Day 7 in China

Today marks the last day of our trip but the most exciting one because we finally get to go shopping. Although we were allowed to shop, it depended if everyone was on time to leave the hotel. Thank goodness all of us were on time and had our time to shop.

We visited the Tunxi Ancient Street to shop. What we could buy there was their sweet desserts, tea leaves and some souvenirs. We had a total of 40 minutes to shop which most of us felt that it was too little. The street definitely was not very long but some of the shops were relatively big and there were really unique things like paper fans where the guy would make something nice out of your name on the spot. The shop had quite a long queue, therefore we felt that we did not really have enough time.

Next, we went to have our lunch and walked across the street to take the West Lake cruise. The river that the boat was travelling on is a man-made river. The view from the river was not fascinating at all but the breeze definitely is nice. I enjoyed the breeze and saw some nice buildings. 

Alighting from the boat, we went to Yue Fei Mausoleum. There we learnt about Yue Fei who is someone who loves the country a lot and fought for the country. His mother carved something on his back about bring loyal to his country. He is said to be buried now at the Yue Fei Mausoleum and there is a nicely rounded grave at the back of the temple. Although we are not sure if Yue Fei is really buried there but people still give respect to him and pray there.

That was the last stop we went before heading to the airport. It's really saddening to be heading to the airport because it means that the OELP trip has ended. We had our own dinner at the airport and checked in right after. We had quite a lot of time after entering the departure hall and we were given coupons to shop inside. We already had our lunch, so we decided to just get ice cream. Some of our classmates did not use their coupons at all, therefore we decided to bless others by buying the ice cream with the coupon and just giving them out to random strangers.

By chance, I gave an ice cream to an air stewardess who is also taking the same flight as us back to Singapore. On the plane back to Singapore, just before we land, she came to my seat and gave me and my friend a bag of things to thank us for the ice cream. It was unexpected as what I did was just give out ice creams because we had extra coupons. Definitely more blessed to give than receive.

Day 6 in China

Today, we visited villages and villages only. We went to different villages in Anhui like Huishang big house. I feel that the villages we visited, although built and lived by different people, I feel that they are relatively same. The villages that we visited, they all looked alike. Although the villages looked alike, their history was different.

The village that stood out the most and left the deepest impression on me is the one with the memorial archways. Each of these archways have a meaning to each of them and for decoration purposes. Some of these archways are: Bao Can Xiao Memorial Arch, the Kindness arch, the Bao Xiang Xian Shang Shu Memorial Arch etc. The Bao Xiang Xian Shang Shu is a rank in the historical occasions in China.

After visiting all the different villages, we had our dinner and checked into our hotel before having a 2 hours lecture. It was not really a lecture but it was an introduction of Anhui. I learnt more about the history of Anhui, their famous food and famous people. The famous people might not be known to us but it was interesting listening to the stories of these famous people. I loved the food part most because it was interesting to finally find out what we ate for the past 5 days which ones were actually their famous local food.

After the talk, we had a reflection-briefing kind of thing. We sat in a circle and I feel that it made me think harder of what the purpose of this trip was and what we should have taken note in the trip. I was also reminded of what this trip could help our class and of ourselves. I feel that this circle time thing allowed more people to open up.

In conclusion, I felt quite restless for the whole day as we were visiting from villages to villages and even had a 2 hour cultural talk after the tiring "village hopping". Although I was not looking forward to the 2 hour talk at all, I realized that whatever I missed out during the trip itself was covered again, allowing me to realize that if I had paid more attention during the trip itself, I would have known it already.

Day 5 in China

Today, we woke up at 4am just to watch the sunrise. Although it is very hard to see the sunrise during spring season and it was a 50% chance, we were all very lucky to have witnessed it.

We climbed for about 10mins before we settled at a spot to watch the sunrise. Although we woke up at 4am, when we reached the spot, there was already a lot of people in front waiting to watch the sunrise. The sunrise was beautiful and we were allowed to either take a short walk or go back to sleep. I definitely cannot go back to sleep and therefore decided to take a walk myself.

On my way out, I met some of the guys in our class and decided to join them. In the end, we did not take a walk but stayed somewhere where the view was beautiful and played truth or dare. This allowed me to understand the guys better.

After breakfast, we took another walk at Huang Shan before going back to the hotel for lunch and check out. Although it was just a short walk compared to yesterday, I feel that I witnessed from a different angle --- a better view of Huang Shan. 

After that we had lunch and went to a village. We learnt about the history of the village. I find that they are very creative to have a step at the drain so that they are able to squat there and wash their clothes. The reason for the step is also to allow people to pass as their corridor can be quite small.  I also feel that the people at the village is very smart to build their houses such that when one house catches fire, the other does not.

In conclusion, I feel that today was a relaxing day. I feel that we are really lucky to be able to enjoy the beautiful sunrise. Even though we continued to walk around. Huang Shan after breakfast, I still cannot get over the fact that the scenery here is so beautiful and I cannot bare to leave the place. I feel that we should learn from the villagers there and their creativity.

-Zhi Yan

Day 4 in China

Today, we woke up early in the morning at 6am just to travel to Huang Shan. It was a 4 hours trip and it was really boring. Then we had lunch at Huang Shan and the food was really good. We then continued taking the bus up to Huang Shan. 

After alighting from the bus, we took our one day set of clothes and packed it in your luggage and brought it up to Huang Shan. We first took the cable car which took about 50 people and then took a 20mins walk to our hotel. We unpacked our bags and took only what we needed as we should travel light because we will be climbing a lot of steps up and down. 

We walked around Huang Shan and I was amazed by the scenery. It was beautiful and magnificent although the steps were really hard to walk on. The rocks were beautifully shaped and the layers of mountains completed the whole picture. It looked like Chinese paintings which depicts the mountains and waters. We took a lot of pictures there and it was about a 3 hours walk before we went pack to our hotel for dinner.

In conclusion, I feel that I love today the most as I was able to enjoy the beautiful scenery. I love nature, therefore I would not mind walking a whole day till my legs break just enjoying nature. I feel that we should all be glad that we can actually be there to enjoy the scenery and not make a scene because we are there.

-Zhi Yan

Day 3 in China

Today, we went to the Anhui museum and a theme park. I guess it is the most enriching since the trip. Most of us cried, many were crying in their hearts. We witnessed animal abuse. 

First, we went to the Anhui museum and learnt about the 'ding'. We did worksheet in class back in Singapore about the 'ding' and I am glad that I was able to see it in real life. I also love the samples of the houses in Anhui like the windows, things at their door and the one that fascinated me most was that the house did no Yee any nails. We also learnt more about Anhui.

Secondly, we went to theme park and first up was a chicken against another a chicken. Some of us could not take it and walked away. I feel that they should not do that as at the same time many feathers were dropping.

Next was the horse race and dog race. Although it might not seem like animal abuse, I feel that animals should not be treated this way for our enjoyment. Of course we did not like it and the teachers even asked us to leave the circus show half way through. 

We walked around the park and I feel that I enjoyed the playground the most. At the playground, there is a bouldering wall --- the one I enjoyed the most. Although I have tried it many times in primary school last time, I was not able to complete it. I tried it at least ten times and the teachers were really helpful telling me where to step.

Even though I have not completed the bouldering wall after a lot of tries, we had to leave. My longest distance was one rock away from the end and I got annoyed because I really wanted to complete it. Although I did not complete it the teachers were encouraging and it changed my perspective that sometimes we should not set our goals too high.

In conclusion, I feel that this is the most enriching day. It taught us a lot not through what the guide told us but because of what we saw. I feel that it really thought us about life and what we have to accept as a fact.

-Zhi Yan

5 things I love about RV

1. Toilet

The toilet in China is quite dirty and smelly. They do not have doors and the dustbin does not have a cover.

2. The classrooms.

The classrooms is RV is more spacious than what it is in China. RV classrooms table and chairs are also bigger.

3. The track.

RV have a 400m track in school and a soccer field in the middle. Other than that, we even have an indoor sports hall and 2 basketball courts. Compared to the school in China, they only have 2 basketball courts.

4. The ventilation

The ventilation in RV is better compared to the schools in China. They have to fill a lot of people in their class despite the small space given and the same number of fans as us in RV. Therefore, it makes it hard for the students to breathe sometimes while in RV we are able to breathe properly with lots of space.

5. The canteen.

In RV, we even have vending machine in the canteen and lots of different delicacies in the canteen. We even have two canteens to choose from while I heard from my buddy that the food in their canteen is not that nice.

-Zhi Yan

Day 2 in China

Today, we went to Hefei 45 school. We attended school with them and it was an eye opener. Their class size is 58 people which is almost 2x of our class size. It was awkward at first but it was fine after awhile. We had Math lesson and Chinese lesson in the morning. Math was easy to understand but their Chinese lesson was quite hard to understand. 

After every lesson, they had a ten minutes break before the next lesson which I think is a very good thing to have because they get to take a break before the next lesson. I feel that although I do not understand what the teacher is saying but I still manage to get what my buddy is saying although she is speaking to me in Chinese.

Noon came and we went for lunch. It is quite a decent hotel and I felt that it was before than what we had yesterday although I do not understand why they have to give us soft drink every meal because I do not really like soft drink.

After lunch, we went to their school again to attend afternoon lesson. I guess the afternoon lessons was worst for me as I did not understand a single lesson in the afternoon. Something changed my perspective of very studious and civilized people. During a break in the afternoon, few girls from the class was annoying this guy sitting in front of me and they even poured the soft drink that they were drinking on the guy, on his shirt and bag. I too got a bit of soft drink on myself and it changed my mindset of them. But, I later realized during dinner that although they can be rowdy in class, they actually study hard at home, therefore their results.

We left class early and went to Kitty's buddy house. They are very kind and generous even asking us to have a good dinner with them rather than with the school. Although we refused, they still treated us really nicely and brought a lot of food out for us to eat which I thought was really super kind.

We then went to walk around the place and they even bought food for us. We did not even pay for what we ate. I feel that they are very kind and they treat visitors like themselves.

-Zhi Yan

Day 1 in China

Today, we took the high speed rail and went for a cultural visit to Sanhe Guzhen. I experienced the high speed rail for the first time in China and it was quite a pleasant trip. I was lucky to get the window seat and seen many sceneries that cannot be seen in Singapore.

After the train ride, we proceeded for lunch right after. Thinking that it would be a good meal, I entered the restaurant happily. I needed the washroom and was astonished at what I saw. There was no door, blood-stained tissue was all over and it was dirty. It affected my view of the restaurant and of course I did not have the appetite to eat anymore. Furthermore, I realized that the people I was sitting with did not have much table manners or maybe just isn't up to my expectation.

After the lunch, we headed to San He Gu Zhen and walked around the place for 3 hours. It was hard for me to understand the cultural history of the place because the tour guide was talking in Chinese and it is hard for me to understand Chinese. Although I did not understand Chinese, I still tried to understand and just learning visually from what I see.

The place is a village where olden people still live there. There are a few museums in the village where we went to visit about the different famous people who had lived in that area. I feel that we are lucky to be in Singapore as we do not live in such a state and we have a more private area. 

In conclusion, I feel that even though we only visited one place, it made me understand about being appreciative of what we have. As a leader, I also felt more responsible as we have to look out for one another during the trip as if anyone is missing, we probably have to account for.

-Zhi Yan

Derek Sivers - How to Start a Movement

From the video, I can learn that anyone can be a leader. The person dancing at the start of the video might seem ordinary, you might think that he is crazy but not long later, you realize that he is the leader and you, sitting there is the odd one because you are not dancing with them.

This video is amazing. You never expect the unexpected. You might think that he is crazy, but once people start following him, the leader, he is impacting more and more people. He is an ordinary guy, who does not seem like a leader, but because of the follower, that made him a leader.

When someone decides to follow the other person and more and more people joins in, that makes the 'starter' the leader because no one else was doing it but he took the first step to do it, impacting others to follow suit. 

Therefore, the first follower is actually the one making the most impact rather than the leader. If the leader starts doing something and no one follows, how is that a leader? It is important that someone follows, convincing the rest to join in as well. 

The leader does not make it happen, but the followers that make it happen. Why do we always stand in the crowd? If it is right, why not make it happen and follow suit. You will be the one in the crowd at the end of the day because the crowd will follow you. You are the one who have guts to make the person who is doing right the leader. Those who simply does not want to follow you is now the one that people laugh at because they are not the same anymore. 

-Zhi Yan

reflection on how to start a movement

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V74AxCqOTvg

in the link above is the video of derek sivers talking about a guy in trunks who started the movement. although it seemed awkward initially, he continued to dance by himself until a person joined in and another and another and finally this guy in trunks has got alot of people following him and his dance movements.

this video shows how to start a movement. to start a movement one needs to be of a great leader, to know how to convince others and attract others attention to be able to have others listening to one. one needs followers to support one in whatever one is planning to do. after all, without followers as seen in the video, the dancing guy would not be able to start what he was planning. as derek said, " everyone sees the followers not the leader." this is true as without his followers, the leader would not be able to attract a crowd of supporters. hence, one is only able to start a movement when one has support and followers behind his/her back. the video also shows that the followers support the leader in dancing as they do not want to ridicule themselves, one is able to see a whole crowd of people jusr rushing in to join in the fun.


hence, the most important moral of this video as said by derek sivers is to nurtur the first few followers we have, to make them as equals and that there is no movement without the follower. one must also be courageous enough to follow or the public cannot possibly be attracted.

so this shows that followers are the most important and needs to be brave in starting a movement, not really the leader, isnt it?

Reflection: Derek Sivers — How to Start a Movement

In the following video, Derek Sivers talked about how the first follower is more important than the leader as he shows others how to follow, spurring on the spirit, setting the precedent and starting a movement subsequently. 

The first follower is important as he turns the person he is following into a leader. As nobody listens to the leader as they think that "Hey, this guy is doing something by himself and nobody is following him. He must be doing something ridiculous. Therefore, I shall not follow him too." When nobody follows the leader, the leader is not a leader anymore because he is a lonely guy seen doing something ridiculous by himself. However, when the first follower says, "I think should follow him", he has the courage to be follow and ridiculed together with the leader, but at the same time, showing others how to follow. Then, it will occur to the second and third follower, "Maybe it's not so bad. We should join in too." After they start joining in, a small crowd / group will be created. When more people from the surrounding see this, they will think that "Since there is a bunch of people following him, let's join them too," thus creating a bigger crowd. In the end, those who do not participate are seen as the odd ones out who are being ridiculed. If it has not been the first follower, the leader will be like one person strolling along the path alone; but because of this first follower, people change their mindset and join in the first person, following the leader. In this case, the leader is now leading a troop, not strolling alone anymore. Thus, the first follower is important as he makes the difference by following the leader, convincing the others to follow too. 

All in all, I think that it is not a leader that starts a movement, it is his followers that make it happen. As mentioned by Derek Sivers, "If the leader is the flint, the first follower is the spark that makes the fire." We are often taught that leadership is important. However, after watching this video, does it come to you that follow-ship is equally important? Without followers, there will be no leaders. Thus, if you come across somebody doing something great, be it donation for charity, or even RAOK (Random Acts Of Kindness), be sure to have the guts to stand up and join in to make that difference, and people will follow suit, spreading the kindness around. 

~Kitty