Tuesday, June 5, 2007

The last lap.



Finally, we have reached the end of our journey. It was a bumpy ride filled with tears and laughter; a trip which we will all remember.

Thank you for keeping us in your prayers. Your thoughtful words of encouragement helped to make the days less tedious.

Looking back, we marvel at how much the kids have grown in this short span of time. The children will have many colourful stories to tell you ,when you meet them later. Please hear them out, for they have earn the rights to tell them. We believe this episode in their life will remain dear to them for a long, long time.

Thanks once again and see you in Singapore!

With best wishes,
The Nanjing Immersion Team

p.s. From Mr Yap: I would like to thank my wife Anna for taking care of the kids during my absence. You made it sound simple but I know it has been tough. I couldn't have done all this without you.

Day 14!

Main Events:

  • Morning Exercise
  • Breakfast
  • Chinese composition writing
  • Lunch
  • Lesson on origins of the Yangtze River (长江)
  • Visit to tea plantation
  • Dinner & celebrations
  • Packing of Luggage

  • Monday, June 4, 2007

    Day 13

    Main Events:

  • Morning Exercise
  • Breakfast
  • Lesson on composition writing
  • Lunch
  • Visit to bookshop (新华书店)
  • Dinner
  • Story writing


  • Sunday, June 3, 2007

    Day 12.

    We departed for Nanjing City at around 8 o'clock in the morning.

    Our first stop was the Tao Xingzhi Museum. (陶行知纪念馆) We had our lunch an international school which was adjacent to the museum. The next stop was Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum (中山陵)。 We ended the tour at the Nanjing Confucius Temple (南京夫子庙), with shopping included.


    Saturday, June 2, 2007

    Day 11

    Main Events:

  • Morning exercise
  • Breakfast
  • Learning more about Chinese tea ceremony
  • Lunch
  • Art lesson
  • Traditional games
  • Dinner
  • Reading & book report
  • Writing of reflection


  • Day 10 Part II



    听同学们怎么说......(Part 4)

    我是第一个到达山顶的女孩!爬山真好玩!上山虽然很艰难,可是大家都没有放弃,尤其是佘老师。从这个活动中我体会到我们要对自己又信心,做什么事情都不要轻易放弃。(颜韵敏 4C)

    五月三十一日,我们到大众书局购书。我和林缇在第四层楼买了一些书,又在三楼买了一些光碟。我在付钱的时候,收银处的阿姨问我们是从哪里来的。我们骄傲地说:“我们是从新加坡来的!”(关嘉荟 4A)

    晴颖、焕云和慧晶都是我的室友。今天我还跟晴颖一起洗衣。洗了衣,我们还一起吃饭去。她们都是令我难忘的好朋友。(卢琬云 4F)

    今天我们上武术课,我学了很多动作。由于弟弟对武术有兴趣,所以我会新加坡后,一定会教他。其实我觉得学武术就好像学跳舞那么简单。(王焕云 4M)

    今天上午,我们到书局去购书。那里没有空调,也没有开电风扇,热得不得了!我买了DVD 和 VCD后,就到二楼去看书。我给妈妈买了两本书,希望她会喜欢。(吴木羽 4K)

    上课时,我们都很专心听课,所以也学了不少知识。三个科目当中,英文老师讲话最风趣。上华文课的时候,我有很多字不认得,也认不出。数学老师很严格。总的来说,我还是相当喜欢来这里上课。(庄蕙瑜 4C)

    在珍珠泉划竹筏最令我难忘。叶老师鼓励我们要同心协力划竹筏,结果我们得了第二名。我也终于明白了团结就是力量。(黄学炜 5J)

    听同学们怎么说......(Part 3)

    今天在书局里,我原本想买小叮当的漫画书。可是思考了一会儿,认为妈妈一定会说我浪费钱,所以就打消念头。结果走了两个小时,我只花了35元人民币,买了一个光碟。 (嘉愉 5D)

    今天,我们去爬老山。好不容易到达山顶后,我们休息了10 分钟,就下山去了。下山的时候,我才体会到上山容易下山难。吃完自己煮的午餐后,我们就兴致勃勃地去打水漂。(陈宇轩 4E)

    今天上课的时候,我领回了英文试卷,猜猜我得了多少分?.....才82分!哎哟!放学后,我们玩了一些游戏,还放鞭炮。鞭炮的声音很大,耳朵都快被震聋了。可是这么好玩的游戏你不尝试的话,一定会后悔的!(史贵馨5H)

    今天,我们到了一个农民家吃午饭。他们准备了一顿丰盛的午餐给我们吃。我尝到了一样特别的食品,叫饭饼,味道还真不错呢!午饭后,我们乘车到实验农场去。在那儿,我们为棉花的幼苗浇水,还去捡麦穗。这真是难忘又愉快的一天啊!(许鹤腾 5D)

    今天上武术课时,我们学了套路后,还玩了一些游戏。晚上,在我睡觉之前听到了一阵啪啪的声响,原来是有人在放烟花,好美哦!过后,我满意地上床睡觉了。(陈冠扬 5F)

    在我们上山之后,朱老师说上山容易下山难是对的。我下山时跌了很多次,也被很多树枝割伤。原来爬山这么难啊!我成功下山时,就很有满足感。(徐颖彬 5A)

    今天我们去了农场,我觉得很好玩。接下来的几天,我们去了很多地方,活动可说是一天比一天好玩。我不要再哭了!(何妤嘉 4I)

    我最难忘的女孩是妤嘉。我闷的时候,她会跟我谈天。上体育课时,她也会陪伴在我身边。有这么一位好朋友,我真幸福啊!(吴覃雅 4D)

    今天,我们到南京市大众书局去。书局好大哦,有五层楼高!我在书局里买了很多书。(黄楚君 4E)

    今天我很高兴,因为可以到书局去买书。我看到了两本我喜欢的书,正想买下来,朋友却叫我等一下再买。结果当我转回头来时,那两本书已不见了。我好失望哦!(利宗翰 5F)

    今天,我们去了艺莲苑和枣园。我们在艺莲苑还画了莲花。(苏芷娴 4H)

    早上大约九点钟,我们开始登山。起初,我们不费吹灰之力就爬上了山顶。但是,渐渐的我们开始疲乏了。多亏有老师替我们折断插枝,我们才能顺利爬上山。半路上,有些同学,甚至老师也想放弃。后来,在大家的鼓励下,我们终于顺利到达山顶。(林缇 5J)

    Friday, June 1, 2007

    Day 10!

    Main Events:

  • Morning Exercise
  • Music Lesson
  • Lunch
  • Calling home
  • Celebrate China's Children's Day
  • Dinner
  • Birthday celebration for local children











  • Thursday, May 31, 2007

    Day 9

    Main Events:

  • Morning Exercise
  • Breakfast
  • Learning about butterflies
  • Lunch
  • Excursion to 狮子岭(Lion's Ridge)to catch butterflies
  • Shopping trip at Pu Kou (蒲口)
  • Dinner
  • Farewell party for Evergreen Primary School and Greenwood Primary School.

  • Rain



    It started raining around 11 pm last night and the temperature is a little chilly in the morning. I had to put on my jacket for the third time since arriving in Nanjing. There is still a slight drizzle and we have decided to postpone our butterfly catching excursion to the afternoon.

    The children are back in school now, giving us another brief moment of serenity. We are already at Day 9 of our stay in Nanjing and soon we will be reaching double digits! As the clock winds down, it seems that the spirit of the children becomes correspondingly higher. It is like the marathon runner who had finally caught a glimpse of the finish line, making him more focus and intense.

    We paid a visit to the neighbouring farms two days ago and it was a eye opener to many the children.


    We got to interact with the locals who lavish us with their hospitality. The lunch which the villagers had prepared for us must have been equivalent to a feast which they would only have during a festival.


    Tried as we did, we couldn't finish the all the food.


    After lunch, the children tried their hands on farming. It must have been a very unique experience for these kids from city.


    The children also had a great time yesterday visiting the book shop at the heart of Nanjing's central business district. The journey took us one and half hours and it was like a journey forward in time. The hustle and bustle of Nanjing City is in steep contrast to the leisurely pace at our school, which is located in the country side.

    The city is a snapshot of all the economic progress happening in China which we had read about in the papers. Sky scrappers, 5 star hotels and and posh shopping complexes were on every other street.


    The city also has a subway system to move the hordes of purposeful looking people around the city.


    Air pollution seems to be big problem at the city too.


    When the children arrived the bookshop, they were in awe that it was five storeys high. They were given two hours to walk around in the shop and some of them went on a shopping spree. At the end of the two hours, many of us didn't want to leave the shop.


    I was one of them.

    听同学们怎么说......(Part 2)

    难忘的是今天我们吃冰淇淋,学做陶艺(pottery making),学完了行知小学的广播操。我们也放鞭炮。 真好玩。我们也唱中国的国歌。(刘晴瑄 5H)

    五月二十八日,我们上了陶艺课。那天我感到很开心,因为这是我第二次做陶艺作品了。我觉得学陶艺很好玩,因为我们要动脑筋才能做得好。 我做了一个小篮子给父母亲,篮子上还写上了我们的姓氏呢! (刘嫣晴 4E)

    我们穿上了蓝色的衣服准备登上老山。路途上有很多树和昆虫,所以爬山的时候很是艰难、很累。等所有的人都到达山顶时,只有佘老师还没有到达。当她终于到达山顶时,我们都为她热烈鼓掌。而我们的叶老师还可以一面爬山,一面拍照,真是我们的supercamera man! (辜忆斐 5F)

    昨天中午我们下地。我们劳作之后,都累得满头大汗。 我现在终于明白农夫的辛劳。(陈欣悦 4A)

    出发了!今天我们去登山和野炊。我在爬山时跌了好几次,但只受了皮外伤,我就继续勇敢地往上爬。 下山时,我们碰到了许多困难,但我们还是克服了。下山后我们野炊,饭菜很好吃,我们都吃得津津有味。 (林钲翔 4H)

    昨天,我们到农家吃了一顿丰盛的午餐,才到田里干活儿。我感到很累,水都喝完了。我们先去翻麦,然后去捡麦穗和替植物灌溉。 (洪欣洁 4C)

    南京这里有很多好玩的,比如珍珠泉的滑道和划竹筏。学校的美术课和武术课,都让我们学到了不少新知识。这里的老师们也很友善,让我留下了深刻的印象。(吴勤颖 4N)

    rock alert! branch alert! 这些都是我们在爬山时男同学为了提醒大家前面有障碍而喊的口号。我们的男同学也不赖吧!好不容易爬到了山顶,我们在那里欣赏美丽的风景和拍照。我给这项活动打20*/10 (张慧晶 5H)

    昨天我们到农户的家吃午餐,我觉得食物蛮好吃的。之后,我们去了实验农场学习。我们都玩得很开心, 也很累。 (符匀瑄 4B)

    今天我们到了书局买了不少东西。 我很开心,我买了一份礼物给弟弟、堂妹和堂弟,当然还有自己!(林玮琦 4E)

    下山后我们开始野炊,我们要做的就是帮老师加柴。过了45分钟,终于有饭吃了。我们的午餐很好吃,有饭、菜和汤。我的组负责煮菜。 我从这个活动中学到了团结就是力量! (卓炜捷 5I )

    在班上,有一位好可爱的同学叫方昌伟。他是我的伙伴,每次休息时他都会和我玩玻璃弹子。我很喜欢他。 (蔡汉扬 4H)

    Wednesday, May 30, 2007

    听同学们怎么说......

    说到好玩的,今天我们上了一堂非常好玩的课,那就是陶艺课。陶艺老师教我们怎么做出不同的造型后,我们开始做自己喜欢的“艺术作品”。大家都做了不同形状的作品,非常好看。 我最喜欢老师们做的陶艺品,因为他/她们做得非常美丽。做完后,我们洗了肮脏的双手,就回到宿舍。这是我最难忘的一堂课。(张菀芯 4E)

    难忘的她是我的新中国朋友,王成馨。她很亲切,也很聪明。她可是行知小学四(2)班的中队长呢!昨天,我到行知小学,走进成馨的班后,她给了我一本书,叫《小朋友,小先生,小主人》。书里有很多精彩的东西看,比如一些小故事。我们一起读那本书,直到老师来为止。我真的很开心有一个这样好的朋友。(潘玮霖 4K)

    今天,我上了一堂武术课。武术课很有趣,也很好玩。可是我觉得武术老师很可爱,他的头发很少,表情很丰富。 (刘殷通 4J)

    今天,我们吃了早餐就去爬山。爬山的时候,我觉得很累,但我告诉自己不要轻易就放弃,老天爷一定会保佑我的。我一定要爬到最高的地方。最后,我爬到了最高的地方。我心里感到十分开心,因为我成功了。(蒋欣仪 5B)

    昨天下午,我们爬老山时我跟歆惠和玮琦在一起。我们互相帮助,当我们碰到前面有障碍时都会提醒对方。最后我们终于顺利到达山顶了。 (司徒淑婷 4E)

    昨天早上,吃完早餐后, 我们精神饱满,穿着蓝色上衣准备登山去了!到了老山的山脚,任老师提醒我们爬山时要注意的事项。我和淑婷还有玮琦一路上都互相照应,终于抵达了山顶。我们三个拥抱在一起,因为我们成功了! (云歆惠 5K)

    这天晚上,行知小学特地请来一位从北京来的老伯伯来为我们表演。他不只我们表演了拉“锯琴”,还以不同的语言演唱好几首动听的歌曲。我很佩服这位老人家,因为他虽然已经八十多岁了还声如洪钟,身体十分健康。(林慈慧 5J)

    这里有我难忘的朋友,他们教我玩新游戏,还跟我说话。这里的活动,如爬山、滑道、划竹筏等也让我让学到了很多新知识。 (萧仁达 4L)

    我最爱吃这里的春卷,春卷里有肉和菜。 我最爱玩的是珍珠泉的滑道,我以后还要再来坐滑道。 (吴俊杰 5E)

    我很想念父母。我们还有很多天才会回家。有时我在想为什么老师要选中我。 我真的很想快点回家! (黄颂扬 4H)

    Day 8

    Main Events:
  • Learning Morning Exercise Routine
  • Breakfast
  • Going to the bookshop at Nanjing City
  • Lunch
  • Lesson on Poetry of 陶行知
  • Dinner
  • Writing of personal reflections

  • Tuesday, May 29, 2007

    Day 7

    Main Events:
  • Attend school
  • Visit village and farms.
  • Music Lesson - Express music through drawing
  • Rehearsal for Children's item.

  • Day 6 第六天

    陶艺课
    下午两点,同学们都带着期盼的心情去上陶艺课(pottery)。经过陶艺老师一番讲解和示范后,我们和同学们都迫不及待地为自己的作品开始构思。陶艺老师以她的巧手轻易地捏出不同的模型,比如鞋子、杯子和可爱的小猪。大家看似简单,但原来动起手来制作还真不容易呢!在敲敲打打声中,两个小时后,大家心仪的“艺术品”终于完成了。
    贵馨:老师,我们可以把作品带回家吗?妈妈的生日快到了,我想把作品送给她。
    老师:可以啊,但我们要先把模型放进窑里去烧,在回国之前就可以拿到了。
    蕙瑜:那我要做一只鞋给爸爸,一只鞋给妈妈,让他们开心。
    老师:真是个孝顺的好孩子!


    燃放鞭炮
    同学们是一刻也无法闲下来的。紧接着,基地老师给他们安排了放鞭炮的活动。我们在新加坡是没有机会燃放鞭炮的,所以可以看得出同学们都格外兴奋和紧张。
    覃雅:老师,我不要放,我不敢放鞭炮......
    老师:不用怕,大家都试过了,没什么好怕的!
    覃雅:ok loh......

    还有,别小看我们的小男生哟!他们可是创意无限的,连燃放鞭炮也能充分发挥他们的创意和胆识!在老师的指导下,他们用了大约40枚鞭炮,摆了一个颇有架势的“阵容”。听到鞭炮连续发出噼里啪啦的声响,大家都雀跃万分。同学们的脸上都露出了灿烂和胜利的笑容。





    悦读会
    晚餐后,行知小学的余副校长安排同学们到图书馆进行了一个小时的悦读会活动。虽然图书馆相当闷热,可是同学们仿佛丝毫不受影响,继续沉浸在“书香”里。看见同学们自动自发地阅读华文书籍,我们感到非常欣慰。





    甜品Party
    由于同学们这几天下来都表现良好,尤其是登山时所表现出的毅力和耐力,老师们决定给他们开一个小小的“冰淇淋party”,以示奖励!
    老师们:同学们冰淇淋甜吗?
    同学们齐声喊道:甜!
    咔嚓!叶老师又再次凭他高超的摄影技术捕捉了这欢愉的一刻。

    Update for Day 6

    Hi Everyone,

    The kids are back in school again and its time for me to provide you with some details of what happened yesterday. You may have noticed that I would usually do my updates in the morning. This is because I share a room with a teacher from another school and it would not be very nice of me to work too late into the night.

    The 行知小学 had their weekly flag raising ceremony yesterday and the children were requested to attend ceremony in their school uniform. It was a refreshing sight to see our kids in their uniform again and I think all of them looked very smart.



    Some of them were so proud of their uniform that they were disappointed when we told them to change for the pottery lesson in the afternoon.

    I am also very proud to report that the calligraphy instructor was astounded that some of our kids could write so well.


    The children also displayed their creativity during the pottery lesson.


    Sorry to sound a little hurried here but I have got to go now. It looks like it is going to be a hot and sunny day again. I hope you are getting friendlier weather back in Singapore.

    Bye for now.

    Monday, May 28, 2007

    Day 6

    Nanjing Day 6

    Update

    Phew! We survived the weekends and the children are back in their classes. I am now savouring the rare peace and quiet at the hostel as I gather my thoughts for this update.

    The weather is getting warmer as summer creeps in and many of us have ditched our jackets. Some of the locals are already moving around with singlets and shorts. The nights are rather warm too, with evening temperature hovering between 23 to 25 degrees.

    The highlight of the previous two days would be our scaling of 老山(literally meaning old mountain). It has a height of approximately 492m, which is about 4 times as tall as our Bukit Timah Hill.


    We took a very narrow foot path up the mountain. Movement was slow due to the thick vegetation flanking the path.


    There were also some parts where we had to stoop down and crawl under over hanging branches. Half way up the mountain, we were already drenched with perspiration. The children were by then whining and complaining, but nobody gave up.

    When we reach the summit, the view was simply exhilarating.


    It was also very touching when the children applauded spontaneously as the out of breath 佘丽霞老师 set foot upon the summit. I believe they could all feel that her determination is truly remarkable.


    After they have descended from the mountain, the children also had a great time cooking their own meal.


    After that, some of them told me that it was the best meal they have ever eaten.


    Ok. Got to go now and check on the children.

    Wishing everyone peace and good health.