean chicken BBQ) as it was very different from eating in Singapore. The chef will cook the food in front of the customers, and it was a new interesting experience. The cheese on the side and fried rice proved to be a rather delicious experience.
The 2nd highlight would be the POSCO trip. The POSCO trip has many deep insights that we can learn from such as the importance of diplomatic relations and how perseverance is important. With hard work, the president managed to construct a steelworks factory which jumpstarted their economic growth. Moreover, it was engaging to know what technologies they use and how they convert thick slabs of steel into smaller 0.6mm thick sheets. For example, they used laminar jets and finishing mills in the factory tour, and that got me thinking whether they use that same technology in Singapore in developing other products.
The 3rd highlight would be just to admire the beautiful scenery in Korea; they have beautiful hills and ports as well as several strategically placed houses. The scenery was very amusing as the scenery in Korea is very different to the scenery in Singapore due to the seasons and the technologies Koreans use in their daily lives, for example, the red trees and the technological toilets. It proved to be an amusing trip.
Three things you have learnt about Korea
Korea is a very cold but refreshing country during the winter period which proved to be a different climate to experience for me. The red coloured trees and several hills were a different but amusing sight for me.
Koreans are polite and perseverant, saying words like kamsahamnida to strangers for helping them. I also learnt about the Jagalchi Ajuma who supported whole families using the port as a mean to earn money. Even though who poor they were, they educated their children and ensured that their futures.
Korea has strategically used the landscape to their advantage. This is because there are many houses near the hill areas to provide with natural air and wind and tunnels that burrow through the hills to connect city to city. Even though Busan has a large population Busan has strategically planned each house to make sure that everyone has a place to live. For example, in the hillsides, there are houses that are lined in rows to make sure they used almost all the space there.
3 things I learnt about myself
I learnt that I should be more socially aware. For example, during the trip to POSCO, it got me thinking how factories work in Singapore, whether they use the same technologies as Busan or different more effective technologies. It got me more curious about how companies can manage large factories and export the materials out.
I also learnt that I enjoy new culture and customs. In Busan, there are many new customaries to conform even when in the dining table(for example we are not able to use the spoon and chopsticks at the same time) I enjoyed experiencing the new culture in Korea and dining experiences.
I learnt to step out of my comfort zone to truly enjoy the culture in Korea. For example, trying new foods, the new language and meeting the new people proved to be a enjoyable one. If I am just in my comfort zone, I would be trying new delicacies like kimchi and trying to articulate some words of the Korean language.
3 things I didn't do so well
I did not ask many questions during the POSCO trip, even though I had some questions in mind which will help to improve the report, I was shy and did not ask the guides the questions. It was a missed opportunity. I think I will try and ask more questions during the next trips.
I didn't look much into Busan's culture and lifestyles. I was a bit too engrossed in the task and taking pictures such that I did not take a good look at how Koreans live their everyday life and their lifestyles. I think in the future whilst focussing on the task I will also enjoy the customs and cultures.
I also was not very productive in the bus as I did not get a good rest during the plane trip. As a result, I was sleeping most of the time and did not get the chance to do the reflections and amendments to the report. I think I will try and manage my time such that I do not be so unproductive.
3 things you took forward tomorrow
I will look forward to meeting the Busan students, learning in their lessons and also managing with that high calibre of students. For example, I may ask them to ask them about Busan's architecture for our project.
I will look forward to the cultural places of interest such as choongrusula and the hanbok cultural attire session. These sessions will provide me with an outlook on Korean cultral practises. It will also allow me to try out other cultral practises and help me keep an open mindset.
I will look forward to making new friends and keeping in touch even after this trip. I hope to engage in enriching sessions not only academics but also other areas of interest such as CCAs and other activities. Through this i will not only bond with my Busan friends but also I will learn more about myself too.
How do you feel about the upcoming trip?
-I feel a bit nervous going to Busan because of the new culture and new food.
3 things that I am looking forward to
The new learning experience and architecture of Busan buildings, scenery and how they are different from Singapore. It will be a new experience for me to view Busan and their bustling lifestyle. I am also looking forward to meeting new friends from Busan Science High School. I would like to learn more about them. I am also looking forward to the new food and culture in South Korea.
3 things that I hope to learn from South Korea
I hope to learn more about why they are the top country with the best internet connection. I also want to learn about the differences between Singapore and South Korea and the reasons for these differences. Moreover, I want to learn about South Korea's port and their culture and traditions.
3 things that I hope to learn from my friends
I want to learn How they manage their time juggling their schoolwork and lifestyle. Moreover, I want to learn how long they spend their time in school and how they use technology in their schools.
3 things I hope to learn about myself
-How I fare in a new environment
-How I cope in a new school for a few lessons
-How I can able to make new friends with the students in Busan
3 challenges I give to myself
- make this trip a truly enjoyable and memorable one
- be courageous and try the new cuisine and culture
- make new friends in Busan and keep in contact even after the trip
Expectations of Korea
A more tech savvy country than SG however still upholds to their traditions
Cold weather
Bustling lifestyle
